I echo your view totally. A seriously flawed phone in my opinion.

@nigeljames, +1 , more reviews need to show the flaws of this highly overrated can

I totally agree with this review too. I find the HD650 too warm for my preferences, but evidently many people prefer a warm sound. And yes, they lack sparkle and transparency for acoustic and classical tracks from my experience. The HD800 is a much, much better headphone for that purpose, and critical listening in my opinion...but cost more than twice as much too. :/

I am sorry that you do not hear the Sennheisers the way so many of us others do. It is really an uplifting sound, even in the face of technically superior headphones. I, for one, do not find them muddy, nor lacking in transparency. In fact I would say that they are quite resolving on a micro level, without having recourse to tilt the upper registers. They are not on the same plane as say and HE6 or HD800 for sparkle and clarity, but are equally enjoyable given the proper material. To this day the HD650/Zana Deux pairing is the most synergistic I've heard and it's no slouch on a Beta 22. Glad you found other headphones that you prefer at a lower price.

haha 3 stars for the legendary headphone , why does this review seem like the amazon ones? or maybe you lost a good portion of your hearing

@XxDobermanxX Not 3 stars, 2 and a half star actually. There is nothing wrong with my hearing at all, of course it doesn't extends to the same range as a dog's. In my ears these cans are artificially colored and lack clarity. I have lived with them for a couple of years and got tired of the unexciting and veiled sound. I don't really know about the amazon but as far as I can see the reviews over there are very positive.
@ericfarell85 Sorry but I don't beleive in recabling. I have heard them with Cardas and Zu Mobius and there really was no difference to be heard.

@XxDobermanxX just because nearly everyone thinks this is a good headphone doesn't mean it's meant for everyone. I for one agree with this review and would gladly take a HiFiMAN HE-500 or AKG K/Q701, any day, any time over the HD650. I really didn't like the HD650 when I first tried it, and I still don't after an hour's worth of listening to at a local Head-Fi meet.