Sennheiser HD660S... Finally a successor for the HD650?
May 21, 2021 at 3:19 PM Post #7,621 of 9,585
Its really strange that u find fatiguing the HD 660S because HD 6 series are known for exactly the opposite ( there are some differences between them but not so much)
Maybe your HD 650 pads are really old and smoothie that give a warmer character ... i suggest use your old pads to HD 660s and see what happens . If the sound is the same , Then u have very sensitive ears and maybe this small difference between HD 650 being in fact smoother than HD 660s makes u feel that way .
Thanks. The 650 pads are only gently used. As are the 660 pads. I think I’m just a little sensitive at a particular frequency as someone else said. I still Think they are very enjoyable headphones. No plans to sell them.
 
May 21, 2021 at 3:23 PM Post #7,622 of 9,585
How do you find them fatiguing? I personally had a weird dizzying fatigue with them which is the only reason I don’t have the HD 660 S anymore, no system fixed it for me and I tried two different pairs, I couldn’t pinpoint what part of the sound was causing it as it wasn’t audible fatigue and I haven’t heard of anyone else having this issue, so it’s likely not the problem.

This didn’t happen with the HD 600 and HD 650 but I didn’t like their sound as much as the HD 660 S, I got mild fatigue from the upper mids on the HD 600/650 though but certain systems solved it on those headphones. It’s possible it’s the upper mids bothering you on them as the entire HD 6 series is stronger there than most headphones.
So I’m not a sound guy. But if I had to guess I’d say upper frequencies (above all mids). I believe the 660s are more resolving at higher frequencies then 650 aren’t they? That’s how I’m rationalizing this to myself anyway...
 
May 21, 2021 at 4:12 PM Post #7,623 of 9,585
Well of what I’ve owned I would say Beyer T1.3 (very dark/warm), Amiron Home, T1.2, and Audioquest Nighthawk. Brighter estats don’t seem to cause fatigue and there were some brighter dynamics I heard that haven’t either.
Haven't heard the others but agree on the Amiron. It's 6XX/650 smooth while being more detailed and having better soundstage.
 
May 21, 2021 at 4:17 PM Post #7,624 of 9,585
To have a comparison in mind , what headphone u find that is not fatigue ? Most of the premium ones are brighter in my opinion . For example something cheap that everyone have are the Koss porta or 30i those are dark very dark profile have u listen to them ? Maybe this is the profile that u like and u want to go for LCD 2C.
You can add the AFO-X to the non-fatiguing list as well. I was comparing the AFO X, Amiron, 660s, 6XX, and Sundaras again yesterday. I've said it multiple times but I'll say it again, the 660s is a fine headphone. It runs into problems though when you compare it to the AFO-X and the AFO-X goes for the same price as the 660s in the US. Imho the AFO-X is simply better in every category.

The 660s compares quite well to the others however. After the AFO-X it's hard to differentiate which is better between the others. I'll swear one is better one day and then listen again and think the other is better. It really comes down to music, equipment, and listener preferences at that point, and the 660s compares to the others just fine.
 
May 22, 2021 at 6:20 AM Post #7,625 of 9,585
You can add the AFO-X to the non-fatiguing list as well. I was comparing the AFO X, Amiron, 660s, 6XX, and Sundaras again yesterday. I've said it multiple times but I'll say it again, the 660s is a fine headphone. It runs into problems though when you compare it to the AFO-X and the AFO-X goes for the same price as the 660s in the US. Imho the AFO-X is simply better in every category.

The 660s compares quite well to the others however. After the AFO-X it's hard to differentiate which is better between the others. I'll swear one is better one day and then listen again and think the other is better. It really comes down to music, equipment, and listener preferences at that point, and the 660s compares to the others just fine.
Hard to find Dan Clark Headphones in Europe , other than that i read a lot of good things about them closed back and open back i think they have a lot of filters for different sound so everyone will have different style of sound with them .
 
May 22, 2021 at 6:21 AM Post #7,626 of 9,585
So I’m not a sound guy. But if I had to guess I’d say upper frequencies (above all mids). I believe the 660s are more resolving at higher frequencies then 650 aren’t they? That’s how I’m rationalizing this to myself anyway...
Agree on that , they are more resolving at higher frequencies.
 
