I also like this stormtrooper color scheme more than the original one. In some ways this could be seen as an improved version of the HM802, given (some) people have been complaining about the attenuator and the scroll wheel.
they should just reduce the price on both HM-901 and HM-802 to pull more customers in... there are always the same people on the HM-901 threads... so boring...
Some brief impressions of the prototype from the launch event last week: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/3095339133?pid=51925526668&cid=52015764463 TL;DR: The sound signature was quite different from the HM802's; the 650 sounded more neutral and colder in comparison.
I wonder if this is due to the difference in internal parts (which seems to be minimum difference according to HIfiMan data so far), or due to the possibility that the 650 is coming with the Class 2 card while 802 mostly comes with Class 1 card until recently.
Nope launch date not confirmed. HIFIMAN are currently collecting feedback from beta testers at this moment.
I wish they made it sound like HM802. It would be nice to have something like HM802 with the new color scheme and buttons rather than the wheel and all.
First post updated. Now the HM650 is available in China for RMB 2,499 (USD $407) with the classic card.