[kman1211]

Your point about timing is well taken, however the HD600/650 were definitely not considered mid-fi when they came out. They were arguably the best dynamic headphones in the world at the time and the early reviews always mentioned how incredibly expensive they were. It wasn't until the HD800 came out five years later, that dynamics crossed the $1000.00 mark (no Audeze or HiFiMan yet).
Tyll was running the amp company Headroom at that time the HD650 was released and in their catalog, he raved about how the HD650 was the best in the world. His previous favorite was of course the HD600.

Back then it was basically a fight between Sennheiser, Beyer, and AKG for the best forming the classic trio. The early/mid-2000’s was mostly $300-500 being the top dogs and those were mainly the HD 600/650, DT 880 (mostly the 600 Ohm variant) and K701, etc. There were a couple odd dynamic headphones that cost more than a $1000 back then such as the R10 and a couple others but that’s it.

 

[Rob80b]

I have found it kind of interesting the 660s don't get as much 'love' as you're showing, perhaps it's the price compared to the HD6XXX .............

........... the HD600/650 were definitely not considered mid-fi when they came out. They were arguably the best dynamic headphones in the world at the time and the early reviews always mentioned how incredibly expensive they were. ........

And that's the crutch...relative to headphone history the HD6XX looks like quite the bargain seeing that the original HD650 first came in, at what was considered at the time an astronomical price of $649, soon to settle down at $449. But the R&R, molds and machinery have long been paid for and to pump out revisions in the form of the HD6XX for the drop community is sort of a win win all round, same for the HD58X, although more work was done on the driver.
Now having said that, I find the HD660S priced accordingly, and if one takes in inflation they're IMHO quite affordable, at $499 that works to less than a $1.50 per day for a year, much less than ones average morning coffee. : )

 

[Contrails]

I think $449 is very affordable especially considering they are easier to drive as well. They sound pretty good straight out of a MacBook Pro.

But IMO, Senn missed a big opportunity. Imagine telling people (before the release of the Drop and HD660S) that for less than $500 (including cost of an amp) you can have a headphone that sounds just as good if not better than the HD650/Hd600. This headphone should have been priced $499 from the start. The initially high price put a lot of people off and that’s why I agree with the negative publicity it received initially.

 

[donlin]

Wasn't 449.00 the original price? I looked at my receipt and I bought it Jan, 2018 for 449.00.

 

[Contrails]

Wasn't 449.00 the original price? I looked at my receipt and I bought it Jan, 2018 for 449.00.

$649 was the initial release price.

but hey, you scored a deal! Nice work.

 

[kman1211]

The HD 660 S was $499 at release. It was the HD 650 that was $649 at release it seems (I wasn’t in this hobby when it came out back in 2003). It’s said the msrp of the HD 650 dropped to $449. But now the HD 650’s msrp is $499 (Senns website) the same as the HD 660 S.

 

[Rob80b]

The HD 660 S was $499 at release. It was the HD 650 that was $649 at release it seems (I wasn’t in this hobby when it came out back in 2003). It’s said the msrp of the HD 650 dropped to $449. But now the HD 650’s msrp is $499 (Senns website) the same as the HD 660 S.

Funny, I was curious about Sennheiser's direct pricing and just went to their site and indeed the 650 and 660 are listed at same price, slightly different here in Canada but close enough.
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/audiophile-range?order_by=created_at-desc&page=2

 

[Contrails]

The HD 660 S was $499 at release. It was the HD 650 that was $649 at release it seems (I wasn’t in this hobby when it came out back in 2003). It’s said the msrp of the HD 650 dropped to $449. But now the HD 650’s msrp is $499 (Senns website) the same as the HD 660 S.

Initial price in New Zealand was $950. That equates to roughly $650ish USD.

 

[kman1211]

Initial price in New Zealand was $950. That equates to roughly $650ish USD.

Hmm, I wonder what the initial price in the US was. I don’t ever recall hearing it being above $499.

