[MattTCG]

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Yes that's what I've read as well and I'm glad to have the newer version but I always wondered if it really is the newer one because they're from 2008 and that's quite a while ago...
BTW Matt, a bit off-topic: seeing you have Chris in your avatar, I have to ask; what do you think about King Animal?

 
King Animal I like a lot. The original Audioslave self titled is brilliant. But Songbook is my favorite. I just love the acoustic minimal arrangement. 

 

[Corryvrecken]

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King Animal I like a lot. The original Audioslave self titled is brilliant. But Songbook is my favorite. I just love the acoustic minimal arrangement. 

 
Just saw Soundgarden last night in Portland, great show!  I was not a fan of the King Animal record on first listen but admit i enjoyed the songs live.  Of course their old stuff is what everyone really loves.  The encore of Slaves and Bulldozers ripped the doors off the place  
 
http://youtu.be/AEM-1kKcg7g

 

[Corryvrecken]

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I'm running them off my schiit magni stack through my laptop.

 
You will find people happy with that combo, however there are also a lot of people who feel the HD650 really comes alive with a tube amp.  Not pushing you to upgrade or anything, but i am very happy with the Lyr/HD650 combo.  
 
As a lot of people have pointed out, the HD650 and the HE-400 are really different technologies and offer a different window to your music, you may simply prefer one over the other.  One of the reasons i love the HD650 so much is that it is the most comfortable and non fatiguing headphone i have found while also having excellent sound quality [ yes including mids   ].
 
One album that i personally think sounds absolutely fantastic on the HD650s is the HD tracks version of REM - Automatic for the people (the regular cd version is great as well of course).  
 
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD093624950783
 
I feel it is one of the best recordings/pairings with the HD650 i have come across.  I don't have the Magni/Modi combo so I'm not sure if it shines as much as it does on the Lyr, but i suspect that album will still sound fantastic  
 
I am also considering buying a Magni/Modi stack for work, but haven't moved on that front yet.

 

[bracko]

You will find people happy with that combo, however there are also a lot of people who feel the HD650 really comes alive with a tube amp.  Not pushing you to upgrade or anything, but i am very happy with the Lyr/HD650 combo.  

A Musical Fidelity X-can v3, hybrid amp, out of production, if you can find one used is a perfect amp for hd650. I bought one today, almost unused, for 130 dollars. It beats Asgard and Valhalla in every aspect and is much cheaper.

 

[calipilot227]

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This. Gray touch up paint will fix it.
 
And invest in a nice headphone stand, and you won't have to worry about it happening again in the future and/or chipping off more paint.

 
I have a wall hook next to my desk that I use when they're not in the storage box. I bought used though, so I don't know how well the two previous owners took care of them. Ah well, they sound so good I don't really care.

 

[longbowbbs]

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That's what I thought. I'll just deal with the current flaky one, haha 

 
And yeah, what's up with their prices? $60 for velour earpads seems a little ridiculous, considering the Beyers are under $30... 

 
Edit: See my signature. I think that confirms I made the right choice 

Big thumbs up!

 

[TomKure]

I like first two Audioslave albums, but not as much as any Soundgarden album, maybe except King Animal, which I like but I will have to listen to it some more to let it really grow on me... The Songbook looks interesting, I like acoustic stuff so I'll check that out.

King Animal I like a lot. The original Audioslave self titled is brilliant. But Songbook is my favorite. I just love the acoustic minimal arrangement. 

Well when I look at the headphones from the side against the light, is is silver-ish but also a bit dark-silver. It is definitely not black and it glares a little, so I hope it's the new one, because I also have read that the new one sounds better...

The new version looks silver when you look through the grills. The old version looks black through the grills.

I've only ever heard the newer silver version, though I have heard people here claim that they can hear the infamous "veil" on the black version, while it is not present in the silver version- fwiw.

Update:
I have googled a bit and found some more info on those revisions and on Headfonia they say that the change might have happened as soon as in 2007 and I also saw some side-by-side photos and now I'm sure I have the newer version. Which makes sense, because I never noticed any kind of veil or anything when listening to them. From the headphones I own, the HD 650 is the best IMO and has the optimal quantity and also quality of treble (and other parts of the frequency spectrum as well). They're just great.

 

[bngbox]

Just as a heads up. There are some great stores in Hong Kong right now in the Mong Kok area that are selling headphones for much cheaper than your average price. Partly because these people are official dealers and partly because its hard for these people to sell the higher end headphones. I was tempted to get an HD650 today at about $345 USD. Just in case you guys are in the area and have been following this thread like me, considering these cans.

 

[superdux]

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get an HD650 today at about $345 USD. .

thats nearly the price i got it used for here in germany/europe!

 

[bracko]

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thats nearly the price i got it used for here in germany/europe!

 
Don't forget there is no VAT in US. Everything is cheaper there. You can comfortably say $1 = €1 = £1

 

[benk97]

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Just as a heads up. There are some great stores in Hong Kong right now in the Mong Kok area that are selling headphones for much cheaper than your average price. Partly because these people are official dealers and partly because its hard for these people to sell the higher end headphones. I was tempted to get an HD650 today at about $345 USD. Just in case you guys are in the area and have been following this thread like me, considering these cans.

I'd buy the HD650 in a heartbeat if I could find them at a $350 price point in the US.

 

[HamilcarBarca]

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I'd buy the HD650 in a heartbeat if I could find them at a $350 price point in the US.

 
Check Sennheiser's web site next Black Friday.

 

[mikenike]

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I'd buy the HD650 in a heartbeat if I could find them at a $350 price point in the US.

 
Call around to those electronics catalog stores, like J&R or B&H. I got my HD650 for that price couple years ago (around this time, in fact) doing that, from J&R. They'll have the current MSRP on their website, so don't let that discourage you from calling.
 
You can even try to negotiate to a reasonable price. At the time of my purchase, it was around $380 on Amazon. These catalog stores tend to have the same prices as Amazon--lower even. My friend, who ordered it for me, got J&R to discount my set to $350.
 
I don't think you'll get them brand new at $350 in the States at this point in time from retailers, but wait until the price does the rollercoaster thing.

 

[imackler]

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Call around to those electronics catalog stores, like J&R or B&H. I got my HD650 for that price couple years ago (around this time, in fact) doing that, from J&R. They'll have the current MSRP on their website, so don't let that discourage you from calling.
 
You can even try to negotiate to a reasonable price. At the time of my purchase, it was around $380 on Amazon. These catalog stores tend to have the same prices as Amazon--lower even. My friend, who ordered it for me, got J&R to discount my set to $350.
 
I don't think you'll get them brand new at $350 in the States at this point in time from retailers, but wait until the price does the rollercoaster thing.

 
Personally, I think Black Friday will be your next best chance to get $350, and even then, I'm not sure. www.razordogaudio.com has them for $399 shipped after code RAZORDOG100. I don't think that will be able to be beaten for any time soon...

 

[SoundNation]

hows the earcups for big ears?
does it touch the drivers after some use ?
honest answer please