[MikoLayer]

to my ears, the only thing hd650s are missing are a bit more texture and extension on the bottmom end

gotta love the tamed highs and midbass hump that makes relaxed yet engaging sound

 

[HPiper]

to my ears, the only thing hd650s are missing are a bit more texture and extension on the bottmom end

gotta love the tamed highs and midbass hump that makes relaxed yet engaging sound

Ever heard the HD700?

 

[MikoLayer]

no, i have not had that pleasure yet
but if memory serves me right they are supposed to be brighter with peaky treble, no?

 

[Jeff Y]

   
Keep in mind, you are talking about the DAC part of the chain.  Most think it has less importance, then let say the amp.  Many here will suggest, to budget minded folks, to spend your funds on the best amp possible, then look for a DAC upgrade later.  I'm one of those believers...
 
I tend to rate importance:
 
Source -> Headphones -> Amp -> DAC -> cables/interconnects
 
I know audio is more complicated then this chain (which I'm sure others would argue), but it helps me temper my expectations when I get an itch to upgrade.

agreed, even a budget dac is a huge improvement over having none. Some even go over 20,000 bucks.

 

[JamieMcC]

  agreed, even a budget dac is a huge improvement over having none. Some even go over 20,000 bucks.

 
Streaming digital in lossless form to a stand alone dac rather than from any of my cd based sources I found made a good improvement, it really highlighted the cd based sources as the weekest links in my own system.

 

[ssrock64]

I haven't really been paying that much attention to Sennheiser's amp and DAC offerings that've come out in the last two years, but does anybody have experience driving the HD650 with an HDVA 600 yet?

 

[James-uk]

I haven't really been paying that much attention to Sennheiser's amp and DAC offerings that've come out in the last two years, but does anybody have experience driving the HD650 with an HDVA 600 yet?

I use the hdvd800 with hd800 / 650 /600. Sounds as good as any transparent solid state amp /dac should. I'm an objective guy that thinks the O2 is great so I brought it for its looks/ inputs/ able to connect multi headphones (oh and I'm a senn fanboy!) other than that it's just a solid state amp. It sounds great if you want clean , transparent accuracy. I've said in other threads I think I would fail a blind test between it and the O2 .

 

[ssrock64]

I use the hdvd800 with hd800 / 650 /600. Sounds as good as any transparent solid state amp /dac should. I'm an objective guy that thinks the O2 is great so I brought it for its looks/ inputs/ able to connect multi headphones (oh and I'm a senn fanboy!) other than that it's just a solid state amp. It sounds great if you want clean , transparent accuracy. I've said in other threads I think I would fail a blind test between it and the O2 .

I assume that the 600 is intended to sound similar to the 800, just without a DAC. So you'd say that it has a focus on resolution and transparency?

 

[James-uk]

I assume that the 600 is intended to sound similar to the 800, just without a DAC. So you'd say that it has a focus on resolution and transparency?

Yes the amp in the hdvd800 is identical to the 600. Yes I would say it's focus was on accuracy/low distortion/noise / which results in good resolution of the source, with more than enough power for high impedance headphones.

 

[UCCF]

I've been reading this thread (1100 pages, so I didn't exactly make it through the whole thing...), and I've got a relatively basic question that I was hoping someone could help me with:
 
I understand (upon reading here) that there was some kind of driver change in the HD650s, and that there's possibly an appreciable difference in sound between the old and new models.  Is there a way to tell from looking at a single pair whether it's of the old or new variety?  From what I've gathered reading here, the change was made possibly a few years ago (or more), but I can't find anything about an exact date.
 
I bought a pair of HD650s in January 2013 from an "authorized" dealer (Amazon), and I'm wondering if it's possible to know what I ended up with.  I don't have a refined enough ear just to plug them in and know the answer (though maybe if I had what I knew were old and new versions and heard them side by side, I could tell a difference).
 
Anyway, new here, so if I've violated 9 kinds of posting guidelines, apologies.  Any help would be appreciated.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ A pair of 650's bought in Jan 2013 would be the latest version. The black drivers were several years earlier. The black drivers version is said to be much darker (some would say veiled). 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  ^^ A pair of 650's bought in Jan 2013 would be the latest version. The black drivers were several years earlier. The black drivers version is said to be much darker (some would say veiled). 

 
I was wondering about that. I kept hearing about the "Sennheiser veil" but when I sampled a pair it didn't seem like that whatsoever. 

 

[bleudeciel16]

   
I was wondering about that. I kept hearing about the "Sennheiser veil" but when I sampled a pair it didn't seem like that whatsoever. 

 
I've heard first gen 650's and didn't think they were veiled at all.  I think they're only veiled when compared to brighter headphones.  But I prefer my headphones that way.  Much less fatiguing.

 

[UCCF]

Thanks Matt.  Is there any relation between the titanium finish and the new drivers?  Mine have the old finish (which I guess is kind of a black/slate grey), and I've noticed that the newer headphones have a more silvery headband.  Or did the new drivers go into both models?
 
(If you know.)

 

[kramer5150]

I think its the perforated mesh "webbing" stretched across the driver baffle thats undergone some changes. The latest models have a metallic shine to them, the original models were made of adifferent fabric. Tyll has an excellent write up with pics of drivers through the eras.