[muad]

Hold old are yours?  My HD-650's were bought new about 8 months ago and the ear pads are perfectly even thickness all around.

 

same here...​

 

[IPodPJ]

Hold old are yours?  My HD-650's were bought new about 8 months ago and the ear pads are perfectly even thickness all around.

I think they are from 2010. I traded a 2nd gen 8GB iPod Touch and an iPod dock for them.
I guess what you're saying is possible but it just doesn't look like wear would result in that. Perhaps it did though, or perhaps they changed the pads.

I use them piggybacked on my HD800 anyway though, not as standalone headphones. Sounds damn good.

 

[wdahm519]

I don't think they ever changed the pads, and I don't think I remember seeing any difference between then but it sure felt weird when they were backwards on my head.  So, I'm inclined to believe there might be some tiny different.  Whether or not it affects soundstage - I'm highly skeptical.  I know angled pads do increase soundstage, however it usually takes 7 - 10 degrees to achieve this.

 

[IEMCrazy]

The pads are definitely evenly flat.  They do mold to your head over time.  My 5 year old pads were shockingly flat and angled  compared to new pads.
 

 

[jwusoccer]

deleted.

 

[christobit]

Hi everyone, am a little new to this audiophile hobby, nonetheless intoxicated by it all.  My current rig is iPod Classic (high bit rate mp3) / line-out to Headroom Micro Amp / HD650.  I have been thinking of biting the Tube amp bullet, and am exploring dropping the $$ on a Schiit Valhalla.  My Micro Amp is more than able to drive the HD650 and the sound is tight, musical and spacious.  However I have heard that the Valhalla is better suited to extracting a much superior sound - which is to say less veil at the top end and upper mids, more liquid mids and tighter/more present base.  I listen to every kind of music except Rap, Techno and Electronic.  I like a lot of old Jazz and early rock n roll from the 40's to 60's as well as jazz, classical, rock, blues etc  Any advice?

 

[gPope]

  Hi everyone, am a little new to this audiophile hobby, nonetheless intoxicated by it all.  My current rig is iPod Classic (high bit rate mp3) / line-out to Headroom Micro Amp / HD650.  I have been thinking of biting the Tube amp bullet, and am exploring dropping the $$ on a Schiit Valhalla.  My Micro Amp is more than able to drive the HD650 and the sound is tight, musical and spacious.  However I have heard that the Valhalla is better suited to extracting a much superior sound - which is to say less veil at the top end and upper mids, more liquid mids and tighter/more present base.  I listen to every kind of music except Rap, Techno and Electronic.  I like a lot of old Jazz and early rock n roll from the 40's to 60's as well as jazz, classical, rock, blues etc  Any advice?

I am in a similar boat except I use a Nuforce HDP and my sources are digital.  I have been thinking of trying out the Shiit gear for quite some time now.  When you say "line out" don't you mean headphone output on your iPod or does the iPod have a digital output?  I don't believe the Headroom Micro amp has digital inputs.  If that's the case, I can only assume that any improvement in sound would be minimal.  Someone with headphone out experience correct me if my assumption is wrong.

 

[olegausany]

Better go for BH Crack even if you have to either ask someone to build one for you or look for assembled one in for sale forum. I will have modified SEX there soon

 

[Thujone]

That really depends. I might have agreed with you at one point but not really anymore. Firstly, the 650s look much nicer than the 600s. Who knows what Sennheiser was or still is thinking producing a phone that looks like that. Secondly, remove the earpads and rotate them 180° and then reinsert so that the thinner portion now faces front and the fatter portion now faces back. This will not only loosen the tighter grip on your face, it will widen the soundstage and open up the treble on the 650s. And when running them balanced, they are every bit as good as the 600s with more visceral impact. The 600s are a tad more neutral though.

 
Uh... the pads are symmetrical, they aren't angled. Unless of course the 650 pads are completely different.

 

[olegausany]

The pads for HD600 and HD650 are the same, angled are HD700/800

 

[christobit]

  I am in a similar boat except I use a Nuforce HDP and my sources are digital.  I have been thinking of trying out the Shiit gear for quite some time now.  When you say "line out" don't you mean headphone output on your iPod or does the iPod have a digital output?  I don't believe the Headroom Micro amp has digital inputs.  If that's the case, I can only assume that any improvement in sound would be minimal.  Someone with headphone out experience correct me if my assumption is wrong.

I meant line out using a Fiio LOD using the bottom craging port which I believe bypasses the iPod's amp/volume pot

 

[christobit]

  I meant line out using a Fiio LOD using the bottom craging port which I believe bypasses the iPod's amp/volume pot

Sorry charging not craging