[kman1211]

I know, I was just teasing.
For me, I haven't notice changing in sound signature with burn in. I either like them or not, or I slowely adjust to them. Not saying burn in doesn't exist, I often wonder how much of a change we are talking here. I can see how pads breaking in can affect the sound signature. Maybe I don't have hearing as good as others.

Ah I see. I haven't really come across a fundamental change in sound signature either unless the pads are horribly worn or if the headphone is picky about a seal and new stiff pads need breaking in. The K240 kept it's sound signature but became ragged in the treble, it's been a long time since I owned them though. Usually it's a matter of a headphone getting better control of it's sound so to speak in my experience. Who knows when it comes to hearing. Different people have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of hearing capability. The frequency range people can hear obviously differs as well as tonal hearing, there is many other differences in hearing among people as well. This is likely a huge reason people hear things differently. There are so many factors to take into consideration. Some people are also very sensitive to various problems with the sound such as grain, emphasis's in certain regions, peaky treble, etc. I have very sensitive ears personally, most headphones outside the HD 600/650 and DT 150 bother me fairly often in terms of aural fatigue. Some headphones are particularly abusive to my ears, the Sony MDR-MA900 for example is one of the most fatiguing headphones I have ever used, due the excessive amount of grain in it's sound. A lot of people say it's laid-back and warm, but I found it brash, abrasive, and straight up fatiguing regardless of the system and even at low volumes. I only liked it at first because I was coming from the K240 MKII which was even more fatiguing to my ears

 

[BobG55]

  love my 650's. with cambridge dacmagic plus, better than fine for me.

 
 
I can tell just by the look in your eyes ! (see avatar) 

 

 

 

[TeddyShot]

It is a bit brighter but what I mean by aggressive is that it has more attack, bite, and punch to the sound. It's not by a lot though, more of a slight to moderate difference. That's generally been my experience with high vs low gain on amps in general.

Doing a quick test, on High gain the music is much more aggressive, which I do like, but it also takes away from the bass. But when I switch to low gain, the sound is much more natural and believable to my ears. It's a damn shame I can only use my Lyr 2 with my iPod Touch, I would love to use it on my new gaming PC but unfortunately I get a lot of noise and buzzing when I plug it in

 

[kman1211]

Doing a quick test, on High gain the music is much more aggressive, which I do like, but it also takes away from the bass. But when I switch to low gain, the sound is much more natural and believable to my ears. It's a damn shame I can only use my Lyr 2 with my iPod Touch, I would love to use it on my new gaming PC but unfortunately I get a lot of noise and buzzing when I plug it in

That's the main cause of bass problem most likely, using the ipod touch as the dac. Sounds like a noisy system, the ipod uses battery power which is why it's likely cleaner sounding, but ipods touches(I have a 5th gen) lack the body, bass, fullness, soundstage, imaging, etc. of a better DAC. You may need to look into an external USB or optical DAC.

 

[joebobbilly]

I have finally heard what people mean when they describe the HD650 as a "laid back" headphone. I thought this description referred to how they are not overly bright and therefore not fatiguing on the ears. However, when listening to Angel by Massive attack it can clearly be heard. The thud of the kick drum is slow and wooly sounding and the snare snap which follows lacks bite. It's these two elements, which through my other headphones (eg Grados), really drive the song. I still love my HD650'S but its sad to discover their weaknesses...maybe I should upgrade my amp to compensate haha

What amp/DAC combo are you using? Indeed (depending on the degree of how "laid back" you feel it is) a change in amp/DAC might just tilt it back to a more forward sound that is enough for you.

 

[Behemoth27]

I've also looked at more expensive amps (LD mk2, maybe schiit), but since neither of those options include a DAC, then it would be another 100 USD. 

I've been impressed recently by the great build quality and performance of Schiit products. Pretty sure they're built in the US too. I've used only a couple, and mostly the more expensive DAC, but been very pleased. I recommend spending the money if you can. The 650s are great and really shine with some power behind them.

 

[joaogma]

Hey guys, what if we post songs or albums that we love to listen with the HD650? 

 

[soundeffect]

@kman1121,

Agreed, each person hearing is different.

The headphone that gets too me and I cannot listen too them no matter how long I own them are the ksc75. I feel like they are destroying my ears when I listen to them, just piercing to me. This is at a very very low volume too with both movies and music. Funny thing is, I put up with it for a few months too just to give them a chance. Now I have 3 pairs of them, one open and two still brand new in a box. Although I'm not sure where they are in house...
As for the HD650, I haven't made my decision if I love them yet or not. Right now, some days I enjoy them and some days I don't.

 

[kman1211]

@kman1121,

Agreed, each person hearing is different.

The headphone that gets too me and I cannot listen too them no matter how long I own them are the ksc75. I feel like they are destroying my ears when I listen to them, just piercing to me. This is at a very very low volume too with both movies and music. Funny thing is, I put up with it for a few months too just to give them a chance. Now I have 3 pairs of them, one open and two still brand new in a box. Although I'm not sure where they are in house...
As for the HD650, I haven't made my decision if I love them yet or not. Right now, some days I enjoy them and some days I don't.

