[DavidA]

I returned it. I saw people said different impedance do not sound very different. But the price is difference.
I also have interest in Ember. A headfier told me he didn't think there is much improvement of Elise over Ember.

If you have a few higher impedance headphones like the HD600, HD650 and HD800 then the Elise would be my choice, its a bit on the warmer side with the stock tubes IMO. If you have a variety of headphones from low to high impedance then the Ember would be a better choice. I had another Head-Fi member over with his Elise and we did some comparisons but I had already sold my HD600 so I didn't get to try the Elise with them but with the HD650 it was way too warm but with the HD700/HD800 they were a good pairing with the stock tubes in the Elise. Here's a few picture of the Elise when my friend was over:

 

[yangian]

If you have a few higher impedance headphones like the HD600, HD650 and HD800 then the Elise would be my choice, it a bit on the warmer side with the stock tubes IMO. If you have a variety of headphones from low to high impedance then the Ember would be a better choice. I had another Head-Fi member over with his Elise and we did some comparisons but I hand already sold my HD600 so I didn't get to try the Elise with them but with the HD650 it was way too warm but with the HD700/HD800 they were a good pairing with the stock tubes in the Elise. Here's a few picture of the Elise when my friend was over:

Cool! Thank you very much, David!
My HT2 has tuby sound. Zdac2 is also warm, so this pairing is pretty warm. That's why I want to buy a 600ohm DT990. I think it'll pair well with HT2. However, I like 600 from Valhalla 2 with Director much more. All of them are neutral and the whole set up are so neutral and natural!

 

[tgh5000]

Hello! I am long waiting to buy the HD600s. But recently many people are comparing the HD 600s with DT1990s and claiming that latter excel the 600s in every way, albeit the cost. What do you guys think? If any of you have heard both of them, which one would you keep for years to come? And why? Thanks!

 

[StanD]

Hello! I am long waiting to buy the HD600s. But recently many people are comparing the HD 600s with DT1990s and claiming that latter excel the 600s in every way, albeit the cost. What do you guys think? If any of you have heard both of them, which one would you keep for years to come? And why? Thanks!

You might want to take a look at the Hifiman HE-400i headphones, they are on sale right now. I own them as well as the HD600's.

 

[pbarach]

You might want to take a look at the Hifiman HE-400i headphones, they are on sale right now. I own them as well as the HD600's.

I also own both. I wouldn't say that the Hifiman is better than the HD600. They are quite different in frequency response curve, comfort, and the amount of power needed (Hifiman needs more power despite having lower impedance). I find dialogue clearer on the HD600s when I'm using them to watch TV while others are sleeping. I find more sense of openness and soundstage in the HD600s. And I find the Hifiman less comfortable for my head but more impactful than the Sennheiser when I listen to jazz.

I know how these posts go on HeadFi: Someone will soon post that they have exactly opposite impressions of these two headphones

 

[yangian]

I also own both. I wouldn't say that the Hifiman is better than the HD600. They are quite different in frequency response curve, comfort, and the amount of power needed (Hifiman needs more power despite having lower impedance). I find dialogue clearer on the HD600s when I'm using them to watch TV while others are sleeping. I find more sense of openness and soundstage in the HD600s. And I find the Hifiman less comfortable for my head but more impactful than the Sennheiser when I listen to jazz.

I know how these posts go on HeadFi: Someone will soon post that they have exactly opposite impressions of these two headphones

Agree. Hear 400i before. Cannot like it. Soundstage is congested. Not as versatile as 600.

 

[BobSmith8901]

I also own both. I wouldn't say that the Hifiman is better than the HD600. They are quite different in frequency response curve, comfort, and the amount of power needed (Hifiman needs more power despite having lower impedance). I find dialogue clearer on the HD600s when I'm using them to watch TV while others are sleeping. I find more sense of openness and soundstage in the HD600s. And I find the Hifiman less comfortable for my head but more impactful than the Sennheiser when I listen to jazz.

