[damianmb]

Hi,
 
I'm actually enjoying a HD598. No.. I don't have an HD650, but as many have recommended it, then I want to know how big is the leap; also if anyone jumped from the HD650 to the HD700 and is living to tell it .
 
Any other recommendation is welcome. I'm having a Dacport LX + C421 as my ring. I find the HD598 to thin, fatiguing and little harsh on the treble. HD800 or something requiring a really big amp is out of the question now. As an upgrade I might get a Lyr but let's suppose I won't.
 
Thanks!

 

[jerg]

There is no leap, HD650 and HD700s are too different to draw any "upgrade / downgrade" conclusions between the two.

 

[damianmb]

Quote:

There is no leap, HD650 and HD700s are too different to draw any "upgrade / downgrade" conclusions between the two.

I read a couple of reviews and the freq. response, and yes.. it seems the HD700 is U shaped and weird in the treble. As I might not be able to audition it.. I want to know options before pulling the trigger on the HD650.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I read a couple of reviews and the freq. response, and yes.. it seems the HD700 is U shaped and weird in the treble. As I might not be able to audition it.. I want to know options before pulling the trigger on the HD650.

 
If you aren't exclusive to Sennheiser, HE400s are very competitive against HD650s, and HE500s are just better.

 

[damianmb]

Quote:

 
If you aren't exclusive to Sennheiser, HE400s are very competitive against HD650s, and HE500s are just better.

Problem is availability, I'm currently living in middle east. I don't know how HE400 scales but I know the HE500 needs a good amp, not sure if the C421 will drive it properly. I like the idea of an ortho for a change, it just seem that the HD650 is a must have as an aspiring audiophile. I'm feeling dizzy with the options

.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Problem is availability, I'm currently living in middle east. I don't know how HE400 scales but I know the HE500 needs a good amp, not sure if the C421 will drive it properly. I like the idea of an ortho for a change, it just seem that the HD650 is a must have as an aspiring audiophile. I'm feeling dizzy with the options

.

I'm fairly sure Head-Direct (Hifiman's subsidiary company) ships everywhere over the world.
 
HE400s are way more forgiving with amping than HD650s. As long as it is driven loud enough it will sing. HE500s are a bit less efficient and more picky.

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I'm actually enjoying a HD598. No.. I don't have an HD650, but as many have recommended it, then I want to know how big is the leap; also if anyone jumped from the HD650 to the HD700 and is living to tell it .
 
Any other recommendation is welcome. I'm having a Dacport LX + C421 as my ring. I find the HD598 to thin, fatiguing and little harsh on the treble. HD800 or something requiring a really big amp is out of the question now. As an upgrade I might get a Lyr but let's suppose I won't.
 
Thanks!

First time I've seen a complaint about the 598's treble. I think you should look into the HD650, which probably has less fatiguing treble than the HE-400, which apparently does have some peaks in certain ranges. I actually do a proper EQ on the 598 by downing the treble with a slight boost in the bass... sounds great. And every headphone requires some kind of equalizing in the upper midrange as well... 

 

[damianmb]

Quote:

First time I've seen a complaint about the 598's treble. I think you should look into the HD650, which probably has less fatiguing treble than the HE-400, which apparently does have some peaks in certain ranges. I actually do a proper EQ on the 598 by downing the treble with a slight boost in the bass... sounds great. And every headphone requires some kind of equalizing in the upper midrange as well... 

I feel the treble peak in Adele songs mostly. I kind of like it better in the P5, even though there is an obvious lack of resolution, instrument separation and detail.
 
Could you share your EQ? Maybe in a PM. I never had luck equalizing, some songs sound better and others considerably worse. I even tried parametric EQ but is too much hassle really.

 

[TwinQY]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I'm actually enjoying a HD598. No.. I don't have an HD650, but as many have recommended it, then I want to know how big is the leap; also if anyone jumped from the HD650 to the HD700 and is living to tell it .
 
Any other recommendation is welcome. I'm having a Dacport LX + C421 as my ring. I find the HD598 to thin, fatiguing and little harsh on the treble. HD800 or something requiring a really big amp is out of the question now. As an upgrade I might get a Lyr but let's suppose I won't.
 
Thanks!

After A/Bing the HD650 and HD700, I can safely say that the 700s, while technically slightly better (like a $50-100 increase), was much too offensive to be considered a upgrade over the HD650s. 
 
The HD650s will be more substantial and full-bodied than the HD5x8 series, from what I can remember. Can't go wrong with them. Also the HD600 to consider. HE-400s will be in between the HD600 and HD700 I guess (really bad comparison, though, can't think of something better) in terms of sound sig, but the difference is that they won't suck like the HD700.

 

[Nirvana Woman]

I've owned a HD598 for 1.5 years and bought a HD650 earlier this year.
 
My opinion is that the HD650 requires good amping to be superior to the 598. But when you do amp it properly, then the difference is big indeed.
 
I've had the HD650 hooked up to various amps, such as a Marantz pm7200 integraded amp and an Essence headphone amp. On those devices, my immediate impression is that the 650 is more engaging than the 598. However, in terms of the experience of listening to music, I wouldn't really say I preferred the 650 all that much.
 
It was not until I bought a little dot iv that I really had to conclude the gap between the 650 and 598 had become immense. The 650's pure beauty, full sound, and warmth made for something the 598 would just not be able to match.
 
As a point of reference: I listen mostly to electronic music (deephouse/techhouse/progressive/trance). I'm a listener who doesn't really believe in cable upgrades, who doesn't spend hundreds a month on audio, who doesn't really hear much difference in dacs, but who can easily hear the difference between amps and headphones and cares about finding a combination that satisfies. IMO, the little dot iv with hd650 is such a combination. At this point, it's no longer possible for me to consider the 598 as part of such a combination (by virtue of the 650's showcased prowess).
 
I don't think the 598 is a bad headphone... But if you're really serious about listening to music, you have a good amp, have the money to spend and really only wanna know if it's worth upgrading from a 598 to a 650, my answer would be yes, absolutely. But that is *my* anwer; it is not my advice to you to go buy the 650. It is just my answer to that question.
I do wanna stress that I know stories of people who are perfectly happy with, or even prefer the 598, however I don't know anything about those people or how they experience their music.
 
I also do not know about other possible upgrades and/or if there might be better choices. I'll leave that to others .

 

[KCxSmacker]

I love my he400s. I dont think I will ever have to buy 650s now. As long as you dont have the rev 3 which was recalled and is no longer made( mine was but getting it replaced) You should not have any problems with treble.