Sennheiser HD650 & Massdrop HD6XX Impressions Thread
Apr 14, 2021 at 1:38 PM Post #44,131 of 46,497
I'm quite new to head-fi forums, but I thought I'd post here to get any opinions, if there are any. I currently have the 58x and love it so much I'm considering also getting the 6xx. Is it a waste of money to own both? I don't have an external amp, but I heard it might not be that much of a problem for 6xx. I'd prefer headphones that contrast more or pair better with the 58x. Is it better to get an hd600 (especially considering Sennheiser offers better out-of-warranty support)? I've tried looking at reddit and some forums here, but if this is a topic already discussed, sorry about that!
 
Apr 14, 2021 at 1:47 PM Post #44,132 of 46,497
I'm quite new to head-fi forums, but I thought I'd post here to get any opinions, if there are any. I currently have the 58x and love it so much I'm considering also getting the 6xx. Is it a waste of money to own both? I don't have an external amp, but I heard it might not be that much of a problem for 6xx. I'd prefer headphones that contrast more or pair better with the 58x. Is it better to get an hd600 (especially considering Sennheiser offers better out-of-warranty support)? I've tried looking at reddit and some forums here, but if this is a topic already discussed, sorry about that!
Everything is relative, some things are true, but not entirely, but even so, I would say that you need an external amp for the 6xx. They will work without one, but you will be missing out on the best part. You won’t really like them unless you have an external amp.
 
Apr 14, 2021 at 2:25 PM Post #44,134 of 46,497
So would you all recommend trying a new pair of genuine stock Sennheiser pads? Or is there another aftermarket pair that is known to be more comfortable for people with larger ears while giving the same (or similar) sound? To be fair, I am trying to gather as much info from others that have already posted. I did do some searching through this thread and elsewhere. In this thread alone there are over 20 pages of results for the term "pads!"

I personally find the Dekoni Elite Velour a lot more comfortable than the default pads (deeper and much better memory foam), but the SQ is a lot worse without EQ. Since I use them EQed anyway that isn't a problem for me but if you don't want to EQ them stock pads may be the way to go.
 
Apr 14, 2021 at 2:38 PM Post #44,135 of 46,497
So would you all recommend trying a new pair of genuine stock Sennheiser pads? Or is there another aftermarket pair that is known to be more comfortable for people with larger ears while giving the same (or similar) sound? To be fair, I am trying to gather as much info from others that have already posted. I did do some searching through this thread and elsewhere. In this thread alone there are over 20 pages of results for the term "pads!"
I would go brand new genuine Sennheiser
 
Apr 14, 2021 at 3:09 PM Post #44,136 of 46,497
I find the emphasis on the 6XX needing an amp is dramatically overstated.

I listen to them out of my iPhone via the Apple dongle and they sound fantastic.

In fact, I recently got back my Topping L30 amp after having not heard it in a while (due to the recall) and I honestly think I prefer the sound from the dongle. The Topping L30 maybe sounds a little cleaner and more pristine, but I'm getting more texture and warmth from the Apple dongle. The L30 is a great amp and is viewed as one of the best in its class, but I continue to be blown away by how good this $9 dongle is.

Anyways, my advice is to try the dongle first. There's a Lightning to 3.5mm version and a USB-C to 3.5mm version. Durability isn't great, but the sound quality is.

It will absolutely power the 6XX, provided you don't need crazy volume levels. I have to turn the volume pretty high (maybe up to 80%) on my iPhone to get a decent listening level, but once I do, it sounds great.
 
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Apr 14, 2021 at 3:14 PM Post #44,137 of 46,497
I don't have an external amp, but I heard it might not be that much of a problem for 6xx.
I won't speak to whether or not you should get the HD 650/6XX or some other headphone. And I can't speak to whether or not you'll enjoy any headphone out of any amp or, uh, um, non-amp.

I will say, however, that I'm currently listening to my HD 650 straight out of the headphone jack on my 2014 MacBook Air, and I'm enjoying it just as much as I enjoy it out of any other solid state amp I've ever used. I can also use them out of my Samsung S9 and, while it's not quite as good, it's pretty dang close. Like, really close. The HD 650/6XX are not at all difficult to drive.
Of course, if you have a noisy computer or phone with a lousy headphone jack/dongle, you'll likely have a different experience. But you'd probably already know this by listening to your HD 58X.

Tubes are another story. A lot of people swear by them, some people don't like the HD 650 with anything other than tubes, some people prefer solid state. Tube amps often add harmonic distortion (and noise) which can vary from amp to amp and from tube to tube. Whether or not you like or prefer that is entirely up to you.
One thing to consider with tubes (especially OTL) is that they may not be compatible with all headphones or IEMs.
 
