FlatNine
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2010
- Posts
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[size=medium]The last 7 days have been fairly expensive for me! Last week I bought the TTVJ Slim portable headphone amp, and this week I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD-650’s. I’ve done some reviews before, but I figure it’s time to put my best effort forward, and pass along some thoughts in hopes of helping other people, as I myself have been helped here.[/size]
[size=medium]Packaging:[/size]
[size=medium]The Senn’s came in a very nice package, inside of which was a hinged box, maybe wooden, that cradled the phones very nicely. The box is a keeper, for sure. The box contained the phones, of course, as well as a 6 inch adapter cable, with a quarter inch female to 3.5 mm male connector for use with portable DAP’s. Thank you Sennheiser! It really sucks to spend so much only to find that a vital piece was skimped on. [/size]
[size=medium]Build Quality:[/size]
[size=medium]These hp’s are fairly light, but seem to be well built. I like the cable on the phones much better than the one on my Grado’s. The Grado cord was like a round AC power cord, but these are more like a 16 gauge lamp cord, splitting into a “Y” just above the sternum when wearing the phones. Best of all, the cable is easily replaceable, as it connects to each of the left and right cans with a two prong male plug. It is in there nice and solid, so I’m not worried that is might somehow get disconnected. I’m very aware of how I handle everything, especially electronics, and I’m sure these phones will last for years and years, even if I were to handle them roughly on occassion.[/size]
[size=medium]Comfort:[/size]
[size=medium]I really like the way these fit my average sized head. I can even shake my head and they do not seem like they’re going anywhere. I could probably go running with these on and they would stay put. But, they are not too tight at all. I like the fact that the cans completely envelop my ears. All in all, it seems easy to forget I’m wearing them, so I’d give these a very good comfort rating.[/size]
[size=medium]Sound Quality:[/size]
[size=medium]This review is about the HD-650’s, but anytime you review audio components, you have to consider that everything in the sonic chain is responsible for the sound in one way or another. So, here are the components I am using as I try to convey what I am hearing:[/size]
[size=medium] [/size]
[size=medium]CD’s being played: Miles Davis: Kind of Blue; Diana Krall: When I Look in Your Eyes[/size]
[size=medium]ALAC > iPod Touch 3rd Gen 64GB > LOD > TTVJ Slim > Sennheiser HD-650’s > My Ears[/size]
[size=medium]High End – Mellow, laid back, easy to listen to. Compared to the bright signature of my Grado 325’s, these are so smooth. I cannot see them causing listening fatigue, even after hours of listening. At this moment, I am listening to Cannonball Adderley take a solo – alto sax, at the high end of the register. It is enjoyable, and I don’t find myself wanting the solo to end or lowering the volume because it is harsh or overly bright. Mellow is the word that keeps coming to mind.[/size]
[size=medium]Midrange – Ah, I love this. The midrange is just a little forward. I just switched the music to Diana Krall’s Let’s Face the Music and Dance. Her voice is silky, and gently dominates the recording, as it should. Female jazz vocals can have such an engaging presence with the right phones, and in this case they do. They sound very nice, full and rich through the entire midrange.[/size]
[size=medium]Bass – I’m not a bass head. I like to fully hear the bass, and maybe feel it just a LITTLE. In other genres, the bass is something you feel more than hear. In jazz, and with the stand-up acoustic bass in particular, you want to hear the bass, you want to be able to discern the lines the bass player is choosing, and not have it be just a muddy feeling that runs together and does nothing more than make your insides rumble. Jazz is about finesse, and choosing good musical lines, and this includes the bass. With the 650’s, I can hear everything clearly, and cleanly in the bass region. It is not overpowering or muddy in any way, and does jazz justice.[/size]
[size=medium]Overall Impression:[/size]
[size=medium]Just about everything and everyone has an “it” factor. It is not one particular thing, and you cannot easily put your finger on it, but it exists. Maybe it is the synergy of the individual sonic qualities, how they all work together. There is no single quality that stands out so much with the 650’s, as to overshadow the rest. For example - Grado’s are know to be bright. Not that that is bad, but my point is that the brightness associated with Grado’s IS a single uniquely identifying characteristic, acoustically. Maybe the fact that all of the sonic qualities of the 650’s play so nicely together, yet no one quality overshadows any other quality is the reason I like them so much. These phones are smooth and engaging, and they take me deep into the music right away. Not to be sexist here, but here is a good analogy. When a beautiful woman dresses right, with just the right choice of colors, and the right type and amount accessories, you tend to *not* see the clothes at all, but rather the woman. That’s how the Sennheiser HD-650’s strike me. The individual characteristics are excellent, but when combined, produce a sound that is greater than the sum of the parts. It seems like I’ve found my soul mate, er, I mean head mate.[/size]
