[bjackson]

There are about a million of these threads, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents to them.

These are the first cans I've tried where I haven't had to EQ down the treble (on most albums). I have always hated how obnoxious and loud the highs are on most all cans I've tried (esp. Grados). This could be a combination of many things, bad recordings, my young ears (20 years and counting), and my general tastes, but what many refer to as dark or veiled I see as "listenable for more than 5 minutes".

On well recorded music (Telarc/Chesky are the two studios I've listened to in this category on these cans), I sometimes wish for a bit more treble, but I find it to be a very listenable and the midrange is superb, along with bass response.

On poorly recorded music (Everything else), well, they sound like everything else. I've noticed that most every high end piece of equipment sounds the same (quality, not signature wise) with Greenday

.

I've found they have the perfect amount of bass for me. The DT770s I love for their bass response, but I couldn't tolerate it for a long time.

Just another opinion.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

I'll contribute.

I use my HD650 for nearly everything, from classical to adult contemporary alt-pop to classic rock to melodic death metal. It's the most universally capable can I've ever owned, and the only contender for "best open headphone" for me is the DT-880 (though the K701 is an excellent headphone as well). Love, love, love this headphone.

 

[granodemostasa]

Being a classical person i cannot but love the HD650. I actually did a bit of research into them before i bought them and have not regreted my decision. Further, they look great, their cables make no noise and are interchangeable. And, they only cost me 290 new, 305 shipped(as opposed to a 695 dollar RS-1).

 

[bjackson]

Arn't the DT-880s sealed? Am I missing something?

[Upon re-reading DT-880 information, I realize now that they are "semi-open", but they sounded closed to me, at least!]

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjackson Arn't the DT-880s sealed? Am I missing something?

No, the DT-880 are most definitely open. Well, technically, they're a sort of semi-sealed, but it's effectivelly acoustically open.

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley I'll contribute. I use my HD650 for nearly everything, from classical to adult contemporary alt-pop to classic rock to melodic death metal. It's the most universally capable can I've ever owned, and the only contender for "best open headphone" for me is the DT-880 (though the K701 is an excellent headphone as well). Love, love, love this headphone.

I've been listening to a ton of melodic death metal lately...I always found the HD-650 boring with metal though. What is the rest of your setup NotJeff?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula I've been listening to a ton of melodic death metal lately...I always found the HD-650 boring with metal though. What is the rest of your setup NotJeff?

M-Audio Revo 5.1 headphone DAC, volume control to 9/10 (minimal distortion even at 10/10, but 9/10 is well within tolerances) --> plugged in PA2V2 to minimize voltage dropoff (clipping becomes mildly noticable past 9 o'clock, but it never has to get past about 7 o'clock with my setup to start really hurting my ears; the Sennheisers are great in that they're both high impedance and yet very sensitive) --> Sennheiser HD650, stock cable.

I don't find it boring at all, as long as the production job was adequate. For example, Opeth's first three albums, poorly produced, sound passable - but it's only a passable production and mastering job. Everything from Still Life to Ghost Reveries, though, sound fantastic - and they're fantastically produced.

Similarly, Agalloch sounds awesome, but they're very well recorded and produced, whereas Nevermore's pre-Sneep albums sound rather like ass, being poorly produced.

I've found the HD650 to be unforgiving to bad production jobs more than any other headphone I've ever used except the DT-880; Grados liven up even poor mixes and make them wonderfully listenable, and the HD595 and A900 both benefit from a great soundstage and heavy mids with enough treble for detail but not overbearingly so, making them forgiving too. The Sennheiser HD650 has their EQ curve at the points where a ****** production job will really screw up a mix: the midbass and mids, where most instruments in Western music find their fundamental frequencies, and the particular section of the mid-to-upper treble in which most sibilant and percussive sounds give definition to sounds.

 

[cheechoz]

The HD650, is a very magical set of cans! Hopefully, I will have a pair coming very shortly. Other then the K701, I haven't heard a more exceptional set of cans, for non-rock type music.

 

[Andrea]

Hey, thanks for your initiative bjackson! We need a thread like this, these times.

Great cans, best defined by "magical" really, the HD650's. Even greater when I receive my new amp, I should suspect...

 

[granodemostasa]

I packed up my rig and right now i'm running out of the headphone jack on my computer to a PX100s. I'm so sad, i have to keep pushing the sound up and it still doesn't sound good. When i first got the HD650 I was disappointed because it sounded like the PX100s. Now, after listening to the HD650 with my amp for the last month i've realized how much better they are. But, i'm leaving in the morning and had to pack everything up; the music is just not worth listening to anymore. where's the soundstage? why is all the sound mushy? why can't i hear the cresendo? Why does every recording suddenly sound the same?
in any case i only have to tolerate this deprivation until tomorrow.
"Hey, thanks for your initiative bjackson! We need a thread like this, these times. "--so true, the HD650 has taken a serious beating as of late....maybe sennheiser should stop upgrading their headphones. Suddenly the HD650 will be an untouchable classic!

 

[Dimitris]

I really enjoy my HD650+zu all the time. They do everything good and since I got them used they are comfortable as well. The zu cable was a bit weird in the beginning (like fighting with a snake) but now i am so used to it that all other cables seem very thin. I also use the senns for movies and they do brilliantly.

 

[mattigol]

Although I have never heard them, the HD650 seem to be the center of the head-fi universe, around which everything else revolves around. In other words, THE No 1 reference can within grasp of most head-fiers, with best documentation of performance across genres, with greatest scalability with improved upstream components, a can that many people always fall back on after another (costly) adventure to some other make or model.

HD650 and (to maybe a similar extent) K701 are really amazing headphones not just for the price, but reference by just about any standard. I have the feeling I will be trying them very soon.

 

[cheechoz]

I have been listening to my K701's, exclusively, for the past few days, and I think it's fantastic, but I can't stop thinking of how I'm going to get the HD650 that I want so bad! I beleive I can use both, for different musical genres. I will not choose between the two, because they both have strong, and weak points!

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattigol Although I have never heard them, the HD650 seem to be the center of the head-fi universe, around which everything else revolves around. In other words, THE No 1 reference can within grasp of most head-fiers, with best documentation of performance across genres, with greatest scalability with improved upstream components, a can that many people always fall back on after another (costly) adventure to some other make or model.

The high end Senn lineup (HD580/600/650) constitute an excellent balance between neutrality and euphony, as well as being incapable of sounding harsh or sibilant. It's easy to see why these are the main headphone for many people, as they can be listened to hour after hour without ear fatigue and are capable of sounding great with reference recordings, while still sounding pretty good with crappy ones. It's an unusual headphone that can be relatively forgiving, while still offering quality where it exists. These are really music lover's headphones, IMO.

 

[Patu]

HD650's are great cans indeed. There have been many contenders to become a new king (including DT880 and K701) but none of them have managed to do that. I think I've been destined to live with 650's the rest of my life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch The high end Senn lineup (HD580/600/650) constitute an excellent balance between neutrality and euphony, as well as being incapable of sounding harsh or sibilant. It's easy to see why these are the main headphone for many people, as they can be listened to hour after hour without ear fatigue and are capable of sounding great with reference recordings, while still sounding pretty good with crappy ones. It's an unusual headphone that can be relatively forgiving, while still offering quality where it exists. These are really music lover's headphones, IMO.

I totally agree with you.