[Ginko]

WesMiaw was gracious enough to have me over on one blazing Sunday early afternoon. The reason? To audition Sennheiser HD650 and AKG K702. I'll mention the music that I used to audition the cans, but chances are that most people would never have listened to any of this (they're all jrock and I've provided youtube links wherever possible, if people are curious about what I've tested them with).

Song List:
Byousoku 5 centimeter OST (5 cm per second) - One More Time, One More Chance (Piano Ver.)
COLORS The Best of PICK2HAND→P2H - Lily's Song
3nd - clockworker
ACIDMAN - Renga and spaced out
4 bonjour's parties - satellite

Impressions
One More Time, One More Chance: I'd like to say that this was a draw. Being a slow piano piece, it wasn't asking much from the phones. I did use it to test out the soundstage, and it was just fine.

Lily's Song: I decided then to step up the game, and play a track from one of my most favorite album of all time. The HD650 beat the AKG, no contest. Sadly enough, the HD650 didn't win over me. Compared to the low end Denon AH-C551K IEMs that I use for my daily purposes, I thought that the HD650 sound was disappointing. It lacked the soundstage, it wasn't analytical... I can't really express it very well, but I was expecting more from them. If the AKG is to be trusted as a reference headphones, maybe it's poor mastering? I'm not sure. This is one song that I want to definitely hear through a Denon AH-D2000. SF Bay Area meet, here I come!

clockworker: 3nd (pronounced "sand" lol) is an instrumental post rock band, and the song clockworker has a fantastic baseline. It brings joy to me when I say that both of them did not disappoint, and provided a very very good listening experience. It's a happy draw.

Renga and spaced out: ACIDMAN is another one of my most favorite bands, and both songs were equally enjoyable on both phones, IMO. Maybe my ear is not trained enough to notice any subtle differences among the two, but I was pleased by what I heard. Quite majorly pleased.

.

satellite: I don't know this song inside and out, and this band isn't one of my top favorites or anything, but I brought it along so that it'll be change from my usual stock. I figured that it might show other strengths of the headphones which are usually not highlighted by the rock genre. Again, it's quite a draw. 4bon uses a variety of instruments, and I could hear all of it from both headphones. I'd say the output was quite analytical and detailed. Good stuff here.

Aesthetics and Comfort
As far as looks go, AKG is a definite winner. Although I must admit that the HD650 looks much better in person than what the pictures show you. The build quality was expectedly solid. Comfort wise though, the AKG is far more comfortable, and I can see myself wearing it for hours on end. The HD650, not so much - it felt like it was clamping itself around my head, and I don't really prefer it. It's comfortable, no doubt, but the AKG felt a lot more gentle in this department.

Conclusion
Overall, I like both of these cans. They perform well, and I'd recommend them to any friend. I'd personally pick the AKG though, because of the comfort aspect. I'm going to be moving out very soon, and I will probably never get the chance to use my speakers (since it's just going to bother my room mates, and I'd like to help maintain the peace and quiet in the house), and I'll be relying on my headphones as source of sound for a good 3 years or so while I finish up college. I do know that it needs an amp, and I might get the EF1 since it seems like a decent entry level performer.

Oh, and I owe it to Wes for showing my friend the light. He now wants to graduate from his airplane headphones

. Also, I tried my best describing the sound I remember hearing only 24 hours ago. Hope it helps someone, even though it's not that much of a write-up.

Rock on, head-fi. Rock on.

 

[Zombie_X]

Nice impressions there Ginko!

I personally prefer the K701 to HD650, but I use my HD650 for bass heavy stuff, while the K701 is for lighter stuff. I also like an analytical sound, so K701 is great compared to the HD650 for that though the HD580/HD600/HD650 have good resolution and detailing.

Hopefully you'll get one of them in the future.

 

[Ginko]

Honestly, I'm not a (big) basshead. For me, it's all about the midrange. The little guitar riffs, the voice of the singer, the drum line, the cymbal thrash (I suppose that's more toward the highs). I want to be able to tell apart the instruments, yet at the same time, "taste" the music. I know "tasting" music might sound like a weird description, but let me try my best to explain it:

Certain songs have that really "rough" baseline, as if you're playing on a very thick 6th string on a guitar. Tastewise, I'm reminded of something that's gritty, or grainy.
Female vocals might sound like something that flows very well, like say, milk.

Weird, I know. But it's not often when I can "taste" music. It only lasts for a second. Or maybe two. But I've never forgotten the moment it happened. It's that memorable, and no one can it take it from me. Whoa, I'm digressing a bit here, pardon me.

 

[coredump]

Quote:

Comfort wise though, the AKG is far more comfortable

Wow, lucky you. The 701/2 are famous for being uncomfortable.

 

[Zombie_X]

I also find them very comfortable, but I guess it varies on the size/shape of ones head.

 

[anetode]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginko /img/forum/go_quote.gif Certain songs have that really "rough" baseline, as if you're playing on a very thick 6th string on a guitar. Tastewise, I'm reminded of something that's gritty, or grainy. Female vocals might sound like something that flows very well, like say, milk. Weird, I know. But it's not often when I can "taste" music. It only lasts for a second. Or maybe two. But I've never forgotten the moment it happened. It's that memorable, and no one can it take it from me. Whoa, I'm digressing a bit here, pardon me.

You might be one of the lucky few synaethetes out there. It's a great neurophysiological gift to be able to interpret sensations like that, or a symptom of some serious brain disorder

Synesthesia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[priest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie_X /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also find them very comfortable, but I guess it varies on the size/shape of ones head.

I personally don't find the K702 downright uncomfortable, so much as awkward or slightly unnatural feeling. The HD650, to me, feel like I imagine headphones are "supposed to fit" -- even if they clamp a little more. Of course, I just got the K702 about 20 minutes ago, so I should probably give them some time.