[bagwell359]

It's true, the recent high end market has drastically changed mainly due to the advance of planars. However they are a still evolving technology in my opinion.

Planars produced by Jim Winey of Magneplanar in the 60's and ever since. Planars have been popular in DIY projects for a few decades as well. Headphones? Go back to mid 00's I believe, stats even further back. If you say they are evolving, then dynamics are evolving too. The Senn 820 is a few long steps ahead of the 650 after all.

I think the one part dynamics still excel over the planars is not the mids but treble. I've yet to see any planar headphones, price regardless, that produces clean and smooth treble like dynamic drivers do.

What models represent your favorite of each type re: treble?

I think dynamic and planar magnetic headphones are good stimulants for each other, forcing in technological innovation to better rival its counterpart. Which is always welcoming for customers

Agree with that 100%

 

[Stewardess2]

Planars produced by Jim Winey of Magneplanar in the 60's and ever since. Planars have been popular in DIY projects for a few decades as well. Headphones? Go back to mid 00's I believe, stats even further back. If you say they are evolving, then dynamics are evolving too. The Senn 820 is a few long steps ahead of the 650 after all.

Yes planar magnetics were around for some time but it's isn't it only recently these have been getting attention from the market? Specific examples would be LCD, Hifiman, Oppo, MrSpeakers

I said still evolving technology meaning they are still on the steep part of the growth curve if you get what I mean. Dynamics would be further up the curve where it gradually gets horizontal.

What models represent your favorite of each type re: treble

I haven't listened to that much cans but to pick a favorite Id choose HD600.
To be honest I haven't really had a wow moment with treble from the planar magnetics.

 

[bagwell359]

Yes planar magnetics were around for some time but it's isn't it only recently these have been getting attention from the market? Specific examples would be LCD, Hifiman, Oppo, MrSpeakers

I said still evolving technology meaning they are still on the steep part of the growth curve if you get what I mean. Dynamics would be further up the curve where it gradually gets horizontal.

Yes. dynamics are further along that curve, that's clear.

I haven't listened to that much cans but to pick a favorite Id choose HD600.
To be honest I haven't really had a wow moment with treble from the planar magnetics.

I have the 600, and its clean and clear up top. But I don't hear overtones, musicians turning pages, picking of stringed instruments, or the decay of cymbals as well as my 500's. Now my 500's are modded and my 600 is stock, so that could be seen as unfair, but both have XLR input from a strong amp. Orthodynamics which could challenge for best treble tend to be very expensive, so cost wise they can shut lots of folks out.

I'm trying to line up a visit to NYC in Jan where I can hear 5-7 of the best cans in the $700-2k bracket, most of them will be orthos probably. I know the 800, and while the imaging is great, and they do definition well, I'm not changing to a tube amp to fill in the flesh on what sounds like a threadbare body.

 

[SilverEars]

Yes. dynamics are further along that curve, that's clear.



I have the 600, and its clean and clear up top. But I don't hear overtones, musicians turning pages, picking of stringed instruments, or the decay of cymbals as well as my 500's. Now my 500's are modded and my 600 is stock, so that could be seen as unfair, but both have XLR input from a strong amp. Orthodynamics which could challenge for best treble tend to be very expensive, so cost wise they can shut lots of folks out.

I'm trying to line up a visit to NYC in Jan where I can hear 5-7 of the best cans in the $700-2k bracket, most of them will be orthos probably. I know the 800, and while the imaging is great, and they do definition well, I'm not changing to a tube amp to fill in the flesh on what sounds like a threadbare body.

You should try the Massdrop HD58X (the drop is not active right now). It's only $150, so it's worth a try. Guitar and other strings like bass or chello sounds holographic with overtones. Great for classical (and generally good with all genre of music), and imaging is very good. I also think it's one of the better Sennheiser for cymbal energy and guitar peaks, in which I don't think the HD6-- really excel at. Its' response somehow work for classical.

