[Mad Max]

With modern digital audio players, just plug in the power and playback pink noise loop for a week. You'll get your 200 hours burn-in much more easily compared to the old days of vinyl and tape and to a certain extent, even CD's as running those motors for extended periods may not be the best of ideas.

Good advice, though I would add that a playlist should used instead, and that it consist of a few hours of pink noise followed by an hour of silence, not just 200 hours of non-stop pink noise; but I think that burn-in is very much not worth worrying about in the first place. Grados and Ultrasones are the ones that seem to show more of a difference with burn-in, otherwise, it simply means that one's headphones will sound mildly better with time and use. We often get folks asking if they will like a headphone better after burn-in - no, if you don't like it out of the box, then forget it. Sell it, return it, whatever, then try something else.

 

[Solrighal]

...and that it consist of a few hours of pink noise followed by an hour of silence, not just 200 hours of non-stop pink noise

Are you absolutely positive it's a full hour?

 

[chris.egeskov]

I found a 7 hours pink noise video on youtube and ran it over three nights

 

[JKDJedi]

Exactly, 'lumped together' is a good description, everything was sort of in the middle, then it started to open up.
Now they sound great, after about 6 weeks of use!

Someone posted that they are called 650 because that's how many hours they take to burn in, honestly, that is fairly accurate!

Really surprising that it doesn't mention this in the manual, something like, Congratulations on purchasing the Sennheiser HD650 reference headphone, you'll notice that they sound **** but please use them for 650 hours before returning them for a refund!

I wonder how many people have sold them on or refunded/exchanged them before hearing them properly burnt in?

LMAO...I was thinking I was the only one who hated these out of the box. Just got them and have them on a daily burn in at home, 3 hours in the morning before I go to work,and 3 hours in the evening before going to bed.

 

[JKDJedi]

I found a 7 hours pink noise video on youtube and ran it over three nights

Found a similar video on youtube, thanks for the tip, and YES... 2 ten hour sessions of the pink noise seems to have cleared the Hd 650 (HD6XX) a lot. Not Placebo at all, I'm A B it with my X2 cans, and yes, about time, starting to hear what the Senheiser can do. And I hear they get even sweeter with use.

 

[mmwwmm]

I have an aprox 7 years old HD650 unit (silver, not black version) that I borrowed from a friend. I liked it a lot. Last weekend I have received a brand new HD650 unit (of course, black box, silver version) and they sound VERY different. Older HD650 sounds clearer, more open, more detailed and more delicate and “airier”.
I am giving the new HD650 a lot of hours with music and Isotek enhancer CD to see if things change for better (i.e. reaching same sound as the Older HD650) but for now the old unit sounds just A LOT better than the brand new unit. In fact the new unit sounds simply bad and, if I’d have not the old unit at hand, I would returned the new HD650 so muffled, dark and boring is the sound.

 

[JKDJedi]

I have an aprox 7 years old HD650 unit (silver, not black version) that I borrowed from a friend. I liked it a lot. Last weekend I have received a brand new HD650 unit (of course, black box, silver version) and they sound VERY different. Older HD650 sounds clearer, more open, more detailed and more delicate and “airier”.
I am giving the new HD650 a lot of hours with music and Isotek enhancer CD to see if things change for better (i.e. reaching same sound as the Older HD650) but for now the old unit sounds just A LOT better than the brand new unit. In fact the new unit sounds simply bad and, if I’d have not the old unit at hand, I would returned the new HD650 so muffled, dark and boring is the sound.

I felt the same way when i first got the HD, almost sold it but decided to give it at least 100 hours of burn in before doing so. Burned them in 10 hours a day with pink noise off Youtube. And yup, they sounded night and day after that. What you are experiencing is intriguing. Some argue against the idea of burn in, that it's really just your brain getting use to the headphones. Yet you have two pairs of HD and they sound differently from each other. Anyway, give it at least the 100 hours and let us know what you think after that, also, is your listening experience off the same amp with these two?

 

[mmwwmm]

. Yet you have two pairs of HD and they sound differently from each other. Anyway, give it at least the 100 hours and let us know what you think after that, also, is your listening experience off the same amp with these two?

Yes, I tried both with same amp. They were plugged to both outputs of a Chord mojo (I tried them in a Chord Hugo 2 too) and they sound clearly different being the older unit more detailed, open, clear and airier than the brand new unit. Today the new unit has some 50 hours of burn in and it seems it sounds a bit better but not at the level of the older unit. The first impression fresh from the box were almost horrible and the older unit sounds simply exquisite and very detailed and refined.

 

[JKDJedi]

Yes, I tried both with same amp. They were plugged to both outputs of a Chord mojo (I tried them in a Chord Hugo 2 too) and they sound clearly different being the older unit more detailed, open, clear and airier than the brand new unit. Today the new unit has some 50 hours of burn in and it seems it sounds a bit better but not at the level of the older unit. The first impression fresh from the box were almost horrible and the older unit sounds simply exquisite and very detailed and refined.

With the rated 300 ohms you can only imagine how tight shes is brand new, gonna take some use to loosen her up. (thats what he said) !

 

[Deftone]

I had some HD650s about 4 years ago and I don’t remember them sounding like my new set at all. My new set actually sound fatiguing because of the lower treble, I didn’t think anyone would describe a 650 like that but I know this one of the few headphones that needs a lot break in time and a good amp to bring out the air in the treble.

 

[Deftone]

With the rated 300 ohms you can only imagine how tight shes is brand new, gonna take some use to loosen her up. (thats what he said) !

lol!

 

[bontaname]

probably already been said, but breaking in the pads even a little can make a huge difference!

 

[Karajan]

There is no such a thing called burn in.

Burn in is like the Ether and the Unicorns: it only exists in our imagination, it's a mind phaenomenon.

Hd650 will always sound muffled if unamped or inadequately amped. Good amped they sound amazing, though.

 

[Solrighal]

There is no such a thing called burn in.

Burn in is like the Ether and the Unicorns: it only exist in our imagination, it's a mind phaenomenon.

Hd650 will always sound muffled if unamped or inadequately amped. Good amped sounds amazing, though.

Wrong!

 

[JKDJedi]

There is no such a thing called burn in.

Burn in is like the Ether and the Unicorns: it only exists in our imagination, it's a mind phaenomenon.

Hd650 will always sound muffled if unamped or inadequately amped. Good amped they sound amazing, though.

Of course there's burn in, even amps need to be burned in.