[thatt1guy]

Ok so im pretty new to the audiophile scene and i have 700$ burning a whole in my pocket. I was originally thinking to but a senn hd 650 w/ a little dot mk3 and russian 6zh1p-ev tubes for 650. However the new ipod touch 3g has come out and i was thinking about just buying some dre beats and upgrading to a 64g ipod from my 1st gen. How much of an improvement would the senns make over the beats using that particular amp? If the difference is major enough i may just buy them, but i have been meaning to upgrade my ipod as well for a time now. Please discuss

 

[EluamousNailo]

While I haven't heard either of those headphones, from what I've read the beats are very overpriced for the sound that you get out of them. I would say HD650 without a question.

But then again if you do want to upgrade your iPod, you could also look into other options for a closed can that will give you a much better price to performance ratio.

 

[deltaspirit]

I've never tried the beats or the hd650's but I assume the 650's would be much better at everything.

 

[Gbjerke]

The beats = **** IMO. A 650 needs a great source and amp, I'd recommend getting a HD600 with an EF-2/1 and upgrading your music collection or buy groceries instead. A HD 600 with an EF-2 / DAC + EF-1 and a laptop / HD 650, EF-1 + CD player is a great, pretty al-round setup. The beats are just subwoofers. Get some IEMs / PX 100s with your ipod.

 

[Shahrose]

I've tried the Beats and own the HD650s. This one's easy: HD650 by a large margin.

 

[thatt1guy]

i know that the senns are better overall, it is just a question to me of how much better. Highs? Mids? Lows? Bass? etc

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatt1guy /img/forum/go_quote.gif i know that the senns are better overall, it is just a question to me of how much better. Highs? Mids? Lows? Bass? etc

Everything.

But like others have said, yo9u need a proper source and amp. An iPod and a cMoy (however you spell it) definitely will not cut it.

 

[Gbjerke]

beats is the earth, hd650 is heaven

 

[chinesekiwi]

Meh, the HD600 is better tbh. My DT880/600 are better than both of them (tried them all, and all with proper ampage and sourcing).

 

[AP3X]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meh, the HD600 is better tbh. My DT880/600 are better than both of them (tried them all, and all with proper ampage and sourcing).

It really depends on what your looking for in a headphone. Personally I could not stand the HD650 because of the coloration they add but I am 123.323399% sure that the HD650 blows the beats clean out of the water amped or unamped. With the proper amplification they should really shine. The DT880/600's are fantastic, very detailed and extremely smooth again with a decent amp.

IMO your best bet, and a balance for amped and non amped listening, also a very balanced phone with none of the additional coloration that the HD650's have would be the HD600. They will give you a good bit of everything. Great all rounders.

 

[chud]

I heard the Beats but not the Senns, and the Senns are better.

 

[Emooze]

I have had brief experiences with both. My background is a person who enjoys good bass.

I did not like the low end of the beats. It thundered but didn't punch. The rest of the sound was sort of ruined by the atrocious volume and music selection. I was also using the demo unit at the best buy which I'm pretty sure has an amp in there. I'm willing to bet that you will not get the same experience with your beats if you buy them.

I fell in love with the 650's and my M3 put together. Very smooth and pleasant while still presenting lovely detail. A sideways step from the Grado sound but definitely not a backwards step.

Overall, if you plan on not getting an amp and your music is mainly pop and hip-hop, you probably won't enjoy the 650 as much as the beats. Otherwise, I think the 650 is a great choice but a good amp will make a huge difference.

 

[whiteleaf]

Ok well I haven't heard either of these headphones. But from threads I've started, threads and reviews that I've read, the beats are simply over priced, and not worth the money. It's targeted towards a younger audience who don't really understand what truely good headphones are (from that price range) (and I'm no expert, so don't think I know what the best headphones are for everyone out there...)

The Sennheisers though, again I haven't heard them, are supposed to be very good, but in need of an amp. Now I'm not the person to go and recommend amps and cords and what not, but I can tell you this, If you really want the better sound, and overall performance go with the Senns.

Also think about the "badge" or "company" prestige, pedigree, and respect (generally) that you would get from the Senns over beats by...Dr Dre. Just the car fan in me speaking out

 

[chinesekiwi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emooze /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was also using the demo unit at the best buy which I'm pretty sure has an amp in there.

Which is reported and known to be EQ'ed to hell and is not a good indication of how the Beats should sound like.
Too much unjustified hate on the Beats here tbh. Yes, overpriced but a lot of the opinions here are based on the Monster/Dr Dre association and testing them at Best Buy = not good for getting the real indication of how the Beats should sound.

 

[Genelex]

HD650 has natural bass ....