[mysticstryk]

How forgiving are the HD650 with poor recordings? I once tested the HD600 with a bright recording and it wasn't playing nicely.

Since the HD650 sounded similar to the HD600, I suppose the HD650 also is not forgiving with poor recordings?

How does the HD650 sound on the Chord Hugo?

As someone who listens to synthdream and synthwave, which are pretty amateur in their recording quality, the hd650 is very forgiving.

 

[Quinto]

How forgiving are the HD650 with poor recordings? I once tested the HD600 with a bright recording and it wasn't playing nicely.

Since the HD650 sounded similar to the HD600, I suppose the HD650 also is not forgiving with poor recordings?

How does the HD650 sound on the Chord Hugo?

My HD650 sounds wonderful with older solo piano recordings..

 

[Sal1950]

How forgiving are the HD650 with poor recordings? I once tested the HD600 with a bright recording and it wasn't playing nicely.

Since the HD650 sounded similar to the HD600, I suppose the HD650 also is not forgiving with poor recordings?

How does the HD650 sound on the Chord Hugo?

I won't blow smoke at you, the 650s are accurate phones. If the recording sounds like crap so will the reproduction. But if the recording is sublime, that's what you'll hear. You can't have both unless your willing to eq or otherwise tweak poor sounding sources.

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^^
Much agreed.
 
Mike

 

[CanadianMaestro]

The 650 is the ONLY HP that I can listen to rock/pop recorded from the '70s. Its greatest strength is that exactly -- forgiving with overly hashy/bright tracks. Like Rush, Springsteen, etc.

 

[Beatwolf]

   
I consider this to be their greatest strength.
 
This must surely refer to the DAC and not the amp. Amps don't care about bits.

I was referring to the Schiit Multibit recommended earlier.

 

[jimmers]

  I was referring to the Schiit Multibit recommended earlier.

I understood your post as 3 separate parts 

 
I have an STX; I didn't notice any real improvement with other DACs until I got a Bifrost Multibit.
I'm not too fussy but I would say accuracy of tone and timbre and timing makes for a more believable reproduction. YMMV.
 
Or, as I put it elsewhere,  bass and space and pace.
 
I don't know how much is down to multi-bit as such, and how much is due to the special filter, but together ...

.

 

[whirlwind]

 

  I was referring to the Schiit Multibit recommended earlier.

I understood your post as 3 separate parts 

 
I have an STX; I didn't notice any real improvement with other DACs until I got a Bifrost Multibit.
I'm not too fussy but I would say accuracy of tone and timbre and timing makes for a more believable reproduction. YMMV.
 
Or, as I put it elsewhere,  bass and space and pace.
 
I don't know how much is down to multi-bit as such, and how much is due to the special filter, but together ...

.

I agree, you will need to step up the dac quite a big jump to get much better  than dac in the STX

 

[RiddleyWalker]

To folks using the Sonarworks plugin, here are the settings that I'm currently using with good results (to my ears):
*** WORK IN PROGRESS
 
 
 

 
Custom w/ +6dB Bass Boost with the Wet/Dry set to 30.  This keeps the actual bass boost at < 100 Hz between about 1-3 dB, while keeping the rest of the FR mostly like stock.
 
For those not familiar, the blue curve is the stock FR, purple line is the new FR
 
Really helps bring any sub-bass frequencies into the picture, while otherwise sounding like stock.

 

[DougD]

  To folks using the Sonarworks plugin, here are the settings that I'm currently using with good results (to my ears):
*** WORK IN PROGRESS
 
 
 

 
Custom w/ +6dB Bass Boost with the Wet/Dry set to 30.  This keeps the actual bass boost at < 100 Hz between about 1-3 dB, while keeping the rest of the FR mostly like stock.
 
For those not familiar, the blue curve is the stock FR, purple line is the new FR
 
Really helps bring any sub-bass frequencies into the picture, while otherwise sounding like stock.

Above 100 Hz, it looks like your EQ closely mirrors the stock HD-650 curve ... i.e. you are not really applying much in the way of corrections. 
 
