[Jigglybootch]

My history of buying headphones has one common theme that ties it all together. I always talk myself out of buying the HD650.

My first real good pair of headphones was the HD580. They served me well, but I was clamoring for more bass. The HD650 enticed me, as I really thought of it as nothing more than an HD580 with more bass. So what did I do? I bought the DT880. Makes sense, I know. Of course, the DT880 didn't get the job done so I sold them. I then get myself back into a position to buy a new pair of cans. Of course, the HD650 is just waiting for me. But I bought the SA5000. Excellent headphones, but they still didn't quite do it for me so I sold them. I then bought the A900, a decision to this day that I still don't quite understand. They're terrible headphones (IMO, of course). I managed to partially rectify the situation by getting the DT770 Pro/80. This decision made sense, and I'm quite happy with it, being a basshead and all.

But here I am again. While I know the HD650's bass probably doesn't quite compare to the DT770 (in the basshead kind of way) I'm finding myself all to eager to pull the trigger. At least, I was, until I started researching more about the D2000. Imagine my joy when I read about the D2000 having a similar sound signature to the HD650, but with more and better bass. I damn near wet my pants! So naturally, I'm left with a dilemma. D2000 or HD650? The D2000 is just like the others. I read about it and, based on what I see, feel that it will be better than the HD650 for my purposes. Of course, with all the others I was disappointed. Will the D2000 break my heart like all the others? Would I be better off just gettting the HD650 and being done with it? The best way I can sum up what it is I'm looking for is as follows. I absolutely loved the HD580 (and wish that I'd never sold them) but I always wished it had deeper and more impactful bass. What do you guys think (other than the fact that I'm totally crazy)?

 

[lucky]

The 650 will disappoint you if you're looking for the ultimate bass setup. It's not designed for that. Read the Amazon reviews or threads here at HF until you talk yourself out of it again.

 

[Jigglybootch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 650 will disappoint you if you're looking for the ultimate bass setup. It's not designed for that. Read the Amazon reviews or threads here at HF until you talk yourself out of it again.

I'm well aware of the fact that the HD650 is not the last word in bass. Frankly, I'm not sure I can afford the ultimate bass setup (whatever that might be). But as I understand it, the D2000 is bassier than the HD650. But the HD650 might be a better overall pair of headphones. I guess what I'm really wondering is the bass that much better on the D2000, because if it is I'm willing to live with any other deficiencies relative to the HD650.

 

[myk7000]

is there anywhere that you can try the 650s? I mean to go in blind and have extremely high expectations like that could end up biting u in the rear.

 

[Jigglybootch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by myk7000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif is there anywhere that you can try the 650s? I mean to go in blind and have extremely high expectations like that could end up biting u in the rear.

Ha! The story of my Head-Fi life...

 

[Tiemen]

I owned the HD580 and the D2000.
Seriously, the HD580 has better bass than the D2000.
D2000 has not more bass than HD580. It's just a tad slower and less detailed.
You will be disappointed with D2000 bass, I'm sure....

 

[Jigglybootch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiemen /img/forum/go_quote.gif I owned the HD580 and the D2000. Seriously, the HD580 has better bass than the D2000. D2000 has not more bass than HD580. It's just a tad slower and less detailed. You will be disappointed with D2000 bass, I'm sure....

Wow. That...goes against just about everything I've heard so far. Interesting.

 

[alitomr]

If someone can deal with the laid back presentation of the HD650 (specially the vocals) I dont see how anyone could not like them. They are absolutely amazing. I sold mine and I know I will get them again. My source was laptop/headstage lyrix dac/amp and I think they sounded simply amazing.

The bass, well, that was the major difference I noticed between connecting them from the ipod/ZVM and the Lyrix: The bass from the lyrix was very nice, maybe on the bloated side (that wont be a problem for you if you are a basshead) while when it was driven by the ZVM the bass was not detailed at all. Simply huge with no detail.

Go for them!! I think you will love them!

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jigglybootch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow. That...goes against just about everything I've heard so far. Interesting.

Maybe my amp worked better with the HD580 than the D2000.
But I'm certainly not the first one to criticize the D2000 unrefined bass.

 

[plaidplatypus]

The JVC HP-DX1000 sounds like a high-end Sennheiser dynamic but with more detail. The d2000 is very good and has plenty of bass but it's not the most refined bass. Given your lust for the HD650, I'd say go for it.

 

[AudioDwebe]

I say go for the 650's. They just might allow you to get off the headphone Merry-go-Round.

I've got a pair on my head as I type this. Great cans!

 

[AmanGeorge]

If you've always been curious about the 650 sound, buy it and never look back. Best case scenario: it's everything you've been hoping for. Worst case scenario: you don't like it that much, you sell it and the search continues. But if you're always going to be asking yourself with every HP you buy "I wonder how the 650 sounds relative to this..." you might as well get that answer. Go for it!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Dude, get the HD-650. Even if you buy and enjoy the Denon, the HD-650 will eat at you until you buy one. However, wait about ten days. Based on rumor and speculation, Sennheiser will release the HD-680 and HD-800 during CES 2009. I think the 680 will be a refreshed 650 and the 800 will be something new. Maybe you'll want one of the new ones. If you don't, the 650 will certainly have a price drop.

Also, what amp will you be using? The key to the 650 is amplification. I almost sold mine because I thought they were slow and veiled. Not the case. The HD-650 sounds slow and veiled if the amp is slow and veiled. The right amp makes the HD-650 sound like an electrostat. Honest. By you either have to pay a bit or build it yourself. It's worth it for one of the best headphones available, though.

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmanGeorge /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you've always been curious about the 650 sound, buy it and never look back. Best case scenario: it's everything you've been hoping for. Worst case scenario: you don't like it that much, you sell it and the search continues. But if you're always going to be asking yourself with every HP you buy "I wonder how the 650 sounds relative to this..." you might as well get that answer. Go for it!

Couldn't agree more. Try them, and tell us what you think......

 

[Jigglybootch]

Perhaps I should just give in to my lust for the HD650. It couldn't be worse than the HD580, which is a fine piece of hardware. If nothing else, one way or the other I'd know I'm getting a quality pair of cans.

I will say this, though. When I still had my HD580 I couldn't get over how amazing they sounded with my dad's old turntable. And this was running through an old Yamaha control amp (which I still use because it sounds amazing and I'm too lazy to buy a standalone phono preamp). Now that I'm upgrading the cartridge and have some brand spankin' new vinyl to try out, I'm even more curious about the HD650.