[tamleo]

So many money put in the hd6xx here lol. Does anyone prefer the hd6xx to the newly released hd660s2? Tks

 

[domdesilva]

So many money put in the hd6xx here lol. Does anyone prefer the hd6xx to the newly released hd660s2? Tks

That depends on how you look at it. I bought my 6xx used for 130€ to make it a unique headphone and have fun on the way getting there. The difference between a used 6xx a new 660s is 400€ that is a lot of money to play with! And i would also change the cable on the 660s. Its not for everyone, i disassemble it for the third time now, to get the paintjob right, but there's simply no way to get a stock one in Porsche green

 

[xSDMx]

Okay the custom grills from Malvix arrived today so I spent a bit of time listening to my 6XX before and after installing them to get some impressions. Since I had to install them between listens this definitely wasn't any sort of direct A/B as I just have the one pair of headphones, so don't take these impressions as fact since they could also be colored by things like expectation bias. All listening was done with the ZMF perf lambskin pads.

I got the Fibonacci ones since I think the circle in the middle will go well with the CC copper mod whenever that gets here. Build quality seems decent. They have a bit of give in the middle as you'd expect, but they seem solid enough as long as you aren't abusing your headphones. Since they're 3D printed, there are some tiny little bumps here and there, and the finish looks slightly more glossy in some parts than others, but overall it's a matte dark gray and I'm satisfied with how they look. In direct light it's very clear that it's a different color than the rest of the 6XX chassis, but otherwise it doesn't look too out of place. They fit on the chassis well. They were creaking a bit as I was making sure they were on all the way, but now that they're on they seem fine.

Anyway, on to sound impressions. These definitely seem to lift some of the 'Sennheiser veil'. Treble feels slightly more detailed, and things just seem a bit more open in general with improved separation and imaging. I don't feel like there's a much larger soundstage, it just feels like the separation between instruments is a bit more coherent and they're given their own space a little more without being mushed together with other things in the track. About halfway through "Ecailles de lune, Pt. 2" by Alcest there's a guitar track in front of you, and with the new grills I really noticed that the notes were moving around slightly in the space in front of me, just bobbing around very slightly to the left/right/up/down. Note that I feel imaging had already been improved on my 6XX with the ZMF pads, which got rid of some of the 3 blob effect. The guitar track I mentioned has some high notes that I found slightly harsh both with the old and new grills. I don't really think there was much difference in perceived shoutiness/harshness between the different grills, at least for me. Only harsh recordings will sound harsh with these in my opinion.

One thing that I felt on certain tracks like "' Cello Song" by Nick Drake was that I was focused slightly less on the vocals than with the stock grills. I think with some recordings the vocals might be just a bit less intimate than with the stock grills, or it could be that the better spacial cues made me focus more on the instrumental track that was panned to the sides. I don't feel that timbre or the midrange magic is otherwise harmed in any way. Songs like "everything i wanted" by Billie Eilish still have incredibly intimate and realistic vocals with the new grills.

If you're concerned with vocal intimacy above all else with your 650/6XX, maybe you'd prefer the stock grills. But for pretty much everything else I think the custom grills are a (slight) improvement, with intimacy still being retained on the recordings that call for it. For me, I'm trying to make the 6XX the 'ultimate' blissful and laid back headphone to complement my non-fatiguing but incredibly fun and engaging Atticus. So I'm experimenting with all the inexpensive mods that claim to improve imaging, soundstage, and resolution while retaining the laid back and magical midrange. Therefore I think these will probably stay on my 6XX!

Any tips for safely popping off the grills?

 

[daveya]

That depends on how you look at it. I bought my 6xx used for 130€ to make it a unique headphone and have fun on the way getting there. The difference between a used 6xx a new 660s is 400€ that is a lot of money to play with! And i would also change the cable on the 660s. Its not for everyone, i disassemble it for the third time now, to get the paintjob right, but there's simply no way to get a stock one in Porsche green

Any tips for safely popping off the grills?

