[MattTCG]

The 650 won out...sold the he4 today actually. It was a tough call. The he4 is an outstanding hp and just has so many good things going for it. The lighter weight than other HFM cans, slick paint job, upgraded cable and the wonderfully balanced ortho sound. It's a shame that they are discontinued because to me they are an improved version of the he400. The negative is that the he4 is not as easy to amp as the he400. I'll certainly miss it and was getting ready to pull the plug on the sale today and just keep it...and then it sold. 

 

[IcedTea]

but Matt, the ortho bass!
 
the ortho baaaaaaassssssss

 

[MattTCG]

Sure, I hear ya. I still like bass. Just not in the same way that I used to. It's all the about the mids for me these day. 

 

[ben_r_]

Yep, I could never give up all the bass. Thats why my 650's are for the less bassy music I listen to. If I want bass, I reach for my Denon D5000's!

 

[Lorspeaker]

Listening HD650 with BCL, lowest gain.  Female vocal music simply fan-tas-tic on BCL, treble is clean and smooth as crystal.
I forgot how low gain on BCL sound as I mostly use mid gain, but today, out of curiousity I switch to low gain, the clarity, liquidness and smoothness is really stunning.  Wind instruments like flute sounds very emotional and exciting .........
Ok, now back to music ........

 
always had mine on mid gain too....ok let me switch to loooooooooooooooooooooooo gain.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

The 650 won out...sold the he4 today actually. It was a tough call. The he4 is an outstanding hp and just has so many good things going for it. The lighter weight than other HFM cans, slick paint job, upgraded cable and the wonderfully balanced ortho sound. It's a shame that they are discontinued because to me they are an improved version of the he400. The negative is that the he4 is not as easy to amp as the he400. I'll certainly miss it and was getting ready to pull the plug on the sale today and just keep it...and then it sold. 

 
Must have been fate Matt.

 

[joebobbilly]

Another score for HD 650s!!
 

 

[bracko]

Quote:

but Matt, the ortho bass!
 
the ortho baaaaaaassssssss

The bass is only 2-3 percent of the total audible spectrum. Why should we base our headphone purchase on that?

 

[wazzupi]

Quote:

The bass is only 2-3 percent of the total audible spectrum. Why should we base our headphone purchase on that?

best post yet. LOL 

 

[tdockweiler]

Have any of you tried any really cheap DACs with the HD-650?
I've got the X-Fi Pro Go ($35) and it's pretty impressive with the HD-650. Don't ask me how or why. I'm sending it to my Magni or Micro Amp.
It will be nice if you're poor and want to get an expensive amp before a fancy DAC

 
The only difference between it and my ODAC is that it's slightly more muffled (like 1-3%

). Not as crystal clear. Level of detail seems a bit lower. It sounds warmer, but at the same time somewhat more musical. The ODAC makes some music sound much worse because it's so revealing of the crap in my collection. I even got the HD-650 to sound harsh tonight with some awful Jpop. It SEEMS this X-Fi isn't as bad for it.
 
Here it what's annoying..it's soundstage is larger than the ODAC and my HRT MSII with the HD-650. It sounds sort of like the Ipod 3G (not Ipod Touch) with it's touch of warmth. That thing has a WM8731 chipset and this sounds very similar.  I think this X-Fi sounds better than the Fiio E10 by far. It also sounds completely flat. No area sticks out at all ever unless it's that way in the recording.
 
It also goes well with my HD-598 and even without an external amp. I don't think it will drive the HD-650 very well by itself but I should try it. It might be a nice way to drive the HD-650 when you travel, but of course it won't be at 100%.
 
I ordered the Modi to compare with the ODAC. I don't care if it's worse really. I doubt it will really sound identical. I've never had a DAC for the HD-650 where it's soundstage really impressed me with it's size. Maybe I need the Bifrost or something. I actually don't want the HD-650's soundstage to be too massive, but that will probably never happen.
 
EDIT: I just tried the X-Fi Go Pro without an external amp and the HD-650 just sounds more muffled and congested. Still not horrible, but the nice soundstage seemed to shrink a little. However the sound gets ridiculously loud, but that doesn't mean anything. Volume is at 75%. Overall it still sounds quite good. The X-Fi is not good for low impedance headphones though it seems.
 
This is actually way better than straight out of a portable player at least.

 

[BobJS]

Quote:

The bass is only 2-3 percent of the total audible spectrum. Why should we base our headphone purchase on that?

I assume you're being facetious ..... and not looking at a frequency plot logarithmically like your brain interprets it?

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

Quote:

I've never had a DAC for the HD-650 where it's soundstage really impressed me with it's size. 

Is it even possible to get impressive soundstage for the HD650? If you ever find a recipe to make that happen I'd be incredibly happy to hear about it lol. I've been upgrading my equipment here and there. When testing things with the HD650, the headphones definitely show great improvements. Soundstage has definitely improved as well but I have never felt that it was all that impressive. I always get the image of being in a cozy cafe or lounge and i doubt it will expand that much further even with upgrades. Overall though, that is fine since that closeness and soothing ambiance is one of the main reasons why so many people love these headphones. I think the cozier soundstage also helps create that feeling. For me though I do prefer a larger soundstage. However, as far as the HD6xx series go, I believe that isn't quite their forte.  

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

Is it even possible to get impressive soundstage for the HD650? If you ever find a recipe to make that happen I'd be incredibly happy to hear about it lol. I've been upgrading my equipment here and there. When testing things with the HD650, the headphones definitely show great improvements. Soundstage has definitely improved as well but I have never felt that it was all that impressive. I always get the image of being in a cozy cafe or lounge and i doubt it will expand that much further even with upgrades. Overall though, that is fine since that closeness and soothing ambiance is one of the main reasons why so many people love these headphones. I think the cozier soundstage also helps create that feeling. For me though I do prefer a larger soundstage. However, as far as the HD6xx series go, I believe that isn't quite their forte.  

If you remove a little of the foam thats stuffed in the driver, things open up. But at the cost of tightness in the bass a little (but defo more bass). I did this when I owned the 650's and I really thought they benefited. Also a powerful tube amp, aswell as a stretched headband with new pads, so they don't squash helps   

 

[hibitec]

You guys have convinced me. My 650s will be arriving tomorrow. Upgrading from an E17>598 combo. I've decided on the Crack and will be ordering within the week. Not much left in the budget for a DAC to go with the Crack>650. Thinking about a Modi, ODAC, or MS II.
 
Any experience with any of those DACs and Crack/650? I know I can use the LO of the E17 to feed the Crack but I would like to have a dedicated DAC for it.

 

[MattTCG]

The odac is quite good IMO. I had trouble with MSII and jitter when used with foobar. The modi just didn't do it for me. It sounded a little thin and just wasn't very musical to my ears.