[skeptic]

Definitely go for the ODAC. I had one for about a month before I got my Bifrost and I've noticed almost no difference. It's great. The only downfall is it doesn't stack well with anything.

Ditto this and what matt said a few posts above. I generally use my odac in my bedside rig, but I have listened to it quite a bit through my modded crack->hd800 as well. It is an excellent little dac.

You just want to make sure it is getting a clean usb signal. The cheap monoprice cable jds includes, with a ferrite choke, works perfectly. When I tried a longer and more expensive cable, without the ferrite bead, there was quite a bit of audible distortion. Bass was also flabby and nothing like what you hear when it is functioning correctly.

 

[yokken]

Quote:

 
Yeeeeaaa... You should blast some electronica on them again. They are sooooooo good with electronica. 

 
What do you think I've been doing? 

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

A couple of pages back people were commenting on sound stage. I have a question. I am a relative newcomer to headphones and my 650s give me a gorgeous in the head experience. As a speaker man my understanding of a soundstage is a 3 dimensional image which projects between the speakers or even outside if you are truly lucky (and rich)in order to replicate listening to a concert in front of you on stage. Given that, what is a headphone soundstage? Is it just a transparency in the headphones or are we talking actual physical illusions about where the sound is? Have I even answered my own question. I don't know. Its a bit of a ramble really, but im just really curious.
For my part I love my 650s and they put me in the middle of the music more than any speaker system I've owned...

Yeah you've pretty much answered it yourself The soundstage is how large or small the image of the music is, or allowed to be. How far left/right , top/bottom. Having a large soundstage can be good for certain music genre's such as classical/orchestral where you can get a sense of a huge band. But if you are listening to a small ensemble it can actually be a little annoying. Jazz trio's for example where the bass can sometimes be recorded to the left can seem to be too far to the left. Therefore a headphone with a smaller more intimate soundstage will create a more realistic and cohesive picture. Ideally its nice to have a headphone for larger works and one for smaller, and you don't have to own an HD800 for this. I find the K701's to be great for large orchestral peices.
I would say that the imaging of a headphone is far more important than soundstage. Having the image centered where everything is in its right place is important, even if confined to a smaller soundstage. This also includes the depth of the image, where the illusion of some instruments are nearer to you and some further back. The 650's have good realistic imaging with an average sized soundstage that works very well. They also have a good sense of "air" and although the music may not extend too far, it gives the impression that it is not restricted.   

 

[pjv1990]

HI there, just a simple question. 
 
When were the 650's launched/introduced?  

 

[MattTCG]

2003 I believe...

 

[Draygonn]

HI there, just a simple question. 

When were the 650's launched/introduced?  

2003

 In 2003, 10 years after the HD580, Sennheiser released the HD650. It seemed that they went around consulting almost everyone who cares about headphones, from high end audio people, engineers, journalists, and even internet forum members. From the HD650 Press Release:

“In their quest to develop even better dynamic headphones, Sennheiser consulted high-end specialists, sound engineers and trade journalists. They even consulted internet forums to complete the picture. This intensive research revealed an interesting fact: that listening habits have changed. Today, people prefer to “feel” the music rather than to analyze it. The result was the HD 650 – headphones that captivate the listener with the ultimate in lifelike reproduction, while still maintaining absolute precision.”

Indeed the research very accurately captured the kind of sound that people want to hear in a headphone. So accurate in fact, that even today many people still prefer the HD650 over the HD800′s sound. The HD650 become a headphone synonymous with its coloration, albeit a very pleasing coloration. While other headphones come and go, the HD580/600/650 continues to be respected among the enthusiasts circles, even by people who don’t enjoy them. At one point, the HD580, which is essentially a marked down HD600 is available for as low as $120. Never before has reference quality been so affordable. In the midst of the current race of $1,000 flagship headphones, I started to look back to the years when you can get the “best” headphone for merely $300.

http://www.headfonia.com/the-sennheiser-trio-hd580-hd600-hd650/

 

[Satellite_6]

If anyone is interested.