Grills just pull off with your finger nail

 

[dbull12]

Any tips for safely popping off the grills?

I followed this video (starting around the 1:35 mark he shows how to take the grill off):
But I wouldn't worry too much about breaking any parts of the chassis since they're all very sturdy plastic

 

[domdesilva]

I use this to clip them of

 

[xSDMx]

I followed this video (starting around the 1:35 mark he shows how to take the grill off):
But I wouldn't worry too much about breaking any parts of the chassis since they're all very sturdy plastic

I use this to clip them of

Just got my grills installed. Thanks for the tips. The plastic pry tool worked well to slide the grills out starting from the top. I could see how finger nails would also work well, but I had just trimmed mine! I went with the hex pattern just to mix things up (Fibonacci looks VERY cool, though!)

I purchased these primarily for the aesthetics and because my stock 660s grills had the paint wearing off, so I went in expecting absolutely no difference. However, doing some brief a/b testing from a similar passage I can absolutely hear a difference. My 660s definitely have a bit more sub-bass rumble. To me, they now sound slightly more like my 660s2 but without sacrificing any of the 660s mids quality.

@domdesilva @dbull12 How was the finishing quality on your grill? I acknowledge that they are 3D prints, but the edges of my grills are very sticky and there is some pitting. Nothing noticeable when clipped in place, but just curious.

 

[karloil]

Oh man! That's just sooo rough and dirty looking - the seller could have done additional finishing on it...

 

[xSDMx]

Oh man! That's just sooo rough and dirty looking - the seller could have done additional finishing on it...

The good news is that part gets covered by the headband assembly and the outward facing portion seems to be finished OK.

 

[dbull12]

Just got my grills installed. Thanks for the tips. The plastic pry tool worked well to slide the grills out starting from the top. I could see how finger nails would also work well, but I had just trimmed mine! I went with the hex pattern just to mix things up (Fibonacci looks VERY cool, though!)




I purchased these primarily for the aesthetics and because my stock 660s grills had the paint wearing off, so I went in expecting absolutely no difference. However, doing some brief a/b testing from a similar passage I can absolutely hear a difference. My 660s definitely have a bit more sub-bass rumble. To me, they now sound slightly more like my 660s2 but without sacrificing any of the 660s mids quality.

@domdesilva @dbull12 How was the finishing quality on your grill? I acknowledge that they are 3D prints, but the edges of my grills are very sticky and there is some pitting. Nothing noticeable when clipped in place, but just curious.

Glad you're liking the changes they made to the sound! As far as build quality, mine didn't have any of the stickiness or pitting that you describe and that are shown in your pics. On mine really the only thing was that certain parts of the grill are just ever so slightly more glossy and less matte than other parts, but it's only visible if the light catches them in just the right way. Not sure what their return policy is, but if it bothers you then you should reach out to them

 

[Fuku]

Is there a replacement headband cushion that people find most comfortable? I'm looking for something softer and most cushion-y than the stock headband pad. I'd probably just order a genuine Sennheiser HD 600 replacement cushion, but I can't seem to find any sites that sell them and it sounds like the Geekria one is more stiff

If you're interested I sell a comfort strap for the 6x0 series on my etsy. Or if you have your own 3d printer I have the designs posted for free.

 

[xSDMx]

If you're interested I sell a comfort strap for the 6x0 series on my etsy. Or if you have your own 3d printer I have the designs posted for free.

I just bought your comfort strap yesterday. Looking forward to receiving it!

 

[Davidzak64]

I'm looking forward to hearing what kind of synergy the 650
will have with my incoming DV THA332 Amp.
I've read some real good reviews about this combo.

 

[xSDMx]

If you're interested I sell a comfort strap for the 6x0 series on my etsy. Or if you have your own 3d printer I have the designs posted for free.

Just received the comfort strap today. Thanks for shipping so quickly. I still need to put it through a full day, but even after just an hour of listening the difference is night and day!

 

[16tons]

Hi, for those of you that have tried both, it worths spend 40-50€ more to get a hd660s over a hd6xx?