[DBMartin]

I personally like a bit of liveliness to my headphones so it suited my tastes more. The HD 600/650 are just a bit too soft for all-around usage for my personal tastes, so they work better for me as complimentary headphones. It’s really about what you want out of the sound. Basically with the HD 660 S is if you love the tuning of the HD 600 and HD 650 but want more liveliness then it may be the headphone for you.

Exactly, so the 660 S sound like a very viable option to me now.

 

[kman1211]

Exactly, so the 660 S sound like a very viable option to me now.

Seems like it. With the HD 600 you get a neutral and intimate signature. The HD 650 is a bit darker and a little more spacious sounding. The HD 660 S is also on the intimate side with a bit more midrange energy with what I personally found a larger image size (each sound comes off as bigger in perceived size). That’s how the three came off to me at least.

 

[fcc323]

Exactly, so the 660 S sound like a very viable option to me now.

If you're going to "upgrade" to that, you might as well just EQ with equalizerAPO and peace. It's going to be a waste of money to "upgrade" to something that is pretty much just as sonically capable as what you're upgrading from. Don't worry about what you want next and enjoy your headphones! If you want a noticible difference in your next upgrade, you're going to have to move up to the $800-$1000+ price bracket. Otherwise, you're just sidegrading to different signatures, which can easily be changed with a simple EQ.

 

[ToTo Man]

As an HD600, HD650, HD660S and HD800S owner, the HD600 is the one I find myself listening to the most. Its tonal balance is near enough perfect to my ears and, although it's not as resolving as the HD800S, it fits the shape of my narrow head better and therefore produces punchier and deeper bass for me, especially when EQd. The HD660S is my least favourite. It's still a very good headphone and is similar to the HD600 in many ways, but the mid frequencies are a bit brash and lack finesse. Also IMO the HD660S does not scale as well the HD600 or HD650 do with better amplification. On the other hand the HD660S is a little easier to power than the HD600 and HD650 and therefore is the better choice for low powered sources.

 

[DBMartin]

Seems like it. With the HD 600 you get a neutral and intimate signature. The HD 650 is a bit darker and a little more spacious sounding. The HD 660 S is also on the intimate side with a bit more midrange energy with what I personally found a larger image size (each sound comes off as bigger in perceived size). That’s how the three came off to me at least.

Sounds like my type of headphone right now, I'll seriously take it into consideration

 

[DBMartin]

If you're going to "upgrade" to that, you might as well just EQ with equalizerAPO and peace. It's going to be a waste of money to "upgrade" to something that is pretty much just as sonically capable as what you're upgrading from. Don't worry about what you want next and enjoy your headphones! If you want a noticible difference in your next upgrade, you're going to have to move up to the $800-$1000+ price bracket. Otherwise, you're just sidegrading to different signatures, which can easily be changed with a simple EQ.

Okay, that kinda makes sense, but I must stress that my HD 600s were actually my granddad's headphones for about two decades, and they've been used a lot, so I'd love to get my own new pair at this point...

 

[DBMartin]

As an HD600, HD650, HD660S and HD800S owner, the HD600 is the one I find myself listening to the most. Its tonal balance is near enough perfect to my ears and, although it's not as resolving as the HD800S, it fits the shape of my narrow head better and therefore produces punchier and deeper bass for me, especially when EQd. The HD660S is my least favourite. It's still a very good headphone and is similar to the HD600 in many ways, but the mid frequencies are a bit brash and lack finesse. Also IMO the HD660S does not scale as well the HD600 or HD650 do with better amplification. On the other hand the HD660S is a little easier to power than the HD600 and HD650 and therefore is the better choice for low powered sources.

Mmm okay good to know, just a quick question though; what do you mean by 'scaling'?

 

[fcc323]

Okay, that kinda makes sense, but I must stress that my HD 600s were actually my granddad's headphones for about two decades, and they've been used a lot, so I'd love to get my own new pair at this point...

If you want a brand new pair that's your own, then that's fine. I'm just saying the sonic ability in the 6xx series is pretty much the same. But, you can do what you want with your money . Consider getting new pads -- if they are 20+ years out, then they are probably pretty flat. But, drivers will last almost forever.

 

[bzippy]

Mmm okay good to know, just a quick question though; what do you mean by 'scaling'?

Edit:
Post deleted. I misunderstood the concept of 'scaling' and said some wrong stuff.

 

[Beagle]

The HD660S is my least favourite. It's still a very good headphone and is similar to the HD600 in many ways, but the mid frequencies are a bit brash and lack finesse.

Yes, very unrefined upper mid and top. I dumped it because of that. I preferred the HD58X to it. But I still find the HD600 to be the star of the series.

 

[dakanao]

Exactly, so the 660 S sound like a very viable option to me now.

I think the HD 650 has enough upper midrange already, any more than that would be too bright for me, since the human ear is already very sensitive in this region. And the HD 600 have more upper mid emphasis than the HD 650 and what is considered neutral, while the treble is less extended than the HD 650.

This may cause the sound to become overly shouty while still being a bit dark, if you prefer a smoother dark sound. And ofcourse the midbass emphasis and bass extension is less on the HD 600

 

[kman1211]

I think the HD 650 has enough upper midrange already, any more than that would be too bright for me, since the human ear is already very sensitive in this region. And the HD 600 have more upper mid emphasis than the HD 650 and what is considered neutral, while the treble is less extended than the HD 650.

This may cause the sound to become overly shouty while still being a bit dark, if you prefer a smoother dark sound. And ofcourse the midbass emphasis and bass extension is less on the HD 600

Honestly even the upper mids on the HD 650 can be a bit much. The HD 600 and HD 660 S were a bit much in the upper mids more frequently than the HD 650, but still enjoyed them. The system of course matters.

 

[DBMartin]

Thanks for all your different opinions and findings, I guess it really comes down to my personal preference in the end, as it seems to me that none of the 6** models is head and shoulders above the others. This weekend I'll go to a hifi audio store here in the Netherlands and compare the different models that are available at the moment and try to make up my own mind about what I'll like best in the long run.

 

[ToTo Man]

Scaling is the fancy word we use around here meaning how headphones respond at different volume levels. Specialized technical jargon makes us feel cool, I admit it. : )

That definition is a new one on me! I use the term 'scaling' to describe how a headphone responds to different quality of sources. i.e. by how much does the headphone's resolution, imaging, soundstaging, etc, improve when you pair it with an amplifier that has superior performance in these areas? IMO the HD660's 'baseline performance' is superior to the HD600 and HD650 when driven by a low quality source/amp, but it does not have the ability to reach the performance levels of the HD600 and HD650 when driven by a high quality source/amp.

 

[ToTo Man]

Yes, very unrefined upper mid and top. I dumped it because of that. I preferred the HD58X to it. But I still find the HD600 to be the star of the series.

I forgot I also own the HD58X! However I have not spent enough time with it to make reliable comparisons to the other HD*** models. That's the problem with owning so many headphones, - not enough time to appreciate them all...