[Fusedmb]

What styles of music do you prefer the most on the HD650s? I'm curious to know where the HD650s shine. So far, FWIR Classical music is a favorite.

 

[bergman2]

...fusion...jazz...blues...funk...prog rock...

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusedmb /img/forum/go_quote.gif So far, FWIR Classical music is a favorite.

There it is again. This is the third or fourth reference I've caught lately referring to the HD-650 being an acoustic-oriented headphone.

While classical, jazz, folk, etc. do well with the HD-650, it does a lot better with rock, blues, electronica, funk, and other non-acoustic music.

If you want to listen to classical, the HD-600 is a better bet. Though I'd go for an older AKG before a Sennheiser for classical, any day. The HD-650 is just a little too dark and heavy for classical to sound right. Classical is probably 30%-40% of my listening, and it is a rare day when I reach for the HD-650 with it. I spend a lot more time with the K-501, HD-600, DT48, and occasionally the DT880 when I listen to classical.

But I had Depeche Mode on last night with the HD-650. That was a good combination.

 

[afrsafrs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif There it is again. This is the third or fourth reference I've caught lately referring to the HD-650 being an acoustic-oriented headphone.

FYI my own 'blind' reference to the aforequoted was based purely on the main styles of music that those who reviewed/rated the HD-650 centred their opinions on, compared to other styles of music in which other headphones were given the crown (although the HD-650 never ceased to make an appearance). At least the ones i stumbled into...

was actually in the best hi-fi shop i could get to today chatting about the counter argument (having just ordered HD-650's and needing a cleaner conscience about it) and the hi-guy there was saying that when listening to classical/acoustic he preferred his Grados to the HD-650 and used the HD-650's more for films/contemporary music styles...

although i must say that any opinion read form this isn't an opinion having not actually heard them yet myself let alone compared them with anything. Saw sheep flocking and assumed, which i mentioned at the time, as did Fusedmb.


I feel i can say that there doesn't seem to be a general consensus to that question having looked hard for one... still would also like to know peoples views/recommendations?

 

[wang228]

It depends on recordings. I listen mostly to classical music and generally I do like classical music on HD650. For big orchestral pieces with some weight in the bass department, it's the only phones in my possession that is satisfactory on a regular basis.

 

[Denaturat]

Erik, sorry for OT, but you seem very enthusiastic about both DT48 and K501 - so how do they compare directly, as both are reported to have rather similar characteristics.

 

[thechungster]

Erik: I'm assuming pop with female vocals sound good?

 

[Germancub]

To my ears, the HD650's sound great with pretty much any genre of music I throw at them. They're truly great all-rounders much like their sibling the HD600 but with slightly better low end and smoothness. I have had quite a good deal of headphones and always found myself trying to find songs or a specific genre that "exceeded" on them and have nearly always found it. For the K501's it was definitely opera/classical due to their ridiculously open soundstage and airy presentation. For the Grados, definitely acoustic... listening to Eric Clapton's unplugged album on ANY Grados is a treat because the guitars are unreal. The lack of soundstage though, for me, made them congested and bright sounding for anything overly "complex". With the Sennheisers, I'm still searching for the one thing they shine at and I can't find it... they simply sound wonderful to me with everything. Sure sometimes I miss the sparkle and impact of Grados on some songs or the openness and dryness of the AKG's on others, but if I had to live with only one headphone the rest of my life they'd be the liquid smooth but yet quite detailed Sennheisers.

 

[hadouken]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bergman2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...fusion...jazz...blues...funk...prog rock...

+1

I liked them a lot for genres that aren't too bass focused, the highs/mids on the HD650s are great, very detailed with great musicality. For electonic, trance, house etc they just couldn't cut the mustard though. The bass seemed to merge with the rest of the sound, colouring it slightly and for me the wrong frequencies were prominent to make electronica sound good.

It depends on the individual track and what you like hearing from your music. They're a great sounding set of cans but not enough energy, attack and clarity in lower freqs for my liking. I can imagine them being great for acoustic, classical and anything vocal though.

 

[scootermafia]

Grados have a nice guitar sound but they just seem colored and fake. 650s are laid back and sound good with everything, I crave the little extra detail that my K702s have but they are somewhat hollow sounding compared with the rich softness of 650s.

 

[Solid Snake]

electronica

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denaturat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Erik, sorry for OT, but you seem very enthusiastic about both DT48 and K501 - so how do they compare directly, as both are reported to have rather similar characteristics.

Well, yes and no. The K-501 has an expansive soundstage and a very open feel. The DT48 is closed and has a flat soundstage. The two couldn't be more different there. They share a neutral presentation and both are what some call "bass shy." I prefer to think of them as not having exaggerated bass, which people have come to think of as "normal" bass.

To pick a fine point, an electric bass is amplified and, therefore, exaggerated. It is very different from a plucked upright bass or an unamplified singer with a bass voice. The K-501 and DT48 do not give you the same impact that you get from amplified bass in a live setting. Nor do they produce the kind of bass people are used to from subwoofers. However, if you do a frequency sweep on either, you will see that both reproduce bass all the way down.

So what gives? Neither is tuned to overemphasize bass, and my guess is that this is done for both accuracy and to give a clearer picture of the mids and highs. Even in mixed reviews, you'll find that people agree on the mids and highs. Both do very well for chamber pieces, live recordings of acoustic material, and similar music. Neither makes bassheads happy since, while you can hear the bass, there's no "impact."

The K-501 and DT48 also differ in speed and resolution. The K-501 is plenty fast and resolving, but the DT48 is on a different level. The DT48 picks every last detail out of a recording, shows up differences in tubes and will let you know if there's any problems upstream. At a meet, I plugged my pair into a portable amp and spun some classical. It revealed some soft clipping on notes - ones that weren't there when I put the same disc into my rig and listened through the Zana.

Finally, the DT48 has a very different approach than any other headphone discussed here. A lot of people didn't like it, though I wish a few had given it more time. I put a good month of listening in on mine before I said anything here. It really grew on me - the tonality and timbre are dead on and it is as crisp and fast as the planar speakers I love so much.

Sorry for taking the thread off topic. I wanted to add that I think the HD-600 is better suited to large orchestral than the HD-650. It's less congested and the strings sound more realistic than they do on the HD-650.

 

[Denaturat]

Thanks Erik! K501 seems more like my type of thing. And repeated apologies to the OP for temporary hijacking of your thread.

 

[Fusedmb]

Just got my new pair of HD650s today from Overstock.com for $366 shipped. I'm using my Harman Kardon AVR 354 receiver to drive these and it's doing quite well. Granted the only other headphones I have to compare them with is MDR-V600s, and my month old MDR-F1s. I'm really diggin' these HD650s, I'll definitely be using these for music full time. Now I just need to get them to loosen up the grip they have on my head.

Currently, it's going from my X-fi Sound card to my receiver with an optical cable, using FLAC rips. Curious to see if there would be a vast improvement with a different amp, since everything as of now sounds heavenly. Electronica is giving me a big grin with these cans.