[Brent Hutto]

I almost posted the same comment this morning.

I love the sound of my music on the HD650 but it's the farthest thing from a "blow you away" experience. In fact, at first it was the opposite. I thought surely some detail much be getting masked but then I compared the same music on my old headphone and the HD650 is revealing all sorts of subtleties the others miss. It just doesn't grab you with brightness or boominess or forward "presence" on vocals and featured instruments.

And for a headphone that's senstiive to detail, I find the HD650 very forgiving of old or poorly mastered recordings. It's because the '650 does not its own harsh "highlights" to the already edgy sound quality of some older sources. Yeah, they still sound like old tapes but it's very tolerable unlike with some headphones that really amp up the harshness.

 

[sphinxvc]

I'm starting to miss my 650s.    Time spent listening to & exploring rock music has taken a hit since I made the 701s my only one.  Hoping the fullness of a tube amp will change that soon.  On the other hand I'm discovering other music I previously couldn't enjoy properly, like classical & this (killer) album:
 

 

 

[tdockweiler]

 
Quote:

I almost posted the same comment this morning.

I love the sound of my music on the HD650 but it's the farthest thing from a "blow you away" experience. In fact, at first it was the opposite. I thought surely some detail much be getting masked but then I compared the same music on my old headphone and the HD650 is revealing all sorts of subtleties the others miss. It just doesn't grab you with brightness or boominess or forward "presence" on vocals and featured instruments.

 

It's the other way around for me. I feel as if I'm missing some things on recordings with the HD-650, but only with acoustic music and specific albums. I didn't realize this until I heard my HD-600 right after the HD-650. The HD-650 I had still had more detail, but somehow something with my HD-650 was obscuring the detail on my tracks. Not sure if it was the bass or what.
 
I actually felt the HD-650 had more forward sounding vocals somewhat. That's what I liked most about it. It could be due to the soundstage differences and more airy sound of my HD-600 compared to the HD-650. Female vocals on my HD-650 just felt closer to my ears. Which is strange because it doesn't really have forward upper mids like the HD-600 does. I wish I was rich and could have both the HD-650 and HD-600!
 
It's nice to know what the differences between the HD-600 and HD-650 are with my own ears. For me they're so different after all. I miss my HD-650 already, but two things kept me from keeping it. I love all it's detail and how clear it is compared to the HD-600. My HD-600 feels like a slightly improved HD-598, but more neutral of course and a more clear sound. The HD-650 felt like a massive step up. Just couldn't force myself to like it's bass and I wanted a bigger soundstage without spending $600+ on a new amp. I think a much larger soundstage on the HD-650 would ruin how great that headphone is for some things.
 
For years I always felt the HD-650 was the laid back and less bright headphone, but now for me it's definitely the HD-600. HD-600 can put me to sleep, but I like it. It's more neutral than what I remember.
 

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

 
 
Actually it isn't amazing, and that's the best thing about it. If you're expecting a headphone that blows your socks off, prepare to be disappointed. The 650 is about subtle insinuation, about low listener fatigue, smooth highs and an overall satisfying sense of creamy smoothness. If you want amazing and stupendous you'd best buy...well, just about any other brand, and settle back to enjoy(?) having your ears syringed with laser-like highs and  subwoofer lows. That's amazing! The 650....that's just for enjoying music for long periods with no apparent emphasis on any one part of the frequency band, and nothing to excite you but the music itself. Quite unamazing really.
 

    

+1
This is a very true point, and it all depends on what hp's you have heard before the 650's. If they are your first high end phones then you probably will be blown away by them, but If you are coming from Denon or Grado for e.g then they may very well sound dull to begin with. My appreciation for the 650's grew tenfold after buying other high end phones, because after the initial impact of hp's that have emphasized freq responses like "Laser highs or Subwoofer lows" you tend to want to tame these effects after a while and so either change your source, modify, or EQ them to sound more natural. Thats what the 650's offer to begin with. 
 
Sennheiser got it right with the 650's, but it can take time and sometimes a lot of money to realise this!
 

 

[prtuc2]

Just purchase an used Audio-GD ROC amp should be an excellent combo with the HD650, will wait for some testing later next week when I get the item.
 
For those who isn't familiar with the amp, here is the specification.
 
For now I will use the single end, need a new DAC to get the balanced setup to work.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

+1
This is a very true point, and it all depends on what hp's you have heard before the 650's. If they are your first high end phones then you probably will be blown away by them, but If you are coming from Denon or Grado for e.g then they may very well sound dull to begin with. My appreciation for the 650's grew tenfold after buying other high end phones, because after the initial impact of hp's that have emphasized freq responses like "Laser highs or Subwoofer lows" you tend to want to tame these effects after a while and so either change your source, modify, or EQ them to sound more natural. Thats what the 650's offer to begin with. 
 
Sennheiser got it right with the 650's, but it can take time and sometimes a lot of money to realise this!
 

