[markot86]

I've been a grado man at heart, but recently I had a chance to audition the HD580 from a crappy system and something magical happened that I thought was impossible...

I was floored. The veil absolutely rocked my world; I had turned to the dark side.

I had never heard room acoustics and atmosphere portrayed so incredibly well, while maintaining all the incredible detail that I was accustomed to. When listening to classical, I felt as if I was actually in a grand hall, listening to the orchestra performing just for me. When I listened to jazz, I could imagine myself in a small club, sitting there with a drink and a smoke, soaking up the incredible virtuosity of the band members.

Ok, so I thought, well duh senns rock for classical and jazz, that's what they were made for; lets throw some genres that the sennheisers suck at.

I played some carpenters expecting my hatred of the sennheiser veil would commence with female vocals.

My jaw dropped.

For the first time, I actually felt that karen carpenter was actually singing infront of me, to me, and the sound was so intimate it was rediculous.

How about some rap? surely the senns can't handle rap; that's grado territory.

Suddenly, as ludacris played through the HD580s, I finally understood the meaning of tight bass. It was so controlled yet so plentiful that...
(gasp)
I started tapping my foot to the music! Eat that Grado, senn is entering your territory now.

I saved the rock for last, thinking that there would be absolutely no way I would get this far. How did they do?

Fantastically! I must say, anyone absolutely worried that senns and rock are a big nono; expell your fears and actually try the combination; I guarantee you will be tapping your foot and rocking out hardcore.

I can't even go back to my sr-60's now that I listened to the 580's; they sound like tin cans compared to the senn. If they weren't selling the 580s for 250 dollars, I would have picked one up right on the spot.

So here's to embracing the veil and the dark side

 

[Kirosia]

Thank bob.

 

[jagorev]

Thanks. These headphones rock in every possible way.

 

[gordie]

Check some obvious online sites for some really good prices on these.

They do impart a magnificent sense of space, and I think they handle rock and big bass just fine (albeit with a big hump in the bass region). I used to use them quite a bit, but they are sonically very different from the headphones I usually listen to, so I don't fire them up as much anymore. They seem to like tubes a lot, but they don't need a very expensive amp to drive them, just a reasonably capable one that can handle high impedance headphones.

 

[ferraro]

I was beginning to worry until I saw that you have only heard sr-60s. I just ordered the sr-225s (from Todd) because I felt the senn hd595s are just too laidback for me a lot of the time, so I was worried that I would end up very dissapointed with the sr-225s given your report.

Anyway, it is good that you have found some headphones you really like. My hd595s have been pretty good to me so far, but I am not sure that they really fit my taste (although they sound incredible with certain tracks).

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markot86 I can't even go back to my sr-60's now that I listened to the 580's; they sound like tin cans compared to the senn.

Agreed... they do to my ears as well. I sold off my SR-60 shortly before buying the Senns in 2003, and then proceeded to fall in love with the Sennheiser sound.

I disagree that they're very good for rock though -- they just don't convey aggression in music well. IMO they don't have the proper edge to electric guitar attacks in order to present the emotion of guitar rock headbanging (AC/DC & Judas Priest type stuff). But they are great at almost everything else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordie They do impart a magnificent sense of space, and I think they handle rock and big bass just fine (albeit with a big hump in the bass region).

My two main headphones are the Beyer DT-880 and AKG K501, both of which have among the tightest, flattest bass of any headphones on the market. When I switch to the HD580, I must say that I don't hear any big bass hump. There's the typical rolloff in sub-bass and after that a *slight* midbass hump, but to say that it's big is just not true in my estimation. I've A/B'ed numerous times with the aforementioned cans, and I don't hear it.

 

[fante7]

I'm glad you realized that the classic head-fi stereotypes are not always true, and you didn't let other people's opinions shape your own too much.

 

[iancraig10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markot86 So here's to embracing the veil and the dark side

May the Force be with you.

 

[Chri5peed]

I have never heard this supposed veil. Granted its probably gone now my 580s have a Cardas and 600 Grills, but they were stock for a good 10 months.

 

[iancraig10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed I have never heard this supposed veil. Granted its probably gone now my 580s have a Cardas and 600 Grills, but they were stock for a good 10 months.

I think that this veil is the smooth sound that Senns have. I feel as though I'm sitting in a theatre when I listen to acoustic music with the 650 - ie there is a feeling of a curtain in the room. I don't know why - but this may be the 'veil'.

Ian

 

[markot86]

The veil from what I could hear was the feeling of actually being in a room with the players, instead of having the players play in your brain; it actually felt as if i was listening to the real thing, or a really high quality pair of speakers in a well thought out room.

 

[Jahn]

Congrats on finding a sound you like! But don't forget, the HD580 at one point was the pinnacle of the (dynamic) Senn line, before the HD600 and HD650 came around. The SR60 really never attained that reputation or price point, so to compare the two isn't showing both sigatures at the same even level of awesomeness.

 

[cheechoz]

There are a lot of defoamers on this forum, including myself, and it seems to clear up this cover, but as regards to the veil, I don't notice it on the HD600, as opposed to the HD650.

Nonetheless, the HD600 is a fantastic sounding set of cans. I have found the K701 a bit better, but I honestly find the two of them, so damn close.

Also, what amp are you using, because through tubes, you will see the Grados in a different light!

 

[Gradino]

I think that 650 i very veiled

I have buy it for 390 euro and sell it for 200 eur

(35 day after, with 350 H burn in).

S.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradino I think that 650 i very veiled I have buy it for 390 euro and sell it for 200 eur (35 day after, with 350 H burn in). S.

We get it. You don't like it. Okay, cool, they're not for everyone, variety is the spice of life, etc. - you spoke about that at length in the "Is The Sennheiser Veil Real?" thread. Don't crap up an appreciation thread