I know how these posts go on HeadFi: Someone will soon post that they have exactly opposite impressions of these two headphones

I'm in decision-making mode regarding the HD600 or 650 and the 400i has been in the running too. I'm leaning currently towards the 650 because of its purported slight edge in musicality and soundstage but the main impediment to either of the Senns is their supposed intense clamping force (I understand that the 600 has a bit less clamping intensity than the 650). You say that for you, the 600 is more comfortable than the 400i which is slightly surprising. Can you elaborate on what makes the 600 more comfortable vs the 400i for you? What is it about the 400i that makes it less comfortable?-- I have a rather large head-7 5/8.

I listen to a lot of jazz too; what is it about the 400i that it sounds better to you vs the 600 in that genre? Regarding the soundstage of the 400i's, how would you describe it vs the 600?

Was the 600 comfortable when you started using it?

Did the sound change/improve the longer you had it?

What equipment do you use to drive them?

[ditto on the 400i if you have the time!]

Anyway, thanks for your patience and any thoughts appreciated!

 

[DavidA]

I'm in decision-making mode regarding the HD600 or 650 and the 400i has been in the running too. I'm leaning currently towards the 650 because of its purported slight edge in musicality and soundstage but the main impediment to either of the Senns is their supposed intense clamping force (I understand that the 600 has a bit less clamping intensity than the 650). You say that for you, the 600 is more comfortable than the 400i which is slightly surprising. Can you elaborate on what makes the 600 more comfortable vs the 400i for you? What is it about the 400i that makes it less comfortable?-- I have a rather large head-7 5/8.

I listen to a lot of jazz too; what is it about the 400i that it sounds better to you vs the 600 in that genre? Regarding the soundstage of the 400i's, how would you describe it vs the 600?

Was the 600 comfortable when you started using it?

Did the sound change/improve the longer you had it?

What equipment do you use to drive them?

[ditto on the 400i if you have the time!]

Anyway, thanks for your patience and any thoughts appreciated!

I had all three at one point, only sold the HD600 since it has a slight peak at 4-5khz that bothered me.

The clamping force is not something I would worry about since you can bend the metal part of the sliders on the HD600/650 so its not a issue I would be concerned with. I had to bend the sliders on both my HD600 and HD650 since I was getting a head ache after 30min. The clamping force of the HE400i was also a problem to me so I bent the headband a little since the ear pads were being smashed together when the they were on a hanging stand and I think maybe the reason for some to have problems with the pads failing quickly.

I'm not one who normally believes in burn-in and didn't notice any changes in any of the 3 headphones, if they do change then it very subtle at best IMO.

Sound stage on all three are decent but its not what they are known for and I don't really see one being better than the other that would sway me one way or the other.

I would agree with you that the HD650 is the most musical of the three but there are some genres that the HD600 or HE400i might do better IMO, only you can decided this since what I like may not be what you like.

For the HD600 and HD650 I use a BH Crack, upgraded tubes and caps, for HE400i I use either headphone output of UD-301 or a Project Ember.

If you listen to jazz a lot then I would consider a HD700, Grado RS2e (w/ generic G-pads) or a custom built Nhoord Red V2, I have all three and like them for jazz over the HD600/650/HE400i.

 

[StanD]

I also own both. I wouldn't say that the Hifiman is better than the HD600. They are quite different in frequency response curve, comfort, and the amount of power needed (Hifiman needs more power despite having lower impedance). I find dialogue clearer on the HD600s when I'm using them to watch TV while others are sleeping. I find more sense of openness and soundstage in the HD600s. And I find the Hifiman less comfortable for my head but more impactful than the Sennheiser when I listen to jazz.

I know how these posts go on HeadFi: Someone will soon post that they have exactly opposite impressions of these two headphones

Different people prefer different sound profiles, so I would expect different opinions. That's why it is best to listen for oneself.
As far as power requirements go, that's a factor of design, Planars need a bit more power, high impedance headphones like the hD600 require a larger voltage swing, they are different in this regard, neither is all that hard to drive with a decent amp.

