[castleofargh]

You are not saying there is a minimal difference between the sonics of a run-of-the-mill, inexpensive CD player and a killer, TOTL CD player, are you? I would not agree with that, personally. FWIW. YMMV, of course.

if 2 CD players were to result in more variations than a hd800 vs a hd650, I would conclude that one CD player is broken.
some tubes amps can be the obvious exception if they pass 2% distortions. that's more than even average headphones, so it's something to consider. but that means deliberately parting ways with fidelity. plus IMO, people should try to get an amp after they got the headphone anyway.

on the other hand you can take 3 of the very best headphones, money isn't a concern, measurements are impressive, etc. and yet they will very clearly sound different and feel different too. because impressive headphone measurements aren't that impressive compared to a CD player.
the reason is half technology, half because we haven't set a fixed frequency response to call "the right one", or "neutral" for headphones(because we can't). so manufacturers have more fun with that than they should and yet can still pretend like they're doing hifi stuff. can't be an outlaw when there is no law. ^_^
it's a luxury a CD player or an amp don't have. when they part from fidelity, we can totally tell from the clearly defined reference, and treat them poorly for that in the name of godly fidelity. so manufacturers of such devices fool around less often from fear of getting famous for doing low fi gears.

 

[iancraig10]

Another thing: I pretty sure my HD650 had never been touched before I opened the box but I found that the plugs that connect to the earpieces were inverted, with the letters L and R facing inwards.
I found it odd at first ...............

That is odd. The pins on each plug are different thicknesses and mine won't go on inverted unless (probably) they're forced on.

Ever since the hd580, I've always felt a bit dubious about those connections since I had two 580's that went bad for no real reason.

I'd be tempted to send the hd650 back because of that.

 

[audioflaker]

HD650's are a decent headphone. I find them to be a little "veiled" and dark. Replacing the stock foams that cover the drivers with nylon stockings seemed to help by bringing out the treble and punchiness. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not though because I assume the foam is there to dampen resonances that occur in the ear canal.

 

[cskippy]

Google "HD650 mods" and you'll get some really good info. I've done the front quarter mod, rear foam removal, spider removal and added my own custom tailored back damping. IMO, it's a pretty significant improvement.

 

[LazyListener]

Here we go with the veil talk again. Different amp will change the sound.

 

[castleofargh]

That is odd. The pins on each plug are different thicknesses and mine won't go on inverted unless (probably) they're forced on.

Ever since the hd580, I've always felt a bit dubious about those connections since I had two 580's that went bad for no real reason.

I'd be tempted to send the hd650 back because of that.

I think he just meant the left plug on the right driver. that would put the letter inside.

 

[80smusicboy]

I think he just meant the left plug on the right driver. that would put the letter inside.

No, he got it right. It took quite a bit of force to disconnect the plugs from the earpieces but now everything seems to connect and click perfectly.

So, yes, I thought about returning them but if everything is working properly...

 

[castleofargh]

No, he got it right. It took quite a bit of force to disconnect the plugs from the earpieces but now everything seems to connect and click perfectly.

So, yes, I thought about returning them but if everything is working properly...

wow. so they forced the plugs backward O_O`. I'd return them right away and complain "bigly". those plugs are specifically made so it wouldn't be done.

 

[iancraig10]

Exactly. The larger pin will have forced the smaller socket more open which might mean a looser connection which doesn't bode well in the long term for those types of connector.

I had two fail because they are actually slightly fragile.

If it were me, I'd send them back. 'Assembled incorrectly' means a moron put it together or .....

I'd say that the connections have a reputation for being fragile and you are concerned that it will fail as a result in the long term, so could they please replace the unit with a new one, wired correctly.

You wouldn't believe just how thin the connecting wire on the other side of the socket is. About the width of a hair.

A fake? Quality control at Sennheiser is normally pretty good.

I've had one Audio Technica fake, and boy, cosmetically it was a good fake. Inside, the wrong drivers and for all intents and purposes, I wouldn't have known.

 

[80smusicboy]

The plugs still won't go in the wrong way, at least without brute force, I guess. But maybe you're right and I shouldn't take any chances so I've contacted the store stating my concerns in the long run.

The headphones are genuine as confirmed by the qr-sennheiser website.

Thank you all for your input!

 

[DavidA]

Well, my understanding is that we have different views about what might be a huge improvement in sound quality but that's alright.

Another thing: I pretty sure my HD650 had never been touched before I opened the box but I found that the plugs that connect to the earpieces were inverted, with the letters L and R facing inwards.
I found it odd at first because these are my second HD650 (my first were the black silk version) and on the first set those letters were facing outwards. But I didn't pay much more attention to that until I opened the booklet stating the correct position and then I changed it but didn't notice any difference which makes sense since both drivers had their polarity inverted (and not just one).
Still, they should have been correctly inserted at the factory.

If you got the jacks to fit in reverse then you might have damaged them since the pins are different sized, the letters are toward the inside. They are reversed for the TH-610 and TH-900 Mk2.
I don't remember the jacks being inserted from the factory, the stock cable was in a storage bin for both my HD600 and HD650 IIRC.

 

[80smusicboy]

Well, I had an HD600 that I bought new on amazon and the cable came already plugged in on the headphones. I'm waiting for an answer from the store at the moment. I'm hoping they won't charge me for the returning postage as this wasn't my fault.

 

[iancraig10]

My hd650 and 600s had the lead pre attached but bound up.

Glad it's not a fake. There should be a hologram on it somewhere, I remember if it's the newer version.

The shop might try to tell you as long as it works etc. ......

However, as stated above, the pins are different thicknesses so if no joy from shop, Sennheiser themselves might be more helpful. They do have high standards so this is very surprising.

 

[ubs28]

if 2 CD players were to result in more variations than a hd800 vs a hd650, I would conclude that one CD player is broken.
some tubes amps can be the obvious exception if they pass 2% distortions. that's more than even average headphones, so it's something to consider. but that means deliberately parting ways with fidelity. plus IMO, people should try to get an amp after they got the headphone anyway.

on the other hand you can take 3 of the very best headphones, money isn't a concern, measurements are impressive, etc. and yet they will very clearly sound different and feel different too. because impressive headphone measurements aren't that impressive compared to a CD player.
the reason is half technology, half because we haven't set a fixed frequency response to call "the right one", or "neutral" for headphones(because we can't). so manufacturers have more fun with that than they should and yet can still pretend like they're doing hifi stuff. can't be an outlaw when there is no law. ^_^
it's a luxury a CD player or an amp don't have. when they part from fidelity, we can totally tell from the clearly defined reference, and treat them poorly for that in the name of godly fidelity. so manufacturers of such devices fool around less often from fear of getting famous for doing low fi gears.

If you're talking about CD players with integrated DAC's, it can make a huge difference.

Basically the DAC is the most critical part of everything (yes, also more important than the headphone itself). If I had the choice to either keep the Focal Utopia or the Chord Dave, I will pick the Chord Dave. The HD 800 S + Chord Dave will pull ahead if the Focal Utopia is used on lesser equipment.

 

[80smusicboy]

My hd650 and 600s had the lead pre attached but bound up.

Glad it's not a fake. There should be a hologram on it somewhere, I remember if it's the newer version.

The shop might try to tell you as long as it works etc. ......

However, as stated above, the pins are different thicknesses so if no joy from shop, Sennheiser themselves might be more helpful. They do have high standards so this is very surprising.

Ok, that's great to know. The headphones are still within the returning period so even if they say the headphones are fine I can return them or even contact Sennheiser as you mentioned. Thanks!