[SomeGuyDude]

I don't know how people can dislike bass presence in rock/metal... unless you think the only instrument that matters is the lead guitar...

 

[mikoss]

Koukol - my vote is for the 600's, or perhaps the DT-880's. Beyers seem to do rock very well. Or maybe try the HE-400S...

 

[mysticstryk]

   
I think that I was using high gain when I had the Magni2 with my HD650.  (Now I have the Vali.)

 
How do you like the vali pairing compared to the magni?
 
I've been thinking of buying a cheap, used Vali.  Though I may just save my money and eventually get the Valhalla 2.

 

[Koukol]

  I don't know how people can dislike bass presence in rock/metal... unless you think the only instrument that matters is the lead guitar...

Did I say I "dislike bass presence"?
 
I didn't... I said too much bass is as annoying as too much treble for me.

 

[DDDamian]

Soooooooo.......neutral? 

 

[Koukol]

 

 
Fair enough...I just saw an opportunely to post a thought I've had for a while.
 
Keeping on topic...I've had the 650's for about 6 months now and I'm not sure they're the cans for me.
While they do sound great and lush without the dreaded mid push I hate.... the cans seem a little too bass heavy for some recordings
I find heavy a heavy bass in Rock music (my main listening choice) to be almost as annoying as a bright HP
 
I was fine using an Art EQ between the cans but now I'm using them in balanced mode with my DAP.
I'm now wondering if I should have bought the 600's

Sounds like Grados may be suit your preferences and genre....not many fans of those here, but if your looking for a brighter rock sound...

I actually have a mid entry Grado but it's lost in my apartment right now.
But, I'm not looking for a brighter sound ...I'm looking for a more balanced sound since I suspect the bass is boosted on the 650's.

 

[DDDamian]

 
I actually have a mid entry Grado but it's lost in my apartment right now.
But, I'm not looking for a brighter sound ...I'm looking for a more balanced sound since I suspect the bass is boosted on the 650's.

It is a touch, but that's one of the things we like about it. Hmmmmm maybe that NAD number with the Harmon curve thingy?
 
Or (as you said) the 600....

 

[Olympus Mons]

Just sold my RS1i's. After getting the HD650s again and listening to them for extended periods of time going back to the uncomfortable Grados wasn't a pleasant experience. Also, while I enjoy the "Grado sound" and thought the RS1i's sounded great with rock I found myself enjoying rock with the HD650s just as much and being very comfortable while doing so. Nothing against the Grados, I had a great time with them but it was time for them to go.

 

[Solrighal]

 
I actually have a mid entry Grado but it's lost in my apartment right now.
But, I'm not looking for a brighter sound ...I'm looking for a more balanced sound since I suspect the bass is boosted on the 650's.

 
I think probably the HD 600 would be ideal for you. The 650 does have a slight hump in the upper-bass region but it's not boosted down low. Before you trade or sell the 650 you might like to try some EQ..
 
Here's the frequency response (FR) graph for the HD 650..
 


Here's the FR graph for the HD 600..
 

 
 
As you can see, they're not a million miles apart.
 
Try using a parametric EQ with a low-shelf filter centred on 90Hz with a cut of around 5dB and a Q factor of 6 and see what you think. I used to use a similar curve but it often sounded anaemic depending on the source material so I stopped. Now I actually use a slight boost in the low bass because to me that's the weakest part of the 650.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

 
Did I say I "dislike bass presence"?
 
I didn't... I said too much bass is as annoying as too much treble for me.

 
That's like saying "I like things that sound good" LOL. No one likes "too much bass," that's why the phrase "too much" is there. If we liked it, it wouldn't be "too much" now would it? 
 
Rock and metal are my genres and, as I said, I've tried Grados before (I know you didn't say Grado specifically, just using them as an example). They're great for listening to lead guitars, but man the bass guitar and kick drum just disappear. If that's how you like your music then (as I've said before) I can't call you wrong, I just don't understand it. Heck I really enjoy my X1s for rock and metal because finally the WHOLE band is audible and not just the singer and one guitar.
 
That's the funny thing about subjective opinions. Grados aren't even "too much" treble. They're more like "nothing but treble". The RS1's are one of literally two headphones I've heard where I genuinely did not understand the appeal. Everything else I've heard I may not have been a huge fan of but I at least got what it was going for. Those dang RS1's...
 
Like the above poster said, check out the HD600s. They're a leaner version. Might be just what you needed!

 

[whirlwind]

 

   
Pretty much. It kinda went like this:
 
"Well I like Amp ___."
 
"But that's not accurate!!!"
 
"Okay, but... I like that one."
 
"No!! It has to be ACCURATE!!"
 
Then it devolved into headphone accuracy, with much the same dynamic.

