[Lorspeaker]

when i had the x-canv3 it worked beautifully on my hd600...airy. 
i guess we wont know how each amp will synergize with each can with individual ears
until they are all plugged in
 
sold the xcanV3 cos i still like the idea of a thick powrcord sticking into the butt of an amp

 

[cswann1]

 
What's this rumour I hear about the HD650's being carbon fiber? 

 
 
 
I don't know this for sure but I'd bet fairly large that there is no actual woven carbon fiber in there.    I did a quick google search and the words carbon fiber do come up in a lot of the pages, which are either product reviews or product description pages on retailer websites.
 
So I decided to get it straight from the horse mouth and went to Sennheiser USA's website and pulled up the HD650 data sheet, which is really just a brochure in PDF.  Page 6 of that document describes the build of the headphone and nowhere does it say anything about carbon fiber.  This is the text from that page:
 
"Perfect in every detail. The experience Sennheiser gained in designing the legendary Orpheus headphones has been 
incorporated into the HD 650. They are superbly well balanced with crisp bass, excellent mid frequency response and a gentle, 
pleasantly natural treble. The HD 650 are the first dynamic headphones with such authentic and natural sound reproduction, 
both accurate and transparent.
The technology is innovative, and the workmanship immaculate. A specially developed acoustic silk ensures uniform precision
damping over the entire frequency range and reduces harmonic distortion to an incredible 0.05%. The headphones are fitted 
with hand-selected, close-tolerance systems and the latest computer-design techniques have been used for the neodymium
magnet system geometry to reduce intermodulation and harmonic distorion to a previously unattainable level.
The extremely lightweight aluminum voice coils ensure an extremely fast transient response; while neodymium iron magnets
ensure maximum efficiency. The diaphragm was designed using the latest simulation technology. The design has a refined 
titanium-silver finish and the ear-pieces feature 62% open metal mesh covers. The high-quality oxygen-free copper (OFC) cable 
was specially developed for the HD 650. It is extremely resilient thanks to its Kevlar fiber reinforcement, creating the perfect 
link with minimum sensitivity to handling noise.
Words are one thing – experience is another. The HD 650’s really have to be heard to be fully appreciated. 
So take your most demanding recordings to your nearest Sennheiser dealer and hear the music as it really is."
 
 
 
 
Also, going to Headroom.com on this page Tyll talks at length about the HG6XX phones and carbon fiber is only mentioned with regard to the HD580 Jubilee.  That headphone featured a carbon fiber graphic but was not wrapped in actual woven carbon fiber.  

 

[pdrm360]

  Just depends on how warm you like and the type of music you like I suppose. The bass never gets loose or bloomy to me.

OK, isn't the Vali warmer than the Lyr for the HD650?

 

[olor1n]

 
Just depends on how warm you like and the type of music you like I suppose. The bass never gets loose or bloomy to me.

OK, isn't the Vali warmer than the Lyr for the HD650?

Where are you getting these impressions from that the Vali is overly warm? There are pages upon pages in the Vali thread debunking this. If you're going to add to the noise at least provide more elaborate posts - otherwise you are just helping to drown out helpful information and distorting the truth.

And no, the Vali is NOT warmer than the Lyr. The benefit of going the Lyr over the Vali is in driving more demanding loads - ie orthos - and the option to tweak the sound via tube rolling. The Vali beats the Lyr in depth of soundstage, extension and smoothness of upper registers, and ability to resolve fine details.

 

[jimmers]

 

 
What's this rumour I hear about the HD650's being carbon fiber? 

 

 
I don't know this for sure but I'd bet fairly large that there is no actual woven carbon fiber in there.
...was not wrapped in actual woven carbon fiber.  

 
Carbon fibre reinforcement doesn't have to be in the form of woven cloth (as in Aerospace, FI, supercars etc.) it can be added to the resin in chopped fibre form which means the "plastic" can be moulded in the usual manner. Judging by the lightness and strength of the HD650 frame I'd be surprised if there wasn't some lightweight high modulus reinforcement in the "plastic".
 
(reviews made some years ago seemed to be quoting Sennheiser about the CF thing.)
 
Maybe I'll grind the paint off my HD650 and have a look for you

.

 

[daigo]

   
If there's a set of headphones that I want to give me tinnitus, It's these. 

 
Please save your hearing!  You'll appreciate being able to hear later on in life if you listen at too high levels too often.

 

[ru57y]

Shame! I don't have enough things made of CF  
 
@jimmers - yeah there's definitely something in there. compared to my HD558's they're feather-light. All my stuff gets scratched up from excessive use anyway after a few years so I'll let you know what's lurking under that luxurious paint! 
 
@daigo - after years of working in a video studio at ridiculous volume levels I've survived so far! Intentionally breaking my 'drums would be some seriously bad mojo, that being said... NIN - Beside you in time on Blu-Ray demands to be played at "near" dangerous volumes so it feels like you're there again love that stereo mix. 
 
sweet as!

 

[RAZRr1275]

Which cable would you guys pick for the 650 between a Canare cable and the Double Helix Nucleotide?

 

[wolfetan44]

  Which cable would you guys pick for the 650 between a Canare cable and the Double Helix Nucleotide?

Double Helix. Using Nucleotide for soldering is a joy, and it looks fantastic

 

[pdrm360]

Where are you getting these impressions from that the Vali is overly warm? There are pages upon pages in the Vali thread debunking this. If you're going to add to the noise at least provide more elaborate posts - otherwise you are just helping to drown out helpful information and distorting the truth.

And no, the Vali is NOT warmer than the Lyr. The benefit of going the Lyr over the Vali is in driving more demanding loads - ie orthos - and the option to tweak the sound via tube rolling. The Vali beats the Lyr in depth of soundstage, extension and smoothness of upper registers, and ability to resolve fine details.

 
I know the the Vali is warmer than the Magni, I just heard it one time, but I've never compared it directly with the Lyr.  The Asgard is also warmer than the Magni but it pairs well with the HD650.  In-overall I prefer a brighter amp than the Lyr for the HD650, something like the Valhalla, so I'm trying find how the Vali sounds. 

 

[Lorspeaker]

how about a Meier concerto... it is one of the brighter amps i had b4. ( iike a Lyr but not as congested)

 

[pdrm360]

  how about a Meier concerto... it is one of the brighter amps i had b4. ( iike a Lyr but not as congested)

 
Thanks for the suggestion!  Actually I'm looking for a small & cheap amp for my bedroom. 

 

[Lorspeaker]

jus buy the Vali...and report back. 

​

 

[WraithZA]

Hi All,
 
I've been struggling to decide on an upgrade to my current setup of PC -> Asus Xonar Essence STX -> HD 650.
 
I've got a couple of questions that I hope you folks will be able to help me with:
 
1. How decent is the DAC on the STX. Would it be feasible to just use the STX and purchase a more expensive amp (i.e. a Schiit Valhala) and connect via the line out of the card?
 
2. Should I rather get a discrete stack such as a Modi+Vali (I'm leaning towards Vali over Magni as I believe they should be a better fit with the 650's). I would then perhaps look to upgrade the amp at a later stage if I feel the need.
 
Your insights would be greatly appreciated .

 

[Androb]

I were using that dac for over a year with the Lehmann and it kept me happy