The points being made, I think, are that yes you may play them on an iPhone and have a completely tremendous experience. But comparing that experience to listening with a great stand alone DAC and a great OTL Amp is not really fair. The 650/6xx scale up really well with better equipment and the experiences between the approaches are significant. YMMV.
The points being made, I think, are that yes you may play them on an iPhone and have a completely tremendous experience. But comparing that experience to listening with a great stand alone DAC and a great OTL Amp is not really fair. The 650/6xx scale up really well with better equipment and the experiences between the approaches are significant. YMMV.
I’ll give you your point on OTL amps, largely because they’re tube amps with lots of harmonic distortions and crazy high output impedance. The rest? I honestly don’t feel like getting into it. I’ll just say, “I respectfully disagree.”
I’ll give you your point on OTL amps, largely because they’re tube amps with lots of harmonic distortions and crazy high output impedance. The rest? I honestly don’t feel like getting into it. I’ll just say, “I respectfully disagree.”
You'll get better bass control and treble extension out of a competent amp, the smoother and quicker the amp's voltage control, the better those (and the mids) will become.
There's other elements which can get in the way of that, but that's the core argument, and it makes total sense in the context of the electronics.
You'll get better bass control and treble extension out of a competent amp, the smoother and quicker the amp's voltage control, the better those (and the mids) will become.
There's other elements which can get in the way of that, but that's the core argument, and it makes total sense in the context of the electronics.
Some of these things are considered self-evident to the two channel stereo world (except for the Julian Hirsch/Stereo Review ‘all amps sound alike’ crew). I’m not sure why it would be different for headphones, or why so many in the headphone community reject it, but I am always surprised. A great amp with ok speakers (headphones) will be more satisfying than an ok amp with great speakers (headphones) every time. The 650s illustrate that perfectly - they sound ok when driven an ok source/amp, but they sound great when driven by a great source/amp. It’s pretty intuitive if you give it just a little thought - headphones can’t make up for deficiencies earlier in the chain no matter how good they are, but the 650s are good enough that if you feed them right, they can be an extraordinarily satisfying listen, and a lot of the perceived shortcomings of the 650 will disappear with appropriate amplification. That’s really all I’m trying to say.
Some of these things are considered self-evident to the two channel stereo world (except for the Julian Hirsch/Stereo Review ‘all amps sound alike’ crew). I’m not sure why it would be different for headphones, or why so many in the headphone community reject it, but I am always surprised. A great amp with ok speakers (headphones) will be more satisfying than an ok amp with great speakers (headphones) every time. The 650s illustrate that perfectly - they sound ok when driven an ok source/amp, but they sound great when driven by a great source/amp. It’s pretty intuitive if you give it just a little thought - headphones can’t make up for deficiencies earlier in the chain no matter how good they are, but the 650s are good enough that if you feed them right, they can be an extraordinarily satisfying listen. That’s really all I’m trying to say.
Some of these things are considered self-evident to the two channel stereo world (except for the Julian Hirsch/Stereo Review ‘all amps sound alike’ crew). I’m not sure why it would be different for headphones, or why so many in the headphone community reject it, but I am always surprised. A great amp with ok speakers (headphones) will be more satisfying than an ok amp with great speakers (headphones) every time. The 650s illustrate that perfectly - they sound ok when driven an ok source/amp, but they sound great when driven by a great source/amp. It’s pretty intuitive if you give it just a little thought - headphones can’t make up for deficiencies earlier in the chain no matter how good they are, but the 650s are good enough that if you feed them right, they can be an extraordinarily satisfying listen, and a lot of the perceived shortcomings of the 650 will disappear with appropriate amplification. That’s really all I’m trying to say.
Some of these things are considered self-evident to the two channel stereo world (except for the Julian Hirsch/Stereo Review ‘all amps sound alike’ crew). I’m not sure why it would be different for headphones, or why so many in the headphone community reject it, but I am always surprised. A great amp with ok speakers (headphones) will be more satisfying than an ok amp with great speakers (headphones) every time. The 650s illustrate that perfectly - they sound ok when driven an ok source/amp, but they sound great when driven by a great source/amp. It’s pretty intuitive if you give it just a little thought - headphones can’t make up for deficiencies earlier in the chain no matter how good they are, but the 650s are good enough that if you feed them right, they can be an extraordinarily satisfying listen, and a lot of the perceived shortcomings of the 650 will disappear with appropriate amplification. That’s really all I’m trying to say.
