[kesuki]

"So, I have the budget for either of these two options:

1. HD6XX + iFi Zen Can (Version 1) (costs about 390 USD)
2. HD600 (380 USD)

I'm not from the US. The amounts are after conversion to USD dollars.

Which one should I go for?

I already own the iFi Zen DAC v1, and most of my collection consists of IEMs, with only one headphone, which is the HE400se (Original Version). I'm not satisfied with the sound of the HE400se as I feel distant from the songs.

The IEM that I mostly use is the Tanchjim Ola.

I am treble-sensitive but can still handle some of it. I'm not sure if the HD600's treble is ear-piercing.

The genres of songs that I mostly listen to are:

• Orchestral
• Vocal
• Epic classical
• Some metal and rock

Examples of my reference songs are:

• "Melodies of Life" - Emiko Shiratori
• "Waltz 2" - Dmitri Shostakovich
• "Eyes on Me" - Faye Wong
• "Final Fantasy Main Theme" - London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Muse, Breaking Benjamin

Which option would you recommend?"

 

[pbui44]

Considering that you are treble-sensitive, you should go for the HD6XX on Drop, but do pair it with this cable to use the 4.4mm balanced out on your Zen DAC V1 and get the most power that the amp provides:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005558013756.html

If you like the combo, but still just want more power from the sound, then you can get this amp as well:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002822814045.html

 

[IkSak]

The HD6XX is certainly a bit darker. Nonetheless, the HD600 has an amazing natural timbre and voices sound incredible. I just listened to Eyes on me (FF8 theme) and Fate Wong sounds amazing.

 

[haasaaroni]

I would also advise to go with the 6XX and just stick with your current Zen DAC.

The main draw of the 6XX for your genres and musical examples is the slightly wider, more layered stage...as well as slightly de-emphasized treble. Treble is not ear-piercing in the slightest on the 600's though, and I'm treble sensitive as well. Heavenly vocals and absolutely top notch timbre. They would both be great choices!

Maybe go with the headphones first and then see if you want a different amp?

 

[equalspeace]

"So, I have the budget for either of these two options:

1. HD6XX + iFi Zen Can (Version 1) (costs about 390 USD)
2. HD600 (380 USD)

I'm not from the US. The amounts are after conversion to USD dollars.

Which one should I go for?

I already own the iFi Zen DAC v1, and most of my collection consists of IEMs, with only one headphone, which is the HE400se (Original Version). I'm not satisfied with the sound of the HE400se as I feel distant from the songs.

The IEM that I mostly use is the Tanchjim Ola.

I am treble-sensitive but can still handle some of it. I'm not sure if the HD600's treble is ear-piercing.

The genres of songs that I mostly listen to are:

• Orchestral
• Vocal
• Epic classical
• Some metal and rock

Examples of my reference songs are:

• "Melodies of Life" - Emiko Shiratori
• "Waltz 2" -
• "Eyes on Me" - Faye Wong
• "Final Fantasy Main Theme" - London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Muse, Breaking Benjamin

Which option would you recommend?"

6XX will be just okay for Orchestral. It can do the other genres listed well. 600 can do all of them well, and orchestral work like Waltz 2 will be hit out of the park.

 

[tomb]

6XX is the Drop version of the HD650, not the HD600. The HD650 is more refined (better) than the HD600. Yes, you will get a bit of a treble spike with the HD600 that's not there with the 650/6XX. However, with that increase in treble comes distortion. On good equipment, the difference is quite obvious - the HD600 is deficient in comparison.

 

[equalspeace]

6XX is the Drop version of the HD650, not the HD600. The HD650 is more refined (better) than the HD600. Yes, you will get a bit of a treble spike with the HD600 that's not there with the 650/6XX. However, with that increase in treble comes distortion. On good equipment, the difference is quite obvious - the HD600 is deficient in comparison.

I think it really depends on what you're listening to in terms of refinement. For instance for music w lots of instruments, like classical, the 650 would not be the choice at all. 650 drivers simply cannot keep up and instruments get left out of the mix. Not so w the 600, which has a much faster transient response enabling it to hold v busy passages. So refinement is a relative term depending on where you sit and what your needs/preferences are.

 

[tomb]

I think it really depends on what you're listening to in terms of refinement. For instance for music w lots of instruments, like classical, the 650 would not be the choice at all. 650 drivers simply cannot keep up and instruments get left out of the mix. Not so w the 600, which has a much faster transient response enabling it to hold v busy passages. So refinement is a relative term depending on where you sit and what your needs/preferences are.

As long as you compare like period-manufacture when comparing 600 to 650, there is no difference in the drivers. Why would there be? They have the very same drivers (if comparing the same period manufacture).

