[Guidostrunk]

I had a brief stint with the HD-800 and prefer the HD-650 over the 800's. To be fair though, my components I'm using for my 650's are entirely different. There's something about the 650 sound sig that keeps me from wanting more. IMO, they're perfect.

quote name="E3E" url="/t/197776/sennheiser-hd650-impressions-thread/21165#post_11139299"]For some reason, I've never really been a fan of Sennheisers, and it's been bias on my end, to be sure. Perhaps the open-back design, or just the look in general; I've always been a Sony fanboy when it comes to headphones, and all of my good pairs have been Sonys. However, when the HD-800 came out, that made me feel quite violated, given their similarities to the SA5000s. It's the one pair of Sennheisers I'd love to try. HD650s though... I wonder.
[/quote]

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  i'm possibly considering getting another amp that is a solid state for my hd650. atm im using the darkvoice 336se with 5998 and tungsol 6f8g to power it. it sounds fantastic but at some point i just want to be rid of worries when my tubes die and i go off looking for more and spending more $$$ than i should. is the burson soloist SL a great consideration for the HD650 as a solid state amp around the $600 range? i have the ODAC for a dedicated DAC.
 
thanks.

 
I saw a used Mjoinir in the for sale section here for $550.  I really enjoyed listening to that with my HD650 twice now (and its great with the LCD-2 rev 2).  The only problem would be the urge to upgrade to a balanced DAC and balanced cables to go along with your balanced amp....

 

[JacobLee89]

Well it's been said that the Fiio E18 is a level lower in terms of SQ quality compared to the regular E12. Besides that I mostly play music when laying in my bed, and I carry the amp over to my PS3 for gaming. I dont have a computer at the moment.

 
The E18 would be slightly lower in SQ quality compared to E12. they're cramming both a DAC and an AMP into the E18 in a very similar blueprint to the E12, compromises would have to be made there.

 

[JacobLee89]

Silly question, but what's the point of having balanced output on a single ended input? Doesn't that negate the "balanced" part?

 
Bottlehead crack first. See if I like the sound of tubes. Contemplate whether I should take the jump. Got it.

 

[TeddyShot]

Well I checked last night and my Sennheiser 650 is due to arrive today. I shouldn't have checked so much information on it, because I actually got excited and lost two hours of sleep, I only got 6 lol.

 

[caracara08]

Got the Project Ember a couple days ago, loving it with the HD650.  I havent had my BHC in a while, but I think I am happy with the Ember. Great amp for the price for those without DIY skills, people like myself.

 

[mikoss]

I went from HD-558's to HD-650s and had a very tough time transitioning. I'm pretty sure the 558's have the same drivers as the 598s, but they're constructed a bit different, so the 598's have a bit more bass...
 
Anyway, my impression was that the 558/598's are extremely comfortable, and they have a magical upper-midrange presentation. Vocals and acoustic music sound extremely clean, clear and exciting. Going to the 650's, I was immediately disappointed that this excitement didn't directly translate. I gave them about two weeks of listening time (on and off), and came to the conclusion that I must have been the only person in the world who preferred the 558's to the 650's.
 
I went back to the 558's, loving the clean, detailed presentation, but as I slowly upgraded to better amps, I started loving the presentation of the 650's more and more. For me, it was a matter of trading off the exciting, midrange sparkle and air for a more even-bodied, rich sounding presentation. The laid-back sound of the 650s takes some time to getting used to, but for me, it really fleshes out the atmosphere of the songs in a way the 558's just can't do, without having to exaggerate or push anything forward. I am super glad I kept them as now I could never go back... with a tube amp they are truly blissful.
 
So that's my personal experience with the two headphones... I ended up gifting the 558's to my younger sister, who really enjoys pop music, and I think they're wonderful headphones for her. 

 

[TeddyShot]

My 650s are going to arrive in an hour or two, so I just wanted to ask one last question. Does anyone know how much smaller the soundstage on the 650 compared to the 598? I just want to know what to expect before I open them.

 

[Billheiser]

My 650s are going to arrive in an hour or two, so I just wanted to ask one last question. Does anyone know how much smaller the soundstage on the 650 compared to the 598? I just want to know what to expect before I open them.

I know the answer to that - the answer is..... ha, not going to tell you.  You'll find out shortly.

 

[reddington]

My 650s are going to arrive in an hour or two, so I just wanted to ask one last question. Does anyone know how much smaller the soundstage on the 650 compared to the 598? I just want to know what to expect before I open them.

Will depend a lot on your DAC and Amp. The last time I heard the 598 was about 3-4 months before I got my 650s.

The 650 has a narrower soundstage but the depth seems to be the same if memory serves me correctly. Will depend a lot on what the other equipment of your chain is.

Just today heard the Fostex TH600 and the HD650 together. The TH600 seemed to have a substantially larger soundstage and a lot more air than the 650 despite being closed cans.

 

[wazzupi]

Will depend a lot on your DAC and Amp. The last time I heard the 598 was about 3-4 months before I got my 650s.

The 650 has a narrower soundstage but the depth seems to be the same if memory serves me correctly. Will depend a lot on what the other equipment of your chain is.

Just today heard the Fostex TH600 and the HD650 together. The TH600 seemed to have a substantially larger soundstage and a lot more air than the 650 despite being closed cans.

what amp are you using with your hd650 ? because I never got the impression that the soundstage was smaller and I noticed a difference in soundstage going from the 02 amp to the La Figaro 339 with stock tubes.

 

[reddington]

what amp are you using with your hd650 ? because I never got the impression that the soundstage was smaller and I again noticed a difference in soundstage going from the 02 amp to the La Figaro 339 with stock tubes.

Was listening to a Schiit Vali at a friend's place. Seemed the TH600 had much larger soundstage than the HD650 from what I heard. (650 is mine TH600 is friend's)

The 650s soundstage isn't small but it seemed smaller compared to the TH600. Maybe a better amp will change things. But really have no reference to draw from.

If you are talking about the HD 598, it was running off a E11. But as I said I am recollecting from memory. Might be wrong.

 

[vc1187]

Was listening to a Schiit Vali at a friend's place. Seemed the TH600 had much larger soundstage than the HD650 from what I heard. (650 is mine TH600 is friend's)

The 650s soundstage isn't small but it seemed smaller compared to the TH600. Maybe a better amp will change things. But really have no reference to draw from.

If you are talking about the HD 598, it was running off a E11. But as I said I am recollecting from memory. Might be wrong.

I haven't heard the TH600, but I owned the TH900 and I can say they are certainly easier to drive well than the HD650.

 

[TeddyShot]

what amp are you using with your hd650 ? because I never got the impression that the soundstage was smaller and I again noticed a difference in soundstage going from the 02 amp to the La Figaro 339 with stock tubes.

I've heard quite a lot of mixed reviews over this. Some say that the 650 has a slightly better soundstage, others say their soundstage is the same, some say that the 650 has a smaller but more accurate soundstage with better positioning compared to the 598.

 

[reddington]

I've heard quite a lot of mixed reviews over this. Some say that the 650 has a slightly better soundstage, others say their soundstage is the same, some say that the 650 has a smaller but more accurate soundstage with better positioning compared to the 598.

Agreed. The 650 seems to present the soundstage far more accurately than the 598s from what I remember, despite being narrower. Height is same.