Lorspeaker
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2010
- Posts
- 7,277
- Likes
- 522
add a tube....slurps.
Sennheiser HD650 & Massdrop HD6XX Impressions Thread
- Thread starter tangsta
- Start date
Hello :
For ALL HD650 fans I come bearing good news : if you are looking to buy your first pair, or, replacing an older pair, or someone you know is looking to buy a pair, Razordog.com has a pretty good deal going on right now
:
A pair of HD650 are presently selling for $499.95 but if you buy any item over $399 you enter a coupon code at checkout "razordog100" & get a $100 rebate; $499.95 becomes $399.95; also,
A pair of HD600 are presently selling at $399.95 but buy buying an item over $249.00 you enter a coupon code at checkout "razordog50" & get a $50 rebate; $399.95 becomes $349.95.
Thought I'd pass this along.
For ALL HD650 fans I come bearing good news : if you are looking to buy your first pair, or, replacing an older pair, or someone you know is looking to buy a pair, Razordog.com has a pretty good deal going on right now
A pair of HD650 are presently selling for $499.95 but if you buy any item over $399 you enter a coupon code at checkout "razordog100" & get a $100 rebate; $499.95 becomes $399.95; also,
A pair of HD600 are presently selling at $399.95 but buy buying an item over $249.00 you enter a coupon code at checkout "razordog50" & get a $50 rebate; $399.95 becomes $349.95.
Thought I'd pass this along.
MattTCG
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2012
- Posts
- 15,685
- Likes
- 3,874
This is a standing deal at this site..at least for the past year. So to truly get a "sale price" there you'd have to go lower than the prices you mention.
Rookie mistake. Up here in Canada the HD650 goes for $599 at some retailers so I got somewhat over zealous.
Doh !
joebobbilly
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2012
- Posts
- 585
- Likes
- 40
Haha, it's true... but I believe if you email Razordogaudio (Brian?) directly and let him know you're a member here, you might get even more discount.
Quote:
Hey thanks for that joebobbilly. As a matter of fact I'm looking at the DT 990 (600 ohm) on their site and will probably order them next week. I'll certainly try that, what the heck, nothing to lose
.
Hey thanks for that joebobbilly. As a matter of fact I'm looking at the DT 990 (600 ohm) on their site and will probably order them next week. I'll certainly try that, what the heck, nothing to lose
wolfetan44
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2012
- Posts
- 4,407
- Likes
- 84
I compared 2 headphones!
Packaging: I couldn't care less. Honestly, if people do care, obviously, a bigger company is going to have better packaging. I don't think Luis cares, and he shouldn't as it would raise prices. However, I like how the HD650 comes with a box to put your headphones in, as I am a big lover of boxes with headphones as they look good on my desk, and protect the headphone. But, nonetheless, I am happy LFF didn't include a box, as it would raise prices.
Looks: Couldn't care less. But for people who care, I like the Sennheiser HD650 in terms of looks more.
Build quality: I am not going to do any "tests" with these, but I am going to assume the Paradox is a bit more durable. The HD650 sometimes creaks and it can bother me, but I feel the creaks won't do much, whereas the T50RP never creak, thus I see them as a bit more durable. All in all, I cannot see one breaking in the near future at all.
Comfort: I think its a preference of velour or leather. I prefer velour over leather as its more airy, and more cushy to me. The Paradox are still EXTREMELY comfortable, and have low clamp, and have a very nice suspension headband. Leather can sometimes make me sweat as I am a very hot person and get hot in 50 degree weather, so take that with a grain of salt. Anyways, velour will always win out for me.
Soundstage: Closed vs. open, open will always win in the soundstage department. Now for a closed headphone, I think the Paradox have an ok soundstage, its not very airy, and not very big, but I don't expect a big soundstage from a closed headphone. Now for the HD650, as an open headphone, its very small, but has a lot of height to me and is half and half airy, overall, both don't have very good soundstages for their headphone specifications.
Dealing with Luis: He's a great guy and always deals with me on Google Talk. He included some personal goodies for me, which was extremely sweet. Overall, amazing experience with Luis, and I still talk to him.
Lets get to the sound!
Basically, this part of the review will be me naming some of my favorite songs at the moment, and writing where each have their upfalls and downfalls. I'm sure you guys have seen this type of review before.
