[K.C.]

I just received my HD-650s and I'm curious what the consensus is on break in ?

I did some searches here first, but didn't find an answer.

I'm using the Cardas cable and a DAC-1, just let them play for about 10 hours so far.

 

[Jaw007]

Some say 300-450 hours.

 

[K.C.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaw007 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Some say 300-450 hours.

Interesting. That's more than twice the number in the FAQ here.

 

[smeggy]

Why would you care? Put them on and enjoy some music.

 

[K.C.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why would you care? Put them on and enjoy some music.

Gee thanks for the upbeat contribution.

 

[kejar31]

My HD580's took ~300 - 400 hours

 

[dallan]

The big breakin is after you upgrade your cables.

 

[Bizzel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why would you care? Put them on and enjoy some music.

QFT. They sound awesome out of the box. Let them break in naturally.

 

[crappyjones123]

mine sounded AWFUL and i mean god AWFUL when i put them on. they calmed down a little after roughly 60 hours. at roughly the 150 hours mark they seemed to settle down even more to the point where i could tell the difference with only a few songs. penchum said his took 114 hours i think and his wife's about 100.

my suggestion would be this though (and i dont know how many people will agree with me) - if you have the stock cable, use that to burn in your 650s. and you dont have to have them lying around while the burn in happens. put them on your head

they wont bite! actually i take that back. the clamping force of a new 650 is MASSIVE by all accounts, either that or i have a giant head =/ at any rate, wearing it for a while will let the band up a bit.

once you feel that with the stock cable itself you cant notice any differences then plug in your cardas and let that go to work. after a while, plug in your stock and compare and let the magic happen

a lot of times we forget to appreciate how much of a difference each component makes in a setup. just my two cents

and congratulations on the 650s!


ps. wheres your amp meng? the 650s live and die by their amp...and source =)

 

[K.C.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crappyjones123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif mine sounded AWFUL and i mean god AWFUL when i put them on.

I've got less than 20 hours on them and they distort pretty heavily and easily if I turn it up much. They're pretty nasty sounding at this point unless at a low level.

 

[K.C.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dallan /img/forum/go_quote.gif The big breakin is after you upgrade your cables.

Well I'm starting with the Cardas cable.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

Get a decent amp first. The HD 650s deserve that!

 

[rapzoo]

My 650s were pretty well broken in after 100 hours. Any chamges that I have heard after that have been subtle. I would think that 100 hours should be sufficient for the Cardas cable as well.

 

[rapzoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K.C. /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've got less than 20 hours on them and they distort pretty heavily and easily if I turn it up much. They're pretty nasty sounding at this point unless at a low level.

What are you using to drive your 650s? At 300ohm they require a good amp. If they are distorting at high volume it may be that your amp is the problem. My experience is that the 650s sound quite good right out of the box.

 

[crappyjones123]

rapzoo, they DO sound good out of the box.

they sounded better than any other hp i had ever heard even out of the box but from the expectations i had i was terribly disappointed. i had heard stories of its legendary silkiness but at a higher volume, satriani's guitar was just unbearable. i even had a whole thread about in (in case the OP is interested in reading the responses there). everyone told me to just wait and give it time. with time passing by, they DO open up and the shrill sounds get rounded up and the silky sound comes in

having said that, i dont think the absence of a dedicated headamp in the OP's setup is helping the distortion =/ it may very well be the cause. i didnt know the difference because i was using a ld mk v from the beginning. however after they had enough hours on them, i plugged them into the sound card straight away and while i severely missed the amp, and the max volume was really low, the sound was still excellent.

give it time buddy, and get an amp!