[cthomas]

So I went to StoreDJ in Brisbane today to audition the 650's. About a 100km drive but we'll worth it to finally hear these cans.

Sooo basically they sounded incredible! Listening to mainly DJ stuff but they had more bass then I expected. More musical and no harshness like my 800's. I listened to them on some crazy looking DJ mixing amp thing with lots of power which my own amp does not have... Sony UDA-1, why oh why did I ever buy this useless thing!

I then tried them with an Apogee Groove the guy had (closer specs to my Sony amp) and they sounded very meh. Now I'm wondering what my 800's would've sounded like on the crazy DJ amp. Looks like I'll need something like a jotunheim to run HP's properly. The guy said I could bring my amp and HD800's next time I come in. Should be an interesting day...

Edit. Cons: Clamping force was a little tight, do they loosen up after a while? Was getting a little bit warm while wearing them after about 10 minutes. And they felt a little cheap/plasticy. No major concerns though, I'm sure I'll get over those things.

 

[DavidA]

So I went to StoreDJ in Brisbane today to audition the 650's. About a 100km drive but we'll worth it to finally hear these cans.

Sooo basically they sounded incredible! Listening to mainly DJ stuff but they had more bass then I expected. More musical and no harshness like my 800's. I listened to them on some crazy looking DJ mixing amp thing with lots of power which my own amp does not have... Sony UDA-1, why oh why did I ever buy this useless thing!

I then tried them with an Apogee Groove the guy had (closer specs to my Sony amp) and they sounded very meh. Now I'm wondering what my 800's would've sounded like on the crazy DJ amp. Looks like I'll need something like a jotunheim to run HP's properly. The guy said I could bring my amp and HD800's next time I come in. Should be an interesting day...

The UDA-1 is not bad as a DAC but the amp section is not a good match for either your HD-800 or the HD-650.  I would keep the UDA-1 as a DAC and get a decent amp for your HD-800 and/or HD-650 if you decide to get it.  For under $500 a BH Crack is hard to beat.  If you are willing to go up a little then it seems that a Feliks Elise is one of the best under $750 from what I've been reading.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Edit. Cons: Clamping force was a little tight, do they loosen up after a while? Was getting a little bit warm while wearing them after about 10 minutes. And they felt a little cheap/plasticy. No major concerns though, I'm sure I'll get over those things.

 
They are made of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, so they feel like plastic but are actually very strong. The tightness was an issue for me but the metal arms that come out of the headband can be bent back to loosen up the clamp quite a bit. They would probably loosen up over time but I couldn't wait that long.

 

[cthomas]

The UDA-1 is not bad as a DAC but the amp section is not a good match for either your HD-800 or the HD-650.  I would keep the UDA-1 as a DAC and get a decent amp for your HD-800 and/or HD-650 if you decide to get it.  For under $500 a BH Crack is hard to beat.  If you are willing to go up a little then it seems that a Feliks Elise is one of the best under $750 from what I've been reading.

Yeah it's definitely a decent dac, but the amp sux. 175mw per channel is quite poor. Just looked up this DJ mixer they were using. It was a Allen & Heath xone 92 (about 3k worth), couldn't see how much the HP power out was though.

Trying to sell my uda1 to get something better, have you heard if the Jotunheim is a decent amp for 800/650? Looking for amp/DAC combo as it's cheaper.

 

[cthomas]

They are made of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, so they feel like plastic but are actually very strong. The tightness was an issue for me but the metal arms that come out of the headband can be bent back to loosen up the clamp quite a bit. They would probably loosen up over time but I couldn't wait that long.

Yeah it was tight but bearable I guess. Good to know they're not simply plastic... I had no idea about that.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Yeah it was tight but bearable I guess. Good to know they're not simply plastic... I had no idea about that.

 
If you're careful, you can bend the metal sliders a bit to ease the clamping force.  Just don't put pressure on the plastic headband.  Not sure about the carbon fiber.  Never heard that before.

 

[DavidA]

Yeah it's definitely a decent dac, but the amp sux. 175mw per channel is quite poor. Just looked up this DJ mixer they were using. It was a Allen & Heath xone 92 (about 3k worth), couldn't see how much the HP power out was though.

Trying to sell my uda1 to get something better, have you heard if the Jotunheim is a decent amp for 800/650? Looking for amp/DAC combo as it's cheaper.

Its not always the output wattage that makes a great pairing, the BH Crack doesn't put out much but is capable of ear bleeding levels with the HD-800/650/600.  This is what I think people would say is a pairing with good synergy.  My Teac UD-301 has a headphone amp that puts out only 100mw @32 ohms but it drives my EL8, HE-400i and HD-700 quite well, but sound quite flat/thin with the HD-650/800
 
One of the better DAC/Amp combos that I've heard is the AudioGD Master 11 but its not cheap, the other is even more pricy, MHA-100.  For the HD-800 I'm one that prefers a tube amp, with the HD-650 its 75/25 in favor of a tube amp.
 
