[lordsegan]

I just ordered Sennheiser 600s + a $25 650 stock cable.

The total package was about $50 cheaper than a stock Senn 650.

I am scared that I messed up.

I like pretty aggressive sound, and I was worried that the 650 would be too veiled on my Musiland 02 DAC + Little Dot MKIII setup.

I liked the idea that a HD600 is a bit less veiled.

Did I make a mistake? Is it true that the "new" HD650s are less veiled?

No offense, but I have been reading a lot on here and a lot of what I read sounds like ********....

Can such small changes as white or black silk or metal foam make huge differences? Slightly different cables?

I am worried that I will get the 600s and not hear any difference from my 595s.. Or that I should have gotten the 650s...

I also suspect that I do NOT have golden ears (even though I am only 27)

Help?

 

[Necrolic]

You will hear a big difference from 595s to 600s, 650s are a very different sound, and much less aggressive.

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsegan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did I make a mistake?

No. HD600 tends to sound better and clearer than the HD650 out of less than stellar amps. With top notch gear (particularly balanced gear) the nod goes to HD650 - out of anything less, the HD600.

 

[pp312]

Tough one to answer. I have both 595 and 650 and find them a match in many ways--that is, it's possible to get involved in the music and forget which I've got on. The 595 is brighter, but not startlingly so. The 600 I never could get on with as it's more aggressive in the upper mid/lower treble area (check the FRs around 3khz), but that seems to be more a problem for classical and jazz listeners, so it depends on your musical taste. Anyhow, give the 600s a burn-in and see how you go. Since you got a good price, if you don't like them sell them--they're very popular--and look around for maybe a slightly used 650. This is the value of the used market--it allows you to experiment. Frankly, getting it exactly right the first time is a pretty big ask.

 

[Palpatine]

Don't worry too much about your purchase. I think you will really enjoy those phones. Listen to them and give them a good burn in. What type of music do you listen to?

 

[logwed]

They're considered to be more or less a horizontal move. Don't worry about it.

 

[lordsegan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palpatine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't worry too much about your purchase. I think you will really enjoy those phones. Listen to them and give them a good burn in. What type of music do you listen to?

Thanks and thanks to the other posters above.

I listen to a pretty huge range of music, most of my "critical" listening is older folksy rock stuff like Simon and Garfunkel, but I also listen to hip hop and classical..

I guess worst case I can just get a balanced HD650 when I get a promotion?

One for home, one for office?

 

[scootermafia]

No, HD650s suck ass. My HD600s sound way closer to my HD800s than my farty old HD650s ever did.

 

[sizwej]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scootermafia /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, HD650s suck ass. My HD600s sound way closer to my HD800s than my farty old HD650s ever did.

I dont know if i'd go as far as to say the 650's suck, but i certainly prefer the 600 to the 650.They just sound less "veiled" and more neutral than the 650.

 

[flaming_june]

However, it sounds like you already got a good amp. I would suggest you the HD650 instead.

I have the 600. I have to say the added bass from the 650 and top end is what I really need.

Nevertheless, the 600 is still a great set too.

 

[b0dhi]

Add me to the list of those that prefer the 600 over the 650. Although if I were upgrading within the same tier I'd go and audition a bunch of headphones first.

 

[wali]

HD600 was designed for accuracy and neutrality, while HD650 was inspired by HD600 but made to sound good... There is the difference and whether one likes HD600 or HD650 actually says a ot more about the taste of the listener than the quality of the headphones.


... And they're different despite people using them as slash products. HD600 is more demanding and harder to drive "properly" than HD650. (Check the sensitivity, also headroom spec charts.)

HD650:

# Response Bandwidth 10 - 39500 Hz
# Sensitivity 103 dB
# Impedance 300 Ohm

HD600

# Response Bandwidth 12 - 39000 Hz
# Sensitivity 97 dB
# Impedance 300 Ohm

 

[BryanP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wali /img/forum/go_quote.gif HD600 was designed for accuracy and neutrality, while HD650 was inspired by HD600 but made to sound good... There is the difference and whether one likes HD600 or HD650 actually says a ot more about the taste of the listener than the quality of the headphones. ... And they're different despite people using them as slash products. HD600 is more demanding and harder to drive "properly" than HD650. (Check the sensitivity, also headroom spec charts.) HD650: # Response Bandwidth 10 - 39500 Hz # Sensitivity 103 dB # Impedance 300 Ohm HD600 # Response Bandwidth 12 - 39000 Hz # Sensitivity 97 dB # Impedance 300 Ohm

This also hints to the issue that some people complain about having "weaker" bass in the HD600s compared to the HD650.

