[SunshineReggae]

It's an interesting video nonetheless. For what it's worth, I tend to disagree for the most part. I think what the HD600 offers over the 650 is the natural sound. It just sounds so clean and real; there's really no other headphone I know that sounds as natural as the 600.
Having said that, I do feel the 600 lacks in bass just a little and I feel that the 650 adds appreciable bass response, although I do think that on both headphones, subbass could perhaps be a little stronger. I also feel the 650 is more neutral; with the 600 I always get a distinct feeling that the treble stands out ever so slightly. While it is welcome and it is airy and enjoyable more than anything else, I feel it's the 650 that really sounds balanced, with the sound very well integrated and unified. I think that anyone who experiences the 650 as having rolled off treble and too much bass, probably amps it with some kind of impedance mismatch. I tend to get that effect when I plug my 650's in my speaker amp. At the same time, that effect is rather enjoyable on the 600.

 

[Draygonn]

Also, isn't the 650 already up on the Wall of Fame at IF, not the 600? 

Yes, but he will soon place the 600 on the WoF and put the 650 into Stuff We Like. I guess winning the What's the Most Important Headphone in the History of Headphone Enthusiasm? poll necessitated a WoF spot.

 

[Pianist]

I never heard HD600, but HD650 does NOT sound too dark to my ears at all. I also have HE-500 which Tyll described as almost neutral, with a mild treble spike, if I remember correctly. Well, I find HE-500 a bit darker sounding than HD650 actually, at least in the presence region, which makes a lot of music sound a bit more snappy on HD650 to me. For example, I find electric guitars bang on with HD650, but not quite as raw and enjoyable (but still great) with HE-500. The upper highs may be a bit more subdued on the HD650, but only slightly so. They can easily be brought out with a tiny bit of EQ.
 
Check out=3241&graphID[1]=853&graphID[2]=&graphID[3]=&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones] these graphs BTW. HE-500 is a little bit (5 db) brighter in the highs overall than HD650 and the former is actually a little too bright compared to neutral in the mid treble due to that peak. HD650 mid treble response looks perfect to me - very neutral. The highs above 10 kHz may be a little dark with HD650, but there isn't much going on in music in those frequencies anyway and they are not terribly rolled off or anything - it's nothing a half-decent EQ can't fix if one finds them dark.
 
Now =3241&graphID[1]=853&graphID[2]=573&graphID[3]=&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones]let's graph HD600 alongside HD650 and HE-500. if I am not mistaken, with over the ear headphones, the human ear naturally amplifies the response at 2-4 kHz due to ear canal resonance and HD600s emphasis there is unnecessary. Actually, I think that that peak will make it sound a bit "shouty". HD650 has the perfect presence region response IMO. HE-500 is just a bit relaxed there. Now, the upper highs are not rolled off at all on HD600 on that graph, but from what I understand, the highs in headphones need to be rolled off a little to make up for the driver's proximity to the ears, otherwise they will sound too bright. So I think HE-500's response looks about right there, while HD650 may be just a tiny bit recessed, and HD600 looks like it may be a tad too bright actually. Maybe I interpret the graphs a bit wrong. Just my 2 cents.
 
Quote:

Yes, but he will soon place the 600 on the WoF and put the 650 into Stuff We Like. I guess winning the What's the Most Important Headphone in the History of Headphone Enthusiasm? poll necessitated a WoF spot.

 
What kind of headphone expert would put a headphone on Wall of Fame and then take it down because he changed his mind? That's ridiculous IMO. Tyll needs to be more objective!

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Yes, but he will soon place the 600 on the WoF and put the 650 into Stuff We Like. I guess winning the What's the Most Important Headphone in the History of Headphone Enthusiasm? poll necessitated a WoF spot.

I put the HD 650 on the Wall early on because I knew they were great and hadn't done the comparison.  Now that I've had the chance, I find myself preferring the 600.  Add the $100 difference, and I feel it's the better buy. 
 
The poll really didn't have too much to do with the decision as the HD 650 wasn't available as a choice. I was tempted to put headphone into the poll as families. Certainly it makes sense to do the HD 580/600/650 as one choice, same with the Denon Dx000.  But then you have to start thinking about where to stop on the Grados. Anyway in the end I decided to just have single headphones.  I chose the HD 600 because it was around early in the game and probably had more influence as such.
 
I have to admit that the whole reason for the poll was to justify my feeling that the HD 600 was the most important headphone in the hobby. If I'd have put the Beats on there it might have turned out differently.  But the reason for the Beats' importance is just so perverse in my mind that I didn't want it to taint the poll.
 
To remain OT here, I think the HD 650 is a great phone as well, there's not that much difference between the two, and the differences are such that personal taste is the arbiter, not technical performance.
 
What amps do you guys like for the 600/650? Both tube and solid state.

 

[IcedTea]

both 

 
hybrid amp lol 

 

[CoolBurn]

At the moment I use the Burson Soloist with my HD650 and I really enjoy the sound coming from them, lush yet detailed.
 
I admit I've never heard the HD600  but I just don't find the HD650 veiled at all (enough treble for me really !) and since I don't find the bass too prominent on the 650 either, I guess I wouldn't prefer the HD600 to the 650.  Do you think otherwise ?
 