In contrast, this is what "the standard Sonarworks calibration" for the HD-650 does, without any extra fiddling ... 
 

 
As you can see, from 100 to 500 Hz there's a bit of a remaining wiggle, never exceeding +/- 1 dB. Above 1000 Hz it's ruler-flat. Things are funkier below 50 Hz, AFAICT there's no way to get the 20-40 Hz range close to flat without putting a large rise between 50 and 100 Hz. (Not shown.) But as is, it's +/- 2 dB from 40-100 Hz, and down just 3 dB at 30 Hz. Somewhere I read that Rudolfs from Sonarworks commented that the SD-650 was very easy to EQ for flat response, and that shows. (And sounds terrific to my unrefined ears.) 
 
Unless I am just mis-understanding these charts ...

 

[olor1n]

You guys need to email SonarWorks and ask them for the "Sennheiser HD650 Average No Limits" calibration profile.
 
Here's what mine looks like with a custom reference curve of 1dB Bass, Tilt at 0 and Dry/Wet at 50. It's more even from 100 Hz up... but check out that sub bass.
 

 
edit: initially had Dry/Wet at 70. The Goldilocks zone is actually around 50 for me. 70 brought the low mids down a tad too much and elevated the upper mids towards a leaner, "tinny" sound.

 

[Sal1950]

  You guys need to email SonarWorks and ask them for the "Sennheiser HD650 Average No Limits" calibration profile.
 
Here's what mine looks like with a custom reference curve of 1dB Bass, Tilt at 0 and Dry/Wet at 70. It's more even from 100 Hz up... but check out that sub bass.
 
 

Chances of damage from that large a sub bass boost?

 

[castleofargh]

 

  You guys need to email SonarWorks and ask them for the "Sennheiser HD650 Average No Limits" calibration profile.
 
Here's what mine looks like with a custom reference curve of 1dB Bass, Tilt at 0 and Dry/Wet at 70. It's more even from 100 Hz up... but check out that sub bass.
 
 

Chances of damage from that large a sub bass boost?

I doubt it. the main consequences are usually increased distortions. probably why they didn't try to totally compensate for it even on the "flat" one.

 

[painted klown]

Hello all,
 
I am finally getting around to typing up my thoughts on the Sennheiser HD-650 headphones. I have had these for exactly one week now and during the course of the week I have played movies, music, YouTube videos, Spotify, Netflix, etc through them.
 
While I feel that a week seems too short to get a full grasp on a piece of gear, I do believe that I have some certain conclusions that I can state definitively...well they are definite conclusions for my source, gear, and ears/brain. YMMV, etc.
 
Day one with these was an exciting time. Initially, I was playing them at an extremely low volume level, just enough to hear sound, but not really push the drivers much. Well, that didn't last too long and the volume knob started slowly creeping up. I have discovered that when listening to the 650's that the volume seems to creep upwards a LOT but I am getting ahead of myself here.
 
Like all reviews, I will start with the build quality. Although these have a "mostly plastic" construction, I do not feel that they are "cheap" feeling or looking in the least. Not exactly sexy IMO, but they have a sensible, understated look that I find difficult to find much fault with.
 
Comfort is pretty good with the 650. Although not quite as comfortable as the HD-598, they are fairly comfortable, and I do not have much to complain about overall. Initially, the clamping force was crazy tight. It was certainly a "head in a vice" feeling, that had me constantly readjusting the 'phones on my head so that I could continue my listening session. After having used them for the week, the clamping force has subsided greatly, and my head has naturally stretched the headband from normal use. No stretching the headband or anything of that nature was required to achieve desired results. My biggest quibble with comfort is that I wish the cups were a bit deeper. Just like when wearing my Audio Technica ATH-M50X, my ears stick out too far and rub against the drivers. This can be an irritant, to be sure. However, all is forgiven as the music flows...
 