Black Skinhead- Yeezus- Kanye West-
Paradox: Is a fast headphone, so it really helps out the headphone in hip hop. The Paradox is a very neutral headphone, so nothing is very emphasized. I like Kanyes voice on the Paradox better, more detailed.
HD650: The sub bass is emphasized, for hip hop, this is good. The HD650 here is a more "fun" headphone, but its not very fast. It is a bit slow on this song. The soundstage helps the HD650 a bit.
Common grounds between each headphone: Both the headphones strong points are their mids.
Which one did I prefer? Nobody wins here, I thought they were both very equal headphones on this song. I think it matters what you want in a hip hop song, do you want fast and detailed like the Paradox? Or bassy and slow like the HD650? If anything, I thought the Paradox won out by a bit.
To The Last- Overgrown- James Blake-
Paradox: Synthesizer sounds better on the Paradox, so the Paradox definitely wins out here. Also, James Blakes voice is much more detailed on the Paradox, much more. I actually had to look if I was listening to the same song.
HD650: Highs are recessed on the HD650, which make it a nice, easy start to the song. I do not consider synthesizer sounds HD650's forte, which is used a lot on James Blakes music. Lows are definitely emphasized on the HD650 more.
Common grounds between each headphone: Small soundstage on both the headphones do not help out, I really wish they had better soundstages for this song.
Which one did I prefer? Paradox wins, synthesizer sounds a lot better, more detailed.
Coronado- Haclyon Digest- Deerhunter-
Paradox: Guitar on the Paradox on this song sounds much better. The voice on this song seems to have gotten a veil off of it(Paradox). Song sounded MUCH better on the Paradox.
HD650: Things sound jumbled up on this song(HD650), I have never liked rock on the HD650s, but people seem to love rock on the HD650s. But what do I know?
Common grounds between each headphone: The saxophone on this song(not when it is soloing) can be very recessed, and hard to hear for both headphones. Maybe it is the way Deerhunters songs are mastered?
Which one did I prefer? Paradox wins by a landslide. No contest. None!
Don't Swallow The Cap- Trouble Will Find Me- The National-
Paradox: Voice sounds amazing, low and detailed. The girls voice on this song comes in clearly and perfectly. The bass on this song is a bit one dimensional. The upper(strangely, not for this song) and lower mids(his voice) on the Paradox are fantastic. The guitar and violin were killed because of the Paradox's small sound stage, making them sound very close to my ear, which made them hard to hear.
HD650: The guitar on this song comes in clearer, and the bass is more extended. I do not like his voice on the HD650, its like his voice is combined with a weird lower sound. Not a fan. The violin on this song sounds a lot better.
Common grounds between each headphone: None.
Which one did I prefer? This one had me a bit tricked, I came in expecting the Paradox to destroy the HD650. Alas, I call a tie! Guiter and violin sound better on the HD650 but the voice on the Paradox sounds a lot better.
Hannah Hunt- Modern Vampires Of The City- Vampire Weekend-
Paradox: The voice on this song, is only ok. Nothing like the HD650. Its detailed, but not sweet. I wouldn't use any of the adjectives I used on the HD650 to describe the Paradox. The tiniest bit of sibilance is present here, tiny bit. The guitar on this song is very detailed, and sounds less veiled than the HD650. The shouting part on this song is less relaxing than on the HD650.
HD650: Ezra's voice sounds absolutely fantastic, the HD650 really loves songs with the voice as the front of the song. Piano sounds great, detailed and light. Jeez, the voice is amazing. Detailed, relaxing, sweet, and romantic. Reason I love the HD650. At the end part of the song, when the singer starts to sort of shout, its awesome on the HD650, its relaxing. The HD650 at work! The bass is extended and tight, and a bit fun.
Common grounds between each headphone- None.
Which one did I prefer? HD650 by far. His voice on the HD650, amazing.
Conclusion
I know you guys probably read this and thought," Wow, the HD650 isn't a very good headphone." But it is, maybe not in terms of sounding better than the Paradox, but for musical enjoyment, I love them. Paradox is an amazing headphone, and I preferred it for a lot of songs. They both do things amazingly, the HD650 with reproducing voices, and the Paradox with genres like rock. I usually reach for the Paradox as more music I listen to does not have the voice at the front of the music, but when I am listening to music like that, the HD650 is always picked up. All in all, I would not sell either in a long time.
