HD600 vs HD650 - Initial Thoughts

[Katun]

Quote:

As discussed before this is an amping issue; the DT880/600 are either very demanding (About the same as a top-tier ortho) or very-very picky. I haven't found a solid-state I enjoy the DT880s on, save for maybe a GCHA with it's 10-watt output, they all sounded as you described; thin, little to no bass, subdued mids. The HD600 on the other hand are very easy to power and not picky at all. I owned these at the same time as both a $200 solid-state Meier Headfive and a $800 Singlepower PPX3 SLAM tube amp and they sounded almost identical.
 
Sufficiently amped I like both phones and consider them favorites, I give the edge to the Beyer for the livelier performance.

Ah, good to see you. I knew you would drop by after I made that comment.

I'd love to hear the DT880's to their potential. Too bad it'll never happen.
 

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Ah, good to see you. I knew you would drop by after I made that comment.

I'd love to hear the DT880's to their potential. Too bad it'll never happen.

Yeah I have Google Alerts set to e-mail me immediately whenever you mention the word Beyer. 

 
And you will hear the 880s one day, don't be such a defeatist. Christmas is right around the corner, I'll have a word with him if you like.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Yeah I have Google Alerts set to e-mail me immediately whenever you mention the word Beyer. 

 
And you will hear the 880s one day, don't be such a defeatist. Christmas is right around the corner, I'll have a word with him if you like.

I thought so. Guess you've been getting all these false alarms with the T70 then, huh?
 
I've owned the DT880 -- two separate times. Just have never heard it off a fancy setup. Interpretation: I've owned the DT880 twice but have never heard it.

 

[Katun]

Oh, dear me. I forgot to mention!
 
I'm liking the HD650 more now.
 
*facepalm*

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

Ah, I remember those. Fantastic headphones. Just not very resolving.
 
I think going from the HD598 to HD600 is a fantastic upgrade path! Everything I wanted more of in the HD598, I got in the HD600. It's just a more refined version in general. As an exception, the HD598 has a lager soundstage and some mention the mids being a bit better. Personally, I find the soundstage of the HD600 plenty big enough, and actually am finding it more enveloping and spacious than the drunken soundstage of my Q701's over here...

Cool! Thanks!
 
How's the Q701s? It's still a really bright headphone?
 

 

[Cheeznuklz]

It would be awesome to get that 4 way shootout.  You're a knight in my eyes; a college-wallet champion.

 

[Graphicism]

Yeah it's been a nightmare!
 
Well I sure hope you enjoy them, haven't heard them or read much of them for that matter. All I know is they're closed which could mean bassy, although the 600 Ohm DT770 was the most refined of the 770s so it might be a really nice balanced sound, with just a little authority.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Cool! Thanks!
 
How's the Q701s? It's still a really bright headphone?

Here's the thing.
 
I was comparing the Q701 and HD600 back and forth and realized how similar they both are in sound. The HD600 is mainly less bright, a little more bassy, and thicker in general. Basically, the HD600 is like the Q701 fix. Going to the HD600 and HD650 reveals the exact same thing I just went through with the HD600 and Q701. HD650 reduces the treble a bit, adds a little more bass, and is thicker in general. I'm definitely liking the HD650 more now for it's more solid sound (awesome bass by the way). So, I'd say the brightness chain goes: DT990, DT880, Q701, HD600, HD650. With the first three headphones being to bright and thin.
 
Quote:

It would be awesome to get that 4 way shootout.  You're a knight in my eyes; a college-wallet champion.

Well, that was just between me and the headphones. But this was the results: HD650 > HD600 > Q701 > D2000.
Not quite sure how to interpret the second part though to be honest!

 
Quote:

Yeah it's been a nightmare!
 
Well I sure hope you enjoy them, haven't heard them or read much of them for that matter. All I know is they're closed which could mean bassy, although the 600 Ohm DT770 was the most refined of the 770s so it might be a really nice balanced sound, with just a little authority.

I've been waiting for Amazon to put them in stock, but it hasn't happened yet.
But now with the departure of my Micro Stack, I may not get them. Unless I run them right off my P650.
 

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

I've been waiting for Amazon to put them in stock, but it hasn't happened yet.
But now with the departure of my Micro Stack, I may not get them. Unless I run them right off my P650.
 

Why are you selling the Micro Stack? You should at least try the T70 with it before letting it go.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Why are you selling the Micro Stack? You should at least try the T70 with it before letting it go.

Did you check out my other thread? That should answer some questions.
 
I'd love to keep it longer, but I need to get it back within HeadRoom's 30-Day period. I honestly had the T70 and DT880 both in my Amazon cart and was going to order them both 1-day shipping, but the arrival of the T70 is kinda screwing everything up. Woah, do you even know how many headphones I would have had? Just imagine, you pop into Head-Fi forums one day and see this thread:
 
D2000 vs Q701 vs DT880 vs HD600 vs HD650 vs T70 | Comparison & Review
 
LOL!

 

[CEE TEE]

Quote:

As discussed before this is an amping issue; the DT880/600 are either very demanding (About the same as a top-tier ortho) or very-very picky. I haven't found a solid-state I enjoy the DT880s on, save for maybe a GCHA with it's 10-watt output, they all sounded as you described; thin, little to no bass, subdued mids. The HD600 on the other hand are very easy to power and not picky at all. I owned these at the same time as both a $200 solid-state Meier Headfive and a $800 Singlepower PPX3 SLAM tube amp and they sounded almost identical.
 