 

[Contrails]

Hmm, I wonder what the initial price in the US was. I don’t ever recall hearing it being above $499.

We always get ripped off with prices. The usual excuse of shipping and customs fees.

 

[gikigill]

HD8xx would be a sold out when that happened

That didnt quite happen.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Well lets just say, less accomplished drivers. The 58X may have more apparent bass extension but in direct comparison it is slightly muddled, unfocused and the overall sound is IMHO a lot less refined. For the price though still a pretty good headphone, measures well, no apparent defaults and I did use mine since they came out in 2018, so nothing to be ashamed of, but to say it is comparable or the same as the 660S, which has undeniably a more expansive sound stage with much better defined depth, more air and natural harmonics is just wishful thinking. If one doesn't like the so called tuning, that is another kettle of fish all together and comes down to personal preferences.
The Hd600/650 have survived the test of time, very popular. so nothing to take away from them there, having owned 3 pairs of 650s and the 6XXs, but not for everyone of which the same could be said of the 660S, I just prefer the later which offers me a more satisfying and enjoyable musical listen all round

Heh...
So you make a long post that talks about the tuning yet preface it with ‘let’s just say less accomplished drivers’
And yes I have also owned all of these Sennheisers at the same time. I happen to prefer the HD58X over the 660 because the warmth in the basement much better masks what effectively is a peak in the treble (popping up in both headphones at exactly the same spot..in the same manner...aka very very similar drivers). Over the 660 it is just too noticeable for me and rather makes music come off somewhat ‘steely’...but again has nothing to do with the supposedly ‘less accomplished drivers’..it’s because I prefer the tuning of the warmer 58X.

 

[ics1974]

Heh...
So you make a long post that talks about the tuning yet preface it with ‘let’s just say less accomplished drivers’
And yes I have also owned all of these Sennheisers at the same time. I happen to prefer the HD58X over the 660 because the warmth in the basement much better masks what effectively is a peak in the treble (popping up in both headphones at exactly the same spot..in the same manner...aka very very similar drivers). Over the 660 it is just too noticeable for me and rather makes music come off somewhat ‘steely’...but again has nothing to do with the supposedly ‘less accomplished drivers’..it’s because I prefer the tuning of the warmer 58X.

Hmm. I would love to hear the 58x to compare

 

[Crowbar44]

Head-Fi would do a service to the community if the age of all posters were displayed prominently, at least in relation to headphone impressions. Older guys like me (53 y/o) probably aren't hearing much above 14,000Hz...while an 18 y/o will probably hear above 18,000Hz, depending on how much abuse their middle ears have taken during their misspent youth.

This is a fun test:

I'm not hearing anything over 14,000Hz....

Not surprisingly older listeners are going to like different cans than younger listeners. Overly bright transducers may not bother older listeners, but may drive younger people crazy. Seems relevant to the HD660S discussion as its seems they're considered a "brighter" headphone by many...by the same token, a headphone with really well controlled, excellent treble may seems less impressive to an older listener.

FWIW - I just bought a used pair of HD660's off eBay based on this discussion - I'm looking for a counterpoint to my LCD-2's...many thanks to all for their posts!

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I’m 38 and I hear up to about 16k
The ‘peak’ over the Sennies are situated around 5k.

Edith: Reading back my posts I thought I’d expand a bit. It’s not that the HD660S is a bright headphone - it’s just compared to the other headphones in the 6 series. I believe Sennheiser purposely decided to act upon the many folks who previously stated that they disliked the socalled forward uppermids of the classic 600/650..and as a consequence rolled the energy back there. That effectively both makes the 660 warmer and more laidback in the mids..but it also makes the extra treble energy that more noticeable compared to the rest of the line-up.
Either way, I think many hear this ‘extra zing’ in the treble as detail and end
up prefering the 660 precisely for the reasons I don’t. Tastebuds eh