[ButtUglyJeff]

   
Thank you for the answer.
 
 
Thank you for the detailed explanation Damian, I appreciated that!
 
I was wondering if there were something "new" which could be used to drive low to high impedance cans but it seems that the best ones in this price range (<500$) are still Project Ember and Lyr2 which some peoples compared to BTH Crack (with HD600/650 and alike) and found to be in the same league, even if each one have it's own plus and minus.
 
Interesting reading.

 
 
Yes I'm invested, but if there are any left there's the $599 Cavalli Liquid Carbon to take a good look at.  I'm excited about that one...

 

[lawrecedent]

OK so after a few months playing away with the HD700 and then the HE400i I have sold both and am back to listening exclusively to the HD650's and my God it feels like coming home again! I've recently invested in a Schiit Magni to add to my Modi/Vali stack and the sound is superb in my opinion. I think I'll stick with this set up for a decent amount of time with my eye eventually to improve the amp rather than the headphone to a project ember or bottlehead crack. I've also sold off most of my other cans (I'd managed to accumulate about £2700 worth of stuff that I sold on ). I have one pair of in ears, one pair of bluetooth headphones, my at home hd650's and a new car. I guess this hobby ended up being quite a good saving scheme as well as an enjoyable pass time☺

 

[Solrighal]

  Hi Gordon,
I was at a music shop earlier this morning and got to hear a DT-150 but it was with my Fiio X1, sounded okay, seemed to lack dynamics, probably because it is a 250ohm headphone, unless there is a low impedance version I think the Sansa clip would have a hard time with it.
 
Got home and tried my old momentum over-ears with the Sansa sport that you had recommended (its really is a great bargain @ $36) and its a 85% match in sound to the HD-650 IMO, the MOE has a little more bass, mids are a little recessed and the highs are a little more forward and is not as clear (closed back sound) but at lower volumes its not bad.  I think you can find them "used like new" from amazon for about $100.

 
Hi David, thanks for the advice. I guess the DT150's aren't going to work in my situation, just too demanding. I wouldn't buy the Momentum's I'm afraid. I just don't like the sound of them at all. I've heard the original & the Mk2 and both suffer from that same cuppy kind of sound which I hate. I wish I could've kept my V-Moda M-100's but I needed cash to buy a ticket to Manila quickly & they were an easy sell.
 
I'm leaning towards @connieflyer's suggestion of the HD 380. They're said to isolate well and they're definitely cheap. People seem to think they sound pretty decent too.
 
As far as the HD 650's drivers are concerned I'm inclined to believe Sennheiser tweaked the sound slightly when they changed them. There's a fair amount of - admittedly anecdotal - evidence to suggest this. Of course, I've never heard the original drivers so I'm open to criticism but then I've never heard this so-called veil either. I'm inclined to think that all it's contemporary competitors are overly bright instead.
 

 

 

[nothingnew]

Went from a Shure 840 to the HD 650, the amp I'm using is a Xonar Essence ST with stock OP amps. What I wanted when I got it was the sparkle that the HD 598 has with the bass of the Shure 840. Instead I got a somewhat muffled sound that sounds great at certain times but drops off at other points. I am using the black driver version with a 3rd party Equinox cable that I recently purchased here 2nd hand. Would the silver version get me what I want? Is there another option from a different company? No Grados. 

 

[JacobLee89]

  Went from a Shure 840 to the HD 650, the amp I'm using is a Xonar Essence ST with stock OP amps. What I wanted when I got it was the sparkle that the HD 598 has with the bass of the Shure 840. Instead I got a somewhat muffled sound that sounds great at certain times but drops off at other points. I am using the black driver version with a 3rd party Equinox cable that I recently purchased here 2nd hand. Would the silver version get me what I want? Is there another option from a different company? No Grados. 

 
You may need something more powerful than the Xonar Essence ST. Silver version or Black version, the treble differences won't be enough to give you what you ultimately want.
 
That being said. The HD650 isn't known for being treble cannons, so jumping from a headphone which has them in any amount to the HD650's are bound to spark an anticlimatic response.

 

[3083joe]

Went from a Shure 840 to the HD 650, the amp I'm using is a Xonar Essence ST with stock OP amps. What I wanted when I got it was the sparkle that the HD 598 has with the bass of the Shure 840. Instead I got a somewhat muffled sound that sounds great at certain times but drops off at other points. I am using the black driver version with a 3rd party Equinox cable that I recently purchased here 2nd hand. Would the silver version get me what I want? Is there another option from a different company? No Grados. 

Hd 700 would suit your better in my opinion.

