[DavidA]

The alpha primes that I just received are in another league compared to the senns. Highly recommended especially at the current close out discount.

My friend was just over at my place tonight and he had just gotten his Alpha Primes and T1.  Loved the T1 (BH Crack) but the Primes were not quite my cup of tea, tried different amps/dacs and just didn't find a combination that I liked, maybe I just don't have the right amp (BH Crack, Lyr2, Ember, UD-301 headphone output) to pair with them.  Being closed they sounded a little congested, maybe because all the other headphones we were so different, T1, HD-800, HD-700, SennGrado, HD-650, TH-600, and DT-990.
 
@mikoss, I'm in the same boat as you with my LCD-2f, the HD-650 gets more head time but for some nights when I just want slow pop or mellow classic rock its hard to beat the LCD-2f.
 
@FiJAAS, if I want more bass like for EDM or techno then I usually use my TH-600, the bass is not as tight and does not go as low as some planars, but its there in quantity.  Also the mids and highs are not too bad IMO, for mids its hard to beat the HD-650/HE-560 and for highs HD-800/T1, these are just my preferences.
 
Note that I use 3 different amps for those above mentioned headphones so YMMV with your set up.

 

[DavidA]

I unfortunately dont have time to fully respond to your questions fully, but I will leave you with a claim I shall not support now: planars are not inherently or automatically superior technologically to dynamics. In fact, in my experience, so new are they that they suffer from one serious flaw or another that renders them inferior within year or shorter of their incipience, whereas something like the HD 6XX remains stable in its ability to scale without producing annoying side effects that planars tend to do.

YMMV of course.

I'm very curious to see this response completed when you have the time.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

 
Hi ButtUglyJeff, 
 
How does Yoko Ono sound with the HD650s ?

 
To be fair, I did say "ladies sing"...

 

[knorris908]

I have to completely disagree with it being described as solid and well-defined... if you want bass in quantity and quality, you'll probably be left wanting something more with the 650's.

To me, they have a tight, solid amount of bass in a very limited quantity. It's not particularly "well-defined" in my opinion... it's there and it can get very nuanced, but it's nothing like the bass you'll find with some of the higher end planar models.

I definitely think they deserve an audition with some of your favourite tracks, to see if you can live with their bass response. I love my 650's, but not for their bass. For me, it's all about the mids.

Cheers and I also think there is valid info in the other responses, I just wanted to also give an opinion that might sound a bit different.

I guess I don't understand how "tight, solid amount of bass.." Differs from my opinion of well-defined? I don't believe I made a claim about amount of bass, just that what was there was well-implemented. Again, I am a relative newbie, so I apologize to the asker to whom I was responding, if I misrepresented my opinion by using the incorrect terminology. But I hate to make a mistake twice, and would truly appreciate learning where I went wrong with my statement Mikoss.

Perhaps a PM, as I recognize fully that my question is clearly OT?


Sincerely,

ken N.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I'm very curious to see this response completed when you have the time.

I will later. My apologies for being a hyperbolic Senn HD 650 fangirl last night. I love my HE-500s still for what they do. And yes their bass surpasses the HD 650s.

I just think of how many unspoken tweaks and updates that Audeze has done to their lineup and the tradoffs between fazor and prefazor, or the tradoffs between stage and bass response I notice with planars. From my very limited experience I think the HE-560 comes closest to my ideal planar signature though. But I have not heard the LCD-3, the Ether, the HE-1000, the Abyss, and so on. I suppose I should not have made such a hasty claim last night. It really all depends on what the individual thinks. Perhaps I was trying to counterbalance the assumption that a planar tech is inherently superior to a dynamic's. I do think it is true that if one is in to bass the planar has the advantage to really create a visceral impact the listener can truly feel. Someone like Fang Bian would state the same--that the future lies in planars. Perhaps...but the HD 6xx is not going anywhere anytime soon from modest collection

I didn't mean to offend anyone though.

 

[DavidA]

I will later. My apologies for being a hyperbolic Senn HD 650 fangirl last night. I love my HE-500s still for what they do. And yes their bass surpasses the HD 650s.

I just think of how many unspoken tweaks and updates that Audeze has done to their lineup and the tradoffs between fazor and prefazor, or the tradoffs between stage and bass response I notice with planars. From my very limited experience I think the HE-560 comes closest to my ideal planar signature though. But I have not heard the LCD-3, the Ether, the HE-1000, the Abyss, and so on. I suppose I should not have made such a hasty claim last night. It really all depends on what the individual thinks. Perhaps I was trying to counterbalance the assumption that a planar tech is inherently superior to a dynamic's. I do think it is true that if one is in to bass the planar has the advantage to really create a visceral impact the listener can truly feel. Someone like Fang Bian would state the same--that the future lies in planars. Perhaps...but the HD 6xx is not going anywhere anytime soon from modest collection

I didn't mean to offend anyone though.

I hope no one was offended, I think it was such a strong statement that it might have taken some by surprise.
 