May 22, 2021 at 7:07 AM Post #7,627 of 9,585
These are Semi open Angled hybrid with foam inside Koss kph30i and air vents that i make :) 20210522_122650_HDR.jpg20210522_122348.jpg20210522_140229.jpg ... HD25 on their way and HD 6 driver semi open with foam inside and without spider cage to see what happens :)
 
May 22, 2021 at 11:56 AM Post #7,628 of 9,585
I'm really enjoying my 660S right now listening to some Lee Ritenour from back in the 80's on Amazon HD.

With Apple and Spotify upping their game, Amazon will cease charging extra for their HD service so it will be $5 less per month for me going forward. I love the selection of tracks and audio quality on Amazon so I will stick with it for the time being.

The main thing I wanted to ask other 660 users is if I should try to snag a set of the 650/6XX at this time. These headphones get a lot of praise and I'm a little concerned they may get cut from production with the recent sale of the consumer division. Should a 660S owner be looking to get the HD600 as well?

Just thought I'd ask since it could be a pivotal time and there might be some overlap in ownership of the different models. Thanks and have a great weekend.
 
May 22, 2021 at 12:16 PM Post #7,629 of 9,585
I'm really enjoying my 660S right now listening to some Lee Ritenour from back in the 80's on Amazon HD.

With Apple and Spotify upping their game, Amazon will cease charging extra for their HD service so it will be $5 less per month for me going forward. I love the selection of tracks and audio quality on Amazon so I will stick with it for the time being.

The main thing I wanted to ask other 660 users is if I should try to snag a set of the 650/6XX at this time. These headphones get a lot of praise and I'm a little concerned they may get cut from production with the recent sale of the consumer division. Should a 660S owner be looking to get the HD600 as well?

Just thought I'd ask since it could be a pivotal time and there might be some overlap in ownership of the different models. Thanks and have a great weekend.
I am likely in the minority, but I would say no. I bought and sold the HD600's twice. I recently bought the HD6XX's for the second time (to try on an OTL amp) and will be shedding them soon. While they do have a rabid following, I really don't get it. I have tried cheap amps, mid price amps, SS amps, hybrid tube amps, OTL tube amps, etc. I guess I just don't get the "Sennheiser magic". I was not especially surprised to hear of the sale. Sennheiser seemed to have been just cruising with a couple of hits they had years ago. Even the folks that love the HD800S series are pretty conditional on their love for them. I like the HD660's just fine, but have NO urge to climb the Sennheiser tree further (unlike Focal, Grado, Meze, HiFiman, etc.).

Maybe that sentiment was more common than people here would think and why Sennheiser let go.
 
May 22, 2021 at 12:53 PM Post #7,630 of 9,585
I am likely in the minority, but I would say no. I bought and sold the HD600's twice. I recently bought the HD6XX's for the second time (to try on an OTL amp) and will be shedding them soon. While they do have a rabid following, I really don't get it. I have tried cheap amps, mid price amps, SS amps, hybrid tube amps, OTL tube amps, etc. I guess I just don't get the "Sennheiser magic". I was not especially surprised to hear of the sale. Sennheiser seemed to have been just cruising with a couple of hits they had years ago. Even the folks that love the HD800S series are pretty conditional on their love for them. I like the HD660's just fine, but have NO urge to climb the Sennheiser tree further (unlike Focal, Grado, Meze, HiFiman, etc.).

Maybe that sentiment was more common than people here would think and why Sennheiser let go.
I've been through the HD 650/6XX and the HD 600 numerous times, preferred the HD 600 of those times as I found it had more staying power, but I much preferred the HD 660 S sound and found them much more engaging which is why I am bummed they caused me fatigue. I never got the Sennheiser magic from the HD 600 and HD 650, but I have from some of the vintage Senns such as the HD 540 Reference Gold which I loved when I auditioned them.

