[qrtas]

Get the HD650. It's technically superior and will play better with that amp. HD660s is just the new kid on the block.

Thanks cskippy!

 

[cskippy]

can't wait to see you post all your measurements you obviously did to reach such technical confidence.

From another site plus my own intuition. YMMV, IMO, etc. Newer is not always better, and recently sometimes newer has been worse. Wait for the hype to die down and see which headphone comes out on top.

 

[swmtnbiker]

I've got both, and have had the 650 for over a year paired with the Bottlehead Crack and now the Oppo HA-1. While the 650+Crack is splendid, I'm preferring the 660S balanced with the HA-1. Just because the 660S is newer doesn't mean that it is NOT better, but as always, sound quality is dependent on your equipment chain, personal preferences, and individual hearing.

 

[cswann1]

@cskippy That's good advice...but if I we're a betting man, I'd wager a fair bit that Sennheiser would not have made a replacement to one of their most successful audiophile headphones ever, unless it we're truly worthy.

 

[raybone0566]

I had the 660's. I wasn't impressed at all. I wouldn't consider them an upgrade at all. A/b'd them w/ 650's they did resolve any more detail. Matter of fact some detail heard on the 650's were smeared over on the 660's. They didn't scale as well as the 650's either. Don't know if this is due to the Change in specs, (150 ohm now).

 

[qrtas]

Wait for the hype to die down and see which headphone comes out on top.

That’s the wisest answer I’ve gotten in a while. Seriously!

 

[castleofargh]

From another site plus my own intuition. YMMV, IMO, etc. Newer is not always better, and recently sometimes newer has been worse. Wait for the hype to die down and see which headphone comes out on top.

well it would be strange for me to own a hd650 as my only desktop headphone if I was all about new stuff ^_^.
my sarcastic post was more about making impression posts about impressions, and objective claims about objective evidence. nobody but Sennheiser right now has enough samples and experience to draw big fancy conclusions about objective superiority. I don't have a 660, I haven't heard it, and I don't try to claim the opposite of what you claimed. I'm only asking for more caution when making such grand statements(which might be true in the end, IDK).

 

[SHAMuuu]

@4:25 , two of his go to reference, a 650 and Aeon Closed



Nice Stereophile video

 

[swmtnbiker]

And yet the 600 bumped the 650 off of Tyll's headphone "Wall of Fame" quite a while ago. He also has not posted a review of the 660S.

 

[SHAMuuu]

And yet the 600 bumped the 650 off of Tyll's headphone "Wall of Fame" quite a while ago. He also has not posted a review of the 660S.

Yeah I was expecting him to say 600 as well. Maybe he has those back and forth type of things like we all do with two cans close enough. 650 on odd days, 600 on even , who knows?Thae AFC is awesome though, crispy clean and super comfy. To me it was very reference sounding, studio type sig with enough to satisfy the sudiophile types.

and yeah hope he does a 660s as well

 

[swmtnbiker]

Yeah I was expecting him to say 600 as well. Maybe he has those back and forth type of things like we all do with two cans close enough. 650 on odd days, 600 on even , who knows?Thae AFC is awesome though, crispy clean and super comfy. To me it was very reference sounding, studio type sig with enough to satisfy the sudiophile types.

and yeah hope he does a 660s as well

Me too. I'm sure he will. How could he not?

I've also got the AFO in-house as of yesterday and am looking forward to comparing it with the 660S and 650 later this week.

 

[DavidA]

And yet the 600 bumped the 650 off of Tyll's headphone "Wall of Fame" quite a while ago. He also has not posted a review of the 660S.

When Tyll changed from the HD650 to the HD600 on his wall of fame I decided to get the HD600, while it did sound good I had issue with the treble spike on it so sold them. I still keep my HD650 only because its one of the first "expensive" headphones that I got but it doesn't get much use other than to do some comparisons these days since I've found other headphones that sound as good or better and different.

These days I find I like about 25% of the headphones that Tyll likes since he tends to like slightly warm / neutral sounding headphones which to me is a bit boring at times and since we all hear differently its not a big deal to me if I agree with Tyll or anyone else since all that matters is that I'm happy. I also like variety so I keep quite a few different sounding headphones around along with different amps and DACs.

 

[jimmers]

And yet the 600 bumped the 650 off of Tyll's headphone "Wall of Fame" quite a while ago. He also has not posted a review of the 660S.

I think he bumped the HD650 because they were close and the HD600 was $100 cheaper.
I wonder what he would have said if it was the HD6XX he was comparing to the HD600

 

[swmtnbiker]

I think he bumped the HD650 because they were close and the HD600 was $100 cheaper.
I wonder what he would have said if it was the HD6XX he was comparing to the HD600

He bumped the 650 because he thinks the 600 sounds slightly better. Here's what he says about the HD 650 losing its perch on the Wall of Fame: "This headphone was retired from the list when, after doing the official review, I found the less costly HD 600 to be slightly better sounding for me." So yeah, it sounds like both sonics and price were a factor in his decision.

 

[Thebb]

Hey guys, looking for some amp advice from veteran 650 owners. If not right thread, please let me know.

Currently I am running a Schiit Bifrost to Bottlehead Crack Speedball setup. I've been enjoying this for some time now, but I think it might be time to upgrade due to the Crack limiting my headphone choices... Reason is I have some orthos on the way which I won't be able to drive with the BH Crack.

So, I have thought about a few options. I am looking for a good all rounder that can drive IEMs to High Impedance phones. I've thought about getting an Oppo HA-1 or a Woo Audio WA7 that have integrated DACs, but that would also mean getting rid of my Schiit Bifrost. My other thinking would be to just upgrade the amp part of my chain with similar budget and upgrade my DAC some other time.. Thinking maybe a Mjolnir 2?

What would be the best option sound wise? Going for an integrated DAC/AMP combo or upgrading to dedicated amp for now? What other dedicated amps should I be considering? I am looking to not only be able to drive a wider range of phones but also improve the sound on the HD650.

Any input appreciated.