I don't think planars will be the end all for headphones, Have you heard any electrostatics?  I have a very old Stax SRD-34 which is as Stax calls an electec, not a true electrostatic.  It still is one of my favorite, the bass of a planar, the mids of a HD-650 and the highs of T1 IMO.  Only problem is you need speaker output power so I'm using a SAE X-10A (100W/Ch, 35lb space heater).  I do have a LCD-2f and HE-560 and a few other headphones and but I find I like the different sound signatures of most of my headphones and really don't want to say one is better than another, they each have a place and excel at the different genres of music that I like to listen to.
 
Thanks for posting the follow up.

 

[knorris908]

I will later. My apologies for being a hyperbolic Senn HD 650 fangirl last night. I love my HE-500s still for what they do. And yes their bass surpasses the HD 650s.

I just think of how many unspoken tweaks and updates that Audeze has done to their lineup and the tradoffs between fazor and prefazor, or the tradoffs between stage and bass response I notice with planars. From my very limited experience I think the HE-560 comes closest to my ideal planar signature though. But I have not heard the LCD-3, the Ether, the HE-1000, the Abyss, and so on. I suppose I should not have made such a hasty claim last night. It really all depends on what the individual thinks. Perhaps I was trying to counterbalance the assumption that a planar tech is inherently superior to a dynamic's. I do think it is true that if one is in to bass the planar has the advantage to really create a visceral impact the listener can truly feel. Someone like Fang Bian would state the same--that the future lies in planars. Perhaps...but the HD 6xx is not going anywhere anytime soon from modest collection

I didn't mean to offend anyone though.

From my point of view, you used terms like, "My claim" & "My opinion" (Mostly) which to me makes a point non-arguable.  It's YOUR opinion.  I don't believe that I or anyone else should argue it.  Just weigh it as a consideration, and perhaps cross-offer our own if we have one/them.  You then went-on to provide an example for your reasoning, providing opportunity for discussion and sharing of perspective(s).  While I may or may not agree, I saw nothing to take offense at personally.
 
But the consideration put into your follow-up above is much-appreciated, and from my point of view adds a bit of weight/validity encouraging me to investigate your point of view personally.
 
 
Ken N.

 

[mikoss]

I guess I don't understand how "tight, solid amount of bass.." Differs from my opinion of well-defined?

No mistake and I didn't mean to come across completely contrary to you. I think someone may just take responses to mean something different than what they may be asking to hear. I think we're in agreement for the most part.

 

[knorris908]

No mistake and I didn't mean to come across completely contrary to you. I think someone may just take responses to mean something different than what they may be asking to hear. I think we're in agreement for the most part.

OK.  Cool.
 
I'm still at that stage where I'm constantly paranoid that I will not correctly translate how I feel about a device or subject in the appropriate way.  But I still want to offer more helpful comments than, "I like it!" or "I don't like it." when describing things.  (Exagerations, of course, but the premise is the same.)
 
Thanks Mikoss!
 
 
Ken N.

 

[BobG55]

 

 
Hi ButtUglyJeff, 
 
How does Yoko Ono sound with the HD650s ?

 
To be fair, I did say "ladies sing"...

 

[ducatirob]

Which sennheiser model sounds open with deep bass response at slightly elevated SPL? Power is not an issue. Thanks

 

[MrMan]

Which sennheiser model sounds open with deep bass response at slightly elevated SPL? Power is not an issue. Thanks

 
For pure bass, and sennheiser I liked the 280's. They need an amp that can push about 160 ohm despite the 80 ohm rating. For a nice bump and great clarity the 650's are amazing! Other headphones to consider for pure bass are Beyerdynamic 990 for bass and highs. Also Denon 2000's are amazing for bass and highs. If you put wood cups on them the bass becomes thumping. 

 

[DDDamian]

Wow the thread sprang to life lol. Musta been trying to drown out Yoko.

I've not heard a Senn that has a true deep bass response yet, at least not like what I'm hearing from my planars or from many Denons. They tend to have strong mid-bass as a forte, coupled with nice mids. At the high end they throw in more treble, e.g. HD800.

For hip-hop or other less mid-centric music the HE-400's might be a better choice. Depends how deep you need to go. There's Beats....

 

[MrMan]

Wow the thread sprang to life lol. Musta been trying to drown out Yoko.

I've not heard a Senn that has a true deep bass response yet, at least not like what I'm hearing from my planars or from many Denons. They tend to have strong mid-bass as a forte, coupled with nice mids. At the high end they throw in more treble, e.g. HD800.

For hip-hop or other less mid-centric music the HE-400's might be a better choice. Depends how deep you need to go. There's Beats....

 
I wouldn't touch HE- anything with a 10 foot poll. That microphonic cable kills anything positive about the headphone. Not to mention the stock pads aren't the most comfortable. Assuming you change out the cable and change the pads it becomes a very good headphone. But then again why would you buy a stock headphone that forces ya to change out pads and cable to make them sound decent. 

 

[DDDamian]

I wouldn't touch HE- anything with a 10 foot poll. That microphonic cable kills anything positive about the headphone. Not to mention the stock pads aren't the most comfortable. Assuming you change out the cable and change the pads it becomes a very good headphone. But then again why would you buy a stock headphone that forces ya to change out pads and cable to make them sound decent. 

Yep. The cable and pads suck. They should sell them with a disclaimer. Most used pairs out there will already be modded. Mine are on both counts.

But he did want sub-bass. A set of Denons will generally do the job too.