[totto2222]

Welcome back to our old friend.The hd 650.
i have spent ungodly sums of money on my hobby(wife calls it obsession ) to get that 1 perfect sound,but after countless combos ,I still come back to these cans
my ears arent golden by far and im not a can snoot by any means ,but i can honestly say that my rig is perfect for ME !
i'm a schiit man by preference (LYR,Bitfrost) and by my cash limitations,but i have tried most mid range cans (he400,he500,dennon 2000 (awesome bass )beyers ,770 pro,990 600 ohm
and i keep going back to the HD 650's
in my opinion,I dont think a better can is made that does  not suffer from the law of dimminishing returns (2000.00 for 2 percent increse )
if you feel as though you must journey on the quest to find that musical nirvana (as i have ) good luck to you on your quest and i hope you find what is your niche
but,dont be surprised when you come back home to our old friend

 

[62ohm]

  Speaking of curses...
 
I bought 650s last April but exchanged them for 600s. The 650s were too dark and "conjested" for me, even with a new tube amp with "bright" tubes, etc.
 
I really like the 600s, though they aren't perfect.
 
I went to the head-fi meet in LA last weekend, and just before I left I stopped by the Sennheiser table. I listened to the 650s side by side with the 600s through their HDVA-600 amp. The 650 was running balanced. I was stunned because everything was there -- the lows, mids and highs -- all sounded just like I would want them to. The 600s sounded good too, like I'm used to them sounding, but the 650s sounded like them + lushishness. Deep, rich lows and smooth top.
 
I guess I'm back in the 650 club. I just ordered the phones and amp. And I'm a lunatic.

 
Well, when I had the Magni, I tried the HD650 with it and I hated what I heard. Non-existent highs, congested soundstage, veiled & muddy sound and so on. With the WA3, the HD650 sounds better, but still very congested. With the WA6, it was magical. I couldn't describe it in detail as I did not hear it for a very long time, but the pairing was magical. Now, when I tried the HD650 with my HDVA600, I was surprised that a headphone that I used to hate can sound so good. I guess it's only a matter of time before I get myself the HD650 (or HD700, depends on which one I liked better).

 

[ccash]

Now, when I tried the HD650 with my HDVA600, I was surprised that a headphone that I used to hate can sound so good. I guess it's only a matter of time before I get myself the HD650 (or HD700, depends on which one I liked better).

That's encouraging!!

I'm a little worried that what I heard at the meet isn't going to be what I hear when I get them home, for whatever reason. I just ordered a balanced cable too (zy cable cheapie from amazon, $79).

Chasing audio nirvana. I guess being human means you need to chase something.

 

[Solrighal]

Gordon,

I have a Milan Acoustics cable on my 650's, 3M, light, very smooth and open and reasonably priced.

I'm looking into that now.

I picked up a ZY cable second hand and was rather surprised to find it noticeably clearer and more detailed sounding than the stock one.  That website that cannot be mentioned that may rhyme with assdop may currently have said cable listed.

I know where you mean but I'm not in the USA and I'm not paying import tax.

Noted.  I'll give their SPC a go later.  I swear by stranded OCC copper, unless I want something cheap and in a hurry, then Mogami.

I'm tempted to give diy a go.

 

[olegausany]

The problem is while HD650 are very good headphones they are very picky with amp pairing

 

[Solrighal]

The problem is while HD650 are very good headphones they are very picky with amp pairing

Or, people are very picky with amp pairing.

 

[olegausany]

I heard HD650 with many amps and with all but 2 they were lacking bass but I didn't hear it with Crack yet

 

[HarleyZH]

I've tried my HD650 on around 5 different amps and never had difficulty getting the bass to come through well myself. Mind you these were the NFB 5.32, NFB 28, Conductor, WA7, HPA M1.

 

[Anavel0]

I'm still using a Little Dot MK III with 6H6p-i power tubes and Siemens 6AK5W drivers. Which is considered entry level around here; but I'm getting very clear, well defined bass. Running stock cable as well, for full disclosure.

 

[obsidyen]

HD650s being picky with amps is an old tale that's not true for modern times. Nowadays even portable amps such as Meridian Explorer can drive HD650s with ease and authority. Chord Hugo drives them to ear-bleeding levels (I mostly listen at 50% volume). It also drives them with authority, with great bass and smooth and detailed highs without being harsh (Hugo is very transparent).
 
Now either manufacturers make more versatile amps than before, or Sennheiser did something and made HD650s easier to drive in the last few years. I think the latter happened. New HD650s are much easier to drive and much more portable friendly. They also don't have any veil compared to old HD650s.

 

[JacobLee89]

  HD650s being picky with amps is an old tale that's not true for modern times. Nowadays even portable amps such as Meridian Explorer can drive HD650s with ease and authority. Chord Hugo drives them to ear-bleeding levels (I mostly listen at 50% volume). It also drives them with authority, with great bass and smooth and detailed highs without being harsh (Hugo is very transparent).
 
Now either manufacturers make more versatile amps than before, or Sennheiser did something and made HD650s easier to drive in the last few years. I think the latter happened. New HD650s are much easier to drive and much more portable friendly. They also don't have any veil compared to old HD650s.

 
I'd like to believe that the veil was more of a quality control issue. Mine's using the old drivers and I can hear nothing of a veil. Something tells me that the new material used for the "newer" drivers were easier to work with, hence quality assurance was more likely to be consistent.

 

[pdrm360]

I still like my HD650 driven by DragonFly as a portable solution in the hotels.  

 

[controlmajortom]

Just got an HD650 for the first time ever today. I must say, these sound extraordinary. Better than the HD600 from what I can remember. It's also much more musical than the other full size headphones I have at the moment....
 
Only thing is the clamping force on these is much worse than the HD600. What gives? They're basically the same size/design.

 

[MattTCG]

They will stretch a little with time and therefore loosen. But the biggest difference will be once the pads compress some. That will take a considerably amount of clamp away. 

 

[pdrm360]

  Just got an HD650 for the first time ever today. I must say, these sound extraordinary. Better than the HD600 from what I can remember. It's also much more musical than the other full size headphones I have at the moment....
 
Only thing is the clamping force on these is much worse than the HD600. What gives? They're basically the same size/design.

 
That's because they're still new.