Long Review of my new MS-2i (A/B comparison with 650)
May 29, 2005 at 6:17 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15

James63

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Introduction:

I have owned the Sennheiser 650s (stock cable) for a year and just got the Alessandro Music Series two-I a week ago. The MS-2i (with bowls) has just over 100 hours of burn-in on them (they have not changed much after 50 hours). My sources for this comparison are a Onix XCD-88 cd player to an Arcam A80 Stereo Integrated Amplifier. When I was working around the house I also used an ipod with lossless to a Total Airhead. The Arcam amplifier does a good job with headphones. I currently do not have a dedicated headphone amplifier. In order to keep things as fair as possible I set both headphones to 82db using a sound pressure level meter. I will not mention the sources again in this comparison.

I am going to A/B the 650s and MS-2is and write my observations as I go along. I will review each headphone in 4 parts. I will listen to the entire songs 4 times each and will A/B them in this order for each song: 650, MS-2i, 650, MS-2i...you get the point. By doing it this way you can A/B them with me
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. I will try to stick to commercial music of different styles many of you might own.


Fist up: Dave Matthews Band - Rapunzel - Before These Crowded Streets (Jazz)

Step 1/650:

On the 650s this track has lost of detail. Every ride of the high hat and hit of the cow bells can be heard. Vocals seem just right, lush and full, not too forward or laid back. The 650s also have lots of body on the lower end but not too much. The snare drum that has great impact and pops out at me every time it is struck. The Saxophone at the end of the song sounds great in every detailed note. The best part about this song on the 650s is the sound-stage. The song can be taken apart layer my meaty layer and mmmm is it good. There is so much sound-stage I could get lost in there.

Step 2/MS-2i:

Right off the bat the cymbals are very prominent. They are very detailed but I would not say they are more detailed than the 650. But MS-2i forces the details more than the 650s. I noticed a couple more hits of the cow bells that I missed on the 650s. The vocals are brought more forward. The vocals are good but they did not grab me the way the vocals on the 650s did. The snare drum has tons of impact, way to much actually. I had to turn down the volume. The saxophone sounds about the same as the 650s but the MS-2i makes harder to find because the cymbals cover up the saxophone. The main down fall of this song on the MS-2i is the lack of head-stage. Every note seems to come from the same spot (by comparison).

Step 3/650:

The 650s now sound a little dark with more bass in direct comparison to the MS-2i. After about 2 minutes the dark feeling was gone (I readjusted to the sound) and I was groovin’ to the music again. I also heard those cow bells I missed the first time around. Toward the end of the song all I could think was, OH MY these sound good.

Step 4/MS-2i:

These headphones sound good but they are lacking in comparison to the 650s. On this song I feel that the highs and snare drum distract me too much from the other parts of the music. The vocals are also not quite as good either.


Dave Matthews Conclusion:

For Dave Matthews I found that I prefer the 650s over the MS-2i. While both sounded good I enjoyed the layering that the 650s presented. They also seemed more balanced top to bottom. At times I found the MS-2i to be a little grating but they still sounded good most of the time.






Second on the list: Eric Clapton - Lonely Stranger - Unplugged(Blues / light Rock)

Step 1/650:

In the beginning the crowd’s clapping gives me a sense of a vast sound-stage. The plucking of the guitar has good presents with good detail. There is a piano background that has nice decay on the notes. The vocals come in and wow they are great. I almost forget about everything else because the vocals are so good. But wait all of those wonderful layers are still there. The 650s do a very good job with this song. This is going to be a hard act to fallow.

Step 2/MS-2i:

The crowd’s clapping is in my face. The guitar sounds just amazing. In my face with every detail. The piano that was in the background on the 650s is now one of the main events. The drums come in with good impact and can’t be mist. Vocals are better than I thought they would be. They still lack sound-stage but the rest of the song is so good it almost does not matter. A few plucks of the guitar do seem a little bright and the whistling of the crowd (at the end) hurt my ears.

Step 3/650s:

Ahh sound-stage is back. The guitars sound different than they do on the MS-2i. I like the guitars better on the MS-2i. I think the MS-2i has a little bit of coloration on the guitars but it is good coloration. The vocals are really great on the 650s. They are not bad at all on the MS-2i but they don’t grab me like the 650s. When I listen to the 650s the vocals are so good it forces me to hang on every word. At the end of the song there was no piercing whistling.

Step 4/MS-2i:

The vocals feel very intimate in comparison to the 650s. There also might be a little resonance in the upper vocals (might just be the recording). The guitars still sound great and engage me just a little bit more than the 650s.


Eric Clapton conclusion:

Both headphones sounded good on this song. The 650 were good all around. The grado excelled in the guitar presentation. The 650s have a more relaxed feeling (not in a bad way) and the grado force me to listen a little closer. Vocals go to the 650s though. All in all I can not choose a winner for this song.






