[ken_loo]

Hey y'all!

A pair of HD650s got dropped off at my door today I thought I'd share a few first impressions.

This is my first review so go easy on me.

These were bought from mcss. Thanks again for the sale!

I had been looking for something to complement my pair of Alessandro MS-pros so I jumped on these hd650s.

The stock cable that came with this pair were broken so I've only got a pair of silver dragon to use.

Test Equipment:
Sony DVP-S3000 (transport)
Sony TA-E77ESD (DAC and preamp)
Headsave Classic V.1 (OPA627)
Alessandro MS-Pro w/ bowl pads
Sennheiser HD650 - Silver Dragon cable

Music Selection:
Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul - Right to be Wrong
Tracy Chapman -Tracy Chapman - Baby Can I Hold You
Evanescence - Fallen - Going Under
Evanescence - Fallen - Everybody's Fool
Charlotte Church - Charlotte Church - Just Wave Hello
Leann Rimes - This Woman - I Want to With You
Nickelback - The Long Road - Flat on the Floor

Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul - Right to be Wrong
The first thing I noticed when I started this track was the piano. Coming from the ms-pros, the hd650 do a much better job of reproducing it. The second thing was the bass, I couldn't help but feel it was a little bloated. Using the headphone out on the E77 instead of the Classic helped to clear some of the bloat. The ms-pro can feel slightly harsh on a few parts of this song so the hd650 gets points here for being very smooth. The hd650s also do a good job with Joss' upclose vocals but I feel the ms-pro bested them in this case. Overall I felt the ms-pro were better suited for this track.

Tracy Chapman -Tracy Chapman - Baby Can I Hold You
This is one of my favourite Tracy Chapman songs. The ms-pro makes the hihat on this track too agressive while the hd650s are smooth, smooth, smooth again. Percussion definately goes to the hd650s here. Bass again sounds bloated on the hd650 out of the Classic and the E77. Ms-pros take it here with a nice tight bass. When it comes to Tracy's voice, I'm still swayed by the ms-pros upfront presentation. The hd650 again do a good job with it but I still love the "onstage" presentation from the ms-pros. Overall, chauk up another track for the ms-pros.

Evanescence - Fallen - Going Under
A rock track? Surely the ms-pros have an advantage right from the start. Once again I felt the bass is too boomy out of the hd650s. The bass from the ms-pros were nice and tight without being overwhelming. Percussion once again sounds very good on the hd650s. Ms-pro can again feel a bit harsh on some hits of the cymbals and hihat. I thought that Amy's voice got buried on this track through the hd650. Once again the upfront presentation of the ms-pros sways me. Another win for the ms-pros.

Evanescence - Fallen - Everybody's Fool
I found this song too bright through the ms-pro while I again found the bass too bloated on the hd650. The hd650 did a much better job on vocals this time around compared to "Going Under". I still felt the ms-pros presented them more to my liking but the harsh highend through this song forces me to give this one to the hd650s.

Charlotte Church - Charlotte Church - Just Wave Hello
I never felt the ms-pros did this track justice. The presentation was just too bright and as a result the instruments didn't sound right. Enter the hd650s. The flute at the beginning of the song actually sounded like a flute now. Instruments are properly placed in the soundstage and sound like they are supposed to. About a minute and a half in, the bass track kicks in. Remember the boomy bass from the other tracks? It's now GONE! Very tight and deep presentation. IMO, the hd650s were made for this song.

Another win for the hd650s.

Leann Rimes - This Woman - I Want to With You
I simply love this track though the ms-pros. Leann's voice melts me and the upfront presentation from the ms-pros just rocks me. So would donning the hd650 be a waste of time? Of course not. The hd650 give a decidedly different flavour to this track. The "laid back" senns actually felt more suited to this country/pop track. The bass again felt slightly bloated when compared to the ms-pro but the overall smoother sound was refreshing. I suppose I've been listening more to her voice than the rest of the songs. I'll have to give half marks to both hd650 and ms-pros for this track.

Nickelback - The Long Road - Flat on the Floor
I'll round this off with another rock track. Once again nice tight bass and awesome guitar from the ms-pros. Chad's no amazing vocalist but he comes through upfront and center as most vocals through the ms-pro. A very pleasing, exciting sound. The hd650s again sound boomy in the lowend. Percussion is decidedly more natural through the hd650s. When it comes to vocals and guitars, another win for the ms-pros. The presentataion out of the hd650 just don't lend well to most rock.