 

[nothingnew]

Hd 700 would suit your better in my opinion.

You're probably right, although it's outside of my price range at the moment. And I'm thinking I would need a better amp/dac setup if I jumped to the next pricing tier. 

 

[DavidA]

  You're probably right, although it's outside of my price range at the moment. And I'm thinking I would need a better amp/dac setup if I jumped to the next pricing tier. 

The HD-700's are much easier to drive than the HD-650, just tried them with my Xonar DG and its not bad, about 95% of the sound vs from the Ember.

 

[kmitschiener]

Or maybe get something outside of Senn? the HE 500 and DT 880 are both good alternatives

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  Went from a Shure 840 to the HD 650, the amp I'm using is a Xonar Essence ST with stock OP amps. What I wanted when I got it was the sparkle that the HD 598 has with the bass of the Shure 840. Instead I got a somewhat muffled sound that sounds great at certain times but drops off at other points. I am using the black driver version with a 3rd party Equinox cable that I recently purchased here 2nd hand. Would the silver version get me what I want? Is there another option from a different company? No Grados. 

 
I've never heard anyone refer to the bass of the 840 as a good thing, haha. I used to own a pair, sold 'em. 
 
I dunno though, the Philips X2 maybe?

 

[toddrhodes]

Listening to my 650's on the Ember II that arrived a day early. I have a Sylvania 6SN7 tube in it and to me, the difference in sound comes down to one simple word: character. The sound just has more life and "bounce" to it through the Ember. I have it set to the "High" impedance mode, input caps bypassed, and w/AM setting is enabled though honestly, I forget what that does. Either it's the last two recordings I turned on or it's that setting, but I believe it adds gain.
 
Bass is still a little shy on the 650s BUT, that may just by my affinity to a kick drum one can feel, not just hear. Bass doesn't sound bad at all, in fact it sounds delightful and very rich on a recording like YYZ but on Parkway Drive - Wild Eyes, it just lacks a little ferocity

 

[3083joe]

Listening to my 650's on the Ember II that arrived a day early. I have a Sylvania 6SN7 tube in it and to me, the difference in sound comes down to one simple word: character. The sound just has more life and "bounce" to it through the Ember. I have it set to the "High" impedance mode, input caps bypassed, and w/AM setting is enabled though honestly, I forget what that does. Either it's the last two recordings I turned on or it's that setting, but I believe it adds gain.

Bass is still a little shy on the 650s BUT, that may just by my affinity to a kick drum one can feel, not just hear. Bass doesn't sound bad at all, in fact it sounds delightful and very rich on a recording like YYZ but on Parkway Drive - Wild Eyes, it just lacks a little ferocity

Congrats. Hope you will love it.
One thing. Bass will get better as everything burns in.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Bah. "Burn in". 

 
The bass is gonna feel a little light depending what you came from. If you're someone who had, for example, AKG headphones or other Sennheiser models they'll sound really warm. If you're someone like me who had the M100/X1 and stuff like that the bass is gonna feel really thin.
 
Just remember this: that's a GOOD thing about these. Once you acclimate to their signature, they're just lovely. 

 

[chuckwheat]

  Once you acclimate to their signature, they're just lovely. 

oh, more than that!

 

[Solrighal]

  Listening to my 650's on the Ember II that arrived a day early. I have a Sylvania 6SN7 tube in it and to me, the difference in sound comes down to one simple word: character. The sound just has more life and "bounce" to it through the Ember. I have it set to the "High" impedance mode, input caps bypassed, and w/AM setting is enabled though honestly, I forget what that does. Either it's the last two recordings I turned on or it's that setting, but I believe it adds gain.
 
Bass is still a little shy on the 650s BUT, that may just by my affinity to a kick drum one can feel, not just hear. Bass doesn't sound bad at all, in fact it sounds delightful and very rich on a recording like YYZ but on Parkway Drive - Wild Eyes, it just lacks a little ferocity

 
Hi Todd,
 
Glad to hear you've joined the club

 
The W/AM (with attenuation module) setting is effectively low gain. That's what I use and it effectively means you have more precise control at the volume knob because it allows a greater range before you hit your own personal limit. My ears max out generally around the 1 o'clock position on low gain, depending on the particular recording.
 
Bypassing the input capacitors should give the sound a bit more air & increase the soundstage a tad. This is valve-dependent though. With some valves there's hardly any difference at all.
 
I use low impedance with the 650. I occasionally go with medium but high is too much for me. I think it all sounds just a bit too syrupy on high. YMMV.
 
Enjoy.