If you are looking for clean/clear then a SS amp would probably be a better choice, for me the use of tubes just makes most headphones just sound more musical.

 

[jimmers]

...
Trying to sell my uda1 to get something better, have you heard if the Jotunheim is a decent amp for 800/650? Looking for amp/DAC combo as it's cheaper.

There's quite a bit around on this site about how good the HD650 is with the Jot, some of it really enthusiastic.
I've been interested in what people have to say as my Jot should be arriving soon to meet my HD650, just bought a 4 pin XLR so I can make up a balanced cable

.
 
enthusiasm example:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/818323/schiit-jotunheim-review-preview-head-fi-tv/1140#post_12880185

 

[cthomas]

If you're careful, you can bend the metal sliders a bit to ease the clamping force.  Just don't put pressure on the plastic headband.  Not sure about the carbon fiber.  Never heard that before.

Yeah nothing mentioned on Sennheiser website about carbon fiber but according to some reviews they are partly carbon, even Tyll mentions it.

 

[cthomas]

Its not always the output wattage that makes a great pairing, the BH Crack doesn't put out much but is capable of ear bleeding levels with the HD-800/650/600.  This is what I think people would say is a pairing with good synergy.  My Teac UD-301 has a headphone amp that puts out only 100mw @32 ohms but it drives my EL8, HE-400i and HD-700 quite well, but sound quite flat/thin with the HD-650/800

One of the better DAC/Amp combos that I've heard is the AudioGD Master 11 but its not cheap, the other is even more pricy, MHA-100.  For the HD-800 I'm one that prefers a tube amp, with the HD-650 its 75/25 in favor of a tube amp.

If you are looking for clean/clear then a SS amp would probably be a better choice, for me the use of tubes just makes most headphones just sound more musical.

Yeah the Sony has plenty of volume with the 800, but lacks bass, body with certain music. My binaural and classical albums sound incredible using the Sony but for other music it's too harsh and thin.

Need something more forgiving since most music is recorded and mastered poorly. I'd be keen to see how my 800 sounds with a tube but nowhere for me to test that out unfortunately, some people just don't like the 800 no matter what but I only enjoy for classical or acoustic music. I'd prefer an all-rounder. I was thinking the Elear but not sure if I wanna spend that much when the 650 is close for 1/4 the price.

 

[cthomas]

There's quite a bit around on this site about how good the HD650 is with the Jot, some of it really enthusiastic.
I've been interested in what people have to say as my Jot should be arriving soon to meet my HD650, just bought a 4 pin XLR so I can make up a balanced cable .

enthusiasm example:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/818323/schiit-jotunheim-review-preview-head-fi-tv/1140#post_12880185

Nice, looks like might be a good choice. I'd like to see some impressions with the 650 balanced vs unbalanced.

 

[jimmers]

Yeah nothing mentioned on Sennheiser website about carbon fiber but according to some reviews they are partly carbon, even Tyll mentions it.

True, but they are certainly not cheap painted plastic, I've had mine for over 5 years and just leave them on a cloth on top of my desk and there's not a mark on them, look like new - but sound better 

 

[DavidA]

Yeah the Sony has plenty of volume with the 800, but lacks bass, body with certain music. My binaural and classical albums sound incredible using the Sony but for other music it's too harsh and thin.

Need something more forgiving since most music is recorded and mastered poorly. I'd be keen to see how my 800 sounds with a tube but nowhere for me to test that out unfortunately, some people just don't like the 800 no matter what but I only enjoy for classical or acoustic music. I'd prefer an all-rounder. I was thinking the Elear but not sure if I wanna spend that much when the 650 is close for 1/4 the price.

The HD-650 is about a forgiving as they get but is still able to scale with good equipment but like the HD-800 it needs a decent amp that has good synergy with it, not all tube amps work well with the HD-800, I have 3 tube amps (BH Crack, Ember and Lyr2), the HD-800 does not sound great on the Ember and Lyr2, the HD-650 does ok on the Ember and Lyr2 but sounds best on the BH Crack to me.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Thanks for the replies, iv been looking at the bryston amp it sounds like it has a real iron fisted grip on the hd650 drivers.

It does -- along with any other dynamic/planar HP on the market.
And the 20-yr warranty from Bryston, makes it a killer value and a no-brainer.

 

[cthomas]

True, but they are certainly not cheap painted plastic, I've had mine for over 5 years and just leave them on a cloth on top of my desk and there's not a mark on them, look like new - but sound better 

Ha, the polar opposite of my 800s. If I look at them wrong theyll get chipped. I'm over being worried about them scratching. Yes, I'm one of those people who obsesses over my expensive things being like new. I returned my first pair because the paint was chipping just from putting them on the couch. My replacement pair are obviously better because they're scratch free after 6 months. But I still feel anxious whenever I put them on and lay down.