[size=medium]Packaging:[/size]
[size=medium]The Senn’s came in a very nice package, inside of which was a hinged box, maybe wooden, that cradled the phones very nicely. The box is a keeper, for sure. The box contained the phones, of course, as well as a 6 inch adapter cable, with a quarter inch female to 3.5 mm male connector for use with portable DAP’s. Thank you Sennheiser! It really sucks to spend so much only to find that a vital piece was skimped on. [/size]
[size=medium]Build Quality:[/size]
[size=medium]These hp’s are fairly light, but seem to be well built. I like the cable on the phones much better than the one on my Grado’s. The Grado cord was like a round AC power cord, but these are more like a 16 gauge lamp cord, splitting into a “Y” just above the sternum when wearing the phones. Best of all, the cable is easily replaceable, as it connects to each of the left and right cans with a two prong male plug. It is in there nice and solid, so I’m not worried that is might somehow get disconnected. I’m very aware of how I handle everything, especially electronics, and I’m sure these phones will last for years and years, even if I were to handle them roughly on occassion.[/size]
[size=medium]Comfort:[/size]
[size=medium]I really like the way these fit my average sized head. I can even shake my head and they do not seem like they’re going anywhere. I could probably go running with these on and they would stay put. But, they are not too tight at all. I like the fact that the cans completely envelop my ears. All in all, it seems easy to forget I’m wearing them, so I’d give these a very good comfort rating.[/size]
[size=medium]Sound Quality:[/size]
[size=medium]This review is about the HD-650’s, but anytime you review audio components, you have to consider that everything in the sonic chain is responsible for the sound in one way or another. So, here are the components I am using as I try to convey what I am hearing:[/size]
[size=medium] [/size]
[size=medium]CD’s being played: Miles Davis: Kind of Blue; Diana Krall: When I Look in Your Eyes[/size]
[size=medium]ALAC > iPod Touch 3rd Gen 64GB > LOD > TTVJ Slim > Sennheiser HD-650’s > My Ears[/size]
[size=medium]High End – Mellow, laid back, easy to listen to. Compared to the bright signature of my Grado 325’s, these are so smooth. I cannot see them causing listening fatigue, even after hours of listening. At this moment, I am listening to Cannonball Adderley take a solo – alto sax, at the high end of the register. It is enjoyable, and I don’t find myself wanting the solo to end or lowering the volume because it is harsh or overly bright. Mellow is the word that keeps coming to mind.[/size]
[size=medium]Midrange – Ah, I love this. The midrange is just a little forward. I just switched the music to Diana Krall’s Let’s Face the Music and Dance. Her voice is silky, and gently dominates the recording, as it should. Female jazz vocals can have such an engaging presence with the right phones, and in this case they do. They sound very nice, full and rich through the entire midrange.[/size]
[size=medium]Bass – I’m not a bass head. I like to fully hear the bass, and maybe feel it just a LITTLE. In other genres, the bass is something you feel more than hear. In jazz, and with the stand-up acoustic bass in particular, you want to hear the bass, you want to be able to discern the lines the bass player is choosing, and not have it be just a muddy feeling that runs together and does nothing more than make your insides rumble. Jazz is about finesse, and choosing good musical lines, and this includes the bass. With the 650’s, I can hear everything clearly, and cleanly in the bass region. It is not overpowering or muddy in any way, and does jazz justice.[/size]
[size=medium]Overall Impression:[/size]
[size=medium]Just about everything and everyone has an “it” factor. It is not one particular thing, and you cannot easily put your finger on it, but it exists. Maybe it is the synergy of the individual sonic qualities, how they all work together. There is no single quality that stands out so much with the 650’s, as to overshadow the rest. For example - Grado’s are know to be bright. Not that that is bad, but my point is that the brightness associated with Grado’s IS a single uniquely identifying characteristic, acoustically. Maybe the fact that all of the sonic qualities of the 650’s play so nicely together, yet no one quality overshadows any other quality is the reason I like them so much. These phones are smooth and engaging, and they take me deep into the music right away. Not to be sexist here, but here is a good analogy. When a beautiful woman dresses right, with just the right choice of colors, and the right type and amount accessories, you tend to *not* see the clothes at all, but rather the woman. That’s how the Sennheiser HD-650’s strike me. The individual characteristics are excellent, but when combined, produce a sound that is greater than the sum of the parts. It seems like I’ve found my soul mate, er, I mean head mate.[/size]