Set up used: Computer > O2/ODAC > HD650/Paradox
Sennheiser HD650 VS. Paradox by LFF
Packaging: I couldn't care less. Honestly, if people do care, obviously, a bigger company is going to have better packaging. I don't think Luis cares, and he shouldn't as it would raise prices. However, I like how the HD650 comes with a box to put your headphones in, as I am a big lover of boxes with headphones as they look good on my desk, and protect the headphone. But, nonetheless, I am happy LFF didn't include a box, as it would raise prices.
Looks: Couldn't care less. But for people who care, I like the Sennheiser HD650 in terms of looks more.
Build quality: I am not going to do any "tests" with these, but I am going to assume the Paradox is a bit more durable. The HD650 sometimes creaks and it can bother me, but I feel the creaks won't do much, whereas the T50RP never creak, thus I see them as a bit more durable. All in all, I cannot see one breaking in the near future at all.
Comfort: I think its a preference of velour or leather. I prefer velour over leather as its more airy, and more cushy to me. The Paradox are still EXTREMELY comfortable, and have low clamp, and have a very nice suspension headband. Leather can sometimes make me sweat as I am a very hot person and get hot in 50 degree weather, so take that with a grain of salt. Anyways, velour will always win out for me.
Soundstage: Closed vs. open, open will always win in the soundstage department. Now for a closed headphone, I think the Paradox have an ok soundstage, its not very airy, and not very big, but I don't expect a big soundstage from a closed headphone. Now for the HD650, as an open headphone, its very small, but has a lot of height to me and is half and half airy, overall, both don't have very good soundstages for their headphone specifications.
Dealing with Luis: He's a great guy and always deals with me on Google Talk. He included some personal goodies for me, which was extremely sweet. Overall, amazing experience with Luis, and I still talk to him.
Lets get to the sound!
Basically, this part of the review will be me naming some of my favorite songs at the moment, and writing where each have their upfalls and downfalls. I'm sure you guys have seen this type of review before.
Black Skinhead- Yeezus- Kanye West-
Paradox: Is a fast headphone, so it really helps out the headphone in hip hop. The Paradox is a very neutral headphone, so nothing is very emphasized. I like Kanyes voice on the Paradox better, more detailed.
HD650: The sub bass is emphasized, for hip hop, this is good. The HD650 here is a more "fun" headphone, but its not very fast. It is a bit slow on this song. The soundstage helps the HD650 a bit.
Common grounds between each headphone: Both the headphones strong points are their mids.
Which one did I prefer? Nobody wins here, I thought they were both very equal headphones on this song. I think it matters what you want in a hip hop song, do you want fast and detailed like the Paradox? Or bassy and slow like the HD650? If anything, I thought the Paradox won out by a bit.
To The Last- Overgrown- James Blake-
Paradox: Synthesizer sounds better on the Paradox, so the Paradox definitely wins out here. Also, James Blakes voice is much more detailed on the Paradox, much more. I actually had to look if I was listening to the same song.
HD650: Highs are recessed on the HD650, which make it a nice, easy start to the song. I do not consider synthesizer sounds HD650's forte, which is used a lot on James Blakes music. Lows are definitely emphasized on the HD650 more.
Common grounds between each headphone: Small soundstage on both the headphones do not help out, I really wish they had better soundstages for this song.
Which one did I prefer? Paradox wins, synthesizer sounds a lot better, more detailed.
Coronado- Haclyon Digest- Deerhunter-
Paradox: Guitar on the Paradox on this song sounds much better. The voice on this song seems to have gotten a veil off of it(Paradox). Song sounded MUCH better on the Paradox.
HD650: Things sound jumbled up on this song(HD650), I have never liked rock on the HD650s, but people seem to love rock on the HD650s. But what do I know?
Common grounds between each headphone: The saxophone on this song(not when it is soloing) can be very recessed, and hard to hear for both headphones. Maybe it is the way Deerhunters songs are mastered?
Which one did I prefer? Paradox wins by a landslide. No contest. None!
Don't Swallow The Cap- Trouble Will Find Me- The National-
Paradox: Voice sounds amazing, low and detailed. The girls voice on this song comes in clearly and perfectly. The bass on this song is a bit one dimensional. The upper(strangely, not for this song) and lower mids(his voice) on the Paradox are fantastic. The guitar and violin were killed because of the Paradox's small sound stage, making them sound very close to my ear, which made them hard to hear.
