meech
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2002
- Posts
- 622
- Likes
- 11
I'll start by stated that this is not a review. It's simply a story of my experience with this combo.
I had a been on the fence for a while about Sennheiser. I'm only a year into this hobby an my only headphones have been a pair of Grado RS1's. I'll start by stating that the RS1's are truly outstanding headphones. I honestly didn't really appreciate them until I heard some of their younger siblings (SR125,SR225). That's when I learned the meaning of refinement. I think to sum it up, the RS1's are combination of all of the good qualities of it's siblings. Unfortunately, there was that one problematic thing that drove me to parting with them, (yeah, you guessed it), the excessive brightness. I loved the detail that they provided. In fact that was what sold me on them to begin with. I just grew tired of the sound over time. Not to mention, I'm sure that my source was part of the blame for the brightness, but I guess I just needed a change. For lively rock or up-tempo pop music, the RS1's are hard to beat. Wanna hear Diana Krall lick her lips before she sings, the RS1s will deliver. Wanna be a member of Linkin Park for a night, these are your cans. Unfortunately, on those nights where you want to sit back in your third row seat and enjoy the show, you're violently thown back on stage. I do have my nights where I enjoy being up there but we could all use a night off.
So after a few months of visiting the local Hi-fi shops and sampling the Senn sound, I became completely intrigued. I would spend an hour in the store listening to either the hd580's or the 600's and I was totally impressed. I knew it was just a matter of time before I crossed over to the OTHER side
! Well, sure enough, that time has come. Based on what I'm hearing so far, I don't think I'll ever look back!
I ordered a pair of HD650's having never heard them once. I based this purchase solely on the opinions and feedback of other head-fiers. I figured that they had to be as a good as, if not better than, the hd600's which I already liked. I also order the Zu Mobius replacement cable. I've read that this cables brings a certain magic to Senns so I had to at least give them a try. After going through an hour long ordeal with UPS, my 650s finally arrived at my door!!
I was really impressed with the actual build quality of the 650s. Very nicely constructed and BOY ARE THEY COMFORTABLE !!
My Grado's had the bowl pads so my ears would rest directly on the drivers which would hurt after an hour or so. But just like riding a Ducati, sometimes you have to endure a little pain if the payoff is worth it. I especially love the color of the 650s. That polished gunmetal gray reminds me of my favorite car (Ferrari 550 Maranello). Very nice indeed !!!!!
OK, FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
I wanted to be fair to the 650s and listen to them without the Zu cable installed. I wanted to hear what characteristics I could apply to the 650s, and what improvements I could credit to the Zu's. Well, that whole idea lasted about 30 minutes (yes, I'm very patient
). I plugged the 650s into my RA-1/555ES combo and began this new chapter.
I started with Norah Jones 1st album "Come Away with Me". Upon listening for the first 10 to 15 secs, I was a little disappointed. "There must be something covering the drivers". Somethings missing, but I can't put my finger on what it is. Was it liveliness? NO! Was is detail? NO!! I'm thinking to myself, "Oh boy, I made a big mistake". I skipped to the title track "Come Away with Me" and that's when it hit me. About a minute into the song I had a revelation. I realized that I was hearing every ounce of detail that the RS1s gave me, but I'm in my third row seat! Norah was no longer beside me, she was right in front of me. Her band members were right beside her,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and I was dead center-------------3 ROWS BACK!!!! It's gonna be a long !!!!night
Next it was on to some classical music. I decided to go with Tschaikovsky's 6th Symphony (The Pathetique). The anticipation was killing me. I dropped the cd twice as I was loading it into the player (talk about nervous energy). This particular recording that I have is a live recording that begins with applause as the conductor (Celibidache) takes the stage. This is where the 650s exposed there natural sound. It really did sound like people clapping, not that hard shrill popping sound that your hear from most equipment. I heard people coughing in the audience. Someone even dropped something on the floor.
Truly amazing!!!
As the piece started, I got a glimpse of the 650s bass exstension. Although I would prefer a little more impact (remember, this is with stock cords and about a half hours worth of break in), it was nice to see how low they could go. I didn't think notes that low would be audible through headphones. At this point the bass was a little loose but I think time will fix that. If I had to use one word to describe the 650s, I'd go with 'Smooth'. Nothing hurts. No matter how high the notes, they're all coated with honey up top. I could use a little more splash with my cymbals but again, we're talking about a half hour here.
Ok, here's where the 650s impressed me the most. They kept a full orchestra from becomming one instrument. Everything had it's own space. I was able to follow any instrument I chose, no matter how busy the orchestra got. This is a tough test that many components fail miserably. All of the instruments sound just as they do at Carnegie Hall. Full textures, no forced midrange but entirely fleshed out.