With the HD 660 S I felt they captured some of the magic some of the vintage Senns had, there is something addicting about the HD 660 S sound that the HD 600 and HD 650 just don't have. Honestly when I went the Tesla Beyer route it kind of killed the desire for the HD 600/650 as I felt like they blended elements I liked about DT Beyers, Senns, and AKG's. The HD 800 series while very impressive in many ways is just not really my cup of tea so I don't have that urge either.
 
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May 24, 2021 at 5:01 AM Post #7,631 of 9,585
I used the 650, 600 , 660s with hip dac , micro , nano and i got no surprises between the headphones that i used ( single ended cable) there are the known differences between the headphones that we all know hd650 being the smoothest of them all but no way 600 or 660s being on fatigue mode with those or other amp dac combo that i used . Maybe he is sensitive to that small differences that 660s give , or just the pads are to new and hard for correct fitment , they need to brake in ( in my opinion )

Thanks. So it's more about how you see all those Senns rather than what hip-dac does :)
 
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May 24, 2021 at 5:28 AM Post #7,632 of 9,585
Thanks. So it's more about how you see all those Senns rather than what hip-dac does :)
Yes exactly , in my opinion hip dac doesnt change the sound in a way that any of the headphones that i have sound different that i expected. I know that there are some dac/amps in the market that does change the sound a lot , but no the iFi ones that i use ( of corse with no Xbass enabled ) doesnt change anything .

PS. In my ears 5.3C firmware with GTO filter sounds a bit more clear more airy , and 5.3 ( the one with no GTO filter ) sounds more natural more dark i would say ,personally i like it more . I dont know if thats a placebo effect or anything ( iFi knows better to tell us ) .
So maybe its a good idea for him to try 5.3 version .
 
May 24, 2021 at 5:38 AM Post #7,633 of 9,585
Yes exactly , in my opinion hip dac doesnt change the sound in a way that any of the headphones that i have sound different that i expected. I know that there are some dac/amps in the market that does change the sound a lot , but no the iFi ones that i use ( of corse with no Xbass enabled ) doesnt change anything .

Thanks, that's a very useful feedback. Although our products feature our "house sound", we do our best to not overdo them.

PS. In my ears 5.3C firmware with GTO filter sounds a bit more clear more airy , and 5.3 ( the one with no GTO filter ) sounds more natural more dark i would say ,personally i like it more . I dont know if thats a placebo effect or anything ( iFi knows better to tell us ) .

It's a matter of preference. Personally I like the GTO more than bit-perfect, but considering all feedback both FW options are more or less even on popularity.
 
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May 24, 2021 at 11:07 AM Post #7,635 of 9,585
I'm really enjoying my 660S right now listening to some Lee Ritenour from back in the 80's on Amazon HD.

With Apple and Spotify upping their game, Amazon will cease charging extra for their HD service so it will be $5 less per month for me going forward. I love the selection of tracks and audio quality on Amazon so I will stick with it for the time being.

The main thing I wanted to ask other 660 users is if I should try to snag a set of the 650/6XX at this time. These headphones get a lot of praise and I'm a little concerned they may get cut from production with the recent sale of the consumer division. Should a 660S owner be looking to get the HD600 as well?

Just thought I'd ask since it could be a pivotal time and there might be some overlap in ownership of the different models. Thanks and have a great weekend.
Just my opinion but I would consider getting the HD6XX/650 as a compliment to the 660s especially if you own or are curious about an OTL tube amp to pair with them. I wouldn't get the 600 however because to me the 660s and 600 sound more similar than the 660s sounds compared to the 6XX/650. Others may not agree with that but that's how they sound to my ears and equipment.

I love the 6XX/650 with an OTL tube amp (in my case Schiit Valhalla with upgraded tubes). Again just my opinion but to me the 600/650/6XX go with an OTL tube amp better than the 660s. The 660s is not bad with an OTL tube amp just not quite as good as the others. I have better luck with tube hybrids with the 660s.

Anyways the 6XX/650 may be worth having as a compliment to the 660s as they differ enough in sound and with different equipment to give you a little different take on things if you are curious about those differences in sound. The differences are not huge but they are there and I personally like having the 660s to use with my tube hybrid amps and the 6XX to use with an OTL tube amp. Both setups give me just enough differences in sounds and flavours to keep things interesting.
 

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