metrathon
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 21, 2010
- Posts
- 31
- Likes
- 11
Today I got my 650's, after 6 days of waiting. Currently I own a pair of 555 for over 2 years.
I was really curios to see if there is a noticeable difference between the 2 headphones, 650 vs 555. I was ready to sell the 650 the next day if I don't perceive enough difference to justify the price. I did the same with a new pair of Grado 325is last week. I hate placebo-ing myself
FYI I'm listening cd's out of a Denon dedicated cd player, so better than a iPod, but nothing fancy or specialized.
Ok, so here we go: the difference is BIG. Almost huge, but I wouldn't go so far. I would say it's a 50% improvement over the 555, maybe 60%.
I'm not an audiophile but I can tell you this:
1. The 650 are bigger, heavier and less comfortable. If the 555 were a burden for you, forget about the 650. They clamp the head much stronger and because the cups are bigger, they tend to pressure on the upper jaw. Not fun.
2. The 650's lows go deeper and sound cleaner. Be aware: at the first audition you'll think the 555 have more "bass", but it's wrong. The 555 are more boommier but DO NOT have better lows than the 650. It's just an impression.
3. The 650's have more stage, they open up the sound more, gives more room to the sound. You can pick up instruments and point in their direction. The 555 sounds more in your head, narrows the "scene" a lot more. It's like you're standing in front of an orchestra and with the 555 they all try to squeeze into a 10x10 meters area vs. the 650 where they can spread around into a 30x30 area or even more.
4. With the 650's you can hear more details because the boom that was covering them in the 555 is gone.
5. Finally, the 650's highs go upper and are cleaner.
That's it. I don't know how these cans sound on fancy rigs or from a lousy Babasonic mp3 player, but head to head, from my Denon cd player, these are my conclusions.
No regrets whatsoever. I love the sound, it's a welcome improvement and the $300 I spent (cans are used but mint) are well worthy. I would def. recommend the same move to whoever is serious about listening to music. Forget about getting these for gaming, when the bots are shooting your a@s, you wont give a s#%t about the "sound stage" difference.
Next step is to get a dedicated DAC/amp, with the same mindset: they gotta "deliver" a real difference, otherwise they're on their way back in a few days. If I gotta listen 90 days until I start "discovering" the ultra fine subtleties, they are not for me.
Thanks for reading, sorry for the n00b language.
I was really curios to see if there is a noticeable difference between the 2 headphones, 650 vs 555. I was ready to sell the 650 the next day if I don't perceive enough difference to justify the price. I did the same with a new pair of Grado 325is last week. I hate placebo-ing myself
FYI I'm listening cd's out of a Denon dedicated cd player, so better than a iPod, but nothing fancy or specialized.
Ok, so here we go: the difference is BIG. Almost huge, but I wouldn't go so far. I would say it's a 50% improvement over the 555, maybe 60%.
I'm not an audiophile but I can tell you this:
1. The 650 are bigger, heavier and less comfortable. If the 555 were a burden for you, forget about the 650. They clamp the head much stronger and because the cups are bigger, they tend to pressure on the upper jaw. Not fun.
2. The 650's lows go deeper and sound cleaner. Be aware: at the first audition you'll think the 555 have more "bass", but it's wrong. The 555 are more boommier but DO NOT have better lows than the 650. It's just an impression.
3. The 650's have more stage, they open up the sound more, gives more room to the sound. You can pick up instruments and point in their direction. The 555 sounds more in your head, narrows the "scene" a lot more. It's like you're standing in front of an orchestra and with the 555 they all try to squeeze into a 10x10 meters area vs. the 650 where they can spread around into a 30x30 area or even more.
4. With the 650's you can hear more details because the boom that was covering them in the 555 is gone.
5. Finally, the 650's highs go upper and are cleaner.
That's it. I don't know how these cans sound on fancy rigs or from a lousy Babasonic mp3 player, but head to head, from my Denon cd player, these are my conclusions.
No regrets whatsoever. I love the sound, it's a welcome improvement and the $300 I spent (cans are used but mint) are well worthy. I would def. recommend the same move to whoever is serious about listening to music. Forget about getting these for gaming, when the bots are shooting your a@s, you wont give a s#%t about the "sound stage" difference.
Next step is to get a dedicated DAC/amp, with the same mindset: they gotta "deliver" a real difference, otherwise they're on their way back in a few days. If I gotta listen 90 days until I start "discovering" the ultra fine subtleties, they are not for me.
Thanks for reading, sorry for the n00b language.
