[el_monkey]

This looks quite good

 

[fidgeraldo]

How are the HD450? I'm thinking of picking up a pair of the 450SE wireless, again good pricing on the outlet

I have HD458BT; they sound very Sennheiser to me.

Everything is just fine. You could write more details than I but for BT and the price... Sennheiser nailed it again. What about these new Accentum BT they have, they are 150 euros. I don't use HD458BT for listening to music, even though they are great for that purpose, too. I use them for watching TV/series when I am in bed, before sleeping. The sound is very immersive and holographic. But also, that's because I am using them over Bose Soundbar and not directly on TV. At least, I think that because when I hooked the Soundbar to the TV, the sound in 458BT noticeably changed and improved. Hmm... I would say it's a safe bet for the price.

 

[funkymartyn]

How are the HD450? I'm thinking of picking up a pair of the 450SE wireless, again good pricing on the outlet.....
I just tried some Master Dynamic MH40W and while not bad and a cool design the arms are too short for my head. : (
....so I had to send them back.

Hi there. My hd450 are just normal cheap retro phones. With the flat , S, type ear cushion. If I remember correctly these were the first sennheiser I bought way back in the 70s. Only cost about. £20. I only really use them for my tablets , YouTube, reviews, etc....the lead is quite long. A pair were on UK eBay this week for. £85.......??? Don't know if you think these are a different type of headphone. I'll try to sort a pic out. Here you go . The purple pair.

 

[Rob80b]

Hi there. My hd450 are just normal cheap retro phones.

I remember those, I had the HD414, but I'm referring to the current wireless ones so I can be mobile while listening to the BBC and such while cooking or house cleaning.
https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-US/p/hd-450se-refurbished/cl7rmikyu6ioo0bupaijeq2lh/

 

[fidgeraldo]

while cooking or house cleaning.

What's on the menu tomorrow?

 

[Rob80b]

What's on the menu tomorrow?

Good question, guests coming. I cook almost every night but might opt out for Sushi. lol
Why, in the neighbourhood?
Music's always cooking for sure, : )

 

[fidgeraldo]

Hahaha, not in the neighbourhood...collecting ideas We have Tortillas tomorrow with some nice filling
My daytime routine are speakers...night...headphones, like now...and some speeeeed music...high volume, of course
Buon appetit tomorrow!

 

[Mike F]

I was really hoping the Neumann would be the missing link between the S2 and the 800S but for what ever reason I could not, cannot shake the fact that I wasn't listening to two studio monitors, which is exactly what Neumann intended and even praised as such from pro reviewers.....

Rob, for reasons you understand from the thread you've banned yourself from, I'm really happy with that headphone. It really just aligns well with my listening needs, tastes and expectations.

And as much as I really like both the S2 and 800S, but for very different reasons I'd still like to see hear Sennheiser come out with the 3rd element combining the strengths of both, I am at the age where I need progressives.

The NDH30 works for some as that missing link but I'd l personally would like to see another phone developed from the ground up, aka HD700 if feasible.

Personally I would not describe the NDH 30 as the missing link between the S2 and the 800S (on in my case between the S1 and 800) but as something else, as you observed in the first part of your post.

I was on the verge of clicking the 'buy now' button for two S2s sometime last week, but managed to pull myself back from the edge!

 

[Rob80b]

I was on the verge of clicking the 'buy now' button for two S2s sometime last week, but managed to pull myself back from the edge!

Hi Mike...
If your current phones cover all the bases the S2 may or may not bring something new to the table, for myself they filled a few holes for what I personally felt were missing with the HD660S which I already preferred over the HD650. Recently as noted elsewhere I picked up another pair of HD660S just to confirm my observations after 8 months of use and I cannot see myself using the HD660S with the S2 on hand, I also let my Focal Elegia go for the same reason.

