[TooFrank]

The 6XX essentially IS the 650. Drop doesn't always retune drivers with their variants. Some headphones they just use existing headphones, add their own aesthetic, and sell as is. The 6XX is one of those.

When they retune, they specifically state as such, and add graphs comparing base models to their retunes.

The only differences you can expect with the 6XX and 650 would be driver variation, and whether you heard a much older model of the 650 which was tuned different from the more recent 650s of maybe the last....8 or so years.

So unless you really want the 650 aesthetic, want its slightly different inclusions in the box (I think the cable is much longer on the 650), or live outside of Drop's shipping regions, I'd save my money and get the 6XX.

I personally think the 6XX looks better. No blue logo, for on the ends of the headband for one. And the dark blue looks black in most lighting conditions.

thanks for clarifying. I am really happy with my 650...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

thanks for clarifying. I am really happy with my 650...

I would be too. I think if I always going to keep one full sized headphone above all others, or a complimentary set of headphones to higher end models, it would always be the 6XX/650.

 

[dakanao]

I've compared a very old black silk version HD650 to my 2012 HD650, and the black-silk version was smoother in the upper-mids and high, less ringing in the upper-mids. Mid and upper-bass were exactly the same, though sub-bass was definitely more extended on the 2012 pair.

I did reverse pads, and result was the same. Other than that, my 2012 pair had more clamp (and they've been used a lot, previous owner said the old black silk 650 had just a few hours on it, and being unused for years), better extension at both ends of the spectrum, and faster/more dynamic transient response. Other than those differences, they sounded the same.

 

[techboy]

HD 650 4 Life...There is nothing quite like a well amped HD 650.

 

[equalspeace]

The 6X0 is the only full-size headphone i need. Now iems... different story haha

 

[techboy]

The 6X0 is the only full-size headphone i need. Now iems... different story haha

True that. I only use Sennheiser. As you can see from my signature.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

The 6X0 is the only full-size headphone i need. Now iems... different story haha

Get the Sennheiser IE 800S and then you are sorted on the IEM front too. I had tried several IEMs in the past and heavily disliked all. A week ago I ordered the 800S after reading what a natural, organic sound it has. It arrived two days ago -- it's really, really good.

I think I am developing a Sennheiser problem.

 

[MrMan]

So I bought a pair of hd650 and loved them for years. I showed them to my friends and they loved them too. One day on head-fi I saw a pair of HD700's for 220 and I had to jump on it. Past 6 months I've been going back and forth and I gotta say 700 are superior in comfort and *sound. I say sound if you like vocal forward music.

 

[techboy]

So I bought a pair of hd650 and loved them for years. I showed them to my friends and they loved them too. One day on head-fi I saw a pair of HD700's for 220 and I had to jump on it. Past 6 months I've been going back and forth and I gotta say 700 are superior in comfort and *sound. I say sound if you like vocal forward music.

I agree. But they don't have the sweetness 650 has. HD 700 is actually closer to HD 800 in every way rather than the 650 or 600.

 

[G0rt]

I agree. But they don't have the sweetness 650 has. HD 700 is actually closer to HD 800 in every way rather than the 650 or 600.

I find HD700 just a little aggressive, not at all a bad thing, depending. Kinda like a girl I know...

 

[Fabdube]

Just ordered the hd6xx ... (currently using sony wh-1000xm3) I am very confused: been reading all day about wether to get an amp or not!
Some people say not worth it, they're loud enough, others will say it's not just about volume.
Eyed the Fiio Q1 because I don't want something big in my way but apparently not powerful enough.
Saw other nice amps (hip-dac, nx4) but there's always someone saying it sucks.
I will be using these headphones mostly on my iPhone 8 (I have the ananol to lightning apple dongle), iPad pro 2017 or Macbook Air 2020.

Can someone recommend that's compact and powerful enough for a very Apple orientated user?

thanks

 

[RickB]

Just ordered the hd6xx ... (currently using sony wh-1000xm3) I am very confused: been reading all day about wether to get an amp or not!
Some people say not worth it, they're loud enough, others will say it's not just about volume.
Eyed the Fiio Q1 because I don't want something big in my way but apparently not powerful enough.
Saw other nice amps (hip-dac, nx4) but there's always someone saying it sucks.
I will be using these headphones mostly on my iPhone 8 (I have the ananol to lightning apple dongle), iPad pro 2017 or Macbook Air 2020.

Can someone recommend that's compact and powerful enough for a very Apple orientated user?

thanks

Magni 3+.

 

[Fabdube]

Someone told me to try out the tempotec Sonata HD pro, looks like what I want ...

 

[megabigeye]

Just ordered the hd6xx ... (currently using sony wh-1000xm3) I am very confused: been reading all day about wether to get an amp or not!
Some people say not worth it, they're loud enough, others will say it's not just about volume.
Eyed the Fiio Q1 because I don't want something big in my way but apparently not powerful enough.
Saw other nice amps (hip-dac, nx4) but there's always someone saying it sucks.
I will be using these headphones mostly on my iPhone 8 (I have the ananol to lightning apple dongle), iPad pro 2017 or Macbook Air 2020.

Can someone recommend that's compact and powerful enough for a very Apple orientated user?

thanks

I'm one of the people that says the HD 650/6XX don't need a ton of power or voltage to sound their best. I listen happily directly out of my '14 MacBook Air and the FiiO E12A gives me a little more leeway in the volume knob. I can't hear a difference between those and my Peachtree amp, which is capable of almost 200mW into 300Ω (which will get the HD 650 well into hearing-damage-within-seconds territory). My Samsung S9 and Dragonfly Red get loud enough, but don't sound quite as good.
... And I think that's where people start to think that they need more power/voltage: they listen on a low powered amp that doesn't sound very good (even if it sounds good with other, lower impedance headphones; e.g., the DFR sounded great with IEMs) and they assume that it's the lack of power that they don't like. They're not considering that there are other factors that contribute to the headphones' sounding good or bad.
All that more power does is make a headphone louder.
Louder is perceived as sounding "better," which is another reason people have this misconception, since more powerful amps get louder sooner with less adjusting the volume knob.

So, not all amps are created equal, but all power does is make things louder.

My advice is to try them out on your MacBook and iDevices and see how you like it. If you like it, awesome! Apple stuff has pretty good audio quality, so no need to rush to upgrade (of course, you can if you want; I have no desire to dissuade you). If it's not quite doing it for you, then you need to figure out if it's that you don't like the headphones or if you want a different amp.

 

[Spartacus09]

The 6XX doesn't "need" an amp to work but to really get the sound depth and shine out of them its recommended IMO, the Magni 3+ Rick recommended is only $100 new.
I had good results with even a cheap $80 SMSL M3 combo dac/amp, I just had to turn it up pretty high.
You can even get the magni 3 (the previous gen) used for $70 from Shiit's b-stock: https://www.schiit.com/b-stocks (there is about $15 shipping as well as tax though)