Anyone can say something about the different HD650 versions? I'm about to buy one but it's the newest version. Sennheiser says it's the same but people seem to hear differences.
Sennheiser HD650 & Massdrop HD6XX Impressions Thread
- Thread starter tangsta
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buy the 6XX?
I mean unless you are like a uber senn fan which is cool too
I live in Germany.
DAPpower
1000+ Head-Fier
I also ordered a custom JAR 650, excited to personally see how it compares to my 650/6XX.
What is a JAR 650?
GearMe
Headphoneus Supremus
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Clamping force, thickness of pads, probably just aging drivers, polymers changing qualities after a few years of curing; these all could contribute to the different sounds between old and new models. They all sound the same out of the factory, probably with some minor variations due to margins of error in production and driver matching.
If the sound signature is to your liking, you'll love the old model or new model either way.
Buy the newer version 650. I think it sounds better than the 6XX. The 650 is more neutral sounding and a bit faster to my ears, and i think it images/layers the sounds better, keeps me engaged. The 6XX sounds more closed in, slower and darker. The 6XX was boring sounding to me. Senn and Drop say these HPs sound the same but I don’t agree at all. I’ll say this too. I think the new version 650 sounds the best out of all of the 6 series headphones, old and new. Hope this helps you make a decision.
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Talk about (un)conscious bias... of course the paint job might cause audible differences 
Talk about (un)conscious bias... of course the paint job might cause audible differences
Lol idk how else to explain myself.. All i can say is i‘m aware of my propensity to have bias. However these impressions were derived over time with each headphone. I’ve owned the 6XX multiple times and feel i am rock solid in terms of my impressions of that HP. Maybe it’s not what you wanted to read and i get that, but re my impressions that’s just what i heard. (shruggs)
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DAPpower
1000+ Head-Fier
Humor aside, pads definitely do also change the sound and are audible changes depending on how worn the pads are on the HD650/HD6xx.
shadow revisions are real, while I totally disagree and say no way is the other one worth what 2x as much? I would rather get some pads like I bought from brainwaves nice angled sheepskins for $30 and even spend $100 tuning the cheaper one with pads since I love pads, however there are firmly two camps.Talk about (un)conscious bias... of course the paint job might cause audible differences
For one a better can is a better can price be damned, not because money is infinite but sound is priority, others here are more consumer minded and say even if one is 90% of the other at best it's worth it. I think anyone who reads his comment can easily understand where he is coming from and differentiate he may or may not be speaking to them without him offering a disclaimer.
@equalspeace
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megabigeye
Headphoneus Supremus
I don't doubt that shadow revisions might happen, but I don't understand why a headphone company would choose to do that. Maybe if they're secretly making them worse? Otherwise, why hide that they're making the headphones better/different? It makes little sense from a marketing perspective, at least so far as I can see it.
One of my (conspiracy!) theories is that the HD 6XX is made of HD 650 parts that don't quite fit into spec or that just have looser tolerances. This would explain why they're willing to sell them for less than half of retail, and also why some people claim they sound different from each other.
One of my (conspiracy!) theories is that the HD 6XX is made of HD 650 parts that don't quite fit into spec or that just have looser tolerances. This would explain why they're willing to sell them for less than half of retail, and also why some people claim they sound different from each other.
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