[PiccoloNamek]

They sound stunningly fine to begin with, you just don't like it and seek to change it into something more Grado-like. To me, running them on nothing more than my Total Bithead, they are neither dark nor slow nor lacking in clarity. They are easily the most neutral and realistic sounding headphone I've heard, and probably have one of the fastest response times of (almost) any dynamic headphone out there.

The kind of junk you're spouting is the exact same stuff people told me just before I bought my HD650s. Boy was I surprised when none of it turned out to be true! And I was a Grado user too! Because of this, I feel the need to protect young newbies from such biased opinions. And since when did "most other folks" agree with you?

And since when did that lend any credence to anything?

Also, the HD650 is undoubtedly technically superior to the RS-1 and GS1000. Just compare their THD and IMD measurements! Grado Labs could never compete with the R&D department of a large corporation like Sennheiser. Even if you prefer Grados, you can't deny that the Senns are a better piece of technology.

 

[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by senns&nonsense /img/forum/go_quote.gif I now have both the 600s (AMAZING) and 650s (great but for sale) and both like good amps but the 650 is unquestionably more finicky and tougher to drive well.

Not arguing, but both the HD 600 & 650 are 300Ω impedance cans. Plus the 650s have 6dBs more sensitivity.

Shouldn't that make the 650s easier to drive? I know theres more to it, but seeing as how they are pretty similarly built...

 

[leng jai]

Interesting discussion here. Well I really don't plan on upgrading my amp anytime soon. I might pick up a DAC for ~$200 later on. I've got my doubts whether my setup will do the 650s justice and this thread has done nothing to make it go away.

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not arguing, but both the HD 600 & 650 are 300Ω impedance cans. Plus the 650s have 6dBs more sensitivity. Shouldn't that make the 650s easier to drive? I know theres more to it, but seeing as how they are pretty similarly built...

Since they are both 300 ohms, they are both as tough to drive.

Since the sound signature of the hd650 is a bit on the darker side of neutral, you need a good amp and cdplayer to get the best out of it. Also, the drivers of the hd600 and the hd650 are NOT the same, so no, they are not equal yet share the same sound signature.

 

[leng jai]

So wheres the best place to get one of these things that ship internationally? I tried the FS forum but you guys don't seem to want to ship to Australia. Todd sells them for $399 which sounds a bit pricey. Headroom sell for $350. The cheapest place selling locally here is $600 AUD.

 

[leng jai]

Okay caved and bought one here for $500 AUD which isn't that bad when you factor in the shipping costs from USA to Australia. Currently enjoying immensely even on my feeble setup. Might give my impressions later after some burn in action.

 

[pianomav]

Aha, another HD650 fan. Welcome to the club! I believe your setup should do fine for now and it should drive the phones faily enough. However if you want to go to the next level, start with a good DAC and then upgrade your amp. It made a big difference on my setup...

 

[leng jai]

I've actually been considering a new amp for a while now. The trouble is, I have no idea where to start, which ones are suitable for PC use and which ones actually being to start sounding better than the X-Fi's DAC. ~$200USD would be my budget and that seems to be jack **** in the world of DACs.

 

[Chri5peed]

I wish I'd bought a 650 years ago instead of my 580s. I know I saved a load of money, but 650s would be worth 3 or 4 times what I paid.

 

[luidge]

Not to put salt in the wounds, but i find my HD650 really amp needy. I used them with my PPAv2 and my RP5.1 hybrid amp and at first i didn't loved them at all with my Rudi amp. With some good tube rolling they sound really sweet. But they need to be put with a nice combo amp to sound good IMO. I also think the Source is REALLY important. In fact everything i put in between my power and the HD650 that was an upgrade make the senn shine more and more. They are a evolutionary kind of cans, so they are a real keeper for sure if you plan on upgrading your set-up.

 

[rapzoo]

The 650s are legendary in their ability to scale with upstream components. That doesn't mean, however, that they don't sound pretty damn good with something other than a mega-buck fully balanced. Many of us fully enjoy our 650s with moderate amps and sources.

 

[sugarinthegourd]

I'm in the process of moving from HD-650s to HD-580s. I prefer the more neutral 580/600 sound to the somewhat bloated bass of the 650s.

 

[Chri5peed]

T minus 186 hours burn-in and they sound substantially better than any of my other cans.

They must be awesome to whip 595s and A900s.



Its plain to see why everyone loves them.:650smile:

 

[leng jai]

The HD650s don't really sound like they have bloated bass to me. Perhaps they aren't fully burnt in yet, but I don't feel that they have that much more bass quantity than my old HD595s.

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugarinthegourd /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm in the process of moving from HD-650s to HD-580s. I prefer the more neutral 580/600 sound to the somewhat bloated bass of the 650s.

bloated bass only if the hd650 isn't amped well!

If the amp has real power and has the hd650 under control, there's no bloated bass or whatsoever!

My bass goes deep and is very well controlled. It took an expensive mod to do so, but quite a transformation.