HD-650 update for anyone interested... it's now been a month since I got the HD650's and they have been used on average about 5 hours a day in that time so I imagine that they are now fully burned in.
As the original thread was simply regarding the HD650 burn in, I will conclude that the HD650 most definitely improves over time, 100% no question, the difference is obvious after about 100 hours and after that they improve steadily to the point where they sound much much better than they did out of the box.
So, now that I'm hearing them as they are supposed to sound I am able to post my thoughts on their performance. My only other decent pair of cans were the Denon AH-D2000 so these are my point of reference and naturally I have drawn comparisons between the two headphones.
The sound quality of the HD650 is great paired with my Dacmagic and Schiit Asgard amp and I'm perfectly satisfied with the performance of the whole system considering the modest price (Under £800) so no complaints at all and I would have no hesitation recommending any of this kit.
Surprisingly, the HD650 doesn't sound any 'better' than the Denon AH-D2000 to my ears, just different which is slightly disappointing because all I had read previously suggested that they would be a clear step forward from anything else under £500.
The HD650 sounds brighter to my ears, the Denon seemed to shout less and provided a smoother sound, it's my guess that a true 'reference' headphone will be more revealing than a deluxe closed back design like the Denon so that is probably what I'm hearing, If I were a music producer I would want the HD650 because they probably reveal a little more truth in the recording.
Build quality and aesthetics are another important consideration for me, the Sennheiser is a solidly built headphone but on close inspection, the plastic used is pretty cheap looking and no better than the Sennheiser HD448 which cost me £50! I'd happily pay another £50-£100 to have a better finish, a shame and rather surprising considering these are aimed at a premium customer.
The Denon looks and feels really classy in comparison if I knew nothing of either of these headphones and saw them both side by side for the first tiome I would guess the HD650 cost about £150 and the Denon closer to £500.
I personally found the Denon a little more comfortable than the HD650, I don't have much hair to cushion headphones and the HD650 leave me with red blotches after an evenings listening.
The fact that the Denon AH-D2000 is about £100 cheaper, better looking, more comfortable and to my ears, certainly no worse sounding than the HD650, I would have to say the Denon is a better buy.
For anyone considering the two side by side I'd say save yourself £100 and buy the Denons, another bonus being they are closed back so you could listen to them on a train/aeroplane etc without bothering others.
Having said all that, I will be keeping with the HD650 because they sound fine!
Now I'm going to start a rant...er, I mean post, about dedicated headphone amps sounding no better than my old Marantz intergrated!...
