Sennheiser HD650s: Do they sound as "large" as the ATH-AD700s?
Dec 12, 2010 at 6:42 PM Post #16 of 19
Actually I haven't owned a pair of speakers since 1978, and I'm somewhat less aware of visceral impact at concerts as that sweet, organic tone of live instruments that so few phones even hint at.
 
It's a question of naturalness. I want the sound I hear from about 20 rows back, not what I might hear on stage, or what sounds most exciting and impactful. A live symphony orchestra is not "detailed". It is, in fact, somewhat amorphous in the sense that nothing much beyond a fortissimo cymbal crash stands out. And it's not bright, not a whit. Compare, say, a Beyer DT880 with a live concert and you'll be astonished at how "dull" the concert sounds; you'll be reaching for the treble control. Now HeadRoom has a little note about their FR measurements to the effect that the ideal graph is one which is raised slightly below 1khz and gently drops off above 1khz to be maybe 10db down at 15khz, and that's a graph only a few phones, like the 650, replicate. I've listened to phones with a much flatter FR than the 650, like the AKG K601, and found it too bright. I guess it's as HeadRoom say, that because the drivers are right against your ears, and because treble frequencies normally roll off over distance, you're going to get an unnatural brightness from a "flat" frequency response (let alone one that peaks  below 10khz).
 
Of course all this has to do with replicating sound heard from a distance. Some people just want excitement, impact, to feel they're right next to the players. For them there's just about every phone bar the 555/595/650 (and maybe LCD-2, though I haven't heard it). I just wish they'd desist criticising the latter phones for being "boring" simply because they're tuned for a more natural response.             
 
Dec 12, 2010 at 7:04 PM Post #17 of 19


Quote:
Actually I haven't owned a pair of speakers since 1978, and I'm somewhat less aware of visceral impact at concerts as that sweet, organic tone of live instruments that so few phones even hint at.
 
It's a question of naturalness. I want the sound I hear from about 20 rows back, not what I might hear on stage, or what sounds most exciting and impactful. A live symphony orchestra is not "detailed". It is, in fact, somewhat amorphous in the sense that nothing much beyond a fortissimo cymbal crash stands out. And it's not bright, not a whit. Compare, say, a Beyer DT880 with a live concert and you'll be astonished at how "dull" the concert sounds; you'll be reaching for the treble control. Now HeadRoom has a little note about their FR measurements to the effect that the ideal graph is one which is raised slightly below 1khz and gently drops off above 1khz to be maybe 10db down at 15khz, and that's a graph only a few phones, like the 650, replicate. I've listened to phones with a much flatter FR than the 650, like the AKG K601, and found it too bright. I guess it's as HeadRoom say, that because the drivers are right against your ears, and because treble frequencies normally roll off over distance, you're going to get an unnatural brightness from a "flat" frequency response (let alone one that peaks  below 10khz).
 
Of course all this has to do with replicating sound heard from a distance. Some people just want excitement, impact, to feel they're right next to the players. For them there's just about every phone bar the 555/595/650 (and maybe LCD-2, though I haven't heard it). I just wish they'd desist criticising the latter phones for being "boring" simply because they're tuned for a more natural response.             



Its less the rolling off of treble frequencies than the human ear's own frequency response.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher%E2%80%93Munson_curves
 
Dec 13, 2010 at 1:45 AM Post #18 of 19
True, of course, but high frequencies are lost with distance. Your neighbour's stereo is likely to reach you as just a drone or thumping.  
 
Dec 13, 2010 at 2:04 AM Post #19 of 19
HD650 soundstage is smaller. Some may tell HD650 will open wide with expensive amps/cables/balanced rig. I do not believe, though I did not tried anything higher than HDP and well upgraded WA3.
 
Quote:
Curious if the HD650s' soundstage is as large, if not larger, than the AD700s.



 

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