[pietcux]

I think we should have a pad shoot out. 1998 vs 2008 vs 2016 vs 2018. Use all pads on all HD6-- versions and compare. Endless possibilities.

Let's ask Jude if we can have a new pads science forum.

 

[donlin]

I like it. Then we can have heated arguments over whether pads are snake oil or not.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Check this out: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd650/
He shows measurement differences between new and compressed pads.

 

[MixMasterMan]

OMG - This is getting ridiculous, this debate over and about ear pads! lol - It really doesn't matter. The headphones are going to sound the way they are going to sound! Hahaa....

 

[Rob80b]

I think we should have a pad shoot out. 1998 vs 2008 vs 2016 vs 2018. ........

No need...the ones from 1998 are probably already full of holes.......(sorry couldn't resist) : )

The only thing to be concerned with is if the new 660S fulfills all ones dreams or one longs for yesterday!

 

[Rob80b]

OMG - This is getting ridiculous, this debate over and about ear pads! lol - It really doesn't matter. The headphones are going to sound the way they are going to sound! Hahaa....

Oh but it does...

Here's a thread I started almost 15 years ago....
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/akg-k501s-al-la-grado.61023/#post-695318

and more recently my review on the AKG K712s, Aug 20, 2014
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/akg-k712-pro.16244/reviews#review-11476
"When AKG meets Sennheiser and vise versa."
Here I praised the K712s over the K701s only to swap pads and reverse the rolls. : (
"Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob80b
Well eat my hat and chuck me in the river, I should have done this right from the start and feel really stupid.
Swapping pads between the K701’s and K712s more or less leveled the playing, meaning the K701s with the new 712 pads, for all intents and purposes, now sound like the 712s, including the bass and the well worn 701 pads on the K712s has given them all the negative attributes I noted earlier on the K701s.
Now to go crawl in a hole somewhere.

 

[Deftone]

Ditto, these were mine done in 2004.

I remember using a banana hanger because a headphone stand wasn’t a real thing aha

 

[Mike F]

Unless they only introduced the newer pads in 2017, when exactly did you get your latest 650s....would also be interesting to hear back from someone who has the last Massdrop HD6XX drop.

Rob I received my new HD 650's 27.2.18 from Thomann https://www.thomann.de/intl/index.html They are a mostly studio gear online store and have a huge turnover of stock (they ship 20K items a day!!). The HD 650 is one of their best selling headphones. Interestingly they don't sell the HD 660 S......

I can only assume, given their turnover, that my new HD 650's are the latest version. They have the black box with the Hi- Res sticker on the outer box, no small 3D sticker on the right driver and the pads look to me like the pads on my 4-5 year old ones, except new of course. The differences between these pads and the ones which I've just replaced my original 580 pads with seem fairly obvious to me, although I tend to notice small differences - I can find differences between two saxophone mouthpieces which were CNC machined, so.....

I said I would say something about the sound. Well, I haven't done any careful comparison with my older HD 650's and neither do I feel the need to do so, but I have to confess that when I received the new ones I did have a moment when I thought, 'why have I done this......!', but then I hooked them up and put them on my head. Wow! Right out of the box they sounded great - very clear with fantastic smooth nuanced detail. 650's!! I also thought the bass was somewhat tighter and better defined, but I just put that down to the new pads. Anyway, I'm totally satisfied.

What I want to know, is when are you going to get YOUR next pair of HD 650's? You know you will..... come to the dark side.... it is your destiny.......

 

[Mike F]

.......I can only assume, given their turnover, that my new HD 650's are the latest version..........

Having said all of the above, it is always possible, I suppose, that the 650's I've just received are not the very latest. Is it possible these days to tell from the serial number?? It would make more sense if Sennheiser is using the new type (HD 660 S) pads on every 600 series headphone now, as well as using them for the replacement pads, and my new 650's definitely have the original sort.

I will add though that I think the pads on my new 650's are a little different from the original pads on my 580's, the 650's being a little bevelled on the inside, but not as noticeably as on the new replacement pads. I actually don't care about all this very much, and they all become indistinguishable from each other after several months, but hey, this is Head-Fi and we're supposed to talk endlessly about insignificant details......

Does anyone else have a very recent HD 650?

I'm also curious as to when the 3D sticker may have disappeared.......

 

[pietcux]

Check this out: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd650/
He shows measurement differences between new and compressed pads.

They should measure my frequency range when I am sober and when I am drunk and in between. And depending on my mood and so on.

 

[Sigmaaa]

I sold my hd650 today. They were smooth and easy to listen to, but the missing details compared to most other headphones, including some cheap ones, frustrated me. I'll stick to the hd660s. Not a detail monster, but above average for sure. Now I have to find a good closed model for deep bass. Not easy to find being used to the hd6** series comfort, light weight, easy replacement of pads and parts and, above all, treble peak absence, which is a rarity in today's market.

 

[pietcux]

I sold my hd650 today. They were smooth and easy to listen to, but the missing details compared to most other headphones, including some cheap ones, frustrated me. I'll stick to the hd660s. Not a detail monster, but above average for sure. Now I have to find a good closed model for deep bass. Not easy to find being used to the hd6** series comfort, light weight, easy replacement of pads and parts and, above all, treble peak absence, which is a rarity in today's market.

You might want to try the Sony MDR-Z7.

 

[kman1211]

I sold my hd650 today. They were smooth and easy to listen to, but the missing details compared to most other headphones, including some cheap ones, frustrated me. I'll stick to the hd660s. Not a detail monster, but above average for sure. Now I have to find a good closed model for deep bass. Not easy to find being used to the hd6** series comfort, light weight, easy replacement of pads and parts and, above all, treble peak absence, which is a rarity in today's market.

As much as I am liking the HD 650 I am trying out, I honestly want to keep the HD 660 S over it. Mainly because the Amiron fills in the role of a more laid-back sound for me but has the energy I desire when called for, I like how much the Amiron changes from low volume listening to higher volume listening, goes from mellow and soothing to hyper and aggressive, the HD 650 doesn't quite do that and it falters when it comes to more aggressive music. The HD 660 S fits my alternative listening mood where I want full upfront mids better than the HD 650 does. It's simply a better compliment to what I already have as a main headphone and I do find the tuning of the HD 660 S more suited for more genres in my experience, it just doesn't have the same transparency and doesn't do the soothing relaxing effect like the HD 650 can.

 

[nocturaline]

Now I have to find a good closed model for deep bass.

You might want to try the ZMF Atticus. It's a great headphone.

 

[Sigmaaa]

It's twice the weight of the Senn 6 series, no way. Also, the Sony is a bit expensive for a secondary and the headband padding doesn't look too comfortable (I have some kind of skull crest)

Kman, what do you mean hd660s is more midrange forward? It's the same untill 1.5kHz and more laid back in the 1.5-5kHz area than the hd650 and a lot of people can hear it. It seems that everyone hears a different thing with this headphone, so little consensus.

Half of people hear the bass deeper on the hd660s, half on the hd650, half hear the hd660s mids more forward, half more laid back, half hear the high treble more powerful on the hd 660s and say the edginess comes from the low treble, half say the low treble is laid back and the edginess comes from the high treble. Maybe they sound about the same and that's why, just placebo in regard to the frequency response, maybe the edginess comes from the liveliness of the sound of the hd660s compared to the anaemic presentation of the hd650