Sennheiser HD650 & Massdrop HD6XX Impressions Thread
Apr 16, 2012 at 3:11 PM Post #6,466 of 46,497
The area where the drivers are where you put them over your ear and move to the left and right a bit. My pair definitely creaks too as is pretty annoying. It's just how it is unless I'm understanding it for something else.
 
Apr 16, 2012 at 3:17 PM Post #6,467 of 46,497
I thought that it should have some movement to it but it just seemed that one side was looser than the other. I'm glad to hear it's not just an isolated case. I love 'em just the same, they're such a solid pair of headphones :)
 
Apr 16, 2012 at 10:21 PM Post #6,469 of 46,497
I only have the 6N1P and 6BZ7. With HD650, I prefer the 6BZ7. 6BZ7 has slightly stronger bass. It sounded more balanced. Lyr also sounds best (awesome) after it is turn on more than 2 hours or 3 hours, IMO. I think it has something to do with the heat. Either the tubes has to be heat up its optimal temperate to sound good or Lyr has to be heat up to its optimal temperature to sound good. That's why I always turn it on 2 hours before I want to listen to it. It doesn't matter if I wasted 2 hours of the tubes life everytime I want to listen to it since 6BZ7 is quite cheap. Are you getting a new Lyr?
Quote:
With the lyr does it sound best with the JJ E88CC tubes or the GE 6BZ7 NOS tubes?

 
 
Apr 17, 2012 at 8:00 PM Post #6,470 of 46,497


Quote:
Hey ya'll I have a quick question about the build quality of the 650's. I recently ordered a used pair off of eBay that were supposed to be only a month old. Yet something seems off. The sound quality is superb, so the drivers must be fine, but in regards to the actual build of the headphone, it seems like the the part connecting the headband to the actual headphone is loose (I don't know exactly what its called, the part of the headphone that says HD650 with the Left and Right indicators below them). The right side swivels much more than the left side, and occassionally creaks
Does this imply that they're about to break? Or is it just a little worn down and still have plenty of years left in them? After using them all weekend it hasn't seemed to worsen, I just wanted to know about how long these 'phones last.



They probably just have alot of wear time on them.  are you talking vertical swivel or horizontal swivel? The ear/driver part is supposed to have some swivel.  Maybe your missing the little black clamps that are supposed to be removed to take the headband off.  The 650's do have kind of a plasticy cheap build quality feel to them, but I find them very durable and very comfortable.
 
As long as it fits nice when worn it shouldnt be a problem. 
 
Apr 17, 2012 at 8:44 PM Post #6,471 of 46,497


Quote:
They probably just have alot of wear time on them.  are you talking vertical swivel or horizontal swivel? The ear/driver part is supposed to have some swivel.  Maybe your missing the little black clamps that are supposed to be removed to take the headband off.  The 650's do have kind of a plasticy cheap build quality feel to them, but I find them very durable and very comfortable.
 
As long as it fits nice when worn it shouldnt be a problem. 


It swivels horizontally, so maybe I was just expecting the build quality to not be so iffy.  They are extremely comfortable compared to most 'phones when I wear them, so it's probably nothing to worry about.  A little loose driver isn't too bad, just expected I guess from trusting eBay.
 
 
Apr 17, 2012 at 11:03 PM Post #6,472 of 46,497


Quote:
It swivels horizontally, so maybe I was just expecting the build quality to not be so iffy.  They are extremely comfortable compared to most 'phones when I wear them, so it's probably nothing to worry about.  A little loose driver isn't too bad, just expected I guess from trusting eBay.
 



 
 
you have a loose driver or a loose earcup?
 
If you have a loose driver, that's a problem.  I hope your refering to the earcup. 
 
WHen I first got my hd650 I was kind of suprised by how plasticy/cheap the build seemed.  But I dont have any problem with it b/c the headphones are very light, extremely comfortable and very durable.  the earcups will swivel around on their own without much force, so that is normal
 
Apr 18, 2012 at 12:01 AM Post #6,473 of 46,497
Ok so very early days yet but the whiplash TWag V2 is the single most dramatic improve of sound that I have found from a cable with the HD650. the clarity and involvement that the HD650 has now has saved it from the for sale column. I was ready to sell it after getting the ms pro but wanted to give it one more chance as I have already bought it and sold it once and didnt want to give up so easily again. they are so much more involving now and provide a perfect counterpoint to the allessandros. In the past I have tried the Blue Dragon, Headphile Blacksilver and the stock cable - the TWag blows them all out of the water and makes the HD650 a beast!
 
Improvements include less muddiness, clear and deep bass, better soundstage - actually they resemble a HD650 in only general sound only other than that they are a different beast altogether - Highly recommended!
 
