[LugBug1]

  So... here's something you don't see everyday.. I moved from the HD600 to the HD800 at the beginning of the year.. and now, I'm moving back to the HD600.  I still love the HD800.. it's most definitely a more technically capable phone.. and the most impressive headphone I've heard to date (no, I haven't heard the 009, though).. 
 
..but for some reason, the HD600 is calling me back.

 
Good for you! And I can totally understand where you are coming from. 

 

[balancebox]

how do they compare with beyerdynamic dt880 ?

 

[LugBug1]

  how do they compare with beyerdynamic dt880 ?

 
Warmer, not as detailed. Better balance, smoother treble, punchier bass. 
 
More "musical". Soundstage is similar, but perhaps a little larger on the Senn's. 

 

[imackler]

 
..but for some reason, the HD600 is calling me back.

 
You'll have to let us know how it sounds with the Neco V4! 

 

[FlySweep]

 

   
You'll have to let us know how it sounds with the Neco V4! 

 
Certainly!  I've been using the HD800 & FA-002w HE quite a bit with the V4 (and they both sound wonderful).. so I'd expect nothing less from the HD600.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Is it okay to leave the foam pads removed? The drivers are exposed which may attract dust and grime. Switched back to the stock configuration just to be safe.

 
Why would you do that anyway? I tried it and when the pads are fresh, the treble opens up nicely. When they get mushy after a few days of use, the treble gets too sharp and the bass gives up definition for louder rumble and any upper-bass impact is either swamped or gets too loud it's like someone is tapping my eardrums with something hard.
 
In any case, when the foam pads are too worn out, you can use pantyhose - apply a very thin strip of glue over the side of the earpads that locks into the cups, wait for it to set well enough, do the other earpad then let them dry for a few more hours. Just make sure the pantyhose is on there tight enough to not get in the way when mounting them back on (ie they can get pulled, crumple and make a thick mess that will prevent it from locking). I've never had a problem with hair on my headphones, but over here all but international schools have haircut regulations (and military cuts for high school seniors on reservist training), and on top of the climate, it tends to be easier to condition men to keeping their hair relatively short.

 

[spurxiii]

2nd mis-posted comment:

"Also, if you plan on running your headphones off speaker taps, I would recommend creating a speaker-tap to 4-pin female XLR adapter, and then reterminating your HD600 (or other headphone) cable with a male 4-pin XLR. You can take the cut-off TRS plug from your HD600 cable and add a female 4-pin XLR plug on the other end. Then you have a balanced cable for your HD600s, and two adapters: one for use with single-ended amps via a conventional headphone jack, and one for use with speaker amps.

If you really want to get fancy, terminate your HD600 cable with a male 4-pin mini-XLR, then create 3 adapters:

- Female 4-pin mini-XLR to full-size male 4-pin XLR (for use with balanced headphone amps)
- Female 4-pin mini-XLR to TRS (either 1/8" or 1/4", for use with single-ended headphone amps)
- Female 4-pin mini-XLR to speakers taps (bare wire, banana plugs or spades, for use with speaker amps)

The mini-XLRs are much lighter and smaller, so when using your HD600s with a single-ended headphone amp via the TRS adapter, you won't feel like you have a boat anchor in the middle of the cable (imagine the weight and bulk of the male and female full-size 4-pin XLRs at the junction between the main cable and the adapter)."

Using 4-pin XLRs (whether full size or mini) also reduces the potential for shorting out your amp if it doesn't have a common ground.

 
Just commissioned someone to make me some cables like you suggested. Thanks for the advice
 
My amp doesn't have a common ground so it should help

 

[davidvanderbilt]

So after some experimenting around with my ODAC > D4 > HD 600 combo I have at work I realized that using the D4 as BOTH  a DAC and amp with the HD600s was my bottleneck last time i bought and returned the HD600s. With the ODAC going to the D4 the sound is a LOT better. So much more clear and detailed. I've read a lot on how the HD 600s are very transparent to the source and amp, but i never thought it would make such a BIG difference!  Also, I use a dock for my dell laptop at work and have been using it in the past to plug in my ODAC  into. Today I compared the sound of plugging my ODAC into the dock and directly to the computer and it was significantly better coming directly from the computer. I have been using my hd 598s with the ODAC connected to the hub for a long time now and thought hey could be clearer, well i guess that was the reason. doh!

 

[plainbagel]

This was my first audiophile grade headset.  I used it with an O2 amp and Maverick audio Tubemagic D2 DAC, connected via USB.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sound, everything from classical to hard rock.  My only beef with it is the canare cable is very thick and annoying, so I end up using my RS-180s more often (Sennheiser wireless headset).

 

[blueangel2323]

  So after some experimenting around with my ODAC > D4 > HD 600 combo I have at work I realized that using the D4 as BOTH  a DAC and amp with the HD600s was my bottleneck last time i bought and returned the HD600s. With the ODAC going to the D4 the sound is a LOT better. So much more clear and detailed. I've read a lot on how the HD 600s are very transparent to the source and amp, but i never thought it would make such a BIG difference!  Also, I use a dock for my dell laptop at work and have been using it in the past to plug in my ODAC  into. Today I compared the sound of plugging my ODAC into the dock and directly to the computer and it was significantly better coming directly from the computer. I have been using my hd 598s with the ODAC connected to the hub for a long time now and thought hey could be clearer, well i guess that was the reason. doh!

That probably just means that the DAC section of your D4 isn't very good. Most do-it-all units are either primarily an amp with a bonus (not very good) DAC section, or primarily a DAC with a bonus (not very good) amp section.
 

  This was my first audiophile grade headset.  I used it with an O2 amp and Maverick audio Tubemagic D2 DAC, connected via USB.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sound, everything from classical to hard rock.  My only beef with it is the canare cable is very thick and annoying, so I end up using my RS-180s more often (Sennheiser wireless headset).

Why not go back to the stock cable then? It might sound very slightly worse but probably still a lot better than your wireless headset, and both the HD600 and HD650 stock cables are very cheap.

 

[devhen]

  Why not go back to the stock cable then? It will sound exactly the same and a lot better than your wireless headset, and both the HD600 and HD650 stock cables are very cheap.

I fixed that for you. ;p

 

[LugBug1]

I like the 600 stock cable that much, that if I still owned the 650's I buy another 600 cable to swap out. 
 
I'm in-cognizant of it. And I like that in a cable.  

 

[Velocity]

Hi guys. Last day I was to the hifi-store because my HD600-cable had broken..
But in the store they said they only had HD650-cables, and I told them I not wanted to change the sound in any way.. 
Then they said that HD650-cable is better in any way, so i bought it, 
But now I sit here thinking about my hd600 sounds a tiny bit smoother, and a tiny tiny bit more bass...
Could it be so? Or is it just some placebo going on. 

 

[Brooko]

Placebo.
 
Tried both.  HD650 is more solid (thicker) - but sounds the same - to my ears anyway.

 

[Delirious Lab]

Hi guys. Last day I was to the hifi-store because my HD600-cable had broken..
But in the store they said they only had HD650-cables, and I told them I not wanted to change the sound in any way.. 
Then they said that HD650-cable is better in any way, so i bought it, 
But now I sit here thinking about my hd600 sounds a tiny bit smoother, and a tiny tiny bit more bass...
Could it be so? Or is it just some placebo going on. 

You are right, this is just the placebo effect because this was a new cable. However, beware of second-hand cables. They are contaminated by the equipment on which they were used. If you continually swap the same cable between HD600 and HD650, eventually the two will sound the same.

I once modded a Grado cable to use on my HD600s, and it took only 20 minutes for my ears to start bleeding from all the treble.