[Mike F]

ευχαριστώ!

I’ll have a good listen later on after the show!

 

[Deftone]

Ichos, could you possibly suggest an example where I might hear that (preferably on the Internet with a link). I’d still like to find an excuse to keep the HD660S anyway!

If you like the 650 more then stop trying to look for an excuse to keep the 660S.
As we keep discussing it's a matter of preference, 650 is smoother, better timbre and more coherent but it's got mid bass distortion, it's slow and it's forward upper mid is too aggressive for some people. 660S is faster, more precise, better clarity, lower distortion, more resolving (imo) and more effortless sounding.

If you want a more relaxed and gentle sound and you only listen to simple music with few instruments then go with 650. If you want something a bit more lively and faster And you listen to complex music then go with 660.

Mike if I was you I'd just sit back with the 650 knowing it's the perfect headphone for me. It's what it's all about.

 

[Ichos]

@Mike F

Παρακαλώ!

Let's see if you are ready to enter the dark side....

@Deftone

Your sound description is spot on!

 

[Deftone]

The sparkle is because the 2-4Khz region is very recessed to the higher treble so it is more audible the latter.
And that's why some people find the HD650 annoyingly forward in this region.
The 660S is not missing information on the 2-5KHz region it's just not in you face.
But compared A/B to the 650 you may find it lacking.
When accustomed to the sound of 660S without comparing then there is nothing missing , it all there but not at your face.

Couldn't have said this better.

 

[Mike F]

Ichos, now I know exactly what you mean! I think the thing for me is that the ‘bloom’ in the bass (slower decay) doesn’t disturb me because you almost always get some resonance like that in real life - except when the percussionist is in a booth surrounded by plexy glass, as the percussionist in the show I’m doing is. He is also playing timps and tuned percussion. To me the HD650 just sounds more realistic simply because the timbre is more accurate and I also miss some clarity in the HD660S.

I really would like to keep the HD660S, not lest because it looks so damn good(!), and maybe I will, just to have a different, more easily powered, flavour, but at nearly €400 I need to know that I prefer it sonically in at least some way over the HD650! Maybe, as Deftone has suggested, I just need to admit to myself that I prefer the HD650.......

 

[Ichos]

Yes i understand perfectly what you mean as i have attended a lot of live classical music.
In order to hear the bass and other percussion perfectly and with the right resonance (because there is always resonance)
you need to be at the right hall and in the perfect position.
A funny thing , sometimes i was thinking while listening music at home with a good recording in a fairly good system/room
WOW what i am hearing now is perfect but hey it is not like the concert yesterday!!!
Well and that is why there are fellow hobbyists who prefer the analogue sound and tubes and stuff
like that despite it's known shortcomings , because it sounds more true to real life.
May be the same applies to the 650 as well , i don't know i should order one....

 

[Mike F]

Ha! Yes, I absolutely agree! I do totally understand now why you, or anybody else, might prefer the HD660S, but for me the strengths and the weaknesses (or those aspects which could be described as a weakness) of the HD650 add up to produce a headphone which more accurately portrays the music which I most often listen too. Yes, it’s just a matter of preference in the end. Enjoy your HD660S in good health. It’s a fantastic headphone - it just might not be the one for me. Cheers.

 

[Ichos]

And you too be happy with the 650 and don't rush yourself into the 660S
maybe a little later and after prices have dropped a little.
I am glad to be discussing with people like you!
Cheers

 

[kman1211]

Well, I’m going from one to another listening to Sting on my iPhone, and I can only say that to me they do sound very similar. More difference was apparent on higher end gear. But, I really can’t find very much negative to say about the HD660S, it’s only a question of the small differences in comparison to the HD650 and ones preference. The jury is still out!

I didn't really ever compare the HD 650 and HD 660 S on portable devices, only really desktop amps. I like both headphones honestly but I found I got more enjoyment out of the HD 660 S of the two as I found it engaged me in the music more overall and better as a genre-master than the HD 650. I have rather eclectic taste in music, so I always try to find headphones that are genre-masters. Definitely agree about the preference aspect. I always liked the HD 660 S about the same as the Beyerdynamic Amiron Home, some ways more and in others less, depends on the recording and genre which I preferred; but I like my T1.2 Black more than either headphone as it basically replaced both the Amiron Home and HD 650/660 S for me.

 

[equalspeace]

I was awed by the performance of the 660s last night. Had it burning in on the lower powered Sony DAP, and was checking in on it periodically, and across genres the sound reproduction was phenomenal. I’m super psyched/happy w the 660s, and it’s seeming (so far) that my 650 will be getting sold. I’ll have to see though, as I love the 650. It’s just not engaging enough. It does what it does really well though

 

[PeteMtl]

I was awed by the performance of the 660s last night. Had it burning in on the lower powered Sony DAP, and was checking in on it periodically, and across genres the sound reproduction was phenomenal. I’m super psyched/happy w the 660s, and it’s seeming (so far) that my 650 will be getting sold. I’ll have to see though, as I love the 650. It’s just not engaging enough. It does what it does really well though

If I may give you one piece of advice, please don’t sell your HD650 too fast, you may regret it later. You may feel after a while that both headphones have the edge over the other for certain types of music. I don’t own the HD660S but that’s the way I feel regarding my trio of HD600/6XX/58X and I wouldn’t sell any of them anytime soon! Take your time before you do such a blasphemous act... (lol)

 

[Deftone]

I was awed by the performance of the 660s last night. Had it burning in on the lower powered Sony DAP, and was checking in on it periodically, and across genres the sound reproduction was phenomenal. I’m super psyched/happy w the 660s, and it’s seeming (so far) that my 650 will be getting sold. I’ll have to see though, as I love the 650. It’s just not engaging enough. It does what it does really well though

Really think about it first though mate. I wish I kept my 650, even though I wouldn't listen to it now its like owning a piece of history.

 

[equalspeace]

I can't keep headphones I don't listen to. I wasn't listening to my 6xx that much before I got the 660s. Mostly reached for my Oriolus Mk2 or the HE500. We'll see.

If I may give you one piece of advice, please don’t sell your HD650 too fast, you may regret it later. You may feel after a while that both headphones have the edge over the other for certain types of music. I don’t own the HD660S but that’s the way I feel regarding my trio of HD600/6XX/58X and I wouldn’t sell any of them anytime soon! Take your time before you do such a blasphemous act... (lol)

Really think about it first though mate. I wish I kept my 650, even though I wouldn't listen to it now its like owning a piece of history.

 

[Ichos]

It seems that everyone of us who had owned the HD650 and sold it , we are regretting it for one reason or another!

 

[jbarrentine]

I had 650 and sent them back. They just pissed bass everywhere. I was immediately impressed because they were something different but 48 hours or so in they just sounded so tilted that I hated them. The 660S wasn't a love affair either until I got a pair that didn't have the "grain". Once I got a proper pair I was immediately enthralled. I haven't looked back since.