[Rob80b]

Sound impressions notwithstanding, it seems the general consensus is that they are overpriced, considering one could get the NDH30 for around the same money, which I haven’t heard classed as overpriced.

Remember though that the NDH30 is the shinny new kid on the block (sort of) and haven't rotated around the sun for 20 plus years and have yet emerge as a Drop special. lol
Also Neumann normally command an accepted higher pricing for their hardware, look at their microphones. Under the guidance of Axel Grell the headsets did evolve from the discontinued made in China Sennheiser HD630VB (also his baby and which I own) which eventual could be had at $199, obviously a slightly new makeover, different drivers and tuning but I'm sure the actual manufacturing process is unchanged.
Obviously the NDH30 is a very capable headset but with different tuning, physical build, form factor and not to mention target groups, home audio versus professional recording, I'm surprised we continue to bring them up together, almost apple to oranges, almost. Either way Sennheiser wins. : )
I'm quite sure I may eventually pick up a pair of the Neumann, probably sooner than later but this continuing banter although at times entertaining is not really IMHO constructive and takes away from the focus of user experiences and feedback on the HD660S2.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that both phones, given today's material, manufacturing and R&D cost are probably both priced accordingly

 

[OkPsychology]

Ok, so I just unplugged the 660S and fetched the 'ole 6XX. The 6XX is such a romantic, lush, laid-back presentation. I still love it for certain situations (late at night with a whiskey in-hand, for example). It's like auditory umami. Indescribably delicious. But people who are stating that the new 660S2 doesn't have anything to offer that the 650/600 twins don't already convey are out of their freakin' minds. They're incredibly different, and the resolution of the S2 is leagues better IMO. Imaging and separation aren't even close.

Vocal quality is better on the 6XX, but we probably already knew that, yeah? It's creamier, hazier, more velvety-smooth.

I like them both. 660S vs 660S2 is a much closer comparison. 6XX and 660S2 have way more differences, while retaining that familial resemblance.

 

[menuki]

Listen to this ideally on Tidal or at least something like Spotify:


I've always loved that track to benchmark headphones, and I'm pretty sure that the 660S2 actually presents the most natural and overall balanced signature of all the hp's I've tried so far - Now given this is mainly from memory and it's a big statement, but every headphone in the end had something that bothered me personally (expect the 58x's, despite having a slight "veil" compared to the S2's imo). I do not think there is anything negative which will come up here, also since the longevity itself has been proven over decades now.

At this point I'd really only love to try a 660S3 or a 670 or whatever some time in the future if it ever comes out, now I'm convinced even more that Sennheiser just has the overall knows what balance is and if these small driver changes already had such an impact in the S2's then I'm excited for what's coming next. Until whenever, I'll be more than happy with these. What a blessing.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Really appreciate your detailed impressions and comparison with the HD-660S, OkPsychology!

 

[Rob80b]

I’m still fixated on comparing the S to the S2,.....

I always find it dangerous to compare a new phone right off the bat as, at least for me, auditory perception can be easily fooled and then there's bias so I normally wait at least a week and play the new headphone on it's own to see if anything is amiss or bothersome without comparison.

I’m still an unabashed fan of the original 660S.

Been there..

Resolution
I think the overall resolving power of the S2 is in fact a little better. Subtle details are highlighted that I can also hear on the S, but I hadn’t noticed on the first pass. I first hear them on the S2 and then go back and hunt for them on the S.

Check +

Bass
S bass is tighter, I can follow bass lines a little better, and I think the timbre of acoustic and electric bass guitars, as well as the lower range of acoustic guitars (nylon strings in particular) sounds better on the S. Bass depth sometimes sounds a little unnatural to me on S2,

Check -

and distracts me often. Kick drums thump harder on the S2, and depending on the genre this could definitely be an improvement over S.

Check + & -

Treble
Definitely more sparkly on the S2. I like it more,

Check +

Vocal Quality
Vocal presentation has a touch more body on S, sounds more natural to me. S2 can sound a touch nasal wrt vocal quality, a little more zing. Some male vocals can sound a bit nasal sometimes, but it’s exaggerated on the S2, and sounds way more true-to-life on the S.

Check -

Imaging/Separation/Layering
S2 separation seems a touch better, imaging seems a smidge more precise.

Check +

But there’s a slight bit of incoherence in the new model to my ears, like something’s off in the midrange. Again, it sounds “cooler” to me

Check -

. Busy passages and poorer quality recordings seem to be handled better on the S2.

Check +

Soundstage is definitely bigger (and TALLER) on the S2. It is less intimate (which could be a plus or a minus, depending). Depth of stage is improved on the S2, creating a more realistic perceived acoustic space. It’s more holographic to my ears.

Check +

Dynamics
S2 is more dynamic. Snare hits are sometimes a little arresting in their immediacy. This is a huge plus for the S2, it’s more exciting.

Check +

...and thanks for your observations...Obviously you have discovered slight improvements in some areas, which is all a manufacturer can hope for as changes are incremental and not revolutionary.

