[shuto77]

It's worth a mention that the discussion is about the newer 'silver driver' revisions, some people believe Sennheiser has been quietly upgrading the HD6x0 line. Earpad age makes a pretty big difference in sound as well.

Just jumping in here. Considering how Sennheiser clearly employs a premium pricing strategy ($500 for the nine-year old HD650?), I find it extremely unlikely they would "quietly" upgrade their two most famous models and not tell anyone. If anything, they would market this change as an upgrade, while keeping prices steady. (Actually, prices have risen the last two years on these two old products.)

I'm not disputing they've changed the design, just that they would improve the product and not tell anyone.

 

[kman1211]

   
I'm surprised.  I've only read the opposite; the HD 600 and HD 650 are smooth and not particularly detailed, but it takes more than auditions to confirm this.  I can confirm they're smooth sounding, I can't compare detail retrieval though.  The DT 880 is generally thought of as more detailed than the HD 600 and HD 650, and the K7xx is definitely more detailed than the DT 880 overall (I currently own both).

Detail retrieval and resolution is a bit hard to compare on the two as they present sound so differently, but in my opinion a well-driven HD 650 is the better headphone than the AKGs, but I do find the AKGs better than the HD 600. I can say the HD 650 is more resolving and transparent than the HD 600, I've owned both the HD 650 and HD 600 long enough to know the HD 650 is better; its notably clearer, faster, and more detailed than the HD 600, though some do prefer the HD 600's presentation.
 
I have heard the K7XX but I personally own the K712 so I'm much more familiar with the somewhat more energetic K712, I haven't heard both long enough to make proper comparisons. I got the impression the K712 is more refined, but I'm not completely sure on that though. While I do find the bass of the K712 and K7XX very resolving I do find they do have some lack of impact, especially compared to the HD 650 which hits much harder in the bass.

 

[Rhamnetin]

  Detail retrieval and resolution is a bit hard to compare on the two as they present sound so differently, but in my opinion a well-driven HD 650 is the better headphone than the AKGs, but I do find the AKGs better than the HD 600. I can say the HD 650 is more resolving and transparent than the HD 600, I've owned both the HD 650 and HD 600 long enough to know the HD 650 is better; its notably clearer, faster, and more detailed than the HD 600, though some do prefer the HD 600's presentation.
 
I have heard the K7XX but I personally own the K712 so I'm much more familiar with the somewhat more energetic K712, I haven't heard both long enough to make proper comparisons. I got the impression the K712 is more refined, but I'm not completely sure on that though. While I do find the bass of the K712 and K7XX very resolving I do find they do have some lack of impact, especially compared to the HD 650 which hits much harder in the bass.

 
I agree with the notion that the K7xx has basically no bass impact at all.

 

[kman1211]

   
I agree with the notion that the K7xx has basically no bass impact at all.

I have found certain systems can squeeze out decent bass impact, but bass impact is definitely a weak point of them, it allows you to zoom in on the midrange and treble though. The K712 is a stark difference from my Nighthawks which have insane bass impact and extension in comparison. 

 

[c61746961]

What?

It's said the K7XX has slightly better bass extension and resolution. It's said to be a little less resolving than the HD650. It's said to have laid-back mids in comparison and a brighter treble, which may be a problem for some (me, for example, I had to mod it). Dynamics, soundstage and other specifics are too dependent on gear and source tracks. It seems the HD650 may be the better overall headphone, but it's not too far ahead.

That, someone asked and I summarized what I read. I haven't heard the Senns so I can't vouch, but I generally trust these people. Any problems?

 

[wwmhf]

My experience with 3 sets of HD650 over a long period of time can corroborate what you heard. Those with newer 'silver driver' are more transparent than those with older black driver. It was so obvious that I sold the HD650 with black driver. I still have two HD650s, one bought some time ago with a gray packaging box, another bought last year with a black box, and they also sound slightly different. I think the most recent one sounds a little more lively.  
 
Quote:

It's worth a mention that the discussion is about the newer 'silver driver' revisions, some people believe Sennheiser has been quietly upgrading the HD6x0 line. 

 

[CallMeDaddy]

Not sure where that came from, as such a thing was never even implied. The text you quoted said nothing of the sort.

As you seem to be a serious musical aficionado with a passion for the art, can you post a pic of your music collection? Here's mine:








Edit: pics

nice, dick. Can you show me your bedroom? My panties are now on the floor.

 

[shuto77]

It's weird when people are so aggressively douchey like @shaffer was. Almost everyone here is extremely helpful, especially to noobies.

Cheers for nice people!

 

[nottheface]

So I just bought my second pair of 7xx's and noticed that the build quality seems much improved over the first editions. My first editions were a little loose and the ear pieces would creak and rattle. The new ones are tight and with excellent fit and finish.

A little disappointed in the first editions now but maybe this is the excuse I needed to pull the trigger on another headphone. What would be a good upgrade from the 7xx?

 

[Tostapane]

if anyone is interested I have a couple of k7xx practically new. used very few times for comparison with my K612 .. 150€ .. accept exchange with DT990 (new or like new)

 

[shuto77]

I'm clearing out some of my gear, so I'm selling my K7XX on eBay. Hit me up if you're interested and don't want to wait for the next drop.

I have a feeling I'm going to miss them for gaming, but we'll see.

 

[AladdinSane]

What ya gonna use for gaming? Really like mine for that.

 

[shuto77]

What ya gonna use for gaming? Really like mine for that.

Ja, ich auch! (Anyone want to help me with my German?)

I'm totally with you. The soundstage comfort, and clear mid-range make these fantastic for gaming.

I purchased the Fidelio X2 to replace the K7XX, and after seven weeks, I'm finally ok with moving on from the AKGs.

The K7XX is great for gaming, but I'm a relatively new audiophile, and need to try out more gear so I have a better frame of reference. I should probably grab an HD650, since I like a warmer can, and some have favorably compared the X2 to this classic.

Since the K7XX is a product now, there will always be one out in the wild (or in the classifieds), should I change my mind and want to buy it again.

If that happens, I'll be sure to tell everyone here I made a mistake.

 

[c61746961]

I wanted a share a mod that I am very happy with; grabbing inspiration from the latest HD800 modding efforts, I tried applying the usual ring mod but using a PVC foam mesh instead of felt...

If anyone is interested, I measured the effects of said mod and the results are:


Here's with a single layer of ~1mm thick stiff felt added (my preferred config):


As you can see, the mod shows effects principally the treble which to my ears is improved, however, what is not shown is an improvement in imaging and upper midrange presence (where that dip is), but the CSD helps here:

vs


Which shows lessened ringing overall, especially around 1 KHz, and a more in-balance upper mid region.

 

[AladdinSane]

No wrong answers. Whatever floats your boat. I've been curious about the X2. It gets good comments all over the forum. Great thing about all these K7XX users is we all have a baseline for comparing other products kinda like all the Senn HD600 peeps out there. So many great products!