I've had the chance to do some in-depth listening with these this week.
In short the HD630VB is worthy of being in with HD6-- pedigree. I can't really think of anything that can compete with this in its total offering. Personally, it is kinda my dream headphone, but didn't really realize it until I finally had one.
In summary:
- excellent performance and measurements for the most part. Less distortion throughout the mid-range than even an HD800! Honestly, the performance of this dynamic is approaching planar qualities.
- does have some ringing and dips/peaks within its frequency curve that can hold it back a bit for louder listening. Can be a bit 'shouty'. Easy to EQ out though which changes the sound to work very well for highly dynamic material. This is honestly its only real drawback.
- well extended bass with low distortion that you can easily dial back for jazz/rock/classical masters or boost up for movies, modern recordings, electronica, gaming, and when outdoors.
- high-quality construction, excellent pads. Pretty comfortable despite its tank-like weight and construction.
- I'm wearing mine outdoors, I have a larger build and headsize, so it doesn't look ridiculous. But with the right attire and in our Canadian climate it works well. (I'm also 40 and no longer care haha!)
- tonal range that gets very close to an optimal target response curve. While not perfectly neutral, it works best at moderate listening levels. It can sound fantastic cranked with electronic material, however. Still, you can't crank it like you would HD250, 650. The 630vb signature is engaging and it has depth with its great clarity. Just turn it down and listen.
- the most versatile headphone for high-quality sound. No fiddling with an EQ and an eq doesn't sound the way this resistor implementation does
- more bass than 6xx variants and HD800/S when required. Can't compete with those headphones in strict naturalness, but clarity is up there, and tonal range may actually be preferred for certain material.
- can be easily powered by mobile sources. Handles EQ very well, but should still be powered by low voltage sources because of its VB resistor (unless you want a bass machine).
In comparison to some other cans:
For naturalness, my HD250 supercedes it and so does the LCD2. Though both of these can end up having too much or not enough bass depending on recording and volume. 630vb never has this issue. It's minimum setting has less bass than the LCD2, but even then for some audiophile recordings this might be just a tad too much. For the most part, the 630VB can adjust to play with a wider range of music than any headphone. It is designed to handle this range of bass, and not just with implementation of EQ on a headphone. There aren't too many audiophile bass headphones that are out there that can be just at home with a classical recording as they can with bass-orientated music.
D2000 is also more linear and will present voices more faithfully. Has a more audiophile tilted treble tuning that you don't see as much anymore. 630vb like LCD2 has its uppermost treble shelved though what is there is of high-quality.
HD700 actually sounds odd and bit honky after using the 630vb! HD700 is a unique headphone, but the 630vb really exacerbates what the 700 is missing tonally. I don't fault the HD700 as it has a great presentation once you adjust to it.
If the 630vb has a bit more of a neutral tuning it would be even better. Fixable with EQ (dial it down at around 4k and a boost shelf above 16kHz), but is fine as is, especially at a regular or lower listening level.
Where the 630vb really pulls ahead is in its bass tuning and adjustment, which is great because bass really does get impacted by different music styles, listening volumes, mood and environment.
This headphone is perfect for those with wide range of music listening tastes, and applications. Most importantly, if you don't want the hassle / extra cost of carrying a dedicated dac/amp with you it works very well wherever you go.
