[Gilly87]

So true. I agree the HD800 is in a different league of quality: imaging, soundstage size, and overall realism of the sound are on a different level than HD650. Maybe not twice as good, but noticeably better. I enjoy the HD650 at least as much though.
 
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I humbly disagree. In terms of technical performance, I really do think the HD 800 is about twice as good as the 650s. The HD 800 really is an engineering masterpiece. It's just that due to the nature of sound, I believe the relationship between technical ability and sound quality is logarithmic. That is to say, every time technical ability "doubles" the perceived audio quality only increases a constant increment. 

That doesn't mean much though... because at the end of the day technical ability is not what matters most (neither is SQ). What matters is you hear what you like and enjoy. If you truly enjoy wooly crappy bass, who's to say you shouldn't be allowed to indulge in your pair of beats? Are the LCD 3s better than the HD 800s? Who cares! Do you want to listen to and enjoy some rich luscious and dark tones or would you prefer to hear a cleaner, neutral and more transparent window into your music? That should be what you base your decision on. 

As such, I often choose the 650s over the 800s and vice versa. 

 

[Stoney]

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800s don't need mods. I've got the 650s and can switch quickly between the 2 . To me the 800s are just more neutral with better bass quantity and quality/extension and better imaging . Treble is very slightly more pronounced with air and speed and it's very clean( no grain whatsoever )but that just makes them transparent rather than slightly polite and rolled off like the 650s. All in my humble opinion of course.

 
Some are more bothered by the treble peak than others.  At the Schiit booth I was shown their modified pair.  Extensive damping.  

 

[Stoney]

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Once you start talking about $1k headphones the diminishing returns come into play. Is the 800>650? Probably.. Is it 2x better? Probably not. 

 
If the 800 is not bothersome to you in the treble, then yes, it is twice as good.  
Me, I'm sticking to the 650.

 

[James-uk]

Some records have got more forward treble , I used to think the 6k peak was responsible for this so I would switch to the 650s and it was there at more or less the same volume. I realised that maybe the 6k peak wasn't really an issue , I mean almost all instruments apart from the pipe organ only have any sound in the 6k region as harmonics /air so I think it's not really an issue. If people hadn't seen a frequency response graph and as long as they were using a good amp they would never notice any issue with the infamous '6k peak'.

 

[James-uk]

I suppose it's a bit like the HD6xx veil. It doesn't really exist yet it became a big deal. The 800s are supposed to have some of the best resolution in the audio world yet when I switch to the 650s I don't feel I'm missing a single thing in terms if detail it's just a little more laid back that's all.

 

[joebobbilly]

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The HD700: I've listened for a while with Senn's own amp.  On hand were HD650 and HD800.  My take?  700 is colored.  Very colored.  Imaging no longer was relevant.  The coloration I heard might be described as "cupped hands" but you might have to be British and 50 years old to get what I'm implying.    I'd go straight for the HD800 and modify the hell out of them with damping material to reduce that treble resonance or its audibility.  

+1.
 
Listened to them at a meet and I definitely feel that they are coloured... I guess they can be considered "fun sounding"? Certainly sounds like an attempt at a hybrid between the HD650 and the HD800, but in the end just seems to not do either one very well. So for the price and what it's siblings offer... I'd easily pass on it and jump straight to the HD800.

 

[wafflezz]

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The HD700: I've listened for a while with Senn's own amp.  On hand were HD650 and HD800.  My take?  700 is colored.  Very colored.  Imaging no longer was relevant.  The coloration I heard might be described as "cupped hands" but you might have to be British and 50 years old to get what I'm implying.    I'd go straight for the HD800 and modify the hell out of them with damping material to reduce that treble resonance or its audibility.  

Having to modify a $1500 headphone for resonance issues? Oh my.
Lol I spent 500 dollars on the hd650 and I expected sonic perfection. They sure haven't let me down yet either which is great

 

[Stoney]

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If people hadn't seen a frequency response graph and as long as they were using a good amp they would never notice any issue with the infamous '6k peak'.

 
Incorrect.  I have no place commenting on what you like. But I (and others) heard the HD800 forward treble immediately and on every pair, every amp I've tried over the years.  
 
Some records don't excite the resonance, but most do.  Many folks find it unacceptable, others find it tolerable; nobody denies that it is more forward in that range.  
 
I had never seen plots of headphones I had heard until after I heard them.  Even the LCD2 and 3 have a difference in upper midrange / lower treble that I heard then later saw plots that showed it. Same with HE-500's tiny treble emphasis which, to my ear, is just a bit too much on some recordings; but most folks don't have my annoying sensitivity at that particular frequency range.   

 

[rnadell]

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Incorrect.  I have no place commenting on what you like. But I (and others) heard the HD800 forward treble immediately and on every pair, every amp I've tried over the years.  
 
Some records don't excite the resonance, but most do.  Many folks find it unacceptable, others find it tolerable; nobody denies that it is more forward in that range.  
 
I had never seen plots of headphones I had heard until after I heard them.  Even the LCD2 and 3 have a difference in upper midrange / lower treble that I heard then later saw plots that showed it. Same with HE-500's tiny treble emphasis which, to my ear, is just a bit too much on some recordings; but most folks don't have my annoying sensitivity at that particular frequency range.   

+1 

 

[tdockweiler]

Tried some new HD-650 pads today. Not much change but made everything sound actually a little worse.
A tiny bit of extra mid-bass and you can almost feel the improvement in low bass presence. The sound feels almost a little more muffled sounding though due to maybe a little extra warmth. Not much.
Notice zero improvements in soundstage size etc.Sounds almost darker with the new pads, but that's probably just my imagination.
 
All the differences are minor but still interesting. The only thing wrong with my old pads is that they went a little flat. Sound differences could also be due to replacing the old foam backing. Probably not audible though.
 
Maybe I could flatten my new pads for a week with lots of heavy books

 
BTW one lesson i've learned is to not press down onto the pads when you install them. If you remove and install them too much it just makes them go flat faster. At one point I did this so much with my old pair that I thought they were supposed to be angled pads!
 
Still convinced I have a slightly weirder version of the HD-650.

 

[MattTCG]

It's okay to be weird tdock. Welcome to the club. 

 I'd give the pads a week or so and see if they settle in. If not then I'd give them the warm water bath treatment. 
 
If that doesn't work then send them to me. 

 

[donkeanu]

got mine just today..out-of-the-box sound quality was not that impressive after an hour of listening..now burning-in..

 

[Uchiya]

Oooh, baby.  I'm always selling mine and going back.  They're not perfect, far from it but oh so damn good!

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

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got mine just today..out-of-the-box sound quality was not that impressive after an hour of listening..now burning-in..

I will be very curious of your impressions of this combo.  I always thought the Mogi/Magni would be a great budget pairing with the HD650s.
 
 
And give the phones some time.  They need to grow on you a bit....

 

[GaryPham]

I've owned the M/M combo and ran them with my DT880s and HD650s before and though they were a decent match.  Are you running them bit-perfect through Foobar?  To me, it was a night/day difference running it with kernal streaming vs non-perfect.