 

[chimney189]

You're wrong and I'm right. End of discussion to anyone who is concerned.
No explanation needed.

 

[Pharmaboy]

You're wrong and I'm right. End of discussion to anyone who is concerned.
No explanation needed.

What...?

 

[bagwell359]

You should try the Massdrop HD58X (the drop is not active right now). It's only $150, so it's worth a try. Guitar and other strings like bass or chello sounds holographic with overtones. Great for classical (and generally good with all genre of music), and imaging is very good. I also think it's one of the better Sennheiser for cymbal energy and guitar peaks, in which I don't think the HD6-- really excel at. Its' response somehow work for classical.

You should try the Massdrop HD58X (the drop is not active right now). It's only $150, so it's worth a try. Guitar and other strings like bass or chello sounds holographic with overtones. Great for classical (and generally good with all genre of music), and imaging is very good. I also think it's one of the better Sennheiser for cymbal energy and guitar peaks, in which I don't think the HD6-- really excel at. Its' response somehow work for classical.

I heard the 580 back in the dawn of time and remember liking it. My issue is I'm trying to sell stuff off so I can afford a really good music hosting computer and a big buck can. But if I get a chance I'll listen to it.

 

[Seisei]

Could you clarify? Sounds like you are saying AKG and Senn mids are better? If so, which ones?

The Sennheiser HD 580, the 6xx series, 8xx series and from AKG the K712, K702, K812.
Ofc they also not perfect in other areas, but the music basically happening in the midrange, so i think its very important having a really good midrange. New Focal headphones midrange also very good, especially the Clear.

 

[SilverEars]

I heard the 580 back in the dawn of time and remember liking it. My issue is I'm trying to sell stuff off so I can afford a really good music hosting computer and a big buck can. But if I get a chance I'll listen to it.

Check out the information on the Massdrop site. They explain the hsitory of the HD580 and HD6-- series, and point out that their 58X is not the original Jubilee (which is essentially the HD600) or the older HD580 with plastic grill (so there were two HD580 in the past, and one was Jubilee which is the current HD600). It has a different driver and was tuned different from the siblings. Massdrop consulted Sennheiser for a different tuning. It most resembles the HD660S with more dynamics.

 

[bagwell359]

Especially the Sennheiser HD 580, the 6xx series, 8xx series maybe the newer HD 579/599, and from AKG the K712, K702, K812.
Ofc they also not perfect in other areas, but the music basically happening in the midrange, so i think its more important than the perfect bass repsonse.

Yes music is in the mids. If I had to live with one major issue I would take a lean or over damped bass with perfect mids and treble. That almost describes the HD-600. Over damped bass, lowest 1.75 octaves essentially missing. Clean. The 650 which I know is darker with more mid/upper bass, and a bit more low bass, and a treble that dips down in the top 1/2 octave is liked/loved by many, but seems less perfect overall.

I haven't heard the most recent AKG's, but the ones I have heard starting with the venerable 240 to the 702 are very clear, but have put me off with issues in the treble and sometimes in the upper mids. Hot.

Still have not heard the Ananda, but the HFM HEX V2 (at high cost) beats all of the cans by these two manufacturers I have heard. At mcsh lower cost the HFM HE-500 (used) with the two mods I've mentioned (harped on) do the same.

 

[bagwell359]

Check out the information on the Massdrop site. They explain the hsitory of the HD580 and HD6-- series, and point out that their 58X is not the original Jubilee (which is essentially the HD600) or the older HD580 with plastic grill (so there were two HD580 in the past, and one was Jubilee which is the current HD600). It has a different driver and was tuned different from the siblings. Massdrop consulted Sennheiser for a different tuning. It most resembles the HD660S with more dynamics.

Well that's interesting. Thanks.

 

[Stewardess2]

I have the 600, and its clean and clear up top. But I don't hear overtones, musicians turning pages, picking of stringed instruments, or the decay of cymbals as well as my 500's. Now my 500's are modded and my 600 is stock, so that could be seen as unfair, but both have XLR input from a strong amp. Orthodynamics which could challenge for best treble tend to be very expensive, so cost wise they can shut lots of folks out.