I'm not going to debate the definition of "refinement" for you, but let's assume it means an existing design that's been improved close to the point of perfection, as in all the earlier deficiencies have been corrected over a period of time - due to high use and feedback. This is exactly what happened with the HD580/600/650 family. I owned all three for two decades and constantly compared all three of them with the numerous amplifiers I've helped designed, built, and sold over the years. The progression in improvement was always obvious: good/better/best = HD580/600/650. It's a perfectly balanced equation and the 650 is the ultimate refinement in that headphone family. It's why Sennheiser deviated to the HD800. At the time, the 650 was one of the three finest world-class headphones in the culture, along with the AKG K701 and Beyer DT880.

The high peak in the 600 fools one into thinking it's faster ... it's not. With great equipment, the distortion in that high peak is obvious. This is even more true with the HD580, but we're not debating that one. The primary difference with all three is the can grilles. There were a couple of headband pad tweaks along the way and the cable improved from 580/600 to the 650, but that's it. There were changes in the drivers along the way, but that wasn't exclusive by model.

 

[Svperstar]

This is even more true with the HD580, but we're not debating that one. The primary difference with all three is the can grilles. There were a couple of headband pad tweaks along the way and the cable improved from 580/600 to the 650, but that's it. There were changes in the drivers along the way, but that wasn't exclusive by model.

I got some aftermarket 3d printer grilles for my 580, very open even compared to the metal grilles on the 600/650. I like the way they look but can't say they radically change the sound.

 

[tomb]

I got some aftermarket 3d printer grilles for my 580, very open even compared to the metal grilles on the 600/650. I like the way they look but can't say they radically change the sound.

Sennheiser themselves introduced the HD580 Jubilee in the 90s. It was the same headphone, but with metal grilles. They repackaged it with the marble plastic and a few other cosmetic changes and released it in 1997 as the HD600.

P.S. There's no accounting for your experience with 3D printed grilles - plastic thickness and its resonance, spacing between the grille structure (air/sound permeability), fit to the can, etc., etc. It's an open-ended, uncorrelated anecdote.

 

[virgil990]

Tale as old as time Just get the 6XX.

 

[Svperstar]

Tale as old as time Just get the 6XX.

When I got into this hobby in 2003 the 650 was seen as a clear upgrade to the 580/600, since then a sizable group of people prefer the 580/600 sound. They have more in common then different.

 

[BS5711]

As long as you compare like period-manufacture when comparing 600 to 650, there is no difference in the drivers. Why would there be? They have the very same drivers (if comparing the same period manufacture).

I'm not going to debate the definition of "refinement" for you, but let's assume it means an existing design that's been improved close to the point of perfection, as in all the earlier deficiencies have been corrected over a period of time - due to high use and feedback. This is exactly what happened with the HD580/600/650 family. I owned all three for two decades and constantly compared all three of them with the numerous amplifiers I've helped designed, built, and sold over the years. The progression in improvement was always obvious: good/better/best = HD580/600/650. It's a perfectly balanced equation and the 650 is the ultimate refinement in that headphone family. It's why Sennheiser deviated to the HD800. At the time, the 650 was one of the three finest world-class headphones in the culture, along with the AKG K701 and Beyer DT880.

The high peak in the 600 fools one into thinking it's faster ... it's not. With great equipment, the distortion in that high peak is obvious. This is even more true with the HD580, but we're not debating that one. The primary difference with all three is the can grilles. There were a couple of headband pad tweaks along the way and the cable improved from 580/600 to the 650, but that's it. There were changes in the drivers along the way, but that wasn't exclusive by model.

If the 580 to 600 to 650 were incremental improvements and each was definitively better than the previous model would the conclusion of that not be that the only one that could be recommended in 2023 would be the HD660S2 ?

That logic also seems to defy the personal preference and subjectivity that is fundamental to so many aspects of this hobby.

 

[haasaaroni]

If the 580 to 600 to 650 were incremental improvements and each was definitively better than the previous model would the conclusion of that not be that the only one that could be recommended in 2023 would be the HD660S2 ?

That logic also seems to defy the personal preference and subjectivity that is fundamental to so many aspects of this hobby.

A lot of people do see the HD 660S(2) as an upgrade from the older 6xx series. Resolution seems slightly higher, imaging is certainly more precise, tighter focus of sound overall (to my ears).

The issue with those is that the driver is fundamentally different. It’s inspired by the HD 700 drivers, tuned differently, and fit into the 6xx housing. So to me they seem like a different animal altogether, and in my limited experience, don’t scale nearly as well as the older 6-series headphones do. Even with the S2’s new 300 ohm impedance. They’re also a good bit out of OP’s price bracket.

 

[Svperstar]

If the 580 to 600 to 650 were incremental improvements and each was definitively better than the previous model would the conclusion of that not be that the only one that could be recommended in 2023 would be the HD660S2 ?

I have only heard the 660s2 at a meetup, it didn't blow the 580/6XX out of the water to my ears but keep in mind, I was at a meetup and didn't do a ton of back and forth, I was spending more time listening to the Stax X9000 out of a Blue Hawaii amp lol