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It is possible to test listening fatigue blind, and has been done already, but it obviously needs to be performed over a longer period of time (e.g. a few weeks). It is also quite plausible that listening fatigue can be affected by placebo effects: imagine listening to the exact same sound worried all the time about non-existing flaws (grainy treble or whatever) vs. listening relaxed in the knowledge that the gear is fine and actually focusing on the music. I have even seen people claiming fatigue vs. non-fatigue caused by cables. But if there is indeed a real difference, it would be interesting to find out what is the actual reason behind it (for example, different filtering ?).
Interesting that fatigue has been blind tested. We were talking about fatigue from DACs a few pages ago. In my case, I know with certainty the phenomenon is real since my "blind testing" wasn't a blind test focusing on listening for differences, but was just a matter of living with different DACs for periods of time listening to music, and finding that I more often needed to stop the music when living with some versus others. It took me a long time to realize the DAC may be to blame even, I thought it was amps and speakers/cans!. With some I can't get through a whole album without either losing interest or or just getting irritated or uncomfortable from it. The same DAC was powering the HD650's and my full speakers, which both had the same fatigue effect,0 and was "blind" since it was physically located behind me out of sight, and was over spans of months/years. It's not good enough for science, but I know.
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Hi guys, first post in this thread. I'm kind of new to high quality audio, but I've had a pair of Sennheiser IE80 for a few months now with a Fiio e17, and let me say the sound is nothing short of phenominal.
However I'm looking to make the next big step in audio equipment and quality. I want full size cans and these HD650 look like a good fit. Price is decent, plenty if glowing reviews, etc.
So how would someone coming from the IE80 to this find it? Will it blow me away or would it just be an incremental upgrade? I would imagine the soundstage may be noticeably bigger right?
Sent from my Desire HD
IEMs in general tend to be very different, though Sennheiser IEMs are among the very few high-end IEMs using dynamic drivers, so the differences may not be as severe. Most IEMs in that price range use balanced armature drivers which are hyper-detailed along with the very best in headphones, but they fall short in presentation compared to full headphones. Senns are dynamic and ported so there's more in common.
One thing with HD650 is it's unique, even in the Senn lineup. It has a warm, smooth, laid back sound, where the IE8/IE80 will have more of the linear flat sound of HD600, HD700. That's just sound signature though, not presentation. But if you're looking for the same linear sound, HD600 or HD700 would be more similar. If you're looking for something different, HD650 is fantastic. FWIW, my Shure SE535 IEMs have more of the sound signature of HD650 to my ears....warm, more lush mids, somewhat rolled off treble. But without the great HD650 "air" which would be impossible for a BA IEM.
If you want something that's really similar to the IE80 sound, generally flat, slightly fun, with more bass presence, something like the HiFiMan HE-400 may suit you better. The full size Sennheiser cans are all about refined neutrality, and 650 steps a bit outside that with a lusher colored midrange over the neutrality. Some call it boring versus the "fun" curves or "v" shaped FRs that have more bass and treble and a somewhat recessed mid.
Versus IEMs you'd likely find HD650 to have somewhat less detail (detail comes easy to IEMs since they need move very little air) but a bigger soundstage, more "realism" or more "speaker-like", and a more open-air feeling to the sound. I love my IEMs but there's nothing like real headphones!
