[default username]

My ears are probably too good. I have bought the hd650 and I thought by reading here that the hd650 is veiled and has less highs in it. But the shrill tones of the hd650 are too much for me. I tried the hd600 in 1998 but it was very harsh for my too good ears and brought it back, so I thought I should try again with the veiled hd650. My original headphone is the 20 year old hd420 but I can't get it almost nowhere anymore, so I probable keep the hd650 so that I at least have a good headphone.

I did some simple equalizer settings, but I would rather have a solution with acoustic material like special earpads or something. I tried various materials. The best thus far is 4 layers of cotton from an old T-shirt. I have put that in the
earpads on top of the black foam, the sound is much better now, less harsh and fatigue.

Do you have any very good solutions for softening the shrill tones of the hd650, maybe something like a special cable,
a very little equalizer particular for headphones, but most of all special materials. In the hd650 there is a white sort of foam, should that do the trick? Where can you get that special foam?

 

[mtd]

Maybe your amp is just a really bright?

 

[kramer5150]

Welcome to the forum and sorry about your wallet.

not sure if you realize it yet but you have probably one of the most amp/source sensitive cans in existence. Picking the wrong one of either and you will be underwhelmed.

On that note, whats your source and what are plugging the cans into?

The HD650 has a bassy, lush kind of warmth but you need to scale up your supporting equipment to get the most out of them.

I find the HD650/600/580 to have very clear distinct treble. The upper midrange recession tends to exagerate treble and highlight it.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

The HD650 actually has much higher treble extension than a lot of cans. They just don't have high peaks in their treble response. I suppose this extension does bother some people, although most seem to be bothered more with excess energy in the mid-treble region (around 3-8khz) rather than high upper-treble (14khz or so and above), which is why some don't like Grados.

I can't think of anything in particular that is meant to tame the resposne of the HD650. Most people are more concerned with opening theirs up. Perhaps a softer amp or source? Headphonesguru.com sells sheep felt, which might be what you're looking for.

 

[MatsudaMan]

You keep on referring to your "too good ears", and I hate to say it but, over sensitivity to high frequencies often is due to damaged eardrum. If the HD650's sound bright and harsh, it might be your ears that are causing this sound of harshness. Harshness is often due to distortion. If I were you, I would get my ears checked out.

 

[Mrvile]

The Senn HD580/600/650 series aren't really known to have harsh highs, but your ears may just be sensitive to brightness (as are mine). You can try to tame them with dampening materials but that usually muffles up the rest of the sound, including the mids and the bass. You could try different sources but the thing with that is if you don't like the original sound from your cans, changing sources probably won't help much. Your best bet is probably to use EQ to tame it down to the level you want. What is your main source right now? If it's an MP3 player, try Rockbox which comes with a pretty decent EQ. If it's your computer, download a graphic EQ, they are generally free and work pretty well.

 

[Jigglybootch]

If the stock HD650 is too bright for your ears, then there is no hope for you with headphones. Just my opinion.

 

[dw6928]

I agree. The cable change to Zu only made the 650s brighter; that might make
you enjoy them even less. Try them with a Heed Canamp. I find that amp for
SS is somewhat taming and melodic.

 

[aphex944]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek /img/forum/go_quote.gif The HD650 actually has much higher treble extension than a lot of cans. They just don't have high peaks in their treble response.

Which cans are you referring to? I can't think of any similarly classed headphones that don't outperform the HD650 in terms of treble response. Sure they reproduce those frequencies, but as their FR chart clearly shows on HeadRoom, they definitely roll off.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

I said treble extension, not treble energry. There is a difference. And besides, those sharp peaks in the treble of the other cans may not be viewed as a good thing by some...

 

[Gravitas]

Perhaps your ears are overly sensitive. The 650s are the most non-fatiguing cans I've heard so far. As others suggested, maybe try a warmer amp? I currently use the Meier Headfive. It's on the border of being too warm for the 650s...which may be right up your alley?

 

[MaloS]

Equalizer can do wonders if you find an extensive one though, you should give that a better chance. The hd650 sounded quite bright in the treble that they cover, I agree, but not fatiguing to myself, that depends on your ear and tastes.
I would say trying to do foam mods here while interesting, might not be the best game. You never mention your source, and it could be big-time responsible for it. I tried my laptop's audiocard out of curiosity, and I can't stand it, it has plentiful fatigue in upper range. Your best bet would be to find a source with emphasis on low mid-range and high roll of that would allow the hd650 to be smooth and tamed. I'd say echo indigo is a good example.

 

[aphex944]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek /img/forum/go_quote.gif I said treble extension, not treble energry. There is a difference. And besides, those sharp peaks in the treble of the other cans may not be viewed as a good thing by some...

I guess I'm just having a hard time understanding what you mean. How is reproducing high frequencies a quality over other headphones? I would expect most headphones, even very inexpensive ones, to be able to reproduce 20khz. The real factor is the response level.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

No, they really can't. Even a lot of good headphones can't reproduce those frequencies very well. Listen to a violin on an SR-60 and then listen to the same violin on an HD650. The difference is profound. All of the overtones are completely lost on the SR-60. String instruments, brass instruments, and metal instruments such as triangles are all rendered with significantly more realism, because there is much more very high frequency information present.

 

[MaloS]

to elaborate on what person above me says:

ya all headphones will produce something up to 20, sure...you just can't be sure of what. Take a look at the frequency response curves of various low and high end headphones on headphone.com. You will be surprised to notice how many spikes you will see in the upper range, its just unhealthy. Think of what can happen if the source and the headphone have the same spike at 18khz...

If you want to see a truthful response, try etymotics...they are almost flat up to 16, and have no spikes, they just drop out at 18. And noone ever complains about lack of detail with them, because up to 18 its good quality treble, not the spikes you will get from grado sr-60.