[jthom320]

Hello all.  I'm debating these three headphones.  
 
I'd love to get some user opinions on them but I have a fairly specific application question as well.
 
I will be using these quite a bit with Dolby Headphone for Virtual surround (gaming), quite a bit with Blu-Rays, quite a bit with Netflix and some with youtube.
 
I want a decent soundstage but it does not need to be monstrous.  I want something with better sound then my current 598s and I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of soundstage for that.  
 
My question though really is which headphone of the three is going to sound good with fairly low quality sources like Netflix and Youtube?  
 
Also I'm using a mixamp TR for surround.  Curious if anyone has specific amp recommendations in conjunction with that device.  I'm leaning towards an O2 or Magni 2.
 
Appreciate it.

 

[Me x3]

 
My question though really is which headphone of the three is going to sound good with fairly low quality sources like Netflix and Youtube?  

Have you tried the Fidelio X2?

 

[jthom320]

  Have you tried the Fidelio X2?

No but I'll look into it.  Appreciate the recommendation.
 
Also budget is not a huge issue.  I'm looking for something that's a noticeable upgrade kind of all around on my 598s.  Don't want to spend a 1000 dollars but 4, 5 or maybe even 6 would be okay if I could get the kind of bump I'm looking for.
 
These three I've just heard talked about highly.  I've been told by someone else however that the 400i's might be too revealing when used with poorer quality sources.
 
Also just to reiterate music is like last priority with these things.  It's not that I will never do it but I typically listen to music when I'm on the go rather then at home through cans.

 

[Me x3]

 
No but I'll look into it.  Appreciate the recommendation.
 
Also budget is not a huge issue.  I'm looking for something that's a noticeable upgrade kind of all around on my 598s.  Don't want to spend a 1000 dollars but 4, 5 or maybe even 6 would be okay if I could get the kind of bump I'm looking for.
 
These three I've just heard talked about highly.  I've been told by someone else however that the 400i's might be too revealing when used with poorer quality sources.
 
Also just to reiterate music is like last priority with these things.  It's not that I will never do it but I typically listen to music when I'm on the go rather then at home through cans.

That really depends on what you would call a noticeable upgrade.
Fidelio X2 should provide a similarly sized soundstage (probably a bit more frontal and focused - angled drivers), more impactful bass (normally a good thing for movies) and a tad more air in the treble region.
 
Both are well built and comfortable, but the Fidelio is much more solid..
 
If you want to spend more you might consider the AudioQuest Nighthawk and Oppo PM2

 

[Music Alchemist]

I like the HE400i a bit more than the HD 650. Don't worry about lower quality sources. Netflix is always fine. YouTube ranges from fine to downright awful. No headphone is going to cover up that fact. But if you're going to be getting headphones like these, you should also be listening to high quality music (CD rips, downloads, streaming services, etc.) with them. Otherwise, you won't tap into their potential. If you don't mind focusing your budget on a portable closed-back headphone, you can get better sound for music on the go, then also get a more affordable headphone for gaming and videos.

 

[Fearless1]

As an owner of all three of the mentioned headphones, the 650 has the highest scalability of the three and with the right equipment it is just stunning. With gear that is not synergetic it is average sounding at best. Some people swear by the O2 with it, usually until they hear with a better pairing(Bottlehead Crack, Ember, B-22, GS-1)  and fully understand what it can sound like. In my case I use a Fosgate Signature amp and love the pairing.
 
With your choice of amp (magni/O2) I would definitely go with the 400i. It has the characteristics of the 650s mids (not quite as liquid) and is not overly revealing. The are much easier to amp to get them to sound good, but do scale with better gear as well, but no where near as dramatically as the 650.
 
The 712 pro is really good for movies/gaming and some music, but I do not love it with all music the way I do both the 650 and the 400i. If the AKGs peek your interest I would go with the Massdrop 7XX, it is more economical and sounds great as well. 

 

[jthom320]

I appreciate the last two recommendations.  Definitely gave me some more to think about.  I was actually starting to lean against the 400i and now you guys have me thinking again they might be the one for me.  
 
I'm rethinking my whole set up now.  Considering dropping the mixamp + amp idea and going with a Creative X7.
 
I think if I've learned anything in all this is that particularly on the higher end things are very subjective.
 

I like the HE400i a bit more than the HD 650. Don't worry about lower quality sources. Netflix is always fine. YouTube ranges from fine to downright awful. No headphone is going to cover up that fact. But if you're going to be getting headphones like these, you should also be listening to high quality music (CD rips, downloads, streaming services, etc.) with them. Otherwise, you won't tap into their potential. If you don't mind focusing your budget on a portable closed-back headphone, you can get better sound for music on the go, then also get a more affordable headphone for gaming and videos.

