[OrganMonster]

These are electronic organs and not pipe organs of course. Most of the pipe organs these days being built have additional midi voicing which is digital with internal circuitry inside the organ. The headphones will be used for only the electronic voicing.

 

[OrganMonster]

Hi @Pietcu, are you by chance located near the world renown Freiburg Munster cathedral with the organ built by Gottfried Silbermann. Every organist dreams of visiting this cathedral some day in their lifetime.

 

[pietcux]

I live 250 meters away from the Freiburger Münster. I listen to the bells ringing everyday. I have heard the organs several times. I like that stuff sometimes. But not too often. I plan to look up their concert schedule for the winter season. I will test the HD660S with some Bach Toccata and Fuge for you.

 

[Evshrug]

Hey @OrganMonster,
While I absolutely enjoy the HD 660 S and have been using it almost exclusively these past few weeks, I would actually recommend the HD 58X Jubilee based on what you shared.
1. Neither the HD 660S or HD 58X Jubilee would be piercing if you were fine with the AKG K7XX, though I could understand how the Grados might be.
2. As a traveling pair, that will get beat up (the K7XX isn't that old, I wonder how fast headphones "blow up" for you), the HD 58X Jubilee are just as tough and modular-repairable as the HD 660S (including all the pads, driver, grill, essentially any component if needed), but it costs less.
3.The HD 660S sounds better overall, more detailed and rewards an optimal listening environment more... but the HD 58X Jubilee has more sub-bass extension into the lowest hz range. Please keep in mind that frequencies around 20 Hz are more "felt" than heard, and while you'll be able to feel their presence on your ear, the drivers are too close to your ear to really develop that low of a frequency (never mind that human hearing doesn't usually extend any lower than 20 Hz).

I quite enjoyed Alex's take on the PM2, and I think that the HD 660 S is a little different but capable of giving that headphone a run for it's money... but again, for your traveling needs, I think the HD 58X Jubilee makes more sense. No offense or judgement towards you about how headphones "die" faster when used for traveling, it's a simple fact that the boxing and bumping and various sources used will take their toll on equipment faster than something kept in a shrine at home. It is encouraging that almost anything that could go wrong with the HD 6-- platform (including HD 58X Jubilee) can be user-fixed with the right parts, but it's also nice that the HD 58X Jubilee are only like $160.

Drop.com exclusive, here's a link that helps us both (if you don't mind that it helps us both get a small discount coupon, I think $10 for you): https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sen...eadphones?utm_source=linkshare&referer=Z2JXCA

 

[OrganMonster]

Thanks @Evshrug
I guess I am hard on equipment. On the KXX the wire broke going from the left to the right channel, repairable. The Denon 2000 left driver burnt up and while sending back for repair was lost during shipping. The Denon A100 had faulty wiring and then the right driver went out and Denon did not have any parts to fix it.

Surprising but I really enjoy listening to the Zeinth (PM-2) mods. They are real easy to get used to. What I have tried in the past was the Senn HD-700 (too much treble for organ used athough love the sound), HD-800 (phones were way too big and kept falling off), Audeze LCD-XC (this is the ultimate phones, bass is great for organ, but way too heavy and fall off during organ setup), Fostex 900 (bass was too exaggerated and felt as though the low organ pedals was mushy) and the AKG KXX (the price was right and convenient but not crazy about sound).

It has been an exhausting search and always comes up empty. Never tried and Beyerdynamics, Hifiman, Sony, Mr Speaker (although Alpha Dog a very very very long time ago) or top end AKG's.

 

[pietcux]

Thanks @Evshrug
I guess I am hard on equipment. On the KXX the wire broke going from the left to the right channel, repairable. The Denon 2000 left driver burnt up and while sending back for repair was lost during shipping. The Denon A100 had faulty wiring and then the right driver went out and Denon did not have any parts to fix it.

Surprising but I really enjoy listening to the Zeinth (PM-2) mods. They are real easy to get used to. What I have tried in the past was the Senn HD-700 (too much treble for organ used athough love the sound), HD-800 (phones were way too big and kept falling off), Audeze LCD-XC (this is the ultimate phones, bass is great for organ, but way too heavy and fall off during organ setup), Fostex 900 (bass was too exaggerated and felt as though the low organ pedals was mushy) and the AKG KXX (the price was right and convenient but not crazy about sound).

It has been an exhausting search and always comes up empty. Never tried and Beyerdynamics, Hifiman, Sony, Mr Speaker (although Alpha Dog a very very very long time ago) or top end AKG's.

I hate to write it in a Sennheiser related thread, but based on your requirements, there is only 2 headphones which I can recommend. The Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO or DT1770 PRO. Both miss on the typical Beyer treble spike and sound very balanced. Both are rugged and can take a beating. All parts are available for repair. They both stick to your head but are comfortable. I liked the DT1990 PRO as much as the HD660S. The deciding factor for me was the balanced vs unbalanced driving capability of the cans. All HD Sennheisers are made from a good plastic, but the grilles are easy to deform.

