[Sycraft]

I just finished an amp (PPA) and now there is no question, I must have new headphones. I have a pair of HD-590s right now. I never got why people whined about these. I mean I had 580s, and I liked the 590s better, such that now mom has the 580s. Well, now that I have an amp, I see what the problem is. Mom is not giving back those 580s, and I'd like to move up anyhow.

Well, I'm a Sennheiser nut, and unless anyone has something that they really think Sennheiser people should try, I'm sticking with them. So, that makes my choices the HD 600 and HD 650. One problem: There is just no way, no how I find a place around where I live that has either, much less both, of those to listen to.

So I ask those of you who have heard both for advice: Is the 650 worth it over the 600, given that it costs about $100USD more?

Also if you have some other headphones that you think someone that likes the Sennheiser sound ought to consider, let me know, though I'm pretty set on the 600 series.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

HI: The 590 were my favorite headphones for a while until I bought the 595. I find the 595 to be way better sounding over the 590 with a much bigger sound stage and way clearer sound. I found the sound on the 595 to be very much in line with the bass,mids,highs. Also they are super comfortable and at 120 ohms easy to drive. I had a PPA amp that I used with the 595 also but now use my 500 watt stereo receiver. When I listened to the 600 I found them to be way to laid back for my taste. The 595 sort of are in between the grado upfront sound with the smooth sennheiser sound. A very refined and great sound.

 

[Sycraft]

Ya, I kinda thought about the 595s, but I really like the Sennheisers because of the laid back sound. I have listened to the 600s, my friend has a pair, and I really liked them. If I want a more upfront sound, I'll probably roll the opamps in the PPA rather than getting more upfront headphones.

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

Personally, I thought the differences between the 600/650 more than justified the price, particularly in the bass region, and removal of the 600 veil.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I only shortly heard the 650 at a meet (having owned the 600 twice, I have much experience with them) and the 650 sounded much better to me, more powerful bass, yet with less of a mid-bass hump, more natural sounding mids, and less grainy highs. Hopefully my new 650 should be here tomorrow to confirm (and burn-in).

 

[JaZZ]

With a good source and a good amp, the HD 650 is on another level -- resolution, detail, evenness... In a mediocre system you won't notice that much superiority, and the HD 600 may even sound airier and crisper at first listen.

BTW, you still haven't mentioned your system you're planning to pair it with.

 

[Sycraft]

It will be going from my computer to a M-Audio Firewire 410 to a PPA (637/627 opamps, 4x 5002 buffers) to the headphones. I also might route it through my mixer too so 410 -> Mackie -> PPA -> Phones. The soundcard is subject to being upgraded whenever I find one I like better that I think I can afford.

 

[sc53]

I have the 650's and had the 600's for a while to compare with them. Although close, I found I preferred the 650's because I heard more detail. I use a PPA as well (LaRocco Deluxe Home Edition) and the 650's are a great match with that amp, great soundstage, tight bass, lots of high end without brightness/fatigue. You can buy the 600's used for under $200, which may be a consideration, since the cheapest I have seen used 650's go for is $300. I think it's worth the extra $100 but you may not.

 

[Geek]

The HD650 are a much bigger sonic difference from the HD600 than the HD600 is from the HD580. You're better off sticking with your HD580s if you love how the HD580 sounds. The HD650 is even less bright than the HD580/600, and is even more uber sensitive to upstream components (how good source/amp/recording is).

If you like the HD580, you may find out that the HD650s are awesome. However, you might also think they sound too muddy, have recessed treble, and just way too much bottom end. Your taste may vary. They also have a huge burn-in time. More so than the 580/600.

I say go for it, but be aware of how much cash you are spending.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Zoide]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sycraft It will be going from my computer to a M-Audio Firewire 410 to a PPA (637/627 opamps, 4x 5002 buffers) to the headphones. I also might route it through my mixer too so 410 -> Mackie -> PPA -> Phones. The soundcard is subject to being upgraded whenever I find one I like better that I think I can afford.

You may want to be careful with the choice of 637/627 opamps. I've read from some DIY builders that this combination (as opposed to using 3 x 627s) can make the amp unstable, or that at least you need to have a fairly high gain on the amp.

 

[Sycraft]

I do have a high gain (11) and the amp is quite stable and sounds awesome. I'll confirm stability as soon as I can get my hands on a 250mhz scope, but there is no audible noise at any setting on the pot and no audible distortion at any reasonable listening volume. I'm not too worried given that the amp has plenty of high quality caps, a high quality 24v source (which I can increase to any value as high as 32v if I like), carefully balanced components, and a good solder joints.

I have a feeling that most insability is caused either by low gain, power problems, or both. I have neither so I doubt there's anything wrong, and the sound supports that. I have a hard time beleving an amp would sound this good with problems. None the less, the scope will tell for sure. If it doesn't oscillate up to 250mhz, over twice the GBW of the 637s, I'm going to say it's not doing it.

I may later roll the opamps to AD, since I've heard they balance with the Sennheisers nicely, but that has to wait until I have real phones to listen on. If there's a problem on the scope with the 637s, I'll see if adding C3s can fix it, and if not maybe roll to 627s.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

The 637s and the current diamond buffer don't get along, although I haven't heard if anyone's tested glassman's DB with the 637s.

 

[Sycraft]

Well from the sounds of it, I should probably take the plunge and get the 650s. I just love dark sound, just how I roll. To give you some idea I think the best speakers in the world, bookshelf, and full range, from $300-$30,000 are B&Ws. I have 604s in front of me and 601s behind. I'm an all solid-state guy, Hafler and Rotel being my favourites for power amps.

From the sounds of it, the 650 is what I'm after. If it's not bright, good, if the bass hits, great. I dunno, maybe my mixes would be better if I used brighter gear, but I just love it dark and subdued. I guess that's what I get for playing trombone

.

So thanks all, for the suggestions on the cans, I think I will drop the extra money to get 650s.

Oh, and if any of you are still reading: How's the durability on the connectors for the 650s? My 580 connectors broke real quick, I fixed them by streatching, they broke again later so I soldered the wires on. My 590s just receantly got their connector loose too so I soldered that. Do the 650s do it as well? I'm tempted to not wait and just solder the connectors as soon as I have a cable I like.

As a side note, I find if you solder the cables and mount them with silicon sealant (GE Type II, for showers and such) it reduces cable handing noise.

 

[Sycraft]

Not doing diamond buffers at this point, I just have a cluster of 12 5002s. If I do go DB, I'll roll them to 627s or ADs. At this point I'm sticking with the 637s unless the scope shows something I thikn is a problem since they sound great and I already have them.