Next up: Megadeath - Skin O’ My Teeth - Countdown to Extinction: (Metal)

Step 1/650s:

This is a very aggressive song. The drums come in with lost of power. Very strong bass and good separation between impacts. The cymbals have good detail. They are a little soft but I don’t miss a note. The drums stand out at me, they seem very controlled. Vocals are again right on target. By the end of the song I was totally into the music with foot tappin’ fun.

Step 2/MS-2i:

The drums have a little more impact than the 650s. The bass is a little leaner but a bit quicker with a little more separation than the 650s. Highs seem a little bright at first. But that fades after a minute or so. The singer holds a note on the word teethhhhhh and it sounds a little resonance to me. The power in the drums is just breath taking, really great. By the end of the song they were really rocking.


Step 3/650s

The drums at the beginning still sound great. They have a little more bass than the MS-2i but the speed and separation in not as good. On a whole the 650s seem a little dark. This song still sounds good but it does not grab me the way the MS-2i did. The singer sounds better on the note teethhhhhh with no resonance at all. But the vocals seem a little far back for this kind of music. In the end I could still get into the music.

Step 4/MS-2i

Wow these really rock. Vocals are brought forward, drums hit hard, highs pull me in with there energy. There might be a place in my rig for the grados after all.


Conclusion for Megadeath:

For metal I liked the MS-2i better. But the senns were not bad. Many people think the senns are not good for metal but I think they do just fine. It is just that the grados are so good with metal that the senns seem bad by comparison.





Next song: Rush - Tom Sawyer - Retrospective two: (Rock)

Step 1/650:

The synthesizer at the beginning sounds great (I started over the song 3 times). Lots of detail in the high hat. The drums have lots of power and good impact. Vocals sound good but are nothing special on this song. There is good sound-stage thoughout the whole song. This is partly due to the synthesizer. The track can be pulled apart layer by layer. Under each layer there is a better one waiting to be found.


Step 2/MS-2i:

The synthesizer sounds good (a little more detailed than the 650) but the sound-stage in lacking on the synthesizer giving it a dry feeling. The drums have more impact and sound all around a little better to me than the 650s. The down side to the grados is that the guitars are a little to bright on this song. I had to turn the volume down and the lower volume made the drums less fun.




Step 3/ 650:

Sound-stage, Sound-stage, what more can I say? I love that layers of this song on the 650s. The grating highs are gone but the over all tonal balance seems a little dark. I can really hear every hit of the drums. The bass drum sound a little bloated in comparison to the MS-2i but I would not have noticed with out the MS-2i for comparison.

Step 4/MS-2i

Fist impression with the MS-2i back on my head, too bright. Everything sounds really good but the grating highs really distract me from the rest of the song. The lack of sound-stage is a little bit of a downer too.


Conclusion for Rush:

I really thought that the MS-2i would be better for this song but that was not the case. The 650s’ vast sound-stage really made this song shine. While the highs of the MS-2i made this song some what unenjoyable.





Last song: Tori Amos - Precious Things - Tales of a Librarian: (Vocal)

Step 1/650:

I am not sure where to start here. May I say perfection (in my opinion of corse lol). But seriously this song sounds really great. The vocals grab me and never let go. I hung on every word. The vocals were good enough that I complete forgot to listen to the rest of the song. It does however seem like there is a little resonance in the upper vocals. I think it is in the recording though. Better fire up my speakers and find out....Ok I hear the resonance on my speaker rig too, it must be in the recording.

Step 2/MS-2i:

The vocals are good, much better than expected. The Breathing at the beginning does not pull me in like it did on the 650s. There also seems to be more upper mid range resonance in the vocals than the 650s. The vocals are intimate and more forward wich actually hurts the imaging on this song. The cymbals are easier to pick out than the 650s. The MS-2i does a pretty good job on this song.



Step 3/650s:

After listening to the MS-2i the sound-stage seems even bigger than before. Vocals are really breathtaking on the 650. Everything just seems right on the 650s for this song. Never harsh, lots of detail and a lushness to the vocals.

Step 4/MS-2i:

Back to the MS-2i. For me they are not as good as the 650s on this song. Don’t get me wrong they sound good. But some thing is missing. I think it is sound-stage. On the 650s I had a couple of moments where I had to sit back and just take in the song. But that did not really happen on the MS-2i. Really they both sound very good but Though.


Conclusion for Tori Amos:

For Tori Amos I found I liked the 650s better. They presented a more naturel tonal balance with smoother vocals and greater sound-stage. The Vocals really shine of the 650s on this song and that put them above the MS-2i for me.





Over All Conclusion:

Over all I like the Sennheiser 650s better. They seem to do everything well. It took everything I threw at it in stride. The vocals are what really shine for me on the 650s. I am not really in to vocals but the 650s vocals are so good it almost makes me a vocal man.

