[winders]

Okay, I have about 6 hours on my HD 650's now and I am starting to figure some things out. First, they need volume to sound clean and clear. The good news is that more time I put on them the lower the volume needs to be. They are definitely changing for the better as I get more time on them. At first I thought I was just getting used to the sound. But they are getting closer to sounding like my speakers over time. The soundstage is still smaller but has grown a bit too. I am starting to get a sense that I am not in the middle of the stage....but I am not in the front row either. The speakers have more depth to their sound and that may be because of the room they are in. I am sure I am getting sound bouncing back off the walls, ceiling, and floor that add depth.
 
I am looking forward to trying some different tubes.....

 

[Music freak]

I need some help. My HD 650 has this weird treble texture. It has a bright and rough coating that is not necessarily fatiguing, but sounds a bit brighter than my friend's HD 650 on the same set up. His pair sounds very smooth while my pair is fairly smooth, but sounds a bit brighter as if it has a tiny peak in the treble. again, it is far from fatiguing. I want to know that do some 650s sound a bit brighter than the other ones? both are the silver driver models and have 200+ hours on them.

 

[penmarker]

I need some help. My HD 650 has this weird treble texture. It has a bright and rough coating that is not necessarily fatiguing, but sounds a bit brighter than my friend's HD 650 on the same set up. His pair sounds very smooth while my pair is fairly smooth, but sounds a bit brighter as if it has a tiny peak in the treble. again, it is far from fatiguing. I want to know that do some 650s sound a bit brighter than the other ones? both are the silver driver models and have 200+ hours on them.

I would return them for a replacement.

 

[JoHit]

  My new Sennheiser HD 60 headphones arrived a few hours ago. I know this is a sensitive subject, but how much time playing music do the HD 650 headphones need to be properly broken in?
 
I haven't owned a pair of quality over the ear headphones in probably 30 years so I don't really know what to expect from them compared to a stereo speaker setup. At my desk I have a near field setup using some pretty decent powered monitors. I am using my MacBook Pro with a Modi Mulitbit DAC and a Vali 2 headphone amp/pre-amp in high gain mode using the "standard" tube.
 
Compared to the speakers, the HD 650's soundstage is narrower, the music has less clarity, the low end is weaker, and the music sounds much less natural. My speakers have me feeling like I am in the front row while the headphones have me on stage. The speakers have a warmer sound to them too. I wouldn't say the speakers were warm sounding, just warmer than the headphones. Maybe because I am getting more bass from them.
 
I have a variety of tubes coming in from headphone amp but I don't want to really start evaluating the tubes or the headphones until the headphones and tubes are burned in. I have a good idea about tube burn in, but no so much on the headphones.
 
Any feedback is welcome!

 
I have a pair of desk monitors and the HD650's as well. My experience is very similar.
 
Soundstage size and sound presence are definitely better from the speakers. Music sounds more natural and indeed is presented differently. The only advantage the headphones seem to have are revealing tiny details that speakers can lose due to room acoustics. Untreated rooms tend to have issues with bass too; those frequencies linger easily.
 
Comparing speakers to headphones is like comparing apples to oranges. I would never expect the same results from both.

 

[Music freak]

I would return them for a replacement.

I doubt they would replace them. its a such a small issue. he would have to actually compare 2 pairs to tell the difference.

 

[windcar]

  I need some help. My HD 650 has this weird treble texture. It has a bright and rough coating that is not necessarily fatiguing, but sounds a bit brighter than my friend's HD 650 on the same set up. His pair sounds very smooth while my pair is fairly smooth, but sounds a bit brighter as if it has a tiny peak in the treble. again, it is far from fatiguing. I want to know that do some 650s sound a bit brighter than the other ones? both are the silver driver models and have 200+ hours on them.

Usually HP becomes less harsh and treble mellows abit after a long burn in. Since you said both of the HP are burned in the same amount of time, then I guess it's down to driver's inconsistency. Any chance your friend's listening to music at a louder volume than you?

