[mulveling]

Have just joined the HD 650 wagon. Liking it so far -> I wanna go to loving it.

Hop off the wagon and load you and your electronics on the upgrade train.

 

[JWolf]

Stax or else

 

[serman005]

Enjoying comparing my HD650s to my HD600s. I must say, after doing this for a few months, the HD600 is better than I thought it was and the HD650 is better than I thought it was. I know that sounds crazy, but I just really, really like these headphones a lot. Loving the detail on the HD650. Outstanding!

 

[Sharkhunter]

Thanks i was wondering if i received a defective adapter or something because the only thing that are keeping mine in are the earpads weight lol.

Which ear pads are u using ?

 

[wazzupi]

Which ear pads are u using ?

Brainwavz velour but its the adapter its self doesnt snap in place.

 

[Letmebefrank]

@wazzupi
Here is the post I made about putting brainwavz pads on my 650s.
The pleather is still holding up after more than 7 months of use.

HD650s with Brainwavz "leather" memory foam pads (large size).





I bought some cheap velvet replacement pads from ebay. Make sure you get the ones with the plastic ring that snaps into the 650 ear cup, not the super cheap adhesive ones.

I then performed surgery on the replacement pads to get the plastic ring out of them. I put that ring into the brainwavz pads, then snapped them on the 650s. The brainwavz pads already had a liner in them, so I left the foam out. Very easy and now I have leather pads which I like more than velvet pads in general. The nice thing is now with these spare plastic rings I can experiment with all types of pads!

As far as sound goes, the bass and mids have more thump. The leather seals in the pressure better, but they still have a great soundstage with the open backs. The trebble is a little hot without the foam, so I might find a way to put that back in. Overall I'm liking this mod allot.

 

[LazyListener]

As good as the HD650 is there are some who just don't like it and prefer the HD600 or in my case custom Ypsilon or Nhoord builds, most who have heard them like them over the HD650 and HD600 easily due to being very easy to drive. If you haven't heard the newer "e" series Grado you might not recognize them from previous versions since the sound signature is quite different, I tried a few older original and "i" series Grado and like you didn't like them much but after giving them another try with the SR225e I've come to like them but for some the ear pads are just too uncomfortable so it a moot point about the change in sound signature of the newer "e" series. I've actually traded my SR009 since it was too limiting in the genres that I liked to listen to, it is very very good but only with the highest quality recordings and its a little light on bass for some genres like EDM, R&B and most pop (kpop & jpop included).

Is there really THAT huge of a difference between the i and e Grado series? I only tried SR80i. I liked the "live" sound, but they were just too bright for me, and the bass was significantly lacking for genres that heavily rely on it, like EDM, Hip-Hop, R&B. You think the SR80e is an entirely different animal?

 

[Sharkhunter]

@wazzupi
Here is the post I made about putting brainwavz pads on my 650s.
The pleather is still holding up after more than 7 months of use.

Was it pleather or sheepskin leather pads? I picked up angled sheepskin leather pads and will report how they sound once delivered.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Was it pleather or sheepskin leather pads? I picked up angled sheepskin leather pads and will report how they sound once delivered.

I bought the pleather, non angled. I've been considering buying the sheepskin leather ones but these pleather are still holding up so I'm just waiting now lol

 

[windcar]

I tried with pleather XPT100 non angled earpad on the 650. This earpad should be similar to the brainwavz one. It will increase the soundstage and bass. Even subbass will start to be noticeable. However, soon, i move back to the stock velour due to a lack of airy presentation, greatly reduced in treble and reduced comfort (yes, I find stock velour more comfortable than the big cushy earpad).

 

[Pokemonn]

HD650 out of cheap Marantz PM6005 sound so good...i will try to hooked up vali1 to REC out.
result: Vali Heaven!

 

[ubs28]

According to my ears, Grado's are overpriced headphones that get beaten by cheaper headphones such as the HD 600 and HD 650 even. I don't hear or see (they feel very cheap too) where the $1000 price tag is coming from. I'm always suprised how Grado's manages to get such good reviews from professional reviewers / magazines (I'm seriously thinking they are getting paid by Grado).

If you want to spend money, there are better headphones on the market like the HD 800 S and the Focal Utopia.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Well all this talk of the sheepskin leather pads made me pull the trigger on them. Here are some better shots of the ring and the pads on the HD650.

Here are the pleather pads with the rings in them. You can see that the material gets pinched in the ring a little bit. After 7 months they have a pretty good imprint of the headphones in them.

Here's a picture of the ring next to the pleather pad after removing it.

Here are the headphones with the sheepskin leather pads installed.

First impressions:
The sound.
Sounds about the same as the pleather pads, same amount of bass but the highs seem even cleaner than before. Not louder, just cleaner.

The comfort.
Much more comfortable than the pleather pads, very soft and supple. Much more comfortable than the stock velour pads. Best part is they don't squeak/creak on the arms of my glasses. These are the first real leather headphone pads I've ever felt, and I must say I thought they were going to be stiff. Boy was I wrong. These are now by far the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

The look:
Wow they look much better than the pleather pads. Very nice.

 

[DavidA]

Which leather pads are those? I love the look

 

[Krutsch]

HD650 complementary to Grados? HD650s scale up, almost forever. Get them a good vinyl source or a really great digital source, and a high quality balanced amp + cable; you're set. Grados are better for "scaling down".

Yes.

Horses for courses, though. Grado really likes a clean, low output impedance SS amp, as well as music that meshes well with their bright sound.

I really like acoustic guitar or solo violin with my RS-2i and a Lehmann amp; music with which the HD-650 does not sound great.

YMMV.