That is true. I haven't tried those before, I'll probably avoid them then. I felt like that with a few headphones, the K514 MKII(absolute worst, I call them shrieking banshees), K240 Studio/MKII(Sextett doesn't bother my ears one bit despite my mixed feelings on their sound), and the MA900(the cheaper MA300 was fine though). Sometimes we want to give headphones that abuse our ears a chance for some reason. The HD 650 needs the right system but I also find it's not a headphone you can have as your only headphone, it needs a compliment or two imo. While one of my absolute favorite headphones, I'm not sure if I would want it as a sole headphone unless I find the perfect synergy for it. If I had to choose only one headphone, it likely wouldn't be the HD 650 sadly as I do sometimes want more energy. 

 

[Solrighal]

I have finally heard what people mean when they describe the HD650 as a "laid back" headphone. I thought this description referred to how they are not overly bright and therefore not fatiguing on the ears. However, when listening to Angel by Massive attack it can clearly be heard. The thud of the kick drum is slow and wooly sounding and the snare snap which follows lacks bite. It's these two elements, which through my other headphones (eg Grados), really drive the song. I still love my HD650'S but its sad to discover their weaknesses...maybe I should upgrade my amp to compensate haha

I first bought Mezzanine when it was released on CD and it's been with me ever since. I can honestly say that with my current system - ODAC > Project Ember > HD 650 - it has never sounded so good.

Perhaps you've got used to a brighter presentation over the years and that's why the 650 is a bit of a shock. They certainly do improve with better amplification but I prefer they're less aggressive signature no matter what's driving them.

 

[Nothing Within]

Anybody use the HD650 with a Yulong D200 DSD 32 bit 384kHz dac decoder and headphone amp? If so do you think thats a good amp and dac for the HD800s for the long run also?

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  Hey guys, what if we post songs or albums that we love to listen with the HD650? 

 
Then we shall hold you in the highest regard......... share away

 

[soundeffect]

@kman1121,

Agreed, each person hearing is different.

The headphone that gets too me and I cannot listen too them no matter how long I own them are the ksc75. I feel like they are destroying my ears when I listen to them, just piercing to me. This is at a very very low volume too with both movies and music. Funny thing is, I put up with it for a few months too just to give them a chance. Now I have 3 pairs of them, one open and two still brand new in a box. Although I'm not sure where they are in house...
As for the HD650, I haven't made my decision if I love them yet or not. Right now, some days I enjoy them and some days I don't.

That is true. I haven't tried those before, I'll probably avoid them then. I felt like that with a few headphones, the K514 MKII(absolute worst, I call them shrieking banshees), K240 Studio/MKII(Sextett doesn't bother my ears one bit despite my mixed feelings on their sound), and the MA900(the cheaper MA300 was fine though). Sometimes we want to give headphones that abuse our ears a chance for some reason. The HD 650 needs the right system but I also find it's not a headphone you can have as your only headphone, it needs a compliment or two imo. While one of my absolute favorite headphones, I'm not sure if I would want it as a sole headphone unless I find the perfect synergy for it. If I had to choose only one headphone, it likely wouldn't be the HD 650 sadly as I do sometimes want more energy. 

Interesting, okay then maybe that's what it is for me. I like them, but as of right now I prefer others in my stable. I usually grab other headphones first because of the lack of energy. The one thing I like the HD650 a lot is what most people don't like about them and it's clamping. To me it, I like the way how it stay on your head with a perfect pressure all around. Cup are deep enough to avoid ears from touching, reasonable soft pads that doesn't cause sweat (unlike memory foam pads), light wait, and the headband cushion actually have cushion (unlike headphones like Akg 702). At first the clamp was too strong, but they loosen up well. As for sound, I'm still in the exploring stage, I do like its bass although it can be tighter.

 

[Behemoth27]

Anybody use the HD650 with a Yulong D200 DSD 32 bit 384kHz dac decoder and headphone amp? If so do you think thats a good amp and dac for the HD800s for the long run also?

I can't comment on the amp itself, but I just want to warn you to maybe not bank on it for the HD800's. My mentality is with something as refined as the HD800's they deserve the best amp they can get. But if you want that as a temporary amp for the HD800, I'm sure it will hold you over. Hopefully someone has some experience with the amp and can provide more insight.

 

[TeddyShot]

That's the main cause of bass problem most likely, using the ipod touch as the dac. Sounds like a noisy system, the ipod uses battery power which is why it's likely cleaner sounding, but ipods touches(I have a 5th gen) lack the body, bass, fullness, soundstage, imaging, etc. of a better DAC. You may need to look into an external USB or optical DAC.

I have it connected via a Fiio L9 Line Out cable, not with a simple 3.5mm male to male cable.