hd 650s are awesome
Mar 15, 2008 at 4:07 AM Post #33 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by c64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I don't rate sennheiser at all In fact Can they even be considered players in the headphone world today ? everything below the 650's is beaten by a £60 pair of goldring dr150.


What an odd comment to make! Though the 580s have been discontinued, the 600s and 650s are still considered some of the best headphones available. Just because Sennheiser chose, like so many companies, to sadly put their resources behind more marketable cheap headphones, doesn't negate the quality of their flagship line. Also, though discontinued, the Senn HE90s are considered by many to be the top or one of the top few headphones ever.

Also, if you take a look at the most respected headphones for sq, none of them are new except the Edition 9s, GS1000s, O2MKII. Others, like the Sony MDR-R10, AKG K1000, Audio Technica L3000, Grado HP1, 2, and PS1 are all discontinued. All those companies have discontinued their best and gone on to produce decent or downright crappy market-friendly headphones. Does that mean these companies aren't considered players? Who would be considered a player in the headphone world by your standards?

Back to the 650s...folks here can enjoy them with budget systems, and others build $50,000 systems around them because they're that good. They scale better than most headphones and improve with each upgrade in source, amp, and cables.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 4:11 AM Post #34 of 72
I am listening to my HD650's right now and am thoroughly enjoying them. At the moment I am running them out of my laptop through a Total Bithead and they sound great!

I usually hear them through my 2007 Micro Stack and they sound even better! I've owned them for 2 weeks so I still have plenty of burn-in ahead of me (I don't really leave them burning in unless I am actually listening to them)

Every now and then I do get the "they sound veiled" feeling, but it usually happens after I've been listening to my SR60's or HFI700's for a while. It goes away once I spend time with them again.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 4:14 AM Post #35 of 72
Tanis38, since you're in Miami, there's no excuse for you missing CanJam, the Head-fi international meet being held this year in Ft. Lauderdale. You'll get to hear the 650s at their best. We'll corrupt you completely, but I promise you you'll like it!
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 4:18 AM Post #36 of 72
I love my HD650's. I have a custom designed, dedicated listening room showcasing my Soundlab ESL's (The Absolute Sounds Golden Ear Award model). Being used to listening to a true reference system I have had trouble finding headphones to match what I hear coming through my Soundlabs. Both the Grado's and the AKG's were very difficult to tolerate and sound NOTHING like the sound I was seeking.

When I put on my HD650's coupled with my Headroom Ultrastack, it is sonic Nirvana for me. They never cease to amaze me.

Congrats dreamwhisper on joining the HD650's club!!
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 4:20 AM Post #37 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Tanis38, since you're in Miami, there's no excuse for you missing CanJam, the Head-fi international meet being held this year in Ft. Lauderdale. You'll get to hear the 650s at their best. We'll corrupt you completely, but I promise you you'll like it!


LOL! I'm already on the list
biggrin.gif


I wouldn't miss it!
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 4:52 AM Post #39 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamwhisper /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Bad news:
I'm hearing the Sennheiser veil, also I've noticed the bass is a bit flabby..
maybe burn in will help
At times the potential of these phones really shines through.



Oh no, how do they they sound balanced?!?

..I just gotta see what these headphones are capable of, I'm hooked.


Senns really aren't veiled or flabby. Those characteristics are a reflection of the power they're fed. With a good amp, they sound nearly electrostatic. You need a lot of power, tight damping and a good voltage swing. When you have that, they really perform. Running them off a 9V battery just won't cut it.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 5:19 AM Post #40 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by JLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Strap on a silver or hybrid cable...really changes the small details for the better.
smily_headphones1.gif
I am debating if I should try the RAL...the Mobius has treated me well though.


RAL cables really change the HD650 into a different animal.

Very obviously cuts through the 'veil' and tightens up the bass, removing the boom.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 11:04 AM Post #42 of 72
The hd650 is not awesome.
They are beyond awesome, when paired with a top amp and a good vinyl source. Finally got my new Supra SE pretty well dialed in for them, with 6BL7GTA outputs and a 12AY7 input (all GE). Also very nice with the Zana Deux, and older SDS (Slam config). Got a well worn Zu cable (one that works, this time) from a friend, on them. All hooked up to my SOTA table, with some sweet new vinyl to spin.

In such a configuration, they can compete as equals with the multi-thousand-buck cans, some of which I love dearly, and also own - like L3000 and Qualia 010. Better than some much more expensive headphones. In the under $2K range, I won't even give AKG or Grados headphones a second look anymore. HD650 is it. The JVC DX1000 was a fun headphone that I loved, but the HD650 is more accurate, and cheaper. The 600's are good, but not quite there. Either 600 or 650 could be good values in more modestly priced systems, but of the 2 I've only heard pure magic from the 650, and then only on pretty high end systems.

It gets the tone & balance perfectly right, IMO (Zu helps with that extra last % here). That's its #1 strength. Next would be its sound stage depth, as I was discussing with Tom recently. Sound stage width is excellent, though not as wide as the R10, and perhaps Qualia. Slam and dynamics also excellent - not quite to the L3000, but very close. Nothing to complain about on resolution - cleanly separated, yet beautifully integrated layers upon layers of music.

Yep, keep loving them more and more as my system improves. I started out merely liking them, back when my source was a Jolida JD100a and amp was a Gilmore V2. Took several months later before I'd consistently prefer them over the 600. Still haven't even heard them out of a decent balanced amp (straight out of the DAC1 was no good)...not sure how you can improve much on "magic" though.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 11:24 AM Post #43 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I strongly disagree. The 580/600/650 line is excellent. The problem is that people try to run them from portable amps and an iPod. Trouble is, you need to invest in or build a substantial amp to hear them at their full potential.

To the OP - congrats! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy mine!


There in lies the problem you need to spend £200+ on an amp to make them sound better than a £60 pair of headphones.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 11:49 AM Post #44 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by c64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
There in lies the problem you need to spend £200+ on an amp to make them sound better than a £60 pair of headphones.


This is a ridiculous statement. You wouldn't expect a great pair of speakers to sound their best with a cheap low-fi amp. The same is true for the 650. It sounds good with lower power amps but scales better than almost any other can. I truly enjoy my 650s.
 
Mar 15, 2008 at 11:52 AM Post #45 of 72
Quote:

Originally Posted by c64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
There in lies the problem you need to spend £200+ on an amp to make them sound better than a £60 pair of headphones.


They're designed for high (or higher) end system.

Don't complain your 1080p HDTV when you have a VCD player only
 
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