loxxrider
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2012
- Posts
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- 19
This isn't a review; it's more of a short story I wanted to share about how my wallet got a lot lighter yesterday.
I just got back from working in Saudi Arabia and every time I'm there I love to read this forum in my down-time. I always end up coveting something and generally buy it when I get back in the states so I can try it out. I really enjoy seeing how my perception of sound compares with others'. I've long been lusting over the LCD-II, but have been very curious about the HD-650 as well.
I'm visiting my girlfriend in Baltimore right now, and I thought it would be great if I could find a dealer for one of these two cans. I managed to "stumble upon" (aka discovered it after searching for hours) a hifi store in Baltimore (called Grammophone) which is a Sennheiser dealer. I went in with the intention to buy an HD650 as I've really been wondering how they sound.
So I went in there and was happy to find that they had a pair in stock and one to audition. I put it on and plugged it straight into my S3 (I failed to bring my Pico DAC/Am for whatever reason) and immediately got a big smile on my face. They sound awesome! They are not veiled at all like a lot of people say (apparently there was a revision to the drivers somewhere along the way) and have plenty of bass in my opinion which is also contrary to what many say. It's not basshead bass, but it is all there the way it is supposed to be and I haven't felt it to be lacking yet. I was sold and told the guy I'd buy them but was curious to check out the other equipment in the store, just for kicks.
They had some 4k TV's which are AMAZING! The one he showed me was about 83" or so. I asked how much it was expecting something crazy like 10-12k. It was $25k. I was not prepared for that at all LOL. Apparently the first plasma TVs cost that much too when they first came out, so I'm looking forward to a 4k TV in the next 5 years or so at a reasonable price. I have always thought 1080p could be improved upon a lot, and this is exactly what I thought it should be like. You can get right up on the TV and struggle to see individual pixels.
Anyway, he wanted to let me hear some nice speakers which cost $15k. They sounded pretty awesome, and I was loving all of the McIntosh amps and stuff they had in there. I really admire the build quality of the higher end stuff. Then I spied some LCD-II's on a stand in the room. I was amazed and told the guy I'd have to try them out. Long story short, I A/B'd the LCD-II and the HD650 for a few hours. They are both awesome! I couldn't decide which I liked more though. The LCD-II has incredible lows, but the midrange can be a little bit too forward for my liking. To me, the HD650 sounds just a little more realistic because I think I usually hear mids as a little more laid back in real life honestly (that is not to say that the HD650's mids are laid back, just not as forward as the LCD-II). I like the high end of the HD650 better too. There is just something about the build quality or craftsmanship of the Audez'e though that just draws me to it.
So I still couldn't decide after that time. I had to get out of there at some point, but I wanted to try both for a longer period of time. So what did I do? I bought both.
-__-
The saying here has never resonated with me more... "Sorry for your wallet!"
Let me just give some basic impressions here after 24 hours with these two great cans.
The entire time I've been A/B'ing these two cans, I have been so confused. Generally my impressions of IEMs agree quite well with the consensus of head-fi in general. I've tried all sorts of them from low end to high end ($35 to $400), dynamic to quad balanced armature, and it always makes sense to me. My experience with full-sized cans is more limited, but I've generally found it to be on par with others here as well (Pro900, Momentum, and a few others).
People love to say certain things about the HD-650... that the high end seems "veiled" and that they are on the warm side, yet fairly bass light. The same applies the the LCD-II; it has certain stereotypes. People like to say that the highs are recessed, the mids are beautiful and forward, and that the bass is the best in the game.
What I found when I listened to these was that the HD-650 was surprisingly NOT veiled, and that I really enjoy the amount of bass it can provide. It is never excessive, yet never feels light to me. It feels just right whether it is with EDM, rap, stringed instruments, orchestra pieces, vocal, you name it. To me, it just feels so natural and cohesive... the way I hear things in reality. I was worried I'd be disappointed with the HD-650's, but they very pleasantly surprised me! It is worth noting that this was my first experience with open cans, so I was loving the space provided by these as opposed to what I'm used to (closed cans or IEM's).
When I tried the LCD-II, a few things really stuck out to me. Mind you, these were being played through McIntosh speaker equipment, so the power was not lacking. The bass did have a bit more quantity than the HD-650, and I suppose you could say the quality was better, but I really wasn't blown away with it. Now, when EQ'd, it does become a bit more impressive. I think in my case, the mids just distract me from it a bit too much. The thing that stuck out most through was the midrange. It was significantly more forward in terms of dB level (these are very flat!), yet sounds more distant in the soundstage than on the HD-650 to my ears and unfortunately for me, not in a way that sounds particularly natural to me all of the time. I also noticed that the high end just doesn't have that sparkle and that kind of... PRaT... that the *GHASP!* HD-650s seem to possess. HOWEVER, I was just listening to some orchestral pieces and the depth of the soundstage on these LCD-II simply trounces that of the HD-650.
Sometimes I do appreciate the syrupy midrange of the LCD-II, but the majority of the time, I find the HD-650's sound to be more natural. Other times, the HD-650 sounds slightly thin, and thus slightly less natural when compared to the LCD-II, but it isn't as often. I really wanted to LOVE the LCD-II, but at this time I have already fallen for the HD-650's much more. These comparisons have been consistent from my Headamp Pico DAC/Amp and the McIntosh front end at the store where I demo'd them. I suppose the HD-650 colors the sound just the way I like it somehow. I've never been truly impressed with any other Sennheiser headphones I've tried, but these just do it for me!