HD650: The guitar on this song comes in clearer, and the bass is more extended. I do not like his voice on the HD650, its like his voice is combined with a weird lower sound. Not a fan. The violin on this song sounds a lot better.
Common grounds between each headphone: None.
Which one did I prefer? This one had me a bit tricked, I came in expecting the Paradox to destroy the HD650. Alas, I call a tie! Guiter and violin sound better on the HD650 but the voice on the Paradox sounds a lot better.
Hannah Hunt- Modern Vampires Of The City- Vampire Weekend-
Paradox: The voice on this song, is only ok. Nothing like the HD650. Its detailed, but not sweet. I wouldn't use any of the adjectives I used on the HD650 to describe the Paradox. The tiniest bit of sibilance is present here, tiny bit. The guitar on this song is very detailed, and sounds less veiled than the HD650. The shouting part on this song is less relaxing than on the HD650.
HD650: Ezra's voice sounds absolutely fantastic, the HD650 really loves songs with the voice as the front of the song. Piano sounds great, detailed and light. Jeez, the voice is amazing. Detailed, relaxing, sweet, and romantic. Reason I love the HD650. At the end part of the song, when the singer starts to sort of shout, its awesome on the HD650, its relaxing. The HD650 at work! The bass is extended and tight, and a bit fun.
Common grounds between each headphone- None.
Which one did I prefer? HD650 by far. His voice on the HD650, amazing.
Conclusion
I know you guys probably read this and thought," Wow, the HD650 isn't a very good headphone." But it is, maybe not in terms of sounding better than the Paradox, but for musical enjoyment, I love them. Paradox is an amazing headphone, and I preferred it for a lot of songs. They both do things amazingly, the HD650 with reproducing voices, and the Paradox with genres like rock. I usually reach for the Paradox as more music I listen to does not have the voice at the front of the music, but when I am listening to music like that, the HD650 is always picked up. All in all, I would not sell either in a long time.
Set up used: Computer > O2/ODAC > HD650/Paradox
joebobbilly
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2012
- Posts
- 585
- Likes
- 40
Nice comparison, never heard the Paradox myself, but I'd be curious if one ever showed up @ a meet. If you're going to a local meet, be sure to try and listen to the HD 650s on a better amp/DAC... they scale up very well, and if you get the chance to hear them balanced... the soundstage improvement is a clear step up.
wolfetan44
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2012
- Posts
- 4,407
- Likes
- 84
Quote:
Trust me, the O2/ODAC is KILLING me.
Nice comparison, never heard the Paradox myself, but I'd be curious if one ever showed up @ a meet. If you're going to a local meet, be sure to try and listen to the HD 650s on a better amp/DAC... they scale up very well, and if you get the chance to hear them balanced... the soundstage improvement is a clear step up.
Trust me, the O2/ODAC is KILLING me.
Draygonn
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2011
- Posts
- 1,288
- Likes
- 388
Exactly why I love the 650s. They don't have the technical abilities of the orthos but they just sound so damn good! The 650s and T50RPs can compliment each other well.
Nice write up Wolfetan.
wolfetan44
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2012
- Posts
- 4,407
- Likes
- 84
ButtUglyJeff
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Posts
- 2,904
- Likes
- 376
scolaiw
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2013
- Posts
- 361
- Likes
- 48
Soooooo... I just turned my Woo WA6 to 11 (no, not 11 O'clock but the figurative 11) and apart from the fact that I may have permanently damaged my hearing, the bass slam on the HD 650 was AMAZING.
I don't suggest anyone do this. Ever.
But if you do, be prepared to fall in love with the HD 650 all over again.
I don't suggest anyone do this. Ever.
But if you do, be prepared to fall in love with the HD 650 all over again.
Lorspeaker
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2010
- Posts
- 7,277
- Likes
- 522
Quote:
ya this baby scales n swims with the shark$$$
wolf....once again gud write up!
Nice comparison, never heard the Paradox myself, but I'd be curious if one ever showed up @ a meet. If you're going to a local meet, be sure to try and listen to the HD 650s on a better amp/DAC... they scale up very well, and if you get the chance to hear them balanced... the soundstage improvement is a clear step up.
ya this baby scales n swims with the shark$$$
wolf....once again gud write up!
Users who are viewing this thread
