Scared... just ordered Sennheiser 600s... should I have gotten 650s?

[gurubhai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wali /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think, with your knowledge of how those numbers work the answer should be clear to you. HD600/HD580 (same driver) are harder to drive than HD650... A lot of information in such a huge website like head-fi is colored by opinions which get hold, so its better to find the facts for yourself. For example with your stx, you should use 300-600ohms setting for your HD600/HD580 (connected straight to stx headphone out).

I have always used the high setting of Xonar STX with my HD600.

I like to do my research but numbers don't always tell the whole story.
There are plenty of members whose opinion I respect who have posted that in their experience HD650 are the ones which are more difficult to drive.
I won't debunk their claims till I get a chance to try the HD650 for myself.

Also, the enclosure of headphone may have significant impact on their amping requirements even if their driver specs are same.

 

[BryanP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silenced /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is somewhat misleading at least for most modern recordings. Recording people know about "realistic bass" and they EQ it in (aka. the music itself already has the +3db in the bass), so with HD650 it actually will sound bloated (unless you are a bass head).

This does nothing but add to the fact that the sound is inherent to the design, as I said before. Even if it's the same drivers (just like different car models with the same engine), the way it's designed is what gives the phones it's characteristics (for example, you can put HD600 drivers in different headphones, but you will need to design the diff phones a bit differently if the drivers are stored in different enclosures, such as open or closed, if you want to achieve a particular "sound" - if the drivers had strong bass response to begin with, closed-back design can 'make the bass sound louder').

If the files being passed to the source is EQ'd +3 dB in the bass, then yes, it will sound bloated with everything else equal.

Does all mastering engineers do this? No.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gurubhai /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... Also, the enclosure of headphone may have significant impact on their amping requirements even if their driver specs are same.

This I agree with. It's just like placing an identical set of speakers in a room. You can have the same speakers, but if placed differently, you will get a different perception of the "presentation of the sound."

 

[LnxPrgr3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wali /img/forum/go_quote.gif I stand corrected on sensitivity numbers, but HD600 requires a lot more voltage since its midrange impedance is almost 80ohms higher than HD650:

To be fair, we're talking 1V to reach 102dB (according to the spec sheet, anyway). "A lot" is a relative term here.

That said, to the OP, I have the 595 and the 600, and there is a pretty big difference between them. It's hard to tell how you'll feel about the 600 without knowing what you were looking to change, but I'm definitely happy with mine!

 

[sampson_smith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wali /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... 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.)

This is certainly not the popular opinion. Is this just based on the data quoted above (which should not be taken at face value, like any other frequency graph information, or otherwise)? The first I have heard of the 600's being more fussy than the 650's to drive properly...

 

[brokensound]

I own both. I don't think you made a mistake at all. The HD650 may have more details if you're going to sit there all day and dissect the song, but for just musical enjoyment, I usually went towards the HD600. It's like choosing between Jessica Alba or Angelina Jolie, there's a lot to like about both.

 

[Poetik]

I prefer Jessica Alba, would she be a hd600 or a hd650? =P

 

[Bob A (SD)]

This discussion also provides a lot of reasons why I've stayed with my 580s all these years. Yeah they've been tweaked but the 600s weren't enough of a step to make the move and auditioning the 650s didn't convince me they were what I should have either. Now as a retiree I don't see spending the kind of coin the 800s demand if I were able to audition them and if they provided the kind of satisfaction I can't get from my 580s or from my non-earphones systems for that matter.

So for the OP, going with a 580/600 set is a very sound (pun intended) move. Enjoy!!!!

 

[priest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BryanP /img/forum/go_quote.gif Clamping pressure due to a person's head (which could increase the effect of bass) and all those things on the other hand aren't useful metrics if you're making a product cause they vary too much.

In other words, OP, you have a ton of options if you don't think the HD 600 have enough bass:

1. Buy the HD 650.
2. Buy a better amp.
3. Fatten up yo head.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by priest /img/forum/go_quote.gif 3. Fatten up yo head.

Yo, baby. Tough ask.

 

[Geek]

Anyone expecting impressive sound from an HD 600 who doesn't have the better part of a house down payment committed to their amp and source will be disappionted.

Same with the HD650, and essspecially so with the HD800.

If you like forward aggressive sound with that kind of equipment buy some mid-range Grados and start saving that four grand you'll need to really make any HD6xx+ series headphone shine.

 

[lordsegan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geek /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone expecting impressive sound from an HD 600 who doesn't have the better part of a house down payment committed to their amp and source will be disappionted. Same with the HD650, and essspecially so with the HD800. If you like forward aggressive sound with that kind of equipment buy some mid-range Grados and start saving that four grand you'll need to really make any HD6xx+ series headphone shine.

eh.. I beg to differ. First, I will have a fully balanced setup using a *respectable* DAC and Amp.

Second, I strongly believe audio suffers from the law of diminishing returns. Perhaps I am cursed (blessed) with sub-par ears, but I cannot hear a HUGE difference between audio systems once they are at some basic "good" level.

I can tell the difference between my ThinkPad DAC and my Xonar D2X DAC, but its fairly near my limits.

 

[BryanP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsegan /img/forum/go_quote.gif eh.. I beg to differ. First, I will have a fully balanced setup using a *respectable* DAC and Amp. Second, I strongly believe audio suffers from the law of diminishing returns. Perhaps I am cursed (blessed) with sub-par ears, but I cannot hear a HUGE difference between audio systems once they are at some basic "good" level. I can tell the difference between my ThinkPad DAC and my Xonar D2X DAC, but its fairly near my limits.

Diminishing returns for sure exists, but the degree varies because everyone perceives sound differently. I mean look at the thread for the frequencies that can be heard by a good sample of members here. The lack in uniformity with that thread gives an insight of the variation of how sound is perceived by the members here.

For example, for someone who has problems hearing the higher frequencies (15-16k and above), the zone may sound "rolled off" where for another with a similar setup may not be experiencing those problems.

That's why it boils down to really trying out the headphone, and if it's not possible, just buy it and return it/exchange it.

 

[pearljam5000]

lol@scared

 

[BryanP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pearljam5000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol@scared

Exactly

No need to be scared unless the place you got it from doesn't accept returns lol. If you don't like it and decide to get a diff headphones, then just exchange it!

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poetik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I prefer Jessica Alba, would she be a hd600 or a hd650? =P

This is the question I really want answered