I just got back from working in Saudi Arabia and every time I'm there I love to read this forum in my down-time. I always end up coveting something and generally buy it when I get back in the states so I can try it out. I really enjoy seeing how my perception of sound compares with others'. I've long been lusting over the LCD-II, but have been very curious about the HD-650 as well.
I'm visiting my girlfriend in Baltimore right now, and I thought it would be great if I could find a dealer for one of these two cans. I managed to "stumble upon" (aka discovered it after searching for hours) a hifi store in Baltimore (called Grammophone) which is a Sennheiser dealer. I went in with the intention to buy an HD650 as I've really been wondering how they sound.
So I went in there and was happy to find that they had a pair in stock and one to audition. I put it on and plugged it straight into my S3 (I failed to bring my Pico DAC/Am for whatever reason) and immediately got a big smile on my face. They sound awesome! They are not veiled at all like a lot of people say (apparently there was a revision to the drivers somewhere along the way) and have plenty of bass in my opinion which is also contrary to what many say. It's not basshead bass, but it is all there the way it is supposed to be and I haven't felt it to be lacking yet. I was sold and told the guy I'd buy them but was curious to check out the other equipment in the store, just for kicks.
They had some 4k TV's which are AMAZING! The one he showed me was about 83" or so. I asked how much it was expecting something crazy like 10-12k. It was $25k. I was not prepared for that at all LOL. Apparently the first plasma TVs cost that much too when they first came out, so I'm looking forward to a 4k TV in the next 5 years or so at a reasonable price. I have always thought 1080p could be improved upon a lot, and this is exactly what I thought it should be like. You can get right up on the TV and struggle to see individual pixels.
Anyway, he wanted to let me hear some nice speakers which cost $15k. They sounded pretty awesome, and I was loving all of the McIntosh amps and stuff they had in there. I really admire the build quality of the higher end stuff. Then I spied some LCD-II's on a stand in the room. I was amazed and told the guy I'd have to try them out. Long story short, I A/B'd the LCD-II and the HD650 for a few hours. They are both awesome! I couldn't decide which I liked more though. The LCD-II has incredible lows, but the midrange can be a little bit too forward for my liking. To me, the HD650 sounds just a little more realistic because I think I usually hear mids as a little more laid back in real life honestly (that is not to say that the HD650's mids are laid back, just not as forward as the LCD-II). I like the high end of the HD650 better too. There is just something about the build quality or craftsmanship of the Audez'e though that just draws me to it.
So I still couldn't decide after that time. I had to get out of there at some point, but I wanted to try both for a longer period of time. So what did I do? I bought both.
-__-
The saying here has never resonated with me more... "Sorry for your wallet!"
Let me just give some basic impressions here after 24 hours with these two great cans.
The entire time I've been A/B'ing these two cans, I have been so confused. Generally my impressions of IEMs agree quite well with the consensus of head-fi in general. I've tried all sorts of them from low end to high end ($35 to $400), dynamic to quad balanced armature, and it always makes sense to me. My experience with full-sized cans is more limited, but I've generally found it to be on par with others here as well (Pro900, Momentum, and a few others).
People love to say certain things about the HD-650... that the high end seems "veiled" and that they are on the warm side, yet fairly bass light. The same applies the the LCD-II; it has certain stereotypes. People like to say that the highs are recessed, the mids are beautiful and forward, and that the bass is the best in the game.
What I found when I listened to these was that the HD-650 was surprisingly NOT veiled, and that I really enjoy the amount of bass it can provide. It is never excessive, yet never feels light to me. It feels just right whether it is with EDM, rap, stringed instruments, orchestra pieces, vocal, you name it. To me, it just feels so natural and cohesive... the way I hear things in reality. I was worried I'd be disappointed with the HD-650's, but they very pleasantly surprised me! It is worth noting that this was my first experience with open cans, so I was loving the space provided by these as opposed to what I'm used to (closed cans or IEM's).
When I tried the LCD-II, a few things really stuck out to me. Mind you, these were being played through McIntosh speaker equipment, so the power was not lacking. The bass did have a bit more quantity than the HD-650, and I suppose you could say the quality was better, but I really wasn't blown away with it. Now, when EQ'd, it does become a bit more impressive. I think in my case, the mids just distract me from it a bit too much. The thing that stuck out most through was the midrange. It was significantly more forward in terms of dB level (these are very flat!), yet sounds more distant in the soundstage than on the HD-650 to my ears and unfortunately for me, not in a way that sounds particularly natural to me all of the time. I also noticed that the high end just doesn't have that sparkle and that kind of... PRaT... that the *GHASP!* HD-650s seem to possess. HOWEVER, I was just listening to some orchestral pieces and the depth of the soundstage on these LCD-II simply trounces that of the HD-650.
Sometimes I do appreciate the syrupy midrange of the LCD-II, but the majority of the time, I find the HD-650's sound to be more natural. Other times, the HD-650 sounds slightly thin, and thus slightly less natural when compared to the LCD-II, but it isn't as often. I really wanted to LOVE the LCD-II, but at this time I have already fallen for the HD-650's much more. These comparisons have been consistent from my Headamp Pico DAC/Amp and the McIntosh front end at the store where I demo'd them. I suppose the HD-650 colors the sound just the way I like it somehow. I've never been truly impressed with any other Sennheiser headphones I've tried, but these just do it for me!