how does the 650 compare to thr 400i
Just did some aggressive listening between the two yesterday. Amped via JDS Labs C5D running 320kb MP3s off my phone.
The interesting thing that I picked up on - despite both being fantastic headphones, the 650s are strong in perfectly the right area to bring out the 400i's only real "weakness."
If you listen to 20 low-to-mid-fi headphones in any given shop and then throw on the 400is, you'll rate them near the top due to their precision across the spectrum with fantastic bass extension - but the clarity and details in the upper mids on the 650 really lets you appreciate the "gap" in the 400is between the well-defined bass and the precision highs.
The 400i gives a very intimate feeling, but the seamless transition from the mids into the highs on the 650s seems to open them up into substantially more space. In fact, if you listen to the two headphones back to back, it will nearly have you saying that the 400is sound muffled (but again - put on any other headphones to cure yourself of that illusion).
Are you familiar with that sensation of upper mids "coming over the top" so-to speak? For an example of what I mean, play Thriller through a few pair of headphones, and wait for the moment when the synth first kicks in with the recognizable riff (around 37 seconds).
On a really open, airy pair of headphones, that moment is euphoric - you suddenly feel all of the headroom explode into the upper mids and the space expands dramatically.
The 650s have that feeling on
always.
I actually ended up with the 400is because I wanted to take a planar adventure, but I definitely find myself thinking about those sweet sweet 650s.