[Mr Rick]

  I am sure I'll get lots of answers to this question. How long does the HD650 take to burn-in, assuming you actually believe in such a thing. I am hoping it isn't too long.

I've had my 650s about two weeks. They sounded great right out of the box. If they get better, that will only be gravy.

 

[kman1211]

  I am sure I'll get lots of answers to this question. How long does the HD650 take to burn-in, assuming you actually believe in such a thing. I am hoping it isn't too long.

Usually about 2-4 weeks, though the pads conforming to the head likely make most of the sonic changes other than adjusting to the sound.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  I am sure I'll get lots of answers to this question. How long does the HD650 take to burn-in, assuming you actually believe in such a thing. I am hoping it isn't too long.

 
I believe the optimum burn in time is "the length of time it takes for the first bit of sound to make it from the source to the speakers." Once you get through that burn in period you're good to go.

 

[HPiper]

They sounded very strange at first, particularly the right driver bass, but by the end of the 1st cd they were sounding much better. It took about 2-3 hours but they are sounding perfect to me now. I figure they still have a way to go yet but at least they are good enough now I can listen to them and enjoy doing it. Well I learned my lesson, I won't ever sell these again.

 

[Solrighal]

The 650's are the only headphones I've ever bought that displayed any evidence of burn-in. Like loudspeakers, all headphones require a short period of burn-in but the Senn's displayed it far more obviously than anything else I've ever owned.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

http://blog.shure.com/inside-headphones-with-yuri-shulman-shure-engineer/
 

Shure Here’s something we hear pretty often – that headphones require a ‘burn in period’.  What about it?

Yuri Shulman This is more myth than fact.  Some people make the argument that the driver’s suspension could be a little unsettled when the headphones are brand new.

At Shure we don’t subscribe to that thinking – again, what could be true for some loudspeakers (where there can be a 100-hour or so burn-in period) doesn’t directly apply here.  It’s a matter of perception.  Shure headphones sound the same a year after using them as they did brand new.

 

[XERO1]

Whoops!

 

[XERO1]

  I am sure I'll get lots of answers to this question. How long does the HD650 take to burn-in, assuming you actually believe in such a thing. I am hoping it isn't too long.

 
Before I critically listen to any brand new headphone, I make a 10-15 track playlist with half of the tracks being powerfully dynamic tracks (a mix of orchestral, pop, EDM and hip-hop tracks that all have clean, deep bass), and the other half of the tracks being mellow acoustic tracks, which are mixed in between each dynamic track (dynamic, mellow, dynamic, mellow, etc).
By evenly mixing the tracks, it allows the driver's voicecoils a few minutes to cool down so they don't overheat (this is only a potential concern with closed-back headphones).
 
After starting playback, I turn up the volume to a normal listening level and let it play continuously for 24hrs straight (and cover them with a heavy blanket to muffle the sound).
 
After the first 24hrs, I then turn up the volume to a moderately high level and let it play for another 24hrs straight.
 
Then you're done!
 
Doing this will get your new headphones to +90% of being fully broken-in in just a couple days.

 

 

[donlin]

  http://blog.shure.com/inside-headphones-with-yuri-shulman-shure-engineer/
 

I'd have to agree.  Of the many phones I've owned, I can't honestly say that I have experienced any identifiable change over time.

 

[JamieMcC]

 The burn in period for Beyerdynamics DT770's is well known the difference 20-30 hours make to the presentation is far from subtle.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

I tend to believe "burn in" is more of the brain, then the headphone. I'm sure we all have to get used to a new sound signature, with every "upgrade".  I have no doubt there is a settling in period for most audio gear, but having an audible difference being heard is questionable.
 
Maybe I'll believe in burn in more when I get into tube amplification...

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  I tend to believe "burn in" is more of the brain, then the headphone. I'm sure we all have to get used to a new sound signature, with every "upgrade".  I have no doubt there is a settling in period for most audio gear, but having an audible difference being heard is questionable.
 
Maybe I'll believe in burn in more when I get into tube amplification...

 
If you end up believing in it via tube amps then that'll separate you from me. The tubes altered the sound of my old LCD-2.2's a bit but the tubes themselves didn't "burn in" past the first hour.
 
I definitely believe that most "burn in" has to do with the psychological adjustment to a headphone. My first "good" headphones were the M100s. I bought them because I liked the Monster DNA and Beats Mixr a lot (bass, baby!) but wanted to try something higher quality. To my ears, the M100s were kinda bass-light. It took some time to acclimate to that sound. I then sampled a set of LCD-2f's and thought there was NO bass to them because, well, my ears were still coming off of the big-thumpers. 
 
Then I bought stuff like the Final Audio Pandora VI and some pre-fazor LCD-2.2's. After listening to those for a while, the M100s sounded really thick in a way they didn't before. Of course, if I listen to the M100s for a few days, going to the Pandoras made them sound really sharp. 
 
Zap forward a ways and I bought the HD600s, a headphone that would have sounded like an answering machine to my old Mixr ears that now sounded awesome but just a hair too chilly, and the HD650s hit the perfect balance. And NOW when I throw my SE846 in I find the bass to be more prominent than I'd prefer in most (not hip-hop) music. Meanwhile when I first heard the HD650s I thought they were an excellent headphone but more sterile than I'd like. 
 
No one, NO ONE, has a "baseline" upon which to judge headphones. We obviously have preferences, but we're adaptable creatures and given enough time we can adjust to anything. Make a rap fan listen to folk for a month or vice versa and they'll come out of it with a long list of artists they love and a newfound appreciation for it. 

 

[Solrighal]

http://blog.shure.com/inside-headphones-with-yuri-shulman-shure-engineer/

I owned a pair of Shure SRH840's. They were junk. Just sayin'.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I owned a pair of Shure SRH840's. They were junk. Just sayin'.

 
So because you had one pair of headphones from one of those most well respected brands in audio (their microphones are about as industry standard as you can get) and you personally disliked them, that means that you know better than their lead engineer.
 
Stop for a moment and think about that. 
 
EDIT: I also had the SRH840s. They aren't junk in the slightest, but they ARE studio monitors so they're not exactly fun for listening. I also have the SE846 and those things are pretty godlike despite my mentioning above about the bass, which was just for "burn in" discussion. 

 

[Solrighal]

Do I seriously have to put "in my opinion" after everything I write? That's not going to happen. This is a forum where people express opinions, get used to it.

I qualified what I said about burn-in earlier so I'd suggest you read posts in context. Also, AKG are a well respected audio brand; want to hear my opinion of the Q701? Or how about Monster, another respected audio brand? And unlike Shure's lead engineer, I'm not selling anything.