OK MY PATIENCE HAS JUST WORN OUT,,,,,,,I'M INSTALLING THE ZU MOBIUS CABLE !!!!
To be continued. . . . . . . . . . . .
I had a been on the fence for a while about Sennheiser. I'm only a year into this hobby an my only headphones have been a pair of Grado RS1's. I'll start by stating that the RS1's are truly outstanding headphones. I honestly didn't really appreciate them until I heard some of their younger siblings (SR125,SR225). That's when I learned the meaning of refinement. I think to sum it up, the RS1's are combination of all of the good qualities of it's siblings. Unfortunately, there was that one problematic thing that drove me to parting with them, (yeah, you guessed it), the excessive brightness. I loved the detail that they provided. In fact that was what sold me on them to begin with. I just grew tired of the sound over time. Not to mention, I'm sure that my source was part of the blame for the brightness, but I guess I just needed a change. For lively rock or up-tempo pop music, the RS1's are hard to beat. Wanna hear Diana Krall lick her lips before she sings, the RS1s will deliver. Wanna be a member of Linkin Park for a night, these are your cans. Unfortunately, on those nights where you want to sit back in your third row seat and enjoy the show, you're violently thown back on stage. I do have my nights where I enjoy being up there but we could all use a night off.
So after a few months of visiting the local Hi-fi shops and sampling the Senn sound, I became completely intrigued. I would spend an hour in the store listening to either the hd580's or the 600's and I was totally impressed. I knew it was just a matter of time before I crossed over to the OTHER side
I ordered a pair of HD650's having never heard them once. I based this purchase solely on the opinions and feedback of other head-fiers. I figured that they had to be as a good as, if not better than, the hd600's which I already liked. I also order the Zu Mobius replacement cable. I've read that this cables brings a certain magic to Senns so I had to at least give them a try. After going through an hour long ordeal with UPS, my 650s finally arrived at my door!!
I was really impressed with the actual build quality of the 650s. Very nicely constructed and BOY ARE THEY COMFORTABLE !!
OK, FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
I wanted to be fair to the 650s and listen to them without the Zu cable installed. I wanted to hear what characteristics I could apply to the 650s, and what improvements I could credit to the Zu's. Well, that whole idea lasted about 30 minutes (yes, I'm very patient
I started with Norah Jones 1st album "Come Away with Me". Upon listening for the first 10 to 15 secs, I was a little disappointed. "There must be something covering the drivers". Somethings missing, but I can't put my finger on what it is. Was it liveliness? NO! Was is detail? NO!! I'm thinking to myself, "Oh boy, I made a big mistake". I skipped to the title track "Come Away with Me" and that's when it hit me. About a minute into the song I had a revelation. I realized that I was hearing every ounce of detail that the RS1s gave me, but I'm in my third row seat! Norah was no longer beside me, she was right in front of me. Her band members were right beside her,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and I was dead center-------------3 ROWS BACK!!!! It's gonna be a long !!!!night
Next it was on to some classical music. I decided to go with Tschaikovsky's 6th Symphony (The Pathetique). The anticipation was killing me. I dropped the cd twice as I was loading it into the player (talk about nervous energy). This particular recording that I have is a live recording that begins with applause as the conductor (Celibidache) takes the stage. This is where the 650s exposed there natural sound. It really did sound like people clapping, not that hard shrill popping sound that your hear from most equipment. I heard people coughing in the audience. Someone even dropped something on the floor.
Truly amazing!!!
As the piece started, I got a glimpse of the 650s bass exstension. Although I would prefer a little more impact (remember, this is with stock cords and about a half hours worth of break in), it was nice to see how low they could go. I didn't think notes that low would be audible through headphones. At this point the bass was a little loose but I think time will fix that. If I had to use one word to describe the 650s, I'd go with 'Smooth'. Nothing hurts. No matter how high the notes, they're all coated with honey up top. I could use a little more splash with my cymbals but again, we're talking about a half hour here.
Ok, here's where the 650s impressed me the most. They kept a full orchestra from becomming one instrument. Everything had it's own space. I was able to follow any instrument I chose, no matter how busy the orchestra got. This is a tough test that many components fail miserably. All of the instruments sound just as they do at Carnegie Hall. Full textures, no forced midrange but entirely fleshed out.
OK MY PATIENCE HAS JUST WORN OUT,,,,,,,I'M INSTALLING THE ZU MOBIUS CABLE !!!!
To be continued. . . . . . . . . . . .
