[Exit Pupil]

i have a great dedicated set up, but have to admit, some of my most enjoyable moments listening to the 650 have come directly out of my ipod. only once or twice ever used full volume (usually 2/3) and it was sweet. thats portable. piano can be the biggest stumbling block for any form of reproduction, and this is where the 650 is stunning. i find the 650 to be superb with classical. i also find it very good with rock/pop. because of its smooth nature and lack of harshness, i find i can listen at higher net volumes..if desired, which can then bring out much more body and emotion in the music. so much rock/pop is produced so harshly/poorly i find these phones an absolute necessity. at times, listening on other phones at an otherwise decent vol is like having daggers thrown at my ears, and turning them down to listenable levels kills the soul of the track.
for me, this is where the 650 excells.

 

[Dash]

I have had SR60s, MS2s and RS1s. I recently sold off the RS1s because of the Hd 600s. I was wholey convinced that they would bore me with anything in the rock vein. I think they are great all-rounders. I love the weight they give music. Im no saying they out rock the RS1s, but I would have a headphone that sounds 90% as good with everything then perfect with some and weak on others. Properly amped 600s are good all-rounders and have quickly become my most reached for. They are very smooth almost speaker like, very comfortable but still portray alot of the details.

 

[Zorander]

I don't think the HD-650 has any exaggerated bass. It has very strong low-bass response, true, but its mid-bass is very clean. I recently acquired a HD-600 and contrary to what I've read here, both Senn phones seem to have similar bass volume (with the HD-650 extending deeper and more authoritatively). I suppose this is what you find when you properly drive a HD-650.

However if you want soundstage, I feel AKGs deliver a larger soundstage. They tend to be comparatively emotionless against the HD-650 though (which can suck you right into the music) and you cannot hang them on your neck due to their large pads. Well, I wouldn't class the HD-650 as portable either even if a tad more transportable.

Cheers!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcmyers /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I've been leaning toward the Senn 650s as the final piece in my portable rig, which currently consists of imod, hornet, and 595s. I'm drawn to the 650 because I love a big soundstage, and I'm too sensitive to high frequencies to enjoy Grados (I fear any hfs that are considered very bright). But here's the thing. Some people have claimed that the 650s have artificially exaggerated bass, and that this was a ploy on Sennheiser's part to cater to fans of contemporary music, which tends to have a lot of bass. If you follow this logic, 650s should sound good with contemporary music, and not so good with classical. That would be fine with me, since I don't listen to much classical. But a lot of reviews of the 650s say that it sounds best with classical and acoustic music, and might be a little too laid back for rock, etc. So which is it? Too much bass for classical, or too refined for rock, hip hop and electronica? I'd prefer that you not vote if you haven't listened to the 650s extensively. And if you have experience amping 650s with a hornet, I'd love to know what you thought/think.

 

[eypc]

I listen to a large variety of music from classical and jazz to rock and hip hop.
They all sound great to me on the 650's.