 
It's not that I don't listen to music.  I've just got some nice IEM's I use most of the time when I'm out and at work.  Just don't find myself listening to it much at home.

 

[Music Alchemist]

If you are satisfied with your portable headphones for music and want the new home headphones to be only for gaming and videos, I would suggest checking out this thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-5-31-2015-beyer-cop-and-shure-1540-added
 
I don't know if there are threads dedicated to how headphones perform specifically with videos.

 

[jthom320]

  If you are satisfied with your portable headphones for music and want the new home headphones to be only for gaming and videos, I would suggest checking out this thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-5-31-2015-beyer-cop-and-shure-1540-added
 
I don't know if there are threads dedicated to how headphones perform specifically with videos.

Oh yeah.  I've read through that big post probably two or three times at this point.
 
It's actually how I've narrowed it down to these three so far.
 
Really though videos aren't that big a deal.  Main thing is blu-rays and games.  Performing well in videos is really a plus.  
 
Great advice though.  Appreciated.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Oh yeah.  I've read through that big post probably two or three times at this point.
 
It's actually how I've narrowed it down to these three so far.
 
Really though videos aren't that big a deal.  Main thing is blu-rays and games.  Performing well in videos is really a plus.  
 
Great advice though.  Appreciated.

 
Blu-ray = video.

 
And of course, when we talk about video here, we're talking about the audio in the video.

 
Anyway, when trying to determine what you may like for video, you may want to envision what differences in sound signature you'd want compared to what you like for music. For example, you might want a more accurate sound for music, but something that has a "boomier" sound for video, since lots of movies have stuff like that in them.

 

[jthom320]

   
Blu-ray = video.

 
And of course, when we talk about video here, we're talking about the audio in the video.

 
Anyway, when trying to determine what you may like for video, you may want to envision what differences in sound signature you'd want compared to what you like for music. For example, you might want a more accurate sound for music, but something that has a "boomier" sound for video, since lots of movies have stuff like that in them.

I kind of have an idea.  
 
I know I want something with a wide sound stage that's going to give me good to great positional audio using Dolby Headphone or SBX.  Leaning towards SBX at this point. 
 
My current 598's pretty much do that.  I find them a bit harsh though.  Bass is okay can definitely be punchy but it seems to lack weight or depth for lack of a better word.  Mids seem good to my ears.  I'm far from an audiophile.  More of an enthusiast and I'm not the best at describing what I'm hearing but I think what I want is better bass over what I have now, something a bit smoother but just as or nearly as detailed.  Soundstage and positional ability is important to me but I'm willing to give a bit there to get the other stuff.
 
Also when I say better bass I don't mean something that's going to rock my brain.  Want something that's going to purr like a cat.  Like I said above not super great at describing.
 
Also I'm seeing the HD700 at well under 500 dollars pretty much everywhere so we could throw that one into the mix as well.
 
Leaning towards a Creative X7 as an amp/dac as it seems to be much better thought of in terms of fidelity then a mixamp/amp combo.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I kind of have an idea.  
 
I know I want something with a wide sound stage that's going to give me good to great positional audio using Dolby Headphone or SBX.  Leaning towards SBX at this point. 
 
My current 598's pretty much do that.  I find them a bit harsh though.  Bass is okay can definitely be punchy but it seems to lack weight or depth for lack of a better word.  Mids seem good to my ears.  I'm far from an audiophile.  More of an enthusiast and I'm not the best at describing what I'm hearing but I think what I want is better bass over what I have now, something a bit smoother but just as or nearly as detailed.  Soundstage and positional ability is important to me but I'm willing to give a bit there to get the other stuff.
 
Also when I say better bass I don't mean something that's going to rock my brain.  Want something that's going to purr like a cat.  Like I said above not super great at describing.
 
Also I'm seeing the HD700 at well under 500 dollars pretty much everywhere so we could throw that one into the mix as well.
 
Leaning towards a Creative X7 as an amp/dac as it seems to be much better thought of in terms of fidelity then a mixamp/amp combo.

 
One thing you could experiment with is EQ, to tailor the sound more to your preferences, at least to see how close your existing headphones can get. You can start by simply increasing the bass frequencies. I recommend using the Equalizer APO parametric equalizer with Peace GUI. It can be applied to all audio on your system too, not just music.
 
If you want to get into serious EQ, here are some guides:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/413900/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial
http://www.head-fi.org/t/587703/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial-part-2
http://www.head-fi.org/t/615417/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-advanced-tutorial-in-progress
 
I owned the HD 700 as well. Its soundstage is definitely larger than the HD 650, but I prefer the HD 650's sound overall.