[kman1211]

After the trolling we got from Audeze with their LCD 3 pricing and then HFM up the ante with HEK pricing, we have been on a journey of getting trolled by brands after brands hoping to extract the maximum amount of money from dumb headphone audiophiles who are generally younger with little experience in hifi - especially the new headphone hobbyists.

At the end of the day we just have to remember headphone drivers are very simple, often made with pretty cheap materials (plastic and whatnot) and generally don’t cost over $100/pair in OEM quantity.

And don’t tell me how much beryllium drivers cost because Koss uses beryllium in a number of their cans. Enough said.

Honestly a lot is due to the boutique tech trend that has been going on the past few years (which allowed the pricing trend to flourish sadly) and the hobby growing a lot over the years as well.

 

[KaiFi]

After the trolling we got from Audeze with their LCD 3 pricing and then HFM up the ante with HEK pricing, we have been on a journey of getting trolled by brands after brands hoping to extract the maximum amount of money from dumb headphone audiophiles who are generally younger with little experience in hifi - especially the new headphone hobbyists.

At the end of the day we just have to remember headphone drivers are very simple, often made with pretty cheap materials (plastic and whatnot) and generally don’t cost over $100/pair in OEM quantity.

And don’t tell me how much beryllium drivers cost because Koss uses beryllium in a number of their cans. Enough said.

I feel similarly about turntables; you have these mediocre minimalist tables for like $1500. Definitely seems like trying to capitalize on the "vinyl is back" trend.

But yeah then you had the Hifiman HE-R9 which was $600 when it first came out, and within a couple months the price was slashed by half. Now you can get it for $249 on Amazon and it's barely been out for a year. I'll be expecting a major price drop on these new Sennheisers.

 

[ajm87]

oh boy i just saw this recently and im excited. i love my HD600 but a new 300ohm would be nice to see since i love tubes. anyone know more about when these will be released?

 

[ku1185]

oh boy i just saw this recently and im excited. i love my HD600 but a new 300ohm would be nice to see since i love tubes. anyone know more about when these will be released?

I think someone else in this thread mentioned it's supposed to be released in the next few weeks (specifically, week before Canjam NYC).

Hoping for a chance to hear it at Canjam NYC.

 

[ajm87]

Great thanks for the info. im hoping to go there as well.

 

[Smugsie]

I bounce between my HD660's and HD600 fairly often. Former for gaming as the HD660S, and the latter which I absolutely love for music.
The HD660S were the first headphone that convinced me that ear piercing treble and upper midrange isn't necessary for competitive and immersive gaming. It's also nice to have an engaging and somewhat relaxed upper midrange for my preferred genres of music.
I do wish the HD660S touches more on the treble and bass response though, which the leaks do show and I look forward to seeing a positive result. The HD660S are almost there but not quite.

 

[ku1185]

I bounce between my HD660's and HD600 fairly often. Former for gaming as the HD660S, and the latter which I absolutely love for music.
The HD660S were the first headphone that convinced me that ear piercing treble and upper midrange isn't necessary for competitive and immersive gaming. It's also nice to have an engaging and somewhat relaxed upper midrange for my preferred genres of music.
I do wish the HD660S touches more on the treble and bass response though, which the leaks do show and I look forward to seeing a positive result. The HD660S are almost there but not quite.

I share your experience with the 660s.
I try not to speculate but I do wonder how the 660s2 will compare to something like the 58x in terms of their tuning. Resolution and dynamics of 660s with bass/treble extension of 58x could prove enjoyable.

 

[feverfive]

A 600 series Senn that might actually provide some sub bass rumble? Color this not-a-headphones-guy-but-always-keeps-a-pair-around intrigued.

 

[kman1211]

I bounce between my HD660's and HD600 fairly often. Former for gaming as the HD660S, and the latter which I absolutely love for music.
The HD660S were the first headphone that convinced me that ear piercing treble and upper midrange isn't necessary for competitive and immersive gaming. It's also nice to have an engaging and somewhat relaxed upper midrange for my preferred genres of music.
I do wish the HD660S touches more on the treble and bass response though, which the leaks do show and I look forward to seeing a positive result. The HD660S are almost there but not quite.

Honestly I’m curious how the soundstaging and imaging changes on the HD 660S2. I found the HD 660S the best of the HD 6xx line in terms of imaging though it doesn’t keep up with the R70X in terms of soundstaging, imaging, or extension in bass and treble. Though I did find the mids on the HD 660 S better. What I’m most interested in is how the HD 660S2 compares to a well driven R70X.

 

[Beagle]

I feel similarly about turntables; you have these mediocre minimalist tables for like $1500. Definitely seems like trying to capitalize on the "vinyl is back" trend.

But yeah then you had the Hifiman HE-R9 which was $600 when it first came out, and within a couple months the price was slashed by half. Now you can get it for $249 on Amazon and it's barely been out for a year. I'll be expecting a major price drop on these new Sennheisers.

I have to grudgingly give major props to Hifiman. They offer something for everyone at every conceivable price point. And they have <$200 headphones that shame many >$700 phones. (i.e. the R7). It’s like a bang per buck Walmart as opposed to an overpriced one trick pony Fifth Avenue boutique shop.

 

[imacat]

Honestly I’m curious how the soundstaging and imaging changes on the HD 660S2. I found the HD 660S the best of the HD 6xx line in terms of imaging though it doesn’t keep up with the R70X in terms of soundstaging, imaging, or extension in bass and treble. Though I did find the mids on the HD 660 S better. What I’m most interested in is how the HD 660S2 compares to a well driven R70X.

I miss my r70x (ill be getting it back this week). It's a beautiful sounding headphone and a beautiful designed headphone.

 

[kman1211]

I miss my r70x (ill be getting it back this week). It's a beautiful sounding headphone and a beautiful designed headphone.

Oh it is. It’s one of the only headphones that competes with the HD 6xx line in terms of both price and sound signature. The HD 6xx has the midrange timbre and detail advantage but the R70X has a better FR tuning imho and spatial characteristics. I found the R70X a little trickier to get to shine (it’s finicky with the system) than the HD 6xx series though. The reason I generally want a HD 6xx series alongside the R70X is due to the Senns midrange. If the HD 660S2 pulls off a similar or better spatial ability as the R70X while having the wonderful Sennheiser HD 600 series midrange timbre it will be my new go to neutrally tuned headphone.

 

[Nicholas Seltzer]

I'm hoping they're a success.

 

[imacat]

Oh it is. It’s one of the only headphones that competes with the HD 6xx line in terms of both price and sound signature. The HD 6xx has the midrange timbre and detail advantage but the R70X has a better FR tuning imho and spatial characteristics. I found the R70X a little trickier to get to shine (it’s finicky with the system) than the HD 6xx series though. The reason I generally want a HD 6xx series alongside the R70X is due to the Senns midrange. If the HD 660S2 pulls off a similar or better spatial ability as the R70X while having the wonderful Sennheiser HD 600 series midrange timbre it will be my new go to neutrally tuned headphone.

Not only that the upgrade path to that is the $1300 (new) Focal Clear. So there you go...

 

[IXOYE]

After EQing my 660s to a fine tuned oratory profile I don't think they lack anything actually, so I have a hard time seeing what the 660 S2 can improve, but I hope they will.