At about four days in, I remember telling my GF that I was really wanting to get this review done, but in all my listening, I hadn't really been doing any "critical" listening. WHAT?!?! How was I not picking these apart yet? Why had I not been complaining to my GF about the things I wish they did better or differently? I have always listened to all of my gear with a "critical" ear? What made the 650 escape this fate?
 
Well, I can sum it up very easily. It's because I simply cannot find much to complain about. I realized as the weekend was upon me that I had just spent the past week enjoying my music in a way that no other headphone (or my full size system) has allowed me to do. I realized that I was not only listening to my favorite test tracks, and favorite albums, I had also spent a lot of time listening to a bunch of stuff that I hadn't listened to much at all (the CD just didn't grab me like I thought it would) when purchased.
 
I found myself enjoying my digital collection in a way that I had not really done before. In trying to evaluate the 650, I was listening intently to everything I was playing, even going so far as listening to "frequencies" instead of listening to the music when the analytical part of my brain had taken over completely. Something I'm sure everyone reading this has done many times themselves.
 
The thing is though, I felt like (and this is going to sound SO cliche) I really was re-discovering my music collection. I was discovering that some of it was MUCH more interesting than I had given it credit for, other stuff not so much, but through the 650's, none of the listening was ever a "chore". Listening became more revalatory when using the 650. I felt like I was being "introduced" to all of this great music, even though some of it I have been listening to for 20-25 years. Simply amazing!
 
Was I "hearing things I never heard before"? Sure, sometimes, but not ALL the time, and I always attribute that very statement to the fact that I am trying to evaluate new gear, so I am listening more intently than usual. I have probably heard it before, but didn't "mentally register" that particular thing as something of note. The 650 had me making a lot of "mental notes" when listening. Picking up on cues I hadn't before (for whatever reason) and pulling me deeper into the music than I (honestly) ever thought possible. I don't want to stop listening to music with the 650. I want to keep discovering these sonic textures that I had somehow overlooked before. Maybe this is due to the resolution of the headphone? I don't know, but I know I can't get enough of it. The way the 650 presents music is seriously something special IMO.
 
One thing I have learned about the 650 is that it has the ability to make poor recordings, poor mastering jobs, or poorly encoded files sound better. Yeah, I know they don't sound "better", but certainly more palatable IMO. Everything I played though them sounded more pleasing to the ear than my other headphones or my Bowers & Wilkins 684 tower speakers. Is that the sound of the "Sennheiser Veil"? Maybe, but I don't care, I'm enjoying the music too much!
 
To sum up this review, I think I learned a lot about myself, my music listening habits, and my taste in gear. Like most everyone on this site, I spend a lot of time reading about gear, listening to new gear when I can, and dreaming of my next upgrade. The 650 has caused me to take a "pause" from all of that. In the same order I placed for the 650, I had also ordered a Senn HD-600. The 600 was on back order, so I had the 650 in hand only. Late in the week I made the comment to my GF that she could take all of my other headphones out back and light them on fire, and I wouldn't care much as long as I had my 650 in my hand. The next day I cancelled my order for the HD-600.
 
For now, the Sennheiser HD-650 is all I need. Period.

 

[cuiter23]

  Hello all,
 
I am finally getting around to typing up my thoughts on the Sennheiser HD-650 headphones. I have had these for exactly one week now and during the course of the week I have played movies, music, YouTube videos, Spotify, Netflix, etc through them.
 
While I feel that a week seems too short to get a full grasp on a piece of gear, I do believe that I have some certain conclusions that I can state definitively...well they are definite conclusions for my source, gear, and ears/brain. YMMV, etc.
 
Day one with these was an exciting time. Initially, I was playing them at an extremely low volume level, just enough to hear sound, but not really push the drivers much. Well, that didn't last too long and the volume knob started slowly creeping up. I have discovered that when listening to the 650's that the volume seems to creep upwards a LOT but I am getting ahead of myself here.
 
Like all reviews, I will start with the build quality. Although these have a "mostly plastic" construction, I do not feel that they are "cheap" feeling or looking in the least. Not exactly sexy IMO, but they have a sensible, understated look that I find difficult to find much fault with.
 