 
Apr 18, 2012 at 12:27 AM Post #6,474 of 46,497


Quote:
Ok so very early days yet but the whiplash TWag V2 is the single most dramatic improve of sound that I have found from a cable with the HD650. the clarity and involvement that the HD650 has now has saved it from the for sale column. I was ready to sell it after getting the ms pro but wanted to give it one more chance as I have already bought it and sold it once and didnt want to give up so easily again. they are so much more involving now and provide a perfect counterpoint to the allessandros. In the past I have tried the Blue Dragon, Headphile Blacksilver and the stock cable - the TWag blows them all out of the water and makes the HD650 a beast!
 
Improvements include less muddiness, clear and deep bass, better soundstage - actually they resemble a HD650 in only general sound only other than that they are a different beast altogether - Highly recommended!
 



Yes, I agree, just got mine. It's absolutely fantastic!
 
Apr 18, 2012 at 12:49 AM Post #6,475 of 46,497


Quote:
Ok so very early days yet but the whiplash TWag V2 is the single most dramatic improve of sound that I have found from a cable with the HD650. the clarity and involvement that the HD650 has now has saved it from the for sale column. I was ready to sell it after getting the ms pro but wanted to give it one more chance as I have already bought it and sold it once and didnt want to give up so easily again. they are so much more involving now and provide a perfect counterpoint to the allessandros. In the past I have tried the Blue Dragon, Headphile Blacksilver and the stock cable - the TWag blows them all out of the water and makes the HD650 a beast!
 
Improvements include less muddiness, clear and deep bass, better soundstage - actually they resemble a HD650 in only general sound only other than that they are a different beast altogether - Highly recommended!
 



I had this very same experience with my HD-600. Always found that it bored the heck out of me. I tried it with a Double Helix cable and loved it. There's a chance I can get the same result with some other wire, but I haven't experimented yet. I think maybe it sounds so good because the DH must be super low capacitance wire unlike the Canare/Mogami I used on my HD-650 in the past (and hated).
 
It looks like the TWAG V2 is made from silver plated copper. It makes sense why it would be such a good match for the HD-650. I bet ALO SXC will offer a similar sound. SXC only seems to be good (for me) for headphones that are quite warm. Silver plated copper was nice on my Q701, but then I missed the warmth of the stock copper cable.
 
Based on my experience, silver plated copper seems to be dead neutral, but makes most headphones more revealing and analytical. Removes some of the warmth and I don't know why or how. Sound is a bit clearer with a larger soundstage. On the Q701 it was almost too large, but with my DJ100 and the HD-650, it should be perfect.
 
Most dramatic improvement in sound for me was when I recabled my HD-600 with DHC. Then my HD-598 with some Belden wire straight to the drivers. Strangely I hated the DHC on the HD-598, but love it with the HD-600.
 
 
 
Apr 18, 2012 at 5:52 PM Post #6,476 of 46,497
Oh hay... we seriously always end up in the same threads. So I'll keep this short: lol, cables, voodoo .etc.
 
Back to the thread.
 
Today I recieved an HD650 via mail and I am quite delighted. I started of with Grados (bad) and got into mid AKGs... good stuff. So I basically had almost any mid and high-tier AKG can in existence, except the K1000. Then I sniped a broken HD600 and repaired it and was quite impressed with the results, but due to a minor driver dent the left driver was ~2db less loud and was annoying the crap out of me. So I sold it and with the additional bucks I earned from the repair and some spare cash I got myself an HD650. Why no HD600? Well Iliked them but the K240 Sextetts just had an edge in bass I was missing on my HD600.
 
When I plugged them in at first I laughed quite a bit... sound like the HD600 just a bit more expensive, meh. So I set them aside, let them burn and worked on a DIY-DAC.
So I finished and cleaned the place, checked the DAC and did some more listening...
 
While I don't believe (due to Till's efforts on the K701) in an excessive change of fr-due to burn-in, I still feel like the first several hours make them change a little.
Now, after only ~8h of burn in I don't feel like EQing anything. They sound quite neutral, which is why I bought them in the first place. From my experience, a slightly elevated (headphone) bass sounds flatter than a truely flat bass. This doesn't work for speakers... they'll just sound bassy this way.
 
All in all they are a keeper. Sextetts-mids and bass quantity, more extensions in both directions and less sharp treble. I guess I'll reduce my active cans to the HD650 the Sextetts and HF for on the move... the only downside of the HD650 so far is the bloated price, compared to some years ago.
 
Apr 19, 2012 at 4:02 PM Post #6,478 of 46,497
 
Quote:
The track from Audiophile Reference I - Classical Music, Traumeri-R. Schumann Antiphone Blues, sounds absolutely AMAZING on the HD 650!
What's the best area where the HD 650 excel in?

 
If you mean frequency range, I vote for mid-bass to low treble. :) The treble isn't super sparkly but it is still detailed. The low/sub bass isn't mind-blowing, but it is there. The range I mentioned however is amazingly natural sounding and fun to listen to.
 

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