If youre looking for that sort of detail then yes HD600 might not be the one for you. I picked hd600 not because of the micro-details but rather the overall timbre of the treble. It's coherent, natural, "sounds right". Not to mention the fact that the driver is very well damped giving a clean and well defined soundstage. I have a silver cable attached to it so other peoples impressions may vary

 

[nishan99]

After 5 months of research, i finally pulled the trigger.

Coming from a modded M1060 i hope i will not be disappointed from the 3x price difference, of course i am not expecting x3 performance gain , but i will be very happy if i got ~20%, as my m1060 are very good that i can't imagine how headphones could be better .

My modded m1060 have similar sound characteristics to the ananda, so it will be a great chance to compare a mid-fi to hi-fi headphones

 

[Sound Eq]

Yes music is in the mids. If I had to live with one major issue I would take a lean or over damped bass with perfect mids and treble. That almost describes the HD-600. Over damped bass, lowest 1.75 octaves essentially missing. Clean. The 650 which I know is darker with more mid/upper bass, and a bit more low bass, and a treble that dips down in the top 1/2 octave is liked/loved by many, but seems less perfect overall.

I haven't heard the most recent AKG's, but the ones I have heard starting with the venerable 240 to the 702 are very clear, but have put me off with issues in the treble and sometimes in the upper mids. Hot.

Still have not heard the Ananda, but the HFM HEX V2 (at high cost) beats all of the cans by these two manufacturers I have heard. At mcsh lower cost the HFM HE-500 (used) with the two mods I've mentioned (harped on) do the same.

yesterday compared the ananda and my he x v2, ananda is nice, but definitely smaller soundstage, and for rock and metal can be a bit too harsh, when i listened to scorpions - still loving you 2015 remaster it was just a bit too much going on in the upper region. Vocals sound thinner on ananda as well when compared to the he xv2, and bass was a little less as well than on he xv2. Yes the ananda sounds more clear, but the he xv2 has more enjoyment factor to it. Definitely the he xv2 is still in my opinion the better of the two when it comes to enjoying listening to music

 

[bagwell359]

If youre looking for that sort of detail then yes HD600 might not be the one for you. I picked hd600 not because of the micro-details but rather the overall timbre of the treble. It's coherent, natural, "sounds right". Not to mention the fact that the driver is very well damped giving a clean and well defined soundstage. I have a silver cable attached to it so other peoples impressions may vary

The 600 is flat and has great timbre. However due to the over damped bass (low Q), and the lack of the bottom 1.75 octaves they do sound "light". I would not say bright because that's more related to excess treble. Personally I'd rather have the bass be over taut then the sloppy bass you get out of some bass head type cans - but I'd rather have correct bass over both. The 800 is detailed in ways that the 600 is not, but of course its expensive. If I could only buy two used cans under $150 each for my listening, I'd have a HD-600 and a HFM/MD 4** product.

I found as muscular as my Ragnarok is SE with the 600, the focus increased across the board, and silence between the notes increased markedly with the XLR connection (effectively doubling the input power).

I got seduced away from the 600 by the HE-500 first by the vivid midrange, then the bass which is a good deal better (with the strong amp/XLR mind you to avoid the slight underdamping in the midbass), and finally the treble which has the ability like the Duetta, Maggie 3.7i, and other ribbons/AMT/some high end dynamics (Morel for instance) to scale with the music w/o strain, but also give immense subtlety to overtones etc. The 600 just doesn't quite cut that level. It's like a perfectly good 1" dome. If its all you hear you'll get used to it and not really notice, but head to head - no.

I think the HFM HEX V2 is close to being my new top can. But i must hear the Ananda and HE-6SE (and others) before I buy it. After the stocks are gone, a used HEX V2 might be hitting the mid/high 6's used by the Spring