[Andrea]

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.

So true.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patu I totally agree with you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea So true.

And I haven't even heard the HD650

(well, I have 3 years experience with HD580/600, good enough to know the Senn sound anyway).

Quote:

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.

Well, K701 sort of has, at Headroom anyway. The DT880 lacks the forgiving nature of Senns... let's face it, there are a lot of borderline recordings around, and they are hard to enjoy with the DT880 sometimes. Although they're currently my headphone of choice, I'm willing to acknowledge their weaknesses.

 

[cheechoz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch And I haven't even heard the HD650 (well, I have 3 years experience with HD580/600, good enough to know the Senn sound anyway).

I'm not saying you wouldn't like it, but the HD650 has a discernable difference over the HD580/600.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheechoz I'm not saying you wouldn't like it, but the HD650 has a discernable difference over the HD580/600.

Yeah, I know... I think they share many of the same strengths though, particularly that tendency to be forgiving with less-than-stellar recordings while still sounding stellar with stellar recordings. That much has been easy to figure out by just following threads on the HD650.

I'm slightly puzzled though by the fact that some people find them nearly identical to HD580/600, while others seem to hear a large difference. Probably has to do with upstream gear, I guess.

 

[Patu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Well, K701 sort of has, at Headroom anyway. The DT880 lacks the forgiving nature of Senns... let's face it, there are a lot of borderline recordings around, and they are hard to enjoy with the DT880 sometimes. Although they're currently my headphone of choice, I'm willing to acknowledge their weaknesses.

I don't really care what Headroom guys say. It's just their opinion among all the others.

With rock music it's just nice to hear all the little noises behind the music. It makes music sound more realistic. That's what SA5000 and DT880 are capable of. Otherwise I think DT880's aren't so good for rock when SA5000's are the best rock headphones I've heard.

650's are definitely not for rock music imo.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheechoz I'm not saying you wouldn't like it, but the HD650 has a discernable difference over the HD580/600.

In fact I'm almost sure that fewtch would love the HD650. (no subliminal message intended

)

 

[blessingx]

I still remember the first comparison I experienced between the HD650 and HD600 on decent equipment (mini-meet with hot-rodded Sony deck and HR2 & PPA and various cables) and it took four CDs to hear any difference, but when it was there it was reasonably dramatic. We were all talking about how there were maybe tiny differences, then (if a kinda disbelieving voice) "ahh guys listen to this" (it was a Gillian Welch CD BTW). So I'm gonna chalk up the difference in opinion on the differences in signature to be based on reference music also.

That said is the difference in price between the HD580 and HD650 worth it for the sonic differences? Hmmm nope, not even close. Considering many of our purchases though, what does that have to do with anything.

After detours to CD3K and K701, I keep coming back. There are things I'd still like to improve (though the Zu cable helps much in this department) and the impedance still drops the versatility significantly for my use, but so far the Senns are still King (though Queen Ety takes control more than once in a while).

 

[Voodoochile]

My appreciation for the 650 runs deep. Other cans have occasionally come close, and even surpassed them on a specific track perhaps. But for overall enjoyment with my catalog as a whole, the 650s maintain their top-of-the-hill stature.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patu 650's are definitely not for rock music imo.

You should hear it with a Corda Aria (and a Zu Mobius)...

But to be honest, the HD 650 probably isn't the best headphone for rock, as it's a bit too smooth in the upper end.

On the other hand, this barely affects my enjoyment nor generally the musical message independent of the genre, but especially with classical, where it does so many things right and so few wrong. Here the treble smoothness (or recession, if you will) instead of the usual resonance peaks and the roughness they imply is a blessing and makes it so easy on the ears. Some of the unfatiguingness and smoothness is also due to very low harmonic distortion, making for a high resolution and astonishing detail for such a relatively dark characteristic. This smoothness and resolution is also where the greatest difference to the HD 600 is, which doesn't have these qualities to the same degree.

In other words: The HD 650 is a classic already and here even surpasses the HD 600 as a headphone for connoisseurs who appreciate an unspectacular, natural sound. (Of course I understand that not everybody equates its signature with naturalness -- it's a question of individual perception and HRTF.)
.

 

[rsaavedra]

For Rock (well for any music for that matter) you should hear them with the Dynahi and a Zu Mobius cable.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx ... "ahh guys listen to this" (it was a Gillian Welch CD BTW)

Gillian Welch, you say? Somehow I'm not surprised. Gillian Welch is one of those artists who can be revealing -- in other ways, too, thankfully

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

A few points:

1. Regarding "Sennheisers not for rock,"

. They're great for anything I've thrown at them, including death metal, power metal, progressive metal, black metal, and industrial. Rock, too. They've got a wonderful sonic signature, for my ears, to listen to anything. I listened to Opeth all night last night to reacquaint myself with their full body of work in order to compare their newest album. Right now, I'm listening to Agalloch. It's awesome.

2. Regarding "Use different cables!" I'm using stock. I'll always use stock. If I want to increase the resistance I'll do so with some kind of adaptor with a resistor; if I want to increase inductance, I'll buy a cable extender. Forget capitulating to $60+ lengths of copper with shrinkwrap.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley Regarding "Use different cables!" I'm using stock. I'll always use stock. If I want to increase the resistance I'll do so with some kind of adaptor with a resistor; if I want to increase inductance, I'll buy a cable extender. Forget capitulating to $60+ lengths of copper with shrinkwrap.

To each his own... Anyway, I don't get exactly what you're trying to say. Those who use aftermarket cables (like me) do this because of the sonic improvement, not for modifying measuring values.
.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ To each his own... Anyway, I don't get exactly what you're trying to say. Those who use aftermarket cables (like me) do this because of the sonic improvement, not for modifying measuring values. .

It is the change in these values that results in sonic differences, you see. There is no magical quality about cables which sprinkles fairy dust into the signal passing through them.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley It is the change in these values that results in sonic differences, you see. There is no magical quality about cables which sprinkles fairy dust into the signal passing through them.

I see, it's an ideological issue. -- Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to gain some practical experience with the subject. Of the cables I own all measure more or less the same (resistance, capacitance, inductance -- measured them myself), but the sound is quite different nonetheless. I'm glad it is!

.