Comfort is pretty good with the 650. Although not quite as comfortable as the HD-598, they are fairly comfortable, and I do not have much to complain about overall. Initially, the clamping force was crazy tight. It was certainly a "head in a vice" feeling, that had me constantly readjusting the 'phones on my head so that I could continue my listening session. After having used them for the week, the clamping force has subsided greatly, and my head has naturally stretched the headband from normal use. No stretching the headband or anything of that nature was required to achieve desired results. My biggest quibble with comfort is that I wish the cups were a bit deeper. Just like when wearing my Audio Technica ATH-M50X, my ears stick out too far and rub against the drivers. This can be an irritant, to be sure. However, all is forgiven as the music flows...
 
At about four days in, I remember telling my GF that I was really wanting to get this review done, but in all my listening, I hadn't really been doing any "critical" listening. WHAT?!?! How was I not picking these apart yet? Why had I not been complaining to my GF about the things I wish they did better or differently? I have always listened to all of my gear with a "critical" ear? What made the 650 escape this fate?
 
Well, I can sum it up very easily. It's because I simply cannot find much to complain about. I realized as the weekend was upon me that I had just spent the past week enjoying my music in a way that no other headphone (or my full size system) has allowed me to do. I realized that I was not only listening to my favorite test tracks, and favorite albums, I had also spent a lot of time listening to a bunch of stuff that I hadn't listened to much at all (the CD just didn't grab me like I thought it would) when purchased.
 
I found myself enjoying my digital collection in a way that I had not really done before. In trying to evaluate the 650, I was listening intently to everything I was playing, even going so far as listening to "frequencies" instead of listening to the music when the analytical part of my brain had taken over completely. Something I'm sure everyone reading this has done many times themselves.
 
The thing is though, I felt like (and this is going to sound SO cliche) I really was re-discovering my music collection. I was discovering that some of it was MUCH more interesting than I had given it credit for, other stuff not so much, but through the 650's, none of the listening was ever a "chore". Listening became more revalatory when using the 650. I felt like I was being "introduced" to all of this great music, even though some of it I have been listening to for 20-25 years. Simply amazing!
 
Was I "hearing things I never heard before"? Sure, sometimes, but not ALL the time, and I always attribute that very statement to the fact that I am trying to evaluate new gear, so I am listening more intently than usual. I have probably heard it before, but didn't "mentally register" that particular thing as something of note. The 650 had me making a lot of "mental notes" when listening. Picking up on cues I hadn't before (for whatever reason) and pulling me deeper into the music than I (honestly) ever thought possible. I don't want to stop listening to music with the 650. I want to keep discovering these sonic textures that I had somehow overlooked before. Maybe this is due to the resolution of the headphone? I don't know, but I know I can't get enough of it. The way the 650 presents music is seriously something special IMO.
 
One thing I have learned about the 650 is that it has the ability to make poor recordings, poor mastering jobs, or poorly encoded files sound better. Yeah, I know they don't sound "better", but certainly more palatable IMO. Everything I played though them sounded more pleasing to the ear than my other headphones or my Bowers & Wilkins 684 tower speakers. Is that the sound of the "Sennheiser Veil"? Maybe, but I don't care, I'm enjoying the music too much!
 
To sum up this review, I think I learned a lot about myself, my music listening habits, and my taste in gear. Like most everyone on this site, I spend a lot of time reading about gear, listening to new gear when I can, and dreaming of my next upgrade. The 650 has caused me to take a "pause" from all of that. In the same order I placed for the 650, I had also ordered a Senn HD-600. The 600 was on back order, so I had the 650 in hand only. Late in the week I made the comment to my GF that she could take all of my other headphones out back and light them on fire, and I wouldn't care much as long as I had my 650 in my hand. The next day I cancelled my order for the HD-600.
 
For now, the Sennheiser HD-650 is all I need. Period.

 
Definitely agree with you on how the HD650 sounds like the B&W 68x series. The 650 seems like the B&Ws younger brother haha.