my new HD650 sounded awful... but not anymore! (updated title)
Jul 29, 2009 at 6:16 PM Post #31 of 111
Quote:

Originally Posted by K_19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What tube are you using with your EF1 for HD650? Try the Mullard. They'll bring out the mids full scale and also add to the bass control and impact (you'll lose out on stage and the highs though). They're admittingly not the best amp for the 650's, but they have enough to make it enjoyable IMO.


What do you think was the first thing i did when find the bass not suffiecent?
went straight for the mullard for help..
smile.gif
infact the mullard tube did help a little.
and yes, I think that going balanced will be my next step. Is the difference really significance between valance and not balanced? can I get a balanced cable and attach it myself?
 
Jul 29, 2009 at 6:26 PM Post #35 of 111
Quote:

Originally Posted by plonter /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What do you think was the first thing i did when find the bass not suffiecent?
went straight for the mullard for help..
smile.gif
infact the mullard tube did help a little.
and yes, I think that going balanced will be my next step. Is the difference really significance between valance and not balanced? can I get a balanced cable and attach it myself?


Going balanced is definitely worth it but it's a very expensive route. If you indeed go with the balanced route, then you should get something that offers balanced AND single-ended output(such as the Audio-Gd Phoenix) so you don't have to balance ALL of your headphone collection.
 
Jul 29, 2009 at 6:31 PM Post #38 of 111
I thinkyou just got your firat taste of neutrality (or near enough) and did not like it.

For me, the Denons and Grados are gimmick gear - the Grados are tuned to make electric guitars sing and the Denons give you heavy bass. That's fine and some people love that. A lot of gear out there is premised on a gimmick. You put them on and the salesman plays something they're designed to grab you with. You can't believe what you're hearing and then you get out the credit card.

The problem with gimmick gear is that you eventually get bored with it. What once really grabbed you now seems like a one trick pony. The average person chalk this up to needing an "upgrade" and will then spend more money on the next piece of gear that immediately grabs their ears.

The paradox is that the neutral gear - the kind you don't eventually get bored with - sounds boring to begin with. The difference is that three or four years later, the neutral gear will still present the music faithfully while the colored gear will seem old and you'll throw more money at something more expensive.

Instead of "burn in" or buying more gear, you should condition yourself to more neutral gear. Go to see live music. It can be anything - a street performer, concert at school, bar band - and pay close attention to the sound. If you or a friend play an instrument, play and record it. You don't need fancy equipment, even an average laptop can record. Play the recording back through the headphones and directly compare it to the live sound.

You will find that the HD-650 is closer to the real thing than the others. Denons and Grados are the equivalent of coating everything with sugar. Yes, that might taste good at first, but you'll grow tired of the constant sugar. You'll eventually prefer the real thing to the candy coating, even though the candy is what's most attractive initially.
 
Jul 29, 2009 at 6:40 PM Post #40 of 111
Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I thinkyou just got your firat taste of neutrality (or near enough) and did not like it.

For me, the Denons and Grados are gimmick gear ...

The problem with gimmick gear is that you eventually get bored with it. What once really grabbed you now seems like a one trick pony. The average person chalk this up to needing an "upgrade" and will then spend more money on the next piece of gear that immediately grabs their ears.

The paradox is that the neutral gear - the kind you don't eventually get bored with - sounds boring to begin with. ...


... If only this were true, you'd have just the one headphone, the beauty isn't in finding the perfect headphone that plays everything from a neutral perspective but having a headphone that fits what your listening too perfectly. For me the HD580s (600s) sounded very neutral, somewhat uninvolving and quite boring after a while.
 
Jul 29, 2009 at 6:45 PM Post #41 of 111
Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I thinkyou just got your firat taste of neutrality (or near enough) and did not like it.

For me, the Denons and Grados are gimmick gear - the Grados are tuned to make electric guitars sing and the Denons give you heavy bass. That's fine and some people love that. A lot of gear out there is premised on a gimmick. You put them on and the salesman plays something they're designed to grab you with. You can't believe what you're hearing and then you get out the credit card.

The problem with gimmick gear is that you eventually get bored with it. What once really grabbed you now seems like a one trick pony. The average person chalk this up to needing an "upgrade" and will then spend more money on the next piece of gear that immediately grabs their ears.

The paradox is that the neutral gear - the kind you don't eventually get bored with - sounds boring to begin with. The difference is that three or four years later, the neutral gear will still present the music faithfully while the colored gear will seem old and you'll throw more money at something more expensive.

Instead of "burn in" or buying more gear, you should condition yourself to more neutral gear. Go to see live music. It can be anything - a street performer, concert at school, bar band - and pay close attention to the sound. If you or a friend play an instrument, play and record it. You don't need fancy equipment, even an average laptop can record. Play the recording back through the headphones and directly compare it to the live sound.

You will find that the HD-650 is closer to the real thing than the others. Denons and Grados are the equivalent of coating everything with sugar. Yes, that might taste good at first, but you'll grow tired of the constant sugar. You'll eventually prefer the real thing to the candy coating, even though the candy is what's most attractive initially.


I totally agree with you. I also said (in another thread) that the hd650 sound very neutral to me and not coloured at all (as you know i was expecting a bass heavy cans).

I have the rs1 for about a year and they just keep getting better and better.
I don't think that i am gonna get tired of their sound anytime soon...but anyway, the hd650 already starting to sound a little better..I probably need some time to get "equlised" and get used to the more natural cans.
In fact, this is how I imagined the K701 sound all the time..boy, if they sound even more flat and plastic it must be not to my liking at all.
 
Jul 29, 2009 at 7:15 PM Post #43 of 111
ARGGGG

my amp won't be coming for a week....my headphones are coming tomorrow...............................
angry_face.gif


Well I guess I will try to burn them the best I can without an amp over the weekend so when I do get the amp the hd600s will sound even better.......

but still
angry_face.gif


curse you fate for making the amp be from asia
 
Jul 29, 2009 at 7:24 PM Post #44 of 111
did you try sticking them in your CD5001? they sound pretty fabulous together. and yes, do give it at least 300 hrs of burn-in. IME, they scale better with a better dac and need quite a lot of power to drive.
 
Jul 29, 2009 at 7:25 PM Post #45 of 111
I personally loved the sound signature of the HD650s out of the box. Notice I'm also using an Ultra Micro amp. Note, though, that this was coming from spending about a year with some K701s, which to me felt a bit lacking in bass and a bit overpowering in the highs. I'm in agreement with many others here that these may just not be "for you."

Actually an edit: Uncle Erik's comment really hit it closer than I think mine did. Give them some time and see what you think, but don't lose track of your warranty return deadline if you, in fact, just don't like them!
 
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