[High_Q]

Looks like HD650 prices have risen.  Has HD800 failed to take the throne?  For those that have listened to both, I've included a poll.

 

[earthpeople]

Prices have gone up for my gas, food, etc. What does this mean?

I don't think HD650 prices going up has anything to do with the HD800 failing.

 

[D_4_Dog]

HD800 prices have also risen so i agree w/ earthpeople, nothing to do w/ it not being up to standard. Or maybe you're just high-maintenance Earthpeople 

   just kiddin.
 
and yes of course i voted for HD800

 

[pp312]

It's true 650 prices have gone up, and I do agree, as you imply, that it's partly because the 800 has failed to blow the 650 out of the water quite as thoroughly as some people were expecting (not that that's entirely relevant, since they're in quite different price ranges). As time goes on more and more people are coming to realize that the 650 has a unique mix of virtues, that it strikes just the right balance for many listeners and most genres and will be around for a long time, probably long after Sennheiser introduces a replacement. The 800 seems to have turned out to be more a niche product requiring careful matching and tuning to taste. I think even if it were reduced to the same price as the 650 it wouldn't kill off the 650; they're alternatives rather than true competitors.
 
All that said, I can't vote because I've never heard the 800. I'm just going on the aggregate of opinion.   

 

[DjAmTraX]

I have both in my current collection.  The HD800 is very different from the HD650.  IMO, the HD650 is a great headphones for the money, but the HD800 is very special and you pay for that special sound.
 
I like the HD600 a lot more than the HD650.  It's more neutral and not as forward sounding.

 

[power]

as I sit listing to the t50p's I want a hd800p  pleaseeeeeeee! 

 

[pp312]

Quote:

I have both in my current collection.  The HD800 is very different from the HD650.  IMO, the HD650 is a great headphones for the money, but the HD800 is very special and you pay for that special sound.
 
I like the HD600 a lot more than the HD650.  It's more neutral and not as forward sounding.

Forward?
 
 

 

[dallan]

I own both, yes the 800's blow the 650s out of the water.  Kept the 650s but rarely use them and then it only reaffirms that i need to put the 800s back on.  The 650s also have an expensive recable-zu mobius and run out of an amp that was geared to them-the Zana Deux, they still don't compete.

 

[nor_spoon]

What Dallan says. I use the HD650 when using the headphone out on my receiver, as they are more forgiving with lesser equipment, but always reach for the HD800 when listening through the Zana Deux. Different flavours, but I like both headphones a lot. 

 

[IPodPJ]

No comparison.

 

[dilpal]

why are you continuously creating meaningless threads.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The HD-800 is a cut above the HD-650.

I was opposed to the HD-800 when it was announced. I thought it was too expensive and probably not much better than the HD-650. But I was able to listen to the HD-800 at CanJam '09 and A/B it against my HD-650 on my own rig. I found the HD-800 much better.

After some soul-searching, I sold the HD-650 and several other headphones to pay for a HD-800. Almost two years on, I have zero regrets. I use the HD-800 about 95% of the time.

Though I do think the HD-800 is still too expensive. I also prefer speakers to it, but I still use the HD-800 regularly.

 

[Finnegans]

I own both HD650 / HD800 and I don't think I can compare them - they are different headphones, with different sound signatures -  I think they complement each other very well, so I decided to keep both. HD800 is extremely demanding considering recording quality - many old recordings simply don't sound pleasing on them, as you can hear every minor flaw of the recording. In this case HD650 is my saviour - e.g. J.S.Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" with Karl Richter (rec. 1958) sounds better on the HD650 (to my ear, of course). As for the newer and more technically advanced recordings (e.g. BWV with Ton Koopman, Philippe Herreweghe, etc.) - in this area HD800 is unmatched. While HD800 is superior in every sonic aspect, I still listen to my old HD650 from time to time - their balanced, warm, involving, non-fatiguing sound signature is remarkable. 
 
To conclude: while HD800 is on the throne (as a new standard for dynamic headphones), HD650 (along with the HD600) remain very popular among audiophiles over the world.
 
P.S. Lools like HD800  is on high demand - my numbered 09238 (if I understand this correctly, more than 9000 pairs have been sold already)!

 

[rhythmdevils]

It's an interesting question, but it's not this black and white because they have very very different sound signatures / tonal balance / frequency response.  Someone could prefer the HD650 simply because they prefer the warmer tone it has, but that doesn't mean it is technically a better headphone. 
 
A lot of times (or at least for me), tonal balance / FR is what is most important to someone's headphone preference.  Which is why I think all this emphasis on technology is too bad because it distracts us and the headphone manufacturers from the importance of good voicing.  The HP1000 uses a simple frame, a small, conventional dynamic driver, and yet it sounds completely unique because of voicing alone (as far as I know anyways, there's no real breakthrough technology in the HP1000)

 

[pp312]

 
Quote:

I own both HD650 / HD800 and I don't think I can compare them - they are different headphones, with different sound signatures -  I think they complement each other very well, so I decided to keep both. HD800 is extremely demanding considering recording quality - many old recordings simply don't sound pleasing on them, as you can hear every minor flaw of the recording. In this case HD650 is my saviour - e.g. J.S.Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" with Karl Richter (rec. 1958) sounds better on the HD650 (to my ear, of course). As for the newer and more technically advanced recordings (e.g. BWV with Ton Koopman, Philippe Herreweghe, etc.) - in this area HD800 is unmatched. While HD800 is superior in every sonic aspect, I still listen to my old HD650 from time to time - their balanced, warm, involving, non-fatiguing sound signature is remarkable. 
 

 
 
Thanks, Finnegans. I much prefer this kind of explanatory post to the "800 blows 650 out of the water" variety. To me that means absolutely nothing.
 
In fact you've pretty much defined my reasons for sticking with the 650. I was slightly tempted by the 800, then even more by the LCD-2, but in the end I decided the 650 was ideal for my purposes (not to mention the sweet spot for diminishing returns). I have a mixed bag of recordings, some from the 60s and even 50s, lots of MP3s (not all 320, I confess)...just a very mixed bag, and I need a phone that won't emphasise the quality differences, will help the worst sound good but still bring out the virtues of the best, and in my best judgement that's the 650. I don't want a phone that sounds brilliant on demonstration material but emphasises every fault in less than wonderful records--and when I say less than wonderful I'm not just talking about archival material as many new recordings are far from ideal. I want a balanced, forgiving, sweet sounding phone, and if it doesn't have the laser-like clarity or holographic imaging of flagship phones I'm prepared to make that sacrifice. Neither do I want two headphones, as I simply don't believe in that particular approach (and I can't afford it anyway). So I'm kind of grateful that the 650 exists, as it fits my needs exactly, and I never feel when using it that I'm really missing anything. Thank you, Sennheiser.