Quote: I wouldn't worry about China, they are and by far the largest exporter of manufactured goods in the world so it's safe to assume that they're likely to be diligent shippers. The snag is probably at the other end in Afghanistan. 2 weeks to ship from Canada doesn't seem THAT long...

Quote: The reason is that the HD600 and HD650 are "slash" models, as in "HD600/650", meaning they are so similar as to be almost identical in specs, amp requirements, sound, looks and build quality.   

Quote:   Lol yeah, the 580's have the same basic design as the 600/650. The simpler the better.    

I was *almost* perfectly happy with just using the HD600 but at some point I realized that for one specific type of music (electronic) I needed something else, and I welcomed the RS1i to the family. Still, 90% of the time I find myself wearing the 600.  

  Quote: MSRP in the US/Canada for the HD600 is $520 vs $650 for the 650 even though street price is lower (both between $400 and $500) and the difference between the two can be as little as $30. The huge difference in your parts is difficult to explain. Anyway you're saying that you...

Quote: Same here, just substitute HD600 for 650 (could not tell the difference). In fact I think it is not possible to own a 595 or 598 without wondering what the 600/650 sound like. Still have my 595s but they have been relegated to gaming duties. 595s are not bad cans, far from it, but...

Quote:   You could go listen to the RS1i (and the slightly cheaper RS2) at a hi-fi shop. FWIW I only use my RS1's for electronic/jazz/chamber music, anything heavy sounds a lot better on the HD600 but I don't know how these would compare with the more affordable 325s. I find the RS1 is...

Quote:   I wouldn't think so unless you include the HD 600 in the "lower end" category (the 600 is basically the same as the 650 but sells for $30 less). I do not know of any other Senn series that sound as good as the 600/650, even the upper 500 series. Mind you, I have not tried the HD...

Quote: Not all Senns are built equally sturdy. For instance the HD555 have a known structural weakness at the base of the headband that may cause the part to crack even under moderate stress. With  the headband cracked the phones are useless and fixing them can prove to be quite a...

Quote: If talking about $300+ phones I like my cans to be broken in when I get them so I usually purchase demo models from high-end shops or second-hand if they are in exceptionally good shape, by that I mean like new once I replace the ear pads if required. Demos don't save you a lot of...

It has always been my belief that "serious" headphones come with the cable they were designed to use with regards to impedance loads. Now I may very well be wrong but wouldn't the use of silver reduce the designed load due to higher conductivity?

Quote: Actually the HD 650 can be the highest of high end cans... provided they are coupled with that $18,000 uber-amp from Sennheiser    

Is there any difference in performance between the HD 598 and the 595? Housing is different but specs are very similar...

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There is no absolute answer to that question, it varies a lot from one user to the next. Some people swear by Stax but those I had annoyed me after an hour or so and that is the reason I had to get rid of them. Besides that, the sound was too "airy", diffused. Not saying Stax are not great, just...

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I would stay away from HD 515, all 500 series I have owned except one (see below) had serious bass clipping (rumble) issues even at a moderate volume level. The only way to correct this was to use a good quality headphone amp but there goes your value. On top of that models from that series are...