The MS-2i is very good but it is just not as balanced as the 650s. It sounsd very good with some music and only ok with others. I did not think it ever sounded bad. I fact I though it was very good most of the time. The MS-2i really shined with metal and pulled me into the music.

As time wears on I will most likely listen to the senns for everything but metal. As for rock I could go either way depending on the recording.

I hope you enjoyed A/Bing these headphone with me. I had fun doing it. Feel free to add you opinions and don’t hesitate flame away if you disagree (the more opinions the better).
 
May 29, 2005 at 7:37 PM Post #2 of 15
Nice comparison... I kind of find a lot of Alex Lifeson guitar work a bit bright too on my MS2. His Barre chord rhythm work in particular. Although hes a real gear hound... marshall, laney, GK, hughes/kettner... so IMHO his tone varies greatly from era to era.

Nice review
 
May 29, 2005 at 7:43 PM Post #3 of 15
Yea a lot of times I like the guitars on the MS-2i but every now and then they get too bright.
 
May 29, 2005 at 9:04 PM Post #4 of 15
Great, great review, James63. I'll have to try out the Alessandros. I've been finding that increasing the midrange response at 3 or 4 kHz by 10 decibels tends to make the hd650 present with improved immediacy for metal, and it also deepens the soundstage.
 
May 29, 2005 at 9:32 PM Post #5 of 15
I really like the MS-2i over the 650s for metal. I am really a metal-head at heart. About 70% of my music is metal. I have all kinds of metal, everything from Dio to Iced Earth so I am sure my MS-2i will get a lot of use. They are colored and a little uncomfortable but man do they rock. I was going to review a lot more metal but I did not see the point after hearing Megadeth. The grados are just better for rock (in my opinion of corse). But they due have there flaws on other styles of music.

By the way Cinderella’s - Bad Seamstrss Blues - Long Cold Winter, was one of my favorite songs on the MS-2i. After hearing that song I knew the MS-2i was a great pair of cans for rock.
 
May 29, 2005 at 9:44 PM Post #6 of 15
You're coming from several months of HD650 listening: of course the MS-2i are going to sound colored.

I think your experience has more to do with a lack of acclimation than a matter of neutrality.

-Matt
 
May 29, 2005 at 9:49 PM Post #7 of 15
try Oscars Mottetkör's Cantate Domino CD especially the "silent night" track. There are numerous seperate voice sections in this recording in different depth (z). That CD in my opinon is one of the most stressing audiophile grade CD ever. Try it with MS2i and HD650 and let me konw what you hear (how many voice sections
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since I know the correct answer ...lol

http://www.proprius.com/
 
May 29, 2005 at 10:07 PM Post #8 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27
You're coming from several months of HD650 listening: of course the MS-2i are going to sound colored.

I think your experience has more to do with a lack of acclimation than a matter of neutrality.

-Matt



Yea I agree with you about acclimating to the grado sound. My opinion might change over time. I will just have to wait and see. I have a feeling they are going to grow on me.
 
May 29, 2005 at 10:13 PM Post #9 of 15
Hello Cheseburt:

I will have to get back to you on that one. Looks interesting though.
 
May 30, 2005 at 6:52 AM Post #10 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27
You're coming from several months of HD650 listening: of course the MS-2i are going to sound colored.

I think your experience has more to do with a lack of acclimation than a matter of neutrality.

-Matt



I think that acclimation will be less 'spoiling' when the concerned headphone does come close to "neutral".
 
May 30, 2005 at 7:12 AM Post #11 of 15
James63, thank you for your very nice and sober review.

Your description of the performance of the HD650 mirrors my sentiments. I haven't heard the MS2i so I can't tell for that.
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I think the HD650 is a precious headphone for what it can do, which you related effectively.


Andrea
 
May 30, 2005 at 7:20 AM Post #12 of 15
Although I havent heard the HD650, that is a pretty accurate description of the MS-2i, i find the highs grating, but i dont really find them that bright.
 
May 30, 2005 at 10:39 AM Post #13 of 15
thanks for an excellent comparison/review!
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we really need more reviews like this around here. some of the stickied reviews are imo quite poor in quality.
 
May 30, 2005 at 2:33 PM Post #14 of 15
Hey thanks a lot! I am on this site all the time but write very little. So I though I would just give back to the community lol. I would like to compare them on a really great headphone amp but that will have to wait a few months. I expect good things from the senns with a better amp. I here grados are not as sensitive to amplification changes but I eventually find out for myself
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.
 
May 30, 2005 at 2:43 PM Post #15 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by Enverxis
I find the highs grating, but i dont really find them that bright.



I do not find that too bright either. By the way people describe them around here I was expecting some thing very bright. But I was pleasantly surprised. On some recordings I did find the highs to be just a little too much but tolerable. I found them a little grating once in awhile but I think that was more of a recording issue too. Over all I think they are great headphones and a good compliment to the senns.
 

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