[Sonic Defender]

What mid-tier systems do you generally consider the best value for the performance?

Removed. Don't want to take the thread more OT.

 

[569424]

Happy listening everyone.

 

[Beagle]

Let me put it this way, if you are buying new today, high price is not a guarantee of high-end sound but you cannot get high-end sound without paying a high price

What exactly is high end sound when you can get crap sound at high end prices?

 

[BobG55]

The placebo effect is a real effect, even if the work is done with our imagination.

Bingo !

 

[chesebert]

About $1000 for both an amp and dac.

New only or used is fair game? I have limited experience with new gear at that price point TBH.

 

[Arcamera]

a better cable helps

If anybody does a cable shootout for the HD660S2, please share.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Please take this Amp/Dac discussion elsewhere and get back to topic.

Yes things shouldn't go to OT, but some such side discussion is valid. But I agree, we don't want to get into too much of it as it does make a thread go poorly.

 

[polymaniac]

So, after several hours with my new 660S2, i can say that this thing is not a „Pleaser“, nothing is shouting in your eyes or your ears „Love me“ when you first unpack and use this Headphone. After a few listens with Roon i wasn’t that impressed. Sound was ok-ish but not outstanding at first, but then the 660S2 slowly grows on me…

This HD660S2 is like a grown-up Lady who knows what she is able to, no need to yell in your face, no need to bling bling at you. If you have the power to feed her 300Ohm Drivers then she begins to dance with you. It’s now about 8Hours since the postman delivered this small package (Sorry, Sennheiser, i must cancel my direct order because your Distributor was able to deliver today, not by the middle of next week…). So 8 Hours with the 660S2, what’s my take?

The Package is OK, small, no waste, no bulky boxes that no one need, not exactly noble understatement but kind of. Look elsewhere for bling-bling. Two 1,8m cables, 1 Adapter and a little bag plus the paperwork. that’s it.

Alone „8 Hours with this Headphone on my head“ is a statement (try this with an heavyweight Focal clear…). So the 660S2 has kept what’s good with the 600 series, it’s not heavy, not unconvenient, not builky, not cheap looking, trys to hide away on your head with it’s dark look and it’s IMHO one of the most convenient Headphones overall, only the HD700 is even nicer on my head.

Used it with a Mac mini M2 Pro and a trusty old Creative X7 24/192 DAC, and also direct on the Headphone Output of the M2 Mac mini. Yes, all new macs with Apple Silicon and a Headphone Output can drive the 300Ohm HD660S2 with ease. But the 7 or 8 years old X7 with it’s Headphone Amp not so, i needed to switch the X7 from 300 Ohm Headphone-Output to 600 Ohm to have enough Power to make the HD660S2 really loud enough for my old ears. I used it with Roon, QOBUZ, AppleMusic. Also the Headphone Output of a DENON PMA-1700NE connected with it’s internal DAC (up to 24/384/DSD256) to my RoonCore was used. Tomorrow i will integrate HQPlayer (upsamplingt to DSD256) in the audio-chain.

But why the Hell has nobody told us that the HD660S2 is one of the best Headphones for Dolby Atmos Music (AppleMusic)? The 660S2 works really great with Atmos, forget Apple AirPod Max or AirPod Pro Series 2, they all are muddy against the much more clear and engaging HD660S2! With the 660S2 there is no excuse not to dive into the growing Atmos Music Library of AppleMusic (or AmazonMusic or TIDAL).

So, how do they sound you asked? The last twelve month i used several headphones, a FOCAL Clear, a old 660S, a B&W PX8, Apple Airpods Max and Pro2, Sennheiser IE300. IMHO the 660S2 (with a bit tuning) comes close to the FOCAL Clear. Dolby Atmos is much better on the 660S2 then the clear. I will need more hours with the 660S2, but as far as i can tell now, it might be a Keeper. All said in the reviews in comparison with the Original 660S rings true to me, the 660S2 is more modern tuned, build for the music of this times without losing its heritage. Can’t compare to the 600/650.

 

[Sonic Defender]

What exactly is high end sound when you can get crap sound at high end prices?

Don't ask such logical questions.

 

[chesebert]

What exactly is high end sound when you can get crap sound at high end prices?

It’s hard for me to explain in words but you will know instantly when you hear it. You get dragged into the music without thinking about the sound at all because it sounds real and live but when you try to focus on the sound everything is there but nothing specific about the sound is calling your attention and nothing really stands out. Just music.

 

[569424]

It’s hard for me to explain in words but you will know instantly when you hear it. You get dragged into the music without thinking about the sound at all because it sounds real and live but when you try to focus on the sound everything is there but nothing specific about the sound is calling your attention and nothing really stands out. Just music.

Which song is this? Must be a good mastering

 

[Thomasr]

Removed. Don't want to take the thread more OT.

I appreciate the challenges modding a forum like this, but my earlier question was sincere: if I am considering the S2, it would be to listen to it with my current stack, not to spend $500 on a headphone purchase immediately followed by 10x that amount on a new DAC+amp.

The implication seems to be explicit statement in an earlier post was that an entry-level stack reveals only a fraction of what the S2 can do. What fraction? 1/2? 3/4? 99/100? What kind of input will do this headphone justice? Is my SMSL DO-200 + HO-200 "good enough"? How about my Fiio BTR7?

If I end up buying additional headphones (S2 or otherwise), it wouldn't be as a masturbatory exercise. It would be to listen to them. With the equipment I own.

 

[chesebert]

Which song is this? Must be a good mastering

It actually doesn’t matter. With the right system you can throw pretty much any song at it and it will sound great: audiophile recording, 80/90s pop, anime sound track, modern kpop, EDM, whatever your heart desires. IMO if a system sounds good with only “well recorded” albums or certain genre of music, then it’s not the kind of system that’s right for me.

 

[alexeyi]

I appreciate the challenges modding a forum like this, but my earlier question was sincere: if I am considering the S2, it would be to listen to it with my current stack, not to spend $500 on a headphone purchase immediately followed by 10x that amount on a new DAC+amp.

The implication seems to be explicit statement in an earlier post was that an entry-level stack reveals only a fraction of what the S2 can do. What fraction? 1/2? 3/4? 99/100? What kind of input will do this headphone justice? Is my SMSL DO-200 + HO-200 "good enough"? How about my Fiio BTR7?

If I end up buying additional headphones (S2 or otherwise), it wouldn't be as a masturbatory exercise. It would be to listen to them. With the equipment I own.

Your SMSL stack is fine, the DAC is very good, amplifier is decent/good for most use cases. The stack is transparent enough, so that the tracks will be played just as they should, if quality recordings are used and that's it.
You'll be properly driving the HD660S2 if you want to try them out.

Some people will not get very expensive items because they have their money and time invested somewhere else and that's fine.
Some people will always hunt for the best/top hi-end whatever category because that's what they're after and that's also fine.
None of the above situations is the right or the wrong way to enjoy this hobby.

Just enjoy the music.

 

[KaiFi]

Which song is this? Must be a good mastering

I learned that the hard way. Some recordings are just bad. Garbage in, garbage out. MOST recordings I come across are at least good (some better than that), but every now and then there's a bad mastering in there, with built-in distortion or otherwise poor sound and no amount of expensive equipment will make it sound like anything other than what it is: crap. Same goes for vinyl: you can have a $15,000 cartridge made of unobtainium, but if the record is a bad pressing, it will still sound bad.

My general rule about "expense" is that I think the system should cost around the same as the headphones or a bit less. That's what I've been doing since I got into this hobby and it's served me well.