Lol - yep. Maybe we need a sub-thread under the main 650 impressions thread. But it would be far bigger, and perhaps more interesting 

 
 
Edit: O/T: I'm listening to the (accurate) HD-800 through a (coloured) BH S.E.X to a Yello album which was mastered in a (I'm a pop-synth engineer who's gonna get rich!) very neutral way in a decent studio on some (flat) monitors. Sounds frickin' great!

Ha ha ha  

 

  I don't know how people can dislike bass presence in rock/metal... unless you think the only instrument that matters is the lead guitar...

I do not think he said he "disliked" anything.
 
There are many people who like bass light cans and prefer the sound of guitar over the bass....some like bass more.....some like a balanced can....different strokes for different folks.
 
I think your descripton of the Grado sound is your opinion, but remember...everybody hears and likes different things

 

[jimmers]

 As headphone impedance increases so does the drop in voltage at load.

?
 

  remove the link else you'll end up with your entire message deleted by the moderation exercising the brilliant "we don't like nwavguy so you can't post useful links" rule.

I thought nwavguy was cool here now that he's disappeared and Schiit don't have a grudge.
 

  What I'm saying is I, for one, would be interested in what equipment producers use to recreate their music at home

I have read that some have some pretty ordinary equipment at home (sorry I can't give attribution, long ago).

 

[mechanix]

I have been using HD 650 for a couple of weeks now and I find it a bit too bass heavy too. While I do enjoy the bass presence in some genres, it is generally  a bit too much for me, especially when listening to rock music as someone stated above. And I do not think lead guitar is the only instrument that matters like someone else said above. That is one of the most ridiculous statements I have seen on a website (excluding youtube comments). I play bass guitar myself, I do appreciate bass guitar more than the majority of general audience. That being said, the amount of bass HD650s have is more than it should be, in my opinion.
 
The interesting part for me is, I have considered myself as a Grado fan since I first owned SR60i. I was in love with the sound so much that I purhcased a pair of SR225is prior to getting HD650. And I ended up selling SR225i shortly afterwards. I still don't know what was wrong (if anything at all) with SR225is but I just could not listen to them anymore and easily preferred HD650s. HD650s are just better all around, not to mention comfort issues of Grados.

 

[Koukol]

  I have been using HD 650 for a couple of weeks now and I find it a bit too bass heavy too. While I do enjoy the bass presence in some genres, it is generally  a bit too much for me, especially when listening to rock music as someone stated above. And I do not think lead guitar is the only instrument that matters like someone else said above. That is one of the most ridiculous statements I have seen on a website (excluding youtube comments). I play bass guitar myself, I do appreciate bass guitar more than the majority of general audience. That being said, the amount of bass HD650s have is more than it should be, in my opinion.
 
The interesting part for me is, I have considered myself as a Grado fan since I first owned SR60i. I was in love with the sound so much that I purhcased a pair of SR225is prior to getting HD650. And I ended up selling SR225i shortly afterwards. I still don't know what was wrong (if anything at all) with SR225is but I just could not listen to them anymore and easily preferred HD650s. HD650s are just better all around, not to mention comfort issues of Grados.

Cheers!
 

  Just sold my RS1i's. After getting the HD650s again and listening to them for extended periods of time going back to the uncomfortable Grados wasn't a pleasant experience. Also, while I enjoy the "Grado sound" and thought the RS1i's sounded great with rock I found myself enjoying rock with the HD650s just as much and being very comfortable while doing so. Nothing against the Grados, I had a great time with them but it was time for them to go.

The comfort issue is why my Grados are in my closet somewhere for the last 8 years...I'm real curious on how they sound now that I'm conditioned to the Senny sound again.
When I do find them I'm gonna have to do something with the pads...I think I have the Matthew Hopkins edition

 

[Koukol]

 

 
I actually have a mid entry Grado but it's lost in my apartment right now.
But, I'm not looking for a brighter sound ...I'm looking for a more balanced sound since I suspect the bass is boosted on the 650's.

 
I think probably the HD 600 would be ideal for you. The 650 does have a slight hump in the upper-bass region but it's not boosted down low. Before you trade or sell the 650 you might like to try some EQ..
 
Here's the frequency response (FR) graph for the HD 650..
 


Here's the FR graph for the HD 600..
 

 
 
As you can see, they're not a million miles apart.
 
Try using a parametric EQ with a low-shelf filter centred on 90Hz with a cut of around 5dB and a Q factor of 6 and see what you think. I used to use a similar curve but it often sounded anaemic depending on the source material so I stopped. Now I actually use a slight boost in the low bass because to me that's the weakest part of the 650.

 
 
I was looking for this but could only find a 800 comparison...thanks.
 
Last night I ripped a CD onto my PonoMusicWorld (a version of JRiver's Media Center) and discovered the bass was ridiculously over-powering.
So I might have misjudged the 650's since I now suspect media center isn't working properly.
I'm going to try EAC today.