Sufficiently amped I like both phones and consider them favorites, I give the edge to the Beyer for the livelier performance

 
 
Cool thread...would like to learn some more.
 
I had the HD600 and HD650 "head-to-head" for a couple of weeks.  I definitely preferred the HD600.  
 
(They have more energy where the HD650 drop in the upper mids/lower treble.)
 

 
 
BUT:  I think the HD600 do change with amps and I didn't LOVE the HD600 until I heard them out of a McIntosh 2105 (not smart to reveal that, since I plan to grab one later).  I did prefer the HD600 out of the Singlepower PPX Slam to the Benchmark HP out...but the McIntosh is gorgeous.  Bass in beautiful gobs (for an HD600).  Seems to combine the best of both of the above graphs in that combo.  Was I imagining it?  

 
BEYERS:

1. I did an A/B with the DT880/250ohm & DT880/600 ohm. 
2. Really preferred the 600 ohm.  (The 600 ohm seemed a bit brighter and more "controlled" to me...) 

 
Both set-ups are still on my "fuzzy like-to-have radar":

1. HD600/vintage amp for comfort/euphonic sound
2. Beyers (which amp?) for comfort/balance/clear "all-rounders".

 
What am I trying to say?

1. I think that you might have to define your target "sound sig" when deciding on phones/amps here...

 
What is my question?

1. Could anyone give me recommendations for DT880/600ohm amps that I could store for consideration later?

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Did you check out my other thread? That should answer some questions.
 
I'd love to keep it longer, but I need to get it back within HeadRoom's 30-Day period. I honestly had the T70 and DT880 both in my Amazon cart and was going to order them both 1-day shipping, but the arrival of the T70 is kinda screwing everything up. Woah, do you even know how many headphones I would have had? Just imagine, you pop into Head-Fi forums one day and see this thread:
 
D2000 vs Q701 vs DT880 vs HD600 vs HD650 vs T70 | Comparison & Review
 
LOL!

No I didn't see the thread you mentioned, please link me and I'll check it out tomorrow.
 
It's awesome that you get to sample a lot of headphones but as I've reiterated a bunch of times you're not getting the most out of them. A HD600 w/ Micro Stack vs a DT880/600 unamped isn't a fair comparison, and a following review could result in counterfactual information. Maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion but the point I'm making is to have some consistency. Since listening to my DAC I understand now (after 4 head-fi years) it is in fact the source I'm listening too, the headphone simply gives me that opportunity. Music starts at the source.
 
To look at this from another POV. If you only had a high powered OTL tube amp the demanding phones would be getting all the praise and the less demanding would sound artificial and bloated, simply because they scream lower output.

 

[Brooko]

Katun - thanks for your thoughts on the DT880 vs HD600 - exactly what I wanted to know.
 
Next question if you don't mind .....
 
I loved the mids on the SRH940 - just the mid-bass for me is completely lacking.  I do know what you mean referring to the DT880 being slightly dry at times.  Would it be fair to say that the HD600 take the best of the DT880s and adds some of the mid-range of the SRH940 (or something along those lines)?
 
I only heard the HD600s very briefly 6 months ago - and trying to decide if I make them my next purchase as an obvious successor to the DT880 and SRH940.
 
TIA

 

[Katun]

Quote:

No I didn't see the thread you mentioned, please link me and I'll check it out tomorrow.
 
It's awesome that you get to sample a lot of headphones but as I've reiterated a bunch of times you're not getting the most out of them. A HD600 w/ Micro Stack vs a DT880/600 unamped isn't a fair comparison, and a following review could result in counterfactual information. Maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion but the point I'm making is to have some consistency. Since listening to my DAC I understand now (after 4 head-fi years) it is in fact the source I'm listening too, the headphone simply gives me that opportunity. Music starts at the source.
 
To look at this from another POV. If you only had a high powered OTL tube amp the demanding phones would be getting all the praise and the less demanding would sound artificial and bloated, simply because they scream lower output.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/569538/micro-stack-hd650-no-improvement
 
I did use the DT880 off my MKIII, but that was probably not enough...
 
Quote:

Katun - thanks for your thoughts on the DT880 vs HD600 - exactly what I wanted to know.
 
Next question if you don't mind .....
 
I loved the mids on the SRH940 - just the mid-bass for me is completely lacking.  I do know what you mean referring to the DT880 being slightly dry at times.  Would it be fair to say that the HD600 take the best of the DT880s and adds some of the mid-range of the SRH940 (or something along those lines)?
 
I only heard the HD600s very briefly 6 months ago - and trying to decide if I make them my next purchase as an obvious successor to the DT880 and SRH940.
 
TIA

 
I loved the mids on those too. Some of the best. And I agree the bass was lacking. Part of the reason I got rid of it.
 
I think the HD600 is the DT880/K701 "fix". I think it's a stellar upgrade path. You'll definitely get more from the midrange and bass, overall texture is much better too.

 

[mrAdrian]

Waiting for my HD580, just thought I'll let everyone share my joy~