 

[OkPsychology]

Listen to this ideally on Tidal or at least something like Spotify:


I've always loved that track to benchmark headphones, and I'm pretty sure that the 660S2 actually presents the most natural and overall balanced signature of all the hp's I've tried so far - Now given this is mainly from memory and it's a big statement, but every headphone in the end had something that bothered me personally (expect the 58x's, despite having a slight "veil" compared to the S2's imo). I do not think there is anything negative which will come up here, also since the longevity itself has been proven over decades now.

At this point I'd really only love to try a 660S3 or a 670 or whatever some time in the future if it ever comes out, now I'm convinced even more that Sennheiser just has the overall knows what balance is and if these small driver changes already had such an impact in the S2's then I'm excited for what's coming next. Until whenever, I'll be more than happy with these. What a blessing.

Yeah, the 660S2 absolutely kills on this track. Spellbinding. I love it.

For me, it's the vocals where I'm finding small nits to pick with the S2. Purely instrumental stuff, and electronic/ambient music is really really good on S2.

Thanks for the link. That was fun!

 

[Rob80b]

But people who are stating that the new 660S2 doesn't have anything to offer that the 650/600 twins don't already convey are out of their freakin' minds. They're incredibly different,

Now that is funny.

 

[equalspeace]

....

 

[equalspeace]

Listen to this ideally on Tidal or at least something like Spotify:


I've always loved that track to benchmark headphones, and I'm pretty sure that the 660S2 actually presents the most natural and overall balanced signature of all the hp's I've tried so far - Now given this is mainly from memory and it's a big statement, but every headphone in the end had something that bothered me personally (expect the 58x's, despite having a slight "veil" compared to the S2's imo). I do not think there is anything negative which will come up here, also since the longevity itself has been proven over decades now.

At this point I'd really only love to try a 660S3 or a 670 or whatever some time in the future if it ever comes out, now I'm convinced even more that Sennheiser just has the overall knows what balance is and if these small driver changes already had such an impact in the S2's then I'm excited for what's coming next. Until whenever, I'll be more than happy with these. What a blessing.

S2 is quite good. Update might not come for another 20 years. Vocals are definitely more forward on the 650/600

 

[erics75]

I love Yosi Horikawa! His stuff makes for excellent audio test material. And they're pretty fun to just listen to for fun as well. I love Bubbles...

Listen to this ideally on Tidal or at least something like Spotify:


I've always loved that track to benchmark headphones, and I'm pretty sure that the 660S2 actually presents the most natural and overall balanced signature of all the hp's I've tried so far - Now given this is mainly from memory and it's a big statement, but every headphone in the end had something that bothered me personally (expect the 58x's, despite having a slight "veil" compared to the S2's imo). I do not think there is anything negative which will come up here, also since the longevity itself has been proven over decades now.

At this point I'd really only love to try a 660S3 or a 670 or whatever some time in the future if it ever comes out, now I'm convinced even more that Sennheiser just has the overall knows what balance is and if these small driver changes already had such an impact in the S2's then I'm excited for what's coming next. Until whenever, I'll be more than happy with these. What a blessing.

 

[Thomasr]

…

Where did you get that sweet headphone rack?

 

[Mike F]

Remember though that the NDH30 is the shinny new kid on the block (sort of) and haven't rotated around the sun for 20 plus years and have yet emerge as a Drop special. lol
Also Neumann normally command an accepted higher pricing for their hardware, look at their microphones. Under the guidance of Axel Grell the headsets did evolve from the discontinued made in China Sennheiser HD630VB (also his baby and which I own) which eventual could be had at $199, obviously a slightly new makeover, different drivers and tuning but I'm sure the actual manufacturing process is unchanged.
Obviously the NDH30 is a very capable headset but with different tuning, physical build, form factor and not to mention target groups, home audio versus professional recording, I'm surprised we continue to bring them up together, almost apple to oranges, almost. Either way Sennheiser wins. : )
I'm quite sure I may eventually pick up a pair of the Neumann, probably sooner than later but this continuing banter although at times entertaining is not really IMHO constructive and takes away from the focus of user experiences and feedback on the HD660S2.

Rob my friend, I think you know that that’s not a particularly fair characterisation of the ‘headphone that should not be mentioned in this thread’, but OK, I do understand the push-back.

We’ll see what happens with the pricing of the S2 and 30. I would say that it’s safe to assume that at least one of them will drop significantly!

 

[menuki]

Everyone is different, thank goodness! For me, as great as ‘660-S2’ is with Liquid Platinum (hybrid), with Icon Audio HP8 (OTC: not in picture), it is Woo Audio WA3 (OTL) that launches ‘660-S2’ to the ionosphere … [Tung Sol 5998, pair RFT ECC81 (foil getter)]

Hope this isn't a silly question, but, do you feel the cable upgrade makes an audible difference compared to the default one? I've been eyeballing some clothed cables because I have cats as well and they love chewing them, something like you have would be ideal, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to spend 100€ or such just for the cable if it simply makes no difference in reality. Thanks in advance!

 

[menuki]

-

 

[jonathan c]

Where did you get that sweet headphone rack?

That is an acme / elite RULER marked in inches & in millimeters…. …. when not used as above, is used as: