[DCofficehack]

I know the choice between the HD600 and the HD650/6xx is something that many have pondered, and I wanted to add some of my own experience for the sake of others who want to make the choice.

As of a week ago I own both Sennheisers. I listen to the same music but in different locations, with different rigs. The Hd650 is at home, plugged into an SMSL AD18, which is connected to my MacBook Pro. At work, using the same MacBook, I listen to the HD600s plugged into a Schiit Magni 2, which is connect to the MacBook via the Mac's headphone jack.

I suppose some of the difference I'm hearing might be due to the SMSL and the Schiit, but I have no way of knowing without setting up both rigs side by side, which I haven't done.

Both sets of cans are terrific, but there's a clear difference that comes out when listening to classical music. The best example is a high quality FLAC recording I have of the Brandenburg Concertos, specifically the 3rd, although the comparison applies to all of them.

The Brandenburg concertos commonly are performed with three violins, two violas, three cellos, a double bass, and a harpsichord. Sometimes recorders/flutes. The recording I have is by the Musica Antiqua in Köln:

https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Brandenburg-Concertos-Brandenburgische-Brandebourgeois/dp/B0000057D4

You can watch a fine performance, although by another ensemble, below. What happens is that with the HD650s, the cellos and bass are powerful and boomy. I'd describe the lower end as "thick." Not muddy, of course. Nothing like muddy. Everything is clear and detailed. But man that upright bass digs, and I can imagine the bassist working hard. I can feel it.

The same music through the HD600s is a very different experience. The bass is there but much reduced, and in exchange, the highs and mids feel more pronounced, although I believe the difference to be only a matter of perception. Meaning, I suspect the highs and mids coming out of the two cans might be the same, but the presence of the thick bass in the HD650s overshadows them a bit. They feel less prominent (is this the so called veil?), while with the HD600s the ear can savor them.

The question is, which is better? Or, which is more accurate? I suppose I'd have to hear a live performance to judge, as the answer hangs on how pronounced the bass really is relative to the other players. But I suspect that what I'm hearing with the HD650 is too much. Not a lot too much, like what I'd get through some crappy cans with boosted bass, but just enough to be out of proportion. That said, the question then becomes, is the bass with the HD600s too slight? Maybe a smidge? I wonder what Bach would say.

For this kind of music, I prefer the HD600 sound, ultimately, because I want to lavish in the mids and highs. But clearly with other kinds the HD650 are just the ticket. Rush, for example, is fantastic.

 

[Me x3]

Well, it's hard to say since you'll be able to find recordings on the cool side of neutral which will tend to sound more natural through HD650 and viceversa as in this case.
The recording variable shouldn't be taken aside because it's as important as the headphone itself. In the same way the bass on HD650 is more present than on HD600, on some recordings the bass is more/less present relative to other recordings. This has to do with the recording techniques and mastering procedures, but also with the acoustics of the recording place (room/concert hall/etc.) and last but not least the type and number of instruments playing.

It's also important to note that the real thing which in this case means being there listening to Musica Antiqua in Köln dosn't have a single and absolute meaning.
Depening on your position in the hall the sound of the real thing changes and it's still the real thing anyway. In the same way a full concert hall can sound different than an empty one, and so on...

Nice write up by the way!
Cheers!

 

[DCofficehack]

Well, it's hard to say since you'll be able to find recordings on the cool side of neutral which will tend to sound more natural through HD650 and viceversa as in this case.
The recording variable shouldn't be taken aside because it's as important as the headphone itself. In the same way the bass on HD650 is more present than on HD600, on some recordings the bass is more/less present relative to other recordings. This has to do with the recording techniques and mastering procedures, but also with the acoustics of the recording place (room/concert hall/etc.) and last but not least the type and number of instruments playing.

It's also important to note that the real thing which in this case means being there listening to Musica Antiqua in Köln dosn't have a single and absolute meaning.
Depening on your position in the hall the sound of the real thing changes and it's still the real thing anyway. In the same way a full concert hall can sound different than an empty one, and so on...

Nice write up by the way!
Cheers!

Thanks.

Agreed on all points. I do want to stress that my write up is based on listening to the same recording, although I've found such differences to hold to other recordings I have. I think the differences are particularly clear with the Brandenburg concertos because there are only a few instruments. I can't attribute thick bass sound, for example, to sheer volume, as I might with symphonic music featuring large cello and double bass sections. Imagine a piece with a dozen cellos and a half-dozen double basses...surely sitting in the right place in a symphony hall might yield something akin to what I was hearing. But with only one double bass in the hall, I doubt the sound would be so prominent.

 

[Sefelt103]

The question is, which is better? Or, which is more accurate?

The Sennheiser HD600 is more accurate. Which is better depends on whether you are a lover of euphonic sound signatures. The HD650 bass is boosted and by some technique thickened. The treble is also reduced so you have a bias towards the lower frequencies with this headphone. The HD600 is more balanced although it is still a bit euphonic but not to the same extent as the HD650. They are quite similar in their tone and midrange. Neither is particularly good for mastering.

 

[DCofficehack]

After more listening, I am more impressed by how different they sound. I'm also more convinced that whether either is better or worse depends on genre. The HD650 just isn't the right choice for classical. But for pop/rock, the 650 comes into its own. I've been listening to Rush, the Police, and The Smiths (yeah, I was a teen in the 1980s, can you tell?), and I really like what I hear. The 600 handles that music with aplomb, but the 650 brings an extra something that I really like, like adding a dash of tabasco to a soup. I'm also wondering if a better amp might open up the 650's sound for classical. The 600 benefits from a Schiit Magni 2, which I perceive is a better amp than the SMSL AD18 that I'm using for the 650. Perhaps I need to take the Schiit home and attempt some A/B-ing?

 

[nraymond]

I have a headphone amp that lets me plug in two headphone simultaneously. It's been the most reliable way for me to compare headphones, and by keeping the source -> DAC -> amp chain the same, reduces the differences to just the headphones.