Absolutely right, and after 50 years of seeking aural perfection I've come to the conclusion that the most important aspect of headphones or indeed any hi fi component is something you never see mentioned here: low listener fatigue. What you do see is people bouncing from one component to the next, as I did for years, not realizing that a harsh component, no matter how exciting, will not satisfy in the long run. Go to a classical concert, and unless the hall acoustics are a disaster, what you notice immediately compared to the sound of most "hi-fi" is the low listener fatigue, the timbral, organic sound of the strings, the bite without sting of the brass, the fact that the whole orchestra can rise to hair blowing levels without the audience wincing. All this stuff about I need more bass, more detail, more excitement, it's just not floating my boat...all that has to do with individual concepts of hi-fi and almost nothing to do with the definition of hi-fi---high fidelity to the original. You're absolutely right that it takes time to appreciate a phone like the 650, but most people won't persevere as their concept of 'great sound' is contrary to what the 650 offers--and if you want proof of that sample any Grado, Beyer or AT phone. Those companies are not producing phones nobody wants. They know their market.
 
     
 
 

 

[Dogmatrix]

Gday everyone brand new headfire here
Running rotel 965bx - qed ref audio evo cable - lafigaro 332s - senn hd650
For me the outstanding qualities of the 650 would be the volume of the sound stage having width and depth giving a 3d like effect combined with high clarity and detail allowing each instrument its own space. That said I was after some advice on upgrade cables for the 650. Specifically what would be the best material for a 650 tube amp combo all the ofc upoccc spc ag etc is a little overwhelming

 

[Blasto_Brandino]

Welcome to head fi, sorry about your wallet.  I find that the HD650's are perfect for Classical music, excellent soundstage, clear mids a nice warmth to vocals, the treble is not harsh like most of my other headphones. I have also found (in my experience) they are more forgiving with poor recordings than the HD800's. What I love most about them, however, is how smooth they are, VERY nice.

 

[mtntrance]

Quote:

I am toying with the idea of picking up an Audio-GD C-2 SA for use mainly with my HD650s.  There isn't too much in the forums about this amp, but a fair amount of praise for other Audio-GD amps.  Anyone have or heard the pairing that could comment.  Alternatively, anyone know why that would or wouldn't be a good choice - I don't know too much about amps/watts/voltage/impedance etc.

I have one (C2-SA) and it sounds great with the HD650s.

 

[sphinxvc]

What's up with this?  It shows up while I browse Head-fi but clicking on it takes me to $299 DT880s.
 

 

[hardtarget666]

I've just received my LCD-2's (single ended) and did a brief comparison with HD650's (balanced) and it is quite amazing to find HD650's keeping up with the LCD-2's which are in a different league altogether. Sure, the LCD's have better top end, speed and superb bass response but each time I wear them, they some how remind my of my HD650's. Don't know if its the mids, the tonality or the balance but it feels like LCD-2 is the bigger brother of HD650's. Although there is one area where HD650's completely demolish the LCD-2 and that is sound stage. LCD-2 has a very closed in presentation compared to HD650's. Its a testament to how good HD650's really are.
 
Thought I would sell my HD650's after I got the LCD-2 but now I not so sure.

 

[Satellite_6]

Quote:

I've just received my LCD-2's (single ended) and did a brief comparison with HD650's (balanced) and it is quite amazing to find HD650's keeping up with the LCD-2's which are in a different league altogether. Sure, the LCD's have better top end, speed and superb bass response but each time I wear them, they some how remind my of my HD650's. Don't if its the mids, the tonality or the balance but it feels like LCD-2 is the bigger brother of HD650's. Although there is one area where HD650's completely demolish the LCD-2 and that is sound stage. LCD-2 has a very closed in presentation compared to HD650's. Its a testament to how good HD650's really are.
 
Thought I would sell my HD650's after I got the LCD-2 but now I not so sure.

Really? That's interesting. Maybe you should try them both balanced and compare.
 

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

Gday everyone brand new headfire here
Running rotel 965bx - qed ref audio evo cable - lafigaro 332s - senn hd650
For me the outstanding qualities of the 650 would be the volume of the sound stage having width and depth giving a 3d like effect combined with high clarity and detail allowing each instrument its own space. That said I was after some advice on upgrade cables for the 650. Specifically what would be the best material for a 650 tube amp combo all the ofc upoccc spc ag etc is a little overwhelming

Hi and welcome, I recently upraged my 650's with a handmade cable from a retailer on Ebay called "Audiominor" and was very pleased with it. There is a serious amount of copper in this cable and you can notice the difference immediately. It all depends on what you want more of with 650's as the stock cable is actually pretty good to begin with. If your amp is bright sounding then I really wouldn't bother upgrading.  I have the older "warmer" 650's and so I wanted to lighten the sound a little. I paid £80 in uk for them and that is very cheap compared to other 650 replacement cables and he posts worldwide.
   
 

 

[hardtarget666]

Quote:

Really? That's interesting. Maybe you should try them both balanced and compare.
 

I know its not a fair comparison as the balanced LCD-2 will outperform the HD650's even more. I'm trying to source a decent but not too expensive balanced cable for them. Hopefully I'll get it soon and post my impressions.

 

[ljperez84]

Quote:

I'm starting to miss my 650s.   
 

Don't worry, I promess to treat them very gently