Thank you Tyll for your article and all the information about disassembling the headphones, much appreciated

 

[HK-47]

Given the similarities between the HD600 and HD650, I kind of agree that the HD600 is the better buy, at the current prices. A lot of us here probably got a HD650 when it was barely more expensive than the HD600 on Amazon. Heck, there was even a short time when the HD600 was more expensive. 
 
Right now though, it's kinda tough to justify the extra $100 for the HD650, despite the tougher mesh and better cable.
 
That said, I don't find the HD650 to be veiled. In fact, I haven't felt the need to upgrade for about a year and a half now, which is an eternity in our hobby. 

 

[CoolBurn]

Here, on amazon.fr, the hd600 is 20 euros (about 25 dollars) more expensive than the hd650 at the moment, and already were when I bought my HD650 back in january 2010 !!!
 
So, what do you think, isn't the HD650 the best buy under those circumstances (aside from the fact that I enjoy its sound anyway) ?

 

[Deni5]

I received my HD-650 yesterday and I enjoy it very much. A month ago I got the HD-600. That purchase was based on reading reviews and looking at frequency data - to me it seemed that I would prefer the HD-600 over the HD-650 and yes I do actually. But really there isn't that much difference - I only sense it in bass and treble. Both are great. It's not like I think that HD-600 is way better than HD-650. I prefer HD-650 for "modern" music where a little more bass helps out. So if you bought either one - congratulations on owning an awesome headphone.

 

[TokenGesture]

Quote:

Here, on amazon.fr, the hd600 is 20 euros (about 25 dollars) more expensive than the hd650 at the moment, and already were when I bought my HD650 back in january 2010 !!!
 
So, what do you think, isn't the HD650 the best buy under those circumstances (aside from the fact that I enjoy its sound anyway) ?

In the UK, the 650 is currently only £30 more expensive than the 600 on amazon...

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

I put the HD 650 on the Wall early on because I knew they were great and hadn't done the comparison.  Now that I've had the chance, I find myself preferring the 600.  Add the $100 difference, and I feel it's the better buy. 
 
The poll really didn't have too much to do with the decision as the HD 650 wasn't available as a choice. I was tempted to put headphone into the poll as families. Certainly it makes sense to do the HD 580/600/650 as one choice, same with the Denon Dx000.  But then you have to start thinking about where to stop on the Grados. Anyway in the end I decided to just have single headphones.  I chose the HD 600 because it was around early in the game and probably had more influence as such.
 
I have to admit that the whole reason for the poll was to justify my feeling that the HD 600 was the most important headphone in the hobby. If I'd have put the Beats on there it might have turned out differently.  But the reason for the Beats' importance is just so perverse in my mind that I didn't want it to taint the poll.
 
To remain OT here, I think the HD 650 is a great phone as well, there's not that much difference between the two, and the differences are such that personal taste is the arbiter, not technical performance.
 
What amps do you guys like for the 600/650? Both tube and solid state.

What surprises me is that, of the low-end amps I have (FiiO E9, JDS Labs O2, and the Schiit Magni), the HD650 is pretty much impervious to amps - it sounds like an HD650 on just about everything - maybe a little bit warmer on the E9 and a little thinner on the O2.  With the HE-500, the Magni transforms them into totally different (and better) headphones than either of the other amps.  Granted, my amps are all inexpensive...I have not had the chance to sample the HD650 or the HE-500 on a truly hi-fi amp - but the HD650 just do not resolve the way that the HE-500 do.  The sound-stage is miles better, and the resolution is immaculate, keeping in mind my very limited experience.  The Magni also transformed the HE-500 from a 'removed' but clear headphone into a headphone wherein I can actually enter the music.  The HD650 is laid back and the mid-bass hump is syrupy goodness, but it doesn't 'drive' you the way that the HE-500 on the Magni does.
 
And no, I don't have charts to back up any of what I'm saying.  If the O2 taught me anything, it's not to trust anything other than my ears.  I do try to keep expectation bias in mind, however.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 

What amps do you guys like for the 600/650? Both tube and solid state.

 
Loving the Headroom Micro + Astrodyne with the HD-650 and Q701. I imagine I have a weird HD-650 because it would probably measure a tad different than most. Not much of a  mid-bass hump on this one and not too dark.
 
I also quite like the Schiit Magni with the HD-650 and that's even over the Asgard 1 for whatever reason.
 
Never have been a huge fan of the HD-600 at all and prefer the slightly different sound of the HD-580. My HD-580 sounds like it has less mid-bass and more forward upper mids than my HD-600. This HD-580 actually sounds clearer. Weird.
 
Someday I want to try the Lyr with the HD-650, but I've found I'm a bit worried about possibly making the HD-650 any warmer than it already is.

 

[jazzerdave]

Quote:

 
What amps do you guys like for the 600/650? Both tube and solid state.

 
Decware CSP2+.  It's a great match.

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

What amps do you guys like for the 600/650? Both tube and solid state.

Yeah hybrid for me too. The old Xcan V3 was the best amp I heard with the 650's.

 

[bracko]

Yeah hybrid for me too. The old Xcan V3 was the best amp I heard with the 650's.

It is a great combinatipn indeed. Made in heaven.