If both properly powered, the bass on the HD600 should be refined and tight compared to being "flabby" as some report.

The HD600s appears to have regions in the frequency response chart (compared to the HD650) that have similar slopes (the bass and mids), but with the HD650 boosting this range a bit. If anyone even looks at area under the curve with the HD600 as a reference, the bass of the HD650 appears to follow similar slopes as you move towards 30-40Hz. But the dB difference is roughly /5/ dB. This is why the HD650 probably sounds "stronger in bass," (and don't disregard the fact it's more sensitive as well).

Once you reach the 30Hz-500Hz range, we can see that the HD650 is actually roughly 2.5-3 dB above the HD600 with somewhat similar slopes. Ideally, natural sound requires around 3 dB above flat in the bass region (~30Hz - 500Hz) to give simulation of "bass impact." This is where the HD650s obviously excel because their bass is already above flat in the bass region, where the HD600s hasn't even reached zero yet.

Without coloring the signal, the HD650s should reproduce a more "natural" bass sound with impact compared to the HD600s with everything else equal. This is probably because when the HD600s peak in bass (roughly 100Hz), this peak is met when the HD650 is roughly around 30Hz...

That is why the HD600s are more like reference/neutral headphones when compared side-by-side.

Even though both are "nominally 300 ohm" headphones with somewhat similar sensitivities, the HD600 is a bit harder to drive based off the metrics as well.

The slope of the impedance curve is /steep/ in driving the bass in the HD600 compared to the HD650. Because this slope is steep the rate of change of impedance is high; this is the area that requires the most attention when it comes to properly powering the entire headphone. Everything else might sound good, but the bass for sure won't tighten up unless that area was powered.

This might account for the reason why people agree that as you amp the phones more, they get better. In reality, they may not been properly powering them to begin with.

To the OP, it boils down to your musical taste. Both will shine if you properly power them, but they're somewhat different headphones (and can be radically different if you use tubes to color the signal).

 

[flaming_june]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BryanP /img/forum/go_quote.gif This also hints to the issue that some people complain about having "weaker" bass in the HD600s compared to the HD650. If both properly powered, the bass on the HD600 should be refined and tight compared to being "flabby" as some report. The HD600s appears to have regions in the frequency response chart (compared to the HD650) that have similar slopes (the bass and mids), but with the HD650 boosting this range a bit. If anyone even looks at area under the curve with the HD600 as a reference, the bass of the HD650 appears to follow similar slopes as you move towards 30-40Hz. But the dB difference is roughly /5/ dB. This is why the HD650 probably sounds "stronger in bass," (and don't disregard the fact it's more sensitive as well). Once you reach the 30Hz-500Hz range, we can see that the HD650 is actually roughly 2.5-3 dB above the HD600 with somewhat similar slopes. Ideally, natural sound requires around 3 dB above flat in the bass region (~30Hz - 500Hz) to give simulation of "bass impact." This is where the HD650s obviously excel because their bass is already above flat in the bass region, where the HD600s hasn't even reached zero yet. Without coloring the signal, the HD650s should reproduce a more "natural" bass sound with impact compared to the HD600s with everything else equal. This is probably because when the HD600s peak in bass (roughly 100Hz), this peak is met when the HD650 is roughly around 30Hz... That is why the HD600s are more like reference/neutral headphones when compared side-by-side. Even though both are "nominally 300 ohm" headphones with somewhat similar sensitivities, the HD600 is a bit harder to drive based off the metrics as well. The slope of the impedance curve is /steep/ in driving the bass in the HD600 compared to the HD650. Because this slope is steep the rate of change of impedance is high; this is the area that requires the most attention when it comes to properly powering the entire headphone. Everything else might sound good, but the bass for sure won't tighten up unless that area was powered. This might account for the reason why people agree that as you amp the phones more, they get better. In reality, they may not been properly powering them to begin with. To the OP, it boils down to your musical taste. Both will shine if you properly power them, but they're somewhat different headphones (and can be radically different if you use tubes to color the signal).

That seems to be exaclty the case. Also one of the reason why I"m actively looking for amps atm. The current one is just not cutting it.

 

[Max F]

When you receive your 600s and feel that they just need a little more bass, then you'll have your answer.

If you don't like the sound period, you won't like the 650s either.