MassDrop 6XX was my first open backed headphone, I won them on Ebay used for $180 in a bidding war, for which outcome I was very happy. To power them I use iFi ZenDac V2 DAC + Zen Can (not the signature 6XX). Resolve/Andrew's review on HEADPHONES.COM convinced me (as I was at entry level) that the cost difference between XBass on the regular Zen Can and the 6XX button on the Zen Can Signature 6XX was not worth the extra cost to buy the signature. I have been extremely happy with this set up. I find the base "slam punch" very good with the XBass in use, and have not noted other problems with SQ or FR to my relatively undiscerning ears. While the soundstage is admittedly limited, the 3d button on the Zen Can seems to open this up a BIT; however, I got a lot more benefit out of inserting between DAC and AMP (via the SE RCA cable connections) an inexpensive Douk Audio P2 2-tube device using the suggested JAN GE 5654 replacement tubes. The thing with the Douk device is that it has 3 tonal controls (bass, mid, treble) so allows 'on the fly' low level EQ as needed- obviously not at the level of a Schitt Loki + or a Lokius, but with a mellow tube-y coloration also that I like very much. I can't imagine parting with the 6XXs.
I've had my HD6XX's for about a month now, for the Drop price this have to be the best value headphone in the world, and I mean that quite literally, I can't even think of another headphone that would compare at this price, for a great a majority of people out there this could easily be end game, if anyone is reading this contemplating jumping into the higher end headphones this should be your starting block, this is where you begin, and potentially stay.
I fitted the customs cans modification to my hd650 and was surprised at the difference it made, the bass seems more rounded and present (using the least solid foam) and well defined but what really surprised me was the improvement to the vocals which (subjectively) seemed more present, so £35 well spent.
I did add some damping to the rear using stuff left over from my hd25 modifications.
I've had my HD6XX's for about a month now, for the Drop price this have to be the best value headphone in the world, and I mean that quite literally, I can't even think of another headphone that would compare at this price, for a great a majority of people out there this could easily be end game, if anyone is reading this contemplating jumping into the higher end headphones this should be your starting block, this is where you begin, and potentially stay.
I fully agree. After using closed backs for most of my life, when I got serious about audio I went to IEMs because I heard the price/performance was a lot better than open backs. I went up the food chain to $600+ IEMs before finally trying the 6XX. The 6XX blows away every IEM I’ve ever heard.
I've had my HD6XX's for about a month now, for the Drop price this have to be the best value headphone in the world, and I mean that quite literally, I can't even think of another headphone that would compare at this price, for a great a majority of people out there this could easily be end game, if anyone is reading this contemplating jumping into the higher end headphones this should be your starting block, this is where you begin, and potentially stay.
Hi everyone, just want to know if anyone have similar issues? I purchase a new set of ear pad from Sennheiser USA but it is completely loose falling out of my HD650. I heard there is a newer version, but wasn't sure if the ear cup circumference change? Purchase mine on 2011.
Hi everyone, just want to know if anyone have similar issues? I purchase a new set of ear pad from Sennheiser USA but it is completely loose falling out of my HD650. I heard there is a newer version, but wasn't sure if the ear cup circumference change? Purchase mine on 2011.
The difference is the thickness of the foam. The circumference is the same. You need to use a little force all around the circumference to get them to snap into place (being careful not to dent the metal grilles), but if nothing is broken, they should go in with a very affirmative click and hold tight.
Some of these things are considered self-evident to the two channel stereo world (except for the Julian Hirsch/Stereo Review ‘all amps sound alike’ crew). I’m not sure why it would be different for headphones, or why so many in the headphone community reject it, but I am always surprised. A great amp with ok speakers (headphones) will be more satisfying than an ok amp with great speakers (headphones) every time. The 650s illustrate that perfectly - they sound ok when driven an ok source/amp, but they sound great when driven by a great source/amp. It’s pretty intuitive if you give it just a little thought - headphones can’t make up for deficiencies earlier in the chain no matter how good they are, but the 650s are good enough that if you feed them right, they can be an extraordinarily satisfying listen, and a lot of the perceived shortcomings of the 650 will disappear with appropriate amplification. That’s really all I’m trying to say.
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