 

[kman1211]

I hate to write it in a Sennheiser related thread, but based on your requirements, there is only 2 headphones which I can recommend. The Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO or DT1770 PRO. Both miss on the typical Beyer treble spike and sound very balanced. Both are rugged and can take a beating. All parts are available for repair. They both stick to your head but are comfortable. I liked the DT1990 PRO as much as the HD660S. The deciding factor for me was the balanced vs unbalanced driving capability of the cans. All HD Sennheisers are made from a good plastic, but the grilles are easy to deform.

The DT 1770/1990 are not quite as rugged as the substantial-feeling build may suggest. The weak point of them is the headband cable(it's more fragile than the one found on cheaper Beyers such as the DT 880, etc. as it uses thinner wires), had problems with this on the DT 1770, but not the DT 1990. The T1.2 and Amiron Home on the other hand are actually more durable than the DT 1770/1990, but not near as clampy. The HD 6xx family are without question durable of course, but the grill like you said can be quite easily deformed.

 

[pietcux]

The DT 1770/1990 are not quite as rugged as the substantial-feeling build may suggest. The weak point of them is the headband cable, had problems with this on the DT 1770, but not the DT 1990. The T1.2 and Amiron Home on the other hand are actually more durable than the DT 1770/1990. I personally think the T1.2 should also be looked into, the Amiron Home may be a tad too loose fitting. The HD 6xx family are without question durable of course, but the grill like you said can be quite easily deformed.

The clamping force on the non pro Beyers like Amiron or T1/T5 is not enough to meet the requirement of professional musicians. They would always need one hand to hold them in place. I am on my second DT1770 PRO now. No issues with the cables so far.
And I already put a dent in one grille of my HD660S.

 

[kman1211]

The clamping force on the non pro Beyers like Amiron or T1/T5 is not enough to meet the requirement of professional musicians. They would always need one hand to hold them in place. I am on my second DT1770 PRO now. No issues with the cables so far.

That's what I realized so I retracted it, they don't clamp enough, was mentioning the point of concern on the DT 1770/1990, the cable is thinner than found on the DT 880, etc. so it may pose a potential problem, thankfully they aren't too hard to replace(no soldering required). It doesn't seem widespread but does seem to happen on occasion(if the right driver becomes silent, the headband cable is the likely cause).

 

[Evshrug]

Thanks @Evshrug
I guess I am hard on equipment. On the KXX the wire broke going from the left to the right channel, repairable. The Denon 2000 left driver burnt up and while sending back for repair was lost during shipping. The Denon A100 had faulty wiring and then the right driver went out and Denon did not have any parts to fix it.

Surprising but I really enjoy listening to the Zeinth (PM-2) mods. They are real easy to get used to. What I have tried in the past was the Senn HD-700 (too much treble for organ used athough love the sound), HD-800 (phones were way too big and kept falling off), Audeze LCD-XC (this is the ultimate phones, bass is great for organ, but way too heavy and fall off during organ setup), Fostex 900 (bass was too exaggerated and felt as though the low organ pedals was mushy) and the AKG KXX (the price was right and convenient but not crazy about sound).

It has been an exhausting search and always comes up empty. Never tried and Beyerdynamics, Hifiman, Sony, Mr Speaker (although Alpha Dog a very very very long time ago) or top end AKG's.

Just FYI, the grilles on the Sennheiser HD's are made of metal, and can be replaced at home by hand (and maybe common tools, there's video guides). If they were plastic, like the original HD 580 from the 1990's, the grilles would simply crack. The fact that there are many many replacement parts if needed, and the unusual low-bass extension for an open backed headphone, were the reasons I recommended the HD 58X Jubilee.

That doesn't take away from the HD 660 S for home listening, or any of the other headphones mentioned recently in a similar environment. I'm listening to my HD 660 S now!

 

[ksorota]

Has anyone seen one of these in the wild yet. I have a new pair coming and am curious as to how the design has actually changed. I do like the new box!

 

[GoodBoy]

That's promising news. They better improve built quality!

 

[BrunoArrais]

Oh boy... mine is still under the return window from Amazon. I will wait and see if the differences are worth the replacement.

 

[Evshrug]

Has anyone seen one of these in the wild yet. I have a new pair coming and am curious as to how the design has actually changed. I do like the new box!

Check your box guys... mine came in this box with the same UPC and EAN, and this doesn't look much different from the HD 650, which seems to have had good build quality to last almost 20 years (mines only two years old):



Compared to the HD 650, the shoulders are a little more squared... matte headband instead of glossy... I don’t remember the HD 660S at shows being much different. The 3D shape that puts the Sennheiser logo into relief is the same grille I remember. It’s a good-to-go design, I’d take either one honestly.

 

[BrunoArrais]

So no differences other than the box itself...