I've been on Head-Fi for almost a year now, I thought I'd make my contribution.
My headphone mini story, skip if you like:
*-
Curiosity made me purchase Shure SE530s, discomfort made me sell them.
A lack of headphones made me get Sennheiser CX95s, upgraditis made me get Sennheiser IE8s, then Sennheiser HD650s.
Reviews made me purchase an iBasso P3+, HD650 reviews made me get a Little Dot MK VII. Curiosity pushed me to go balanced with a Cambridge Audio DACmagic, and a cable from Double Helix Cables.
-*
When I started at this website, I knew little (about) music, and nothing of headphones. Thanks to Head-Fi, this has changed. I can't thank this community enough for how you have enhanced my listening experience, and as a result, my life.
My current listening setup is as follows:
Windows 7 -> foobar2000 -> ASIO4ALL -> Onboard TOSLINK -> Cambridge Audio DACmagic -> Little Dot MK VII -> Sennheiser HD650
I will start with comfort/physical features:
There is a well-known apparent clamping force for this headphone, I would like to confirm this, as well as that it can be partly resolved by fully extending the headband, and leaving a large object between the cups in place of your head. I will likely need to do this again.
The pads aren't particularly soft, although my ears already touch the driver foam which I find irritating, so softer pads would likely worsen this, and make the clamping force more apparent.
I would say these two factors make this set inappropriate for people with headaches
The hinge on the left earcup is creaky when moved slowly, so if the cable moves it, or you touch the earcup to adjust it.
The cable is flexible, and sufficiently long. I get up often, and having long hair, (which takes a lot of hair adjusting when you put them on so no hair blocks the cups), I prefer to leave them on when I go around the house.
I take out the cable as it is simpler to plug back in that the individual earcup wires, which slip out easily enough not to damage the sockets when you snag the wire on a chair arm or step on it.
These are less plasticky than the pictures suggest, but not as solid as the Shure SRH840, which are much sturdier than I assumed.
It is worth hanging these on something, or keeping these in the box to avoid paint scratching or chipping, on the plastic OR grills.
The HD580s (which I tried on a different system so I can't compare them) are much lighter.
The sound (all lossless for this review):
To start off, I would like to mention what I feel has improved in balancing (while at the same time adding a DAC for) these headphones:
The bass extends deeper, so I can feel the low bass in my neck (and my tummy slightly). Better instrument separation. The impact of sounds has improved, and I can pinpoint them more easily. There is more detail. The soundstage is more 3d.
About the headphones in general:
I can see the sound in a slightly holographic sense now, especially if I close my eyes.
Sometimes, when a sound is coming from far away, it sounds distant, I believe this is called a "wide" soundstage; unfortunately it does not sound entirely real, and only seems to come from up to two feet away. The exception to this is in binaural recordings.
It is interesting to hear a pick move over different guitar strings now.
Bass drums actually hit your ears with a convincing impact.
Bass goes DEEP, I can feel it in my neck/throat, the vibrations are physical, and I am glad to say that the headphones do not vibrate with them, even though the HD650s are mainly of plastic construction.
Beats and basslines in electronic and trance music are palpable.
A bass guitar will stand out separate from guitar, and have an actual identity in songs, unlike with IEMs I have heard.
The only drawback to this is in pop/folk, where bass tone with this depth can be innapropriate.
Vocals are clear, although the HD650s slight sibilance can bring vocals inside your head if they are not already there from the recording, which is not to my tastes.
The sibilance can be fatiguing at higher volumes, and I find it distracting when there are either vocals or percussion.
Without this, vocals would sound very smooth, although this does not make music unenjoyable. It can be slightly metallic with vocals.
I can say what it does for edgy voices can be unpleasant for some voices (Alter Bridge), while adding to others (System Of A Down), it isn't a big issue.
The soundstage is wide, so it can be quite fun with music with beats alternating between hard left and right.
Trebly and percussive sounds have a more convincing soundstage, sounding realistically about a foot further away than vocals or bass. At times I feel like looking to see if for e.g. a xylophone is actually there.
What I like (in no particular order):
Solid, realistic representation of percussive sound
Deep bass
Airiness
Wide soundstage
Clear vocals, with nice tone
I can pinpoint sounds
The headphones fit well
Vocals sound "big"
Definitely good for trance
Reverberating and echoing noises can be properly heard
What I don't like (in no particular order):
Sibilance brings sounds closer in
I would prefer more warmth for vocals/guitars (this might not be the case with a tube amp or different DAC)
My ears touch the foam on the inside (this might not be the case when I get Jmoney or PCX450 pads)
The soundstage is wider than it is deep
The pressure they exert on your head can cause tension
Can be fatiguing
What I would like for my next pair of headphones:
A BIG soundstage
Much less/no sibilance/fatigue
Better clarity
Less boomy bass that extends deeper (maybe with a bit more push, but only when needed like with dubstep and trance)
Bigger, softer pads
Less clamping force, while staying on my head better
I look forward to your opinions, and any recomendations on reading material, and possible upgrades on my headphones, or amp/DAC.