Conclusions:
I'll definately need to do some more listening, but for the music I usually listen to I still prefer my ms-pros. The hd650 are a refreshing change however. They are much more comfortable than the ms-pros (and I can wear the ms-pros for days). I'm still not sure why the bass from the hd650 is so boomy on a lot of tracks. It improved when powered by the E77 instead of the Classic. Perhaps some opamp rolling is in order for the Classic. Anyways hope y'all had an enjoyable read. Next upgrade will definatly be a dynahi.. but until then

 

[Aman]

How about the more melow stuff? Such as Floyd and Grateful Dead? How about the more natural stuff, like accoustic guitars and the like? How did they make out in your tests?
Thanks!

 

[ken_loo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman How about the more melow stuff? Such as Floyd and Grateful Dead? How about the more natural stuff, like accoustic guitars and the like? How did they make out in your tests? Thanks!

I had just got the headphones and those cds were the closest to the player.

I'll be sure to do some more listening tonight!

 

[Necros]

What about indie?
Don't forget the 650's need at least 100,000 hours to burn in

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necros Don't forget the 650's need at least 100,000 hours to burn in

Divide by 1,000 please.

Really, if they're not burned in the boomy bass is justified. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how it happens to sound like that.

Burn in just makes the HD650 the headphone it was meant to be. Simple.

I didn't even like it out-of-the-box, while with some HD595 it was instant love...

 

[Skarecrow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea Burn in just makes the HD650 the headphone it was meant to be. Simple.

My 650s had, by far, the weirdest burn-in of any of my gear. I liked them pretty decently right out of the box, but they started changing quite soon. There was a time around 75 hours - 125hours where I disliked the sound so much that I'd thought I'd just blown $340.

They ended up with a very nice sound though. The bass DOES clean up nicely. Eventually.

The silver dragon isn't exactly known for it's boomy bass either, I'd chalk it up to lack of burn-in time. My phones were mostly settled down by 125 - 150 hours, and I havn't noticed any real changes since the 200 hour mark personally.

 

[DaHoboFest]

100,000 hours, how many days is that? 100,000 divided by 24 = ?

 

[wallijonn]

I'm wondering if the reason why you perceive the HD650 as having bass bloat is because you are in reality noticing treble fall off (as compared to the Grados).

I say put the Graods away for at least two weeks and allow your ears to be re-trained and to get acclimated to the hd650 sound signature. If you go 4 weeks with steady hd650 listening you may find that you cannot tolerate the Grados for more than one CD at a time, or that you'll find yourself immediately switching to another more-pleasing sounding CD. That's when you will know that you have arrived.

 

[dwin902]

100000/24=4166.667 days=11.416 years=a totally insane amount of time

 

[TomN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwin902 100000/24=4166.667 days=11.416 years=a totally insane amount of time

Wow, better start that burn in now. Look forward to another review in a decade or so.

 

[Skarecrow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallijonn I say put the Graods away for at least two weeks and allow your ears to be re-trained and to get acclimated to the hd650 sound signature.

I agree. My MS-1s were pretty underwhelming when I first got them, as I was coming from about 5 years of the Sennhesier house sound. I warmed up to them within a week, and listened to them almost exclusivly for about 3 weeks, even on my home rig (which was built for the Senn 650s originally). When I first put the 650s back on my head, they sounded dull and lifeless (albiet vastly more refined and technically superior). Now that I spend an equal ammount of time with each, neither one sounds "off" to me... just different. You ears are TOTALLY used to whatever cans you use the most, and I don't think it's really possible to fairly audition something new unless it's burned in and you give it at least 2-3 weeks for your brain and ears to re-adjust to it.

Note, I'm not making any disparaging remarks towards the original poster, he said right up front it was just a first impression.

Btw, nice first review Ken_loo.

 

[<><]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomN Wow, better start that burn in now. Look forward to another review in a decade or so.

lol

 

[Bill Ward]

That was a nice first review. Any idea how much break-in the HD650 had from the previous owner? The Senn sound does take getting used to, and I agree with wallijohn about giving them some exclusive time. Sometimes what breaks in is the listener and not the headphones.

BW

 

[e_dawg]

Hmm... yes, the HD650's mid/upper bass is a little sluggish, possibly a bit boomy if you must call it that. Once you get used to them they will improve a bit. Also, your HS Classic v1 with OPA627's isn't doing the HD650 justice. Bass control will improve a bit with a better amp like the PPA.