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Apr 14, 2021 at 4:25 PM Post #44,138 of 46,497
Anyways, my advice is to try the dongle first. There's a Lightning to 3.5mm version and a USB-C to 3.5mm version. Durability isn't great, but the sound quality is.
I actually just bought the apple dongle so I'll for sure give that a try on my 58x and on the 6xx once I get it.

And thanks guys for all of your advice! I'm thinking of at least getting the 6xx first and see if I like the sound, and then be able to scale up my gear with amps/dacs down the road if I feel like I need to.
 
Apr 14, 2021 at 8:58 PM Post #44,139 of 46,497
I find the emphasis on the 6XX needing an amp is dramatically overstated.

I listen to them out of my iPhone via the Apple dongle and they sound fantastic.

In fact, I recently got back my Topping L30 amp after having not heard it in a while (due to the recall) and I honestly think I prefer the sound from the dongle. The Topping L30 maybe sounds a little cleaner and more pristine, but I'm getting more texture and warmth from the Apple dongle. The L30 is a great amp and is viewed as one of the best in its class, but I continue to be blown away by how good this $9 dongle is.

Anyways, my advice is to try the dongle first. There's a Lightning to 3.5mm version and a USB-C to 3.5mm version. Durability isn't great, but the sound quality is.

It will absolutely power the 6XX, provided you don't need crazy volume levels. I have to turn the volume pretty high (maybe up to 80%) on my iPhone to get a decent listening level, but once I do, it sounds great.
I used to have the bottlehead crack tube amp, and now that I have discovered the proper parametric equalizer settings for these cans, I like it better out of the LPG 2017, which is a portable device
 
Apr 15, 2021 at 10:28 AM Post #44,140 of 46,497
I have never been impressed by these headphones... Not even for $200 they just have a dull top end and are bass rolled.... Don't get me wrong they are magical for some songs but I usually don't listen to vocals and while my preference is for headphones with some soundstage the amount of people who seem to be shilling these are amazing neutral headphones or daily driver I just don't see it. Yes if you listen to lots of vocalists they are amazing or even drama tv series which is where they shine for me.... but daily drivers? neutral? come on.

I know they are supposed to scale with different AMP's so I hope my Zen CAN arriving today can make them shine and since the Xbass and the 3d are arguably better than the $250 drop version made specifically for the 6XX because it does not have the treble peak that goes over harman I hope they can bring out that amazing value I have to admit so many other see in these headphones.
 
Apr 15, 2021 at 2:58 PM Post #44,141 of 46,497
Yeah after buying Zen DAC I think it's worth $200 easily... the ability to change from some soundstage to intimate and stop the bass roll off is amazing so well worth it if you own a IFI amp with Xbass/truebass(probably) and 3D IMO and just my two cents take or leave it

I am however glad I hung onto these
 
Apr 16, 2021 at 7:23 PM Post #44,143 of 46,497
I used to have the bottlehead crack tube amp, and now that I have discovered the proper parametric equalizer settings for these cans, I like it better out of the LPG 2017, which is a portable device
A $1800 portable device.
 
Apr 16, 2021 at 7:45 PM Post #44,144 of 46,497
I find the emphasis on the 6XX needing an amp is dramatically overstated.

I listen to them out of my iPhone via the Apple dongle and they sound fantastic.

In fact, I recently got back my Topping L30 amp after having not heard it in a while (due to the recall) and I honestly think I prefer the sound from the dongle. The Topping L30 maybe sounds a little cleaner and more pristine, but I'm getting more texture and warmth from the Apple dongle. The L30 is a great amp and is viewed as one of the best in its class, but I continue to be blown away by how good this $9 dongle is.

Anyways, my advice is to try the dongle first. There's a Lightning to 3.5mm version and a USB-C to 3.5mm version. Durability isn't great, but the sound quality is.

It will absolutely power the 6XX, provided you don't need crazy volume levels. I have to turn the volume pretty high (maybe up to 80%) on my iPhone to get a decent listening level, but once I do, it sounds great.
While I agree the dongle does a pretty good job they can sound much better I have the USB-C version of the dongle out of my iPad Pro and it does sound very good but at almost max volume for me. Hook up my Dragonfly Red as a dac and the iFi ZenCan Signature 6XX from the iPad Pro and we have a bit of a different story. Yes it is on 0 dB gain and no eq buttons are on just a better experience for me others are fine to disagree but that’s what I get. The bass is definitely more present and impactful and also more sense of space as these tend to be more intimate. Hit the 6XX and XSpace on some Steve Bug and we are having fun.
 

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