Thanks for reading
,
Reza H
My headphone mini story, skip if you like:
*-
Curiosity made me purchase Shure SE530s, discomfort made me sell them.
A lack of headphones made me get Sennheiser CX95s, upgraditis made me get Sennheiser IE8s, then Sennheiser HD650s.
Reviews made me purchase an iBasso P3+, HD650 reviews made me get a Little Dot MK VII. Curiosity pushed me to go balanced with a Cambridge Audio DACmagic, and a cable from Double Helix Cables.
-*
When I started at this website, I knew little (about) music, and nothing of headphones. Thanks to Head-Fi, this has changed. I can't thank this community enough for how you have enhanced my listening experience, and as a result, my life.
My current listening setup is as follows:
Windows 7 -> foobar2000 -> ASIO4ALL -> Onboard TOSLINK -> Cambridge Audio DACmagic -> Little Dot MK VII -> Sennheiser HD650
I will start with comfort/physical features:
There is a well-known apparent clamping force for this headphone, I would like to confirm this, as well as that it can be partly resolved by fully extending the headband, and leaving a large object between the cups in place of your head. I will likely need to do this again.
The pads aren't particularly soft, although my ears already touch the driver foam which I find irritating, so softer pads would likely worsen this, and make the clamping force more apparent.
I would say these two factors make this set inappropriate for people with headaches
The hinge on the left earcup is creaky when moved slowly, so if the cable moves it, or you touch the earcup to adjust it.
The cable is flexible, and sufficiently long. I get up often, and having long hair, (which takes a lot of hair adjusting when you put them on so no hair blocks the cups), I prefer to leave them on when I go around the house.
I take out the cable as it is simpler to plug back in that the individual earcup wires, which slip out easily enough not to damage the sockets when you snag the wire on a chair arm or step on it.
These are less plasticky than the pictures suggest, but not as solid as the Shure SRH840, which are much sturdier than I assumed.
It is worth hanging these on something, or keeping these in the box to avoid paint scratching or chipping, on the plastic OR grills.
The HD580s (which I tried on a different system so I can't compare them) are much lighter.
The sound (all lossless for this review):
To start off, I would like to mention what I feel has improved in balancing (while at the same time adding a DAC for) these headphones:
The bass extends deeper, so I can feel the low bass in my neck (and my tummy slightly). Better instrument separation. The impact of sounds has improved, and I can pinpoint them more easily. There is more detail. The soundstage is more 3d.
About the headphones in general:
I can see the sound in a slightly holographic sense now, especially if I close my eyes.
Sometimes, when a sound is coming from far away, it sounds distant, I believe this is called a "wide" soundstage; unfortunately it does not sound entirely real, and only seems to come from up to two feet away. The exception to this is in binaural recordings.
It is interesting to hear a pick move over different guitar strings now.
Bass drums actually hit your ears with a convincing impact.
Bass goes DEEP, I can feel it in my neck/throat, the vibrations are physical, and I am glad to say that the headphones do not vibrate with them, even though the HD650s are mainly of plastic construction.
Beats and basslines in electronic and trance music are palpable.
A bass guitar will stand out separate from guitar, and have an actual identity in songs, unlike with IEMs I have heard.
The only drawback to this is in pop/folk, where bass tone with this depth can be innapropriate.
Vocals are clear, although the HD650s slight sibilance can bring vocals inside your head if they are not already there from the recording, which is not to my tastes.
The sibilance can be fatiguing at higher volumes, and I find it distracting when there are either vocals or percussion.
Without this, vocals would sound very smooth, although this does not make music unenjoyable. It can be slightly metallic with vocals.
I can say what it does for edgy voices can be unpleasant for some voices (Alter Bridge), while adding to others (System Of A Down), it isn't a big issue.
The soundstage is wide, so it can be quite fun with music with beats alternating between hard left and right.
Trebly and percussive sounds have a more convincing soundstage, sounding realistically about a foot further away than vocals or bass. At times I feel like looking to see if for e.g. a xylophone is actually there.
What I like (in no particular order):
Solid, realistic representation of percussive sound
Deep bass
Airiness
Wide soundstage
Clear vocals, with nice tone
I can pinpoint sounds
The headphones fit well
Vocals sound "big"
Definitely good for trance
Reverberating and echoing noises can be properly heard
What I don't like (in no particular order):
Sibilance brings sounds closer in
I would prefer more warmth for vocals/guitars (this might not be the case with a tube amp or different DAC)
My ears touch the foam on the inside (this might not be the case when I get Jmoney or PCX450 pads)
The soundstage is wider than it is deep
The pressure they exert on your head can cause tension
Can be fatiguing
What I would like for my next pair of headphones:
A BIG soundstage
Much less/no sibilance/fatigue
Better clarity
Less boomy bass that extends deeper (maybe with a bit more push, but only when needed like with dubstep and trance)
Bigger, softer pads
Less clamping force, while staying on my head better
I look forward to your opinions, and any recomendations on reading material, and possible upgrades on my headphones, or amp/DAC.
Thanks for reading
Reza H