 

[penmarker]

I doubt they would replace them. its a such a small issue. he would have to actually compare 2 pairs to tell the difference.

Try.

 

[SP Wild]

I need some help. My HD 650 has this weird treble texture. It has a bright and rough coating that is not necessarily fatiguing, but sounds a bit brighter than my friend's HD 650 on the same set up. His pair sounds very smooth while my pair is fairly smooth, but sounds a bit brighter as if it has a tiny peak in the treble. again, it is far from fatiguing. I want to know that do some 650s sound a bit brighter than the other ones? both are the silver driver models and have 200+ hours on them.

Check the wear levels on the earpads first. I myself often times wonder if I am due for pads, and how different they sound now compared to new, the drift in sound would be so gradual, I wouldn't have a clue.

 

[Solrighal]

   
I have a pair of desk monitors and the HD650's as well. My experience is very similar.
 
Soundstage size and sound presence are definitely better from the speakers. Music sounds more natural and indeed is presented differently. The only advantage the headphones seem to have are revealing tiny details that speakers can lose due to room acoustics. Untreated rooms tend to have issues with bass too; those frequencies linger easily.
 
Comparing speakers to headphones is like comparing apples to oranges. I would never expect the same results from both.

 
This is very true and yet it's amazing just how many people do.

 

[SP Wild]

The HD650s shouldn't sound like speakers. The HD650s sound like music

In my younger days, I hung out with musicians. Where they are when creative juices are flowing and they experiment with sounds...Is a place where soundstage is of very, very low priority. With the crew I hung out with, none at all.

There are other headphones that give a better stage sound and there are headphones that give a better audience perspective. The HD650s...Just sound so darned musical, no more, no less.

 

[DavidA]

The HD650s shouldn't sound like speakers. The HD650s sound like music

In my younger days, I hung out with musicians. Where they are when creative juices are flowing and they experiment with sounds...Is a place where soundstage is of very, very low priority. With the crew I hung out with, none at all.

There are other headphones that give a better stage sound and there are headphones that give a better audience perspective. The HD650s...Just sound so darned musical, no more, no less.

I was in a band during my high school years, played trumpet and guitar and I agree that sound stage was never mentioned or thought about, even when playing.

 

[SP Wild]

The HD650s shouldn't sound like speakers. The HD650s sound like music

In my younger days, I hung out with musicians. Where they are when creative juices are flowing and they experiment with sounds...Is a place where soundstage is of very, very low priority. With the crew I hung out with, none at all.

There are other headphones that give a better stage sound and there are headphones that give a better audience perspective. The HD650s...Just sound so darned musical, no more, no less.

I was in a band during my high school years, played trumpet and guitar and I agree that sound stage was never mentioned or thought about, even when playing.

Cool! I would imagine that being a part of the active music making process was more enjoyable than purely passively listening. I am pretty sure those guys were actively listening whilst playing at the same time.

 

[DavidA]

Cool! I would imagine that being a part of the active music making process was more enjoyable than purely passively listening. I am pretty sure those guys were actively listening whilst playing at the same time.

The one thing I remember most is always trying to get a good balance between all the different players/instruments, usually started with the level of the drummer since it was the hardest to amp at the time and worked from there most of the time.  And you are right that actively making the music was way more enjoyable than just listening but we all listened to see if the harmonies and relative levels were closely matched.

 

[SP Wild]

The one thing I remember most is always trying to a good balance between all the different players/instruments, usually started with the level of the drummer since it was the hardest to amp at the time and worked from there most of the time.  And you are right that actively making the music was way more enjoyable than just listening but we all listened to see if the harmonies and relative levels were closely matched.

Wow, thanks. I thought that was a most enlightening post. It's always an asset to have a musicians point of view on headphone matters.

Though it does mean you are 'actively' listening whilst playing, which demands more acute listening skills whether they were aware of this or not.

 

[Solrighal]

In my experience musicians are the very last people to ask about sound quality.