 

[bracko]

Quote:

If anyone is interested.
 

 
"[size=12.0pt]They are easier to modify and sound much better than the more-popular-than-god T50RP’s for instance." [/size]

 
10

 

[Draygonn]

"[SIZE=12pt]They are easier to modify and sound much better than the more-popular-than-god T50RP’s for instance."[/SIZE]

 

[SunshineReggae]

Quote:

If anyone is interested.
 

 
Rather refreshing to see someone actually use the term hi fi the right way, rather than resorting to the ridiculous "mid fi" nonsense.
 
10

 

[wje]

Quote:

If anyone is interested.
 

 
Quote:

 
"[size=12.0pt]They are easier to modify and sound much better than the more-popular-than-god T50RP’s for instance." [/size]

 
Quote:

 
Quote:

 
Rather refreshing to see someone actually use the term hi fi the right way, rather than resorting to the ridiculous "mid fi" nonsense.

 
 
Very good information on the HD-555.  I have a pair that I use daily and they get more use than my HD-600, HifiMAN HE-5LE and HifiMAN HE-4.  The HD-555 is a very unique headphone and should not be overlooked.  I don't know if my views would make it equal to the HD-650 and I don't mean that in a bad way.  My HD-555 had the foam removed, but then a smaller diamond shape of self-adhesive felt installed.  I then used a small layer of Newplast to line the inside of the cups to dampen them a bit.  The result?  A great pair of headphones for $30 (off of Craigslist) which I ordered a new pair of pads ($27.00, with shipping) from Sennheiser.
 
As to the Fostex T50RP headphones, I believe the HD-555 has a better sound stage.  I don't think that can be disputed because we're comparing an open vs. closed pair of headphones.  After working with 8+ pair of Fostex, I finally tired of them and don't have a single one in my collection at this time.  Meanwhile, the value of the HD-555 should not be overlooked.  They can be found as a Sennheiser refurbished headphone on Amazon for $59.99 + shipping.  I personally don't think it can get much better than this for the cost.
 
Now, back to the HD-650 discussion and appreciation.  

 
10

 

[brymuse]

Thanks for the soundstage info guys. I was intellectually trying to equate an internal headphone soundstage with my external speaker soundstage. They are very different things.

 

[serious7]

Quote:

 
 
 
 
 
Very good information on the HD-555.  I have a pair that I use daily and they get more use than my HD-600, HifiMAN HE-5LE and HifiMAN HE-4.  The HD-555 is a very unique headphone and should not be overlooked.  I don't know if my views would make it equal to the HD-650 and I don't mean that in a bad way.  My HD-555 had the foam removed, but then a smaller diamond shape of self-adhesive felt installed.  I then used a small layer of Newplast to line the inside of the cups to dampen them a bit.  The result?  A great pair of headphones for $30 (off of Craigslist) which I ordered a new pair of pads ($27.00, with shipping) from Sennheiser.
 
As to the Fostex T50RP headphones, I believe the HD-555 has a better sound stage.  I don't think that can be disputed because we're comparing an open vs. closed pair of headphones.  After working with 8+ pair of Fostex, I finally tired of them and don't have a single one in my collection at this time.  Meanwhile, the value of the HD-555 should not be overlooked.  They can be found as a Sennheiser refurbished headphone on Amazon for $59.99 + shipping.  I personally don't think it can get much better than this for the cost.
 
Now, back to the HD-650 discussion and appreciation.  

HD 555 sounds 90 percent identical to my hd 650. I don't think hd 650 is entirely worth its price anymore because of that. 

 

[wazzupi]

I've bought 2 hd555 in my life time and I can say that neither sounded in anyway in hell identical to the hd650s... im sorry. 

 

[joebobbilly]

Quote:

I've bought 2 hd555 in my life time and I can say that neither sounded in anyway in hell identical to the hd650s... im sorry. 

 
+1 (Thought I've only owned 1 pair... and a pair of HD 595... which are very similar)