 

[Rob80b]

Personally I would not describe the NDH 30 as the missing link between the S2 and the 800S (on in my case between the S1 and 800) but as something else,

Thanks for acknowledging that Mike, for those of us not looking for a studio monitoring tool, some of the hype put us in the wrong direction with misinterpreted expectations, so lets let sleeping dogs lie.

 

[Mike F]

Hi Mike...
If your current phones cover all the bases the S2 may or may not bring something new to the table, for myself they filled a few holes for what I personally felt were missing with the HD660S which I already preferred over the HD650. Recently as noted elsewhere I picked up another pair of HD660S just to confirm my observations after 8 months of use and I cannot see myself using the HD660S with the S2 on hand, I also let my Focal Elegia go for the same reason.

Thanks Rob. As always, I appreciate your opinion. I'm pretty sure that I would actually like the S2, and it's tempting to pick one up to complete the '6 series set' (HD580 Precision, HD600, HD650, HD660S). Two things keep me from doing that though. The first is that, though it makes no practical difference, the S2 is a new product developed since Sennheiser became part of Sonova and so was not developed by the original creative team, and therefore (arguably) not really a part of the original 6 series (a reason on the same level as you not liking the NDH 30 because it is made from, as you see it, bin parts of old Sennheiser's, despite being produced by Neumann and tuned by Axel Grell.... i.e. not a good reason! ) The second reason is that, preferences aside, it will not by all accounts be in a wholly different class from the NDH 30, the sound of which does suit my preferences.

Additionally, as you recently said:-

The HD660S is fine IMHO, the S2 is an evolution and fixes some of the "minor" shortcomings or tuning which some may appreciate but if one is just fine with the HD660S I see no reason to purchase something new.

However, whether I can resist the Grell OAE1 signature when it arrives remains to be seen!

 

[Mike F]

Thanks for acknowledging that Mike, for those of us not looking for a studio monitoring tool, some of the hype put us in the wrong direction with misinterpreted expectations, so lets let sleeping dogs lie.

HA! I posted my previous reply before seeing this! Yes, no need to go over the NDH 30 debate again. Above comments made in good humour!

 

[kman1211]

Thanks Rob. As always, I appreciate your opinion. I'm pretty sure that I would actually like the S2, and it's tempting to pick one up to complete the '6 series set' (HD580 Precision, HD600, HD650, HD660S). Two things keep me from doing that though. The first is that, though it makes no practical difference, the S2 is a new product developed since Sennheiser became part of Sonova and so was not developed by the original creative team, and therefore (arguably) not really a part of the original 6 series (a reason on the same level as you not liking the NDH 30 because it is made from, as you see it, bin parts of old Sennheiser's, despite being produced by Neumann and tuned by Axel Grell.... i.e. not a good reason! ) The second reason is that, preferences aside, it will not by all accounts be in a wholly different class from the NDH 30, the sound of which does suit my preferences.

Additionally, as you recently said:-

However, whether I can resist the Grell OAE1 signature when it arrives remains to be seen!

I gather the HD 660S2 started development before Sennheiser was acquired by Sonova. I also didn’t hear anything about their creative team being different, I’m sure many of the same people worked on the S2 as previous headphones. Grell left before the Sennheiser consumer division was sold.

 

[Mike F]

Thanks for acknowledging that Mike, for those of us not looking for a studio monitoring tool, some of the hype put us in the wrong direction with misinterpreted expectations......

Personally I would not describe the NDH 30 as the missing link between the S2 and the 800S (on in my case between the S1 and 800) but as something else....

I would just want to add though, that although I stand by the above in finding it different rather than related to the S1 and 800, in the ways in which it is different it is also better than those headphones. My point being that I don't think that the hype was unjustified, it's more that they were not what you were expecting....

 

[Rob80b]

the S2 is a new product developed since Sennheiser became part of Sonova and so was not developed by the original creative team

....but still working with Grell's baby, just with fresh ears and a newer and more capable driver, IMHO.