 

[oatp1b1]

I'm downgrading from HD800S/HDVA600 to the HD600's since my two channel setup gets the most listening time. However, I need both a DAC and an amplifier to go with the headphones. I'm more or less set on trying a tube amplifier, and leaning towards the Feliks Audio Espressivo together with a Schiit Modi Multibit (need both optical and coaxial inputs). Does this seem like a decent enough setup? My music is fairly diverse (classical/neoclassical, musicals, different types of "indie" music [pop, rock, electro], folk, 60's music etc). Would prefer to have a musical setup rather than a very analytical one. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[tgh5000]

I'm downgrading from HD800S/HDVA600 to the HD600's since my two channel setup gets the most listening time. However, I need both a DAC and an amplifier to go with the headphones. I'm more or less set on trying a tube amplifier, and leaning towards the Feliks Audio Espressivo together with a Schiit Modi Multibit (need both optical and coaxial inputs). Does this seem like a decent enough setup? My music is fairly diverse (classical/neoclassical, musicals, different types of "indie" music [pop, rock, electro], folk, 60's music etc). Would prefer to have a musical setup rather than a very analytical one. Thoughts? Thanks!

So you find HD 600 more enjoyable compared to HD 800s? Could you talk more on that?

 

[oatp1b1]

So you find HD 600 more enjoyable compared to HD 800s? Could you talk more on that?

No, where did I write that? I've never heard the HD600's, I'm picking them up tomorrow. I did however have the HD650's for a few years prior to upgrading to the HD800S'. I just think that it is unnecessary to have a €5k headphone setup when I spend 80% of my listening time with my stereo, hence the downgrade.

 

[Midgetguy]

No, where did I write that? I've never heard the HD600's, I'm picking them up tomorrow. I did however have the HD650's for a few years prior to upgrading to the HD800S'. I just think that it is unnecessary to have a €5k headphone setup when I spend 80% of my listening time with my stereo, hence the downgrade.

Makes lots of sense to me. It's the same reason why, while I like trying the upper tier of headphones, I won't personally own one because I listen to things on my 2.1 setup most of the time.

 

[pbarach]

I'm in decision-making mode regarding the HD600 or 650 and the 400i has been in the running too. I'm leaning currently towards the 650 because of its purported slight edge in musicality and soundstage but the main impediment to either of the Senns is their supposed intense clamping force (I understand that the 600 has a bit less clamping intensity than the 650). You say that for you, the 600 is more comfortable than the 400i which is slightly surprising. Can you elaborate on what makes the 600 more comfortable vs the 400i for you? What is it about the 400i that makes it less comfortable?-- I have a rather large head-7 5/8.

I listen to a lot of jazz too; what is it about the 400i that it sounds better to you vs the 600 in that genre? Regarding the soundstage of the 400i's, how would you describe it vs the 600?

Was the 600 comfortable when you started using it?

Did the sound change/improve the longer you had it?

What equipment do you use to drive them?

[ditto on the 400i if you have the time!]

Anyway, thanks for your patience and any thoughts appreciated!

When I bought the 600, it was too tight on my head; over time it loosened up. Sennheiser recently sent me a brand-new set when mine went in for repair (post-warranty). They were tight on my head, but I put them around a stack of books a bit wider than my head for about two days, and that stretched them so they are comfortable. I like the padded headband better on the 600s than the leather one on the Hifiman. I owned 650's briefly and also found them too tight for my head. I use my 600 and 400i currently with either a Burson HA-160 (which I would like to sell) or a Marantz HD-DAC1. The soundstage is more congested on the 400i than on the 600. I found the 400i too bright until I replaced the stock pads with the Focus PadsA, which Hifiman sells at their website or at Amazon.

 

[tgh5000]

Can the cans be driven by Fiio X3? Can the X3 drive the HD 600s to at least to half of its potential?