[dandrewka]

[size=small]First time poster, so please be gentle.[/size][size=small] [/size][size=small]

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[size=small]After years of using my beloved Grado SR60's (and Ety ER-6i for portable use), I wanted something a bit "more". After some diligent research, and testing out various brands and types (including "Brand B"'s NC's), I pretty much settled on Sennheiser due to their outstanding reputation in quality, performance and customer support. I also narrowed it down to open air cans as long term comfort is critical. Closed ear headphones left my ears gasping for air and relief from eardrum pressure.[/size]

[size=small]So I journeyed to World of Sound in Mill Valley, CA, where they were kind enough to let me demo their full line of Sennheiser headphones for as long as I wanted. I came armed only with my iPhone and Headroom's Total Airhead amp.[/size]

[size=small]I had several to choose from and tried to keep myself "blinded" as to which model number I was testing so as not to be influenced by price. I wanted to go no higher, $$ wise, than the 650's. I quickly eliminated the lower priced phones (no surprise here) as they all paled in comparison to the HD 650.[/size]

[size=small]I had all but settled on the 650, but there was one left to compare - the cheaper (by $100) HD 600. I thought... let's be thorough, so I gave them a shot. Since the Total Airhead has two outputs, it was easy and fast to A/B the two.[/size]

[size=small]Much to my surprise, I liked the 600's better. I realize a lot of this is personal taste, but I found them to be sharper and more "clear" in the high end - they just sounded crisper. Bass wise, I could tell the 650 was a tad lower and more controlled, but I do like just a bit of "thumpy", so perhaps this is why I gravitated to the 600. Saving $100 was a bonus, but I would have happily paid the extra for the 650 if I thought they sounded better.[/size]

[size=small]I also realize that Senn cans have a tendency to "hold back" some, which can be overcome by upgrading to the Cardas cable (which, btw, I have ordered for the 600's). But all other things being equal - was I imagining things?[/size]

[size=small]I'm curious - any of you who have or extensively listened to both the 600's and 650's - how would you compare the two?[/size]

 

[Mad Dude]

I'm not surprised you liked the HD600 better than the HD650 - quite a few people do, including me. Both are excellent headphones, but personally I find the HD650 to be a bit too dark and bass-focused, while the HD600 has a more balanced sound signature. It really comes down to personal preference.
 
Regarding the infamous Sennheiser "veil": inadequate amping can make the HD600/650 sound muddy and lifeless, thus the "veil". At least the HD600 responds very well to better amping, the HD650 shouldn't be too different. I have not heard a balanced HD650 yet, but the HD600 changed significantly (to the better) when going from single-ended to balanced.

 
Quote:

[size=small]I also realize that Senn cans have a tendency to "hold back" some, which can be overcome by upgrading to the Cardas cable (which, btw, I have ordered for the 600's). But all other things being equal - was I imagining things?[/size]

You will get vastly different answers on this topic here on head-fi, there are those who claim that cables can make a huge difference and others who believe that cables make no difference at all. I won't comment about this, but bear in mind that shiny and expensive cables are likely to create a placebo effect...
 
Anyway, even those who believe in cables will most likely agree that, unless you have a really good setup, your money is much better spent on a nice amp and DAC rather than expensive cables. Are you able to return the cable you have ordered? If yes, I'd suggest to do so immediately and spend your money on an amp and a DAC instead. Afterwards, feel free to experiment with cables.
 
 
Oh, and welcome to Head-Fi. Sorry about your wallet

 

[danzal]

I'm a HD650 fan myself.
 
I started with a really old pair of HD580s (which were the darker sounding iteration), and fell in love with the noise they made from day one. I bought a pair of HD600s, and whilst being very similar, in retrospect they were quite a lot brighter sounding than my dark, old HD580s. The HD650s are like HD580 Turbo edition or something. Just a nicer, more relaxed, better controlled sound with better bass than the HD600s (which whilst good, offered me nothing over my HD580s).
 
I can however see why a lot of people prefer the sound of the HD600s. They are still excellent headphones, just a good bit different to the HD650s. The HD650s probably don't sound any better really, they just have to my ears what is a more pleasing signature.

 

[donlaw]

I have the 650s and love the sound. It did take a while to get used to the fit. They seemed too tight on my head at first. But, they either got borken in or I got used to the way they fell because I can waer them for hours now.

 

[dandrewka]

I think we are all on the same page re: HD 650 vs HD 600.  Both have strengths and weaknesses, the determination of which is personal preference.  Like I said, I was surprised I liked the 600 better.  I don't think I could have gone wrong with either, but am happy to save the $100.
 
re: Amps/DAC - already on order!  I limited myself to about $1k for this headphone purchase, so this left me with about $350 for the Amp/DAC.  After reading many of the posts here, I went with the FiiO E7/E9 combo (YAY Amazon!).  It looks like it will handle what I want, at least for now, and it seems the E7 is a bump up from the Total Airhead should I need to go portable.
 
I even had $$ leftover to purchase crossfeed software for my Mac (Canz3D and Audio Hijack Pro).  I think I am set... for now.  

 

[pp312]

If you came from a Grado SR60 I'm not surprised you preferred the 600. Going from an SR60 to a HD650 is like going from the South Pole to the Sahara Desert.

 

[dandrewka]

Actually, most of my listen has been with the Etymotic's.  
 
In either case, different sound quality altogether.  That's what makes it hard for a first time, large-can open-ear listener to decide what sounds best.  As much as this is personal preference, I thus have to rely, in part, on reviews from other listeners.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

I think we are all on the same page re: HD 650 vs HD 600.  Both have strengths and weaknesses, the determination of which is personal preference.  Like I said, I was surprised I liked the 600 better.  I don't think I could have gone wrong with either, but am happy to save the $100.
 

You're lucky. In my part of the world, and probably others, the 600 is the same price or slightly dearer due to being less available.