[Ichos]

Well written but with an objection

"Power requirements are another factor, you’ll generally get a higher output of power from balanced"

Still depends on the design.

Lyr 3 is single ended and powerful.

Flux Labs FA-10 is single ended and Uber powerful.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

Well written but with an objection

"Power requirements are another factor, you’ll generally get a higher output of power from balanced"

Still depends on the design.

Lyr 3 is single ended and powerful.

Flux Labs FA-10 is single ended and Uber powerful.

Thanks for providing the examples, they’re very good ones. I accept I was generalising a bit.

 

[Odin412]

Does going balanced offer any benefits?

As others have said, it depends. Both singe-ended and balanced amps can sound fantastic, so you shouldn't let the output type alone decide which amp to buy. If an amp has both kind of outputs you should try both to see which output you prefer. Some amps (e.g. Cavalli Liquid Gold X) sound clearly better on the balanced output (at least to my ears), whereas others (e.g. Schiit Jotunheim 2) sound good on both - again, to my ears. I also find that some headphones seem to respond more to being fed from single-ended vs balanced output, so there are no clear answers here, unfortunately. YMMV, as usual.

 

[vmiguel]

Lazy Sunday

 

[JoaquinBenabentos]

Well, I finally bought the HD 650 after month reading things about them. Loving them so far, obviusly they are breaking in but I got impressed by the sound. They are may first open back headphones. Currently driving them at work with a Uphoria UMC 202 hd of Behringer and at home with a DDJ1000 of pioneer mixer, both can handle the headphone with less than the half of the volume knob.

I was worried about the leak of the sound to others in work, but they don't leak so much, if someone is in your room maybe, but in another room it's imposible to hear them.

I love electronic music, progressive house mainly. They rock. With a beat of EQ in the bass they have enought punch for me. Loving the space of the open backs.

It's true the great mid range and I don't think at all that the treble is reccesed. It's perfect for me.

My previous headphones: Pioneer HDJ X10, Sennheiser HD 25, Sennheiser HD 280, V-Moda Crossfade m100. This are better than all of them in terms of quality and music enjoyment. Will update after a bit of break in.

 

[Strat1117]

It's true the great mid range and I don't think at all that the treble is reccesed. It's perfect for me.

I agree with this completely. The midrange is where it’s at with any Sennheiser HD6— series headphone, but the treble on the HD650, to my ear, is just right. Much more like what I hear live and much more like my stereo speakers. It’s all there, it’s just not overbearing (assuming proper amplification, of course - I don’t doubt that they sound ‘veiled’ running off an iPhone). I find most headphones (and many audiophile speakers) seriously exaggerate treble, for reasons about which I could only speculate.

 

[Odin412]

I agree with this completely. The midrange is where it’s at with any Sennheiser HD6— series headphone, but the treble on the HD650, to my ear, is just right. Much more like what I hear live and much more like my stereo speakers. It’s all there, it’s just not overbearing (assuming proper amplification, of course - I don’t doubt that they sound ‘veiled’ running off an iPhone). I find most headphones (and many audiophile speakers) seriously exaggerate treble, for reasons about which I could only speculate.

Well said. I feel the same about the overly bright treble on many audiophile systems. I suspect that it's the ongoing quest for more 'clarity' and 'transparency' that's driving this trend. On the other hand, my evil side think that it's simply manufacturers compensating for the fading hearing of aging audiophiles - at least in the case of high-end speakers.

 

[JoaquinBenabentos]

I think is a miss conception were they call that the sound have more "detail", but it's simply sharp and piercing. I found that de HD 650 have the right amount of treble, but i'm a bit purist and prefer even a little less treble in the 4k to 7k region. I'm a "believer" of break in, almost certain that with time this headphones will turn to perfection. Never felt this lvl of detail in the bass region, heaven for me.

 

[Angel III]

I agree, the HD-650 analyze the whole music scene in great detail and finesse, without accentuating the high frequencies, as happens in most current headphones.
I also point out that they react very well with equalizers (on the other hand they are headphones also used in professional environments), so even the highs can be mapped to our liking, this for those looking for greater perception of detail. The Sennheiser HD-650s reproduce the sound of musical instruments in a very real way and reproduce bass, mids and treble in maximum fidelity and quantity. Even the HD-660 plays at very high levels, a true monster of musical and instrumental fidelity (not to be connected to Smartphone)

 

[redlegs75]

Hello
I have pair of HD 650s and love them. I have also thought of adding a pair of Grado SR 80x. Is it crazy to have 2 different headphones in the stable? Would the Grados be a nice counter to the 650s? Impressions on the Grado SR 80x?

 

[Odin412]

Hello
Is it crazy to have 2 different headphones in the stable?

Not at all. Unfortunately for your wallet, two headphones may be just the beginning of your stable.

 

[BobG55]

Hello
I have pair of HD 650s and love them. I have also thought of adding a pair of Grado SR 80x. Is it crazy to have 2 different headphones in the stable? Would the Grados be a nice counter to the 650s? Impressions on the Grado SR 80x?

I have six and I’ve had them for quite a while. I’ve owned more, some of them quite expensive, but they’re gone except my six favourite ones : Senns HD600, HD650, Grado GS1000i, Beyerdynamic T1 and DT880/ 600 ohms & the AKG K701. Some Head-if members own 50+. It’s all about the hobby and how much you want/ wish to [or afford to] invest in it.

 

[Strat1117]

Hello
I have pair of HD 650s and love them. I have also thought of adding a pair of Grado SR 80x. Is it crazy to have 2 different headphones in the stable? Would the Grados be a nice counter to the 650s? Impressions on the Grado SR 80x?

I think a key part of the hobby is trying different things, especially if you’re new to it. I’ve had many pairs of headphones over the past 45+ years and I am continually trying different ones (in fact, I just made an offer on yet another pair of HD700 - I’ve bought and sold them twice before; it’s kind of a love/hate thing). Of course, like many of the people who frequent this thread, the ones I keep (and keep coming back to) for the last 25+ years are the Sennheiser HD580/600/650.

 

[JoaquinBenabentos]

I'm really shocked by the sound quality of the HD 650. I got a reactie tinnitus with other headphones and with this I feel that i can listen for hours without much disconfort an some strange effect that cause me other headphones than is like a "pressure" in the ears.

The difference with closed back headphones is night and day.

For Progressive House Music and Techno they are like heaven.

 

[Quadfather]

I'm really shocked by the sound quality of the HD 650. I got a reactie tinnitus with other headphones and with this I feel that i can listen for hours without much disconfort an some strange effect that cause me other headphones than is like a "pressure" in the ears.

The difference with closed back headphones is night and day.

For Progressive House Music and Techno they are like heaven.

It it always great when you find headphones that work around any hearing issues. I cannot stand the pressure of IEMs, so I no longer use them. I have 2 opened back and 2 closed back sets. The 650s sound very natural.