Sennheiser HD650 Love (Appreciation Thread)

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Sep 27, 2015.

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  1. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    Any comparison with KISS mod?
     
  2. Nazo

    Nazo New

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    I'm wondering kind of how well a fairly generic stick-on foam might work for this kind of thing. Whatever they are using seems to be denser than normal (it almost looks hard) but if it's as thick as they've shown there I'm not so sure it makes that much of a difference.

    BTW, I think maybe that micro-mesh actually made things worse. I can't really put my finger on it, but I think it sounds better without it. I'm not very good at subjective things like this though. I wish I had measuring equipment, lol. I'm not sure how to protect the drivers from dust however... How much would it affect the sound if one put some sort of material on the grill itself? For my much simpler HD555 when I did the soundstage mod, I went all out and completely cut out the entire grill and just put in speaker grill cloth where it was. As far as I know it's relatively transparent, but it must not be completely so or people would already have been using it on the front for padding. It worked just fine for that HD555 anyway, but of course the HD555/HD595 is well beneath the HD650, so subtle differences matter less. I don't have any of the material left on hand just now to even mess around with, but I can get some of it more easily than many of these other things. My area is fairly dusty, so I worry that over the years enough buildup could eventually cause trouble.

    EDIT: Oh! Nevermind! I thought mine came with one layer of foam -- just one very very thick layer. In fact it was two. Which is curious because when I looked this up people said they had one or they said they had three, but I didn't see anyone saying two. I too think with only one layer it seems to be about the right balance of things and I'll probably stick with that.

    Oh, and it seems it's possible to get it back in with a curved hemostat (forceps) without too much fuss or disassembly or anything.
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2018
  3. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I'm sure the regular suspects would be happy to measure them. It would be great to get some impressions from trusted rates ears as well.
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2018
  4. Pharmaboy

    Pharmaboy Friend

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    It seriously is good. I bought the J-Mod & posted that review.
     
  5. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

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    Unfortunately I haven't heard any other mods that are out there. He was kind enough to lend me a HD650 as well, which was my 1st extended exposure to that awesome headphone (I personally have always has a problem with the 600s tonality).

    I absolutely love the 650 stock, but his mod does seem to address the major complaints to my ears. Of course it isn't adding sub bass, but it does tighten up what's there & seems to add impact. The mids still shine, but seem clearer, my guess is because the bass is tighter, you pick up a little resolution. The treble is more extended, which might bother those who love the laid back nature of the 650, but I find the end result very engaging.

    But gixxerwimp is spot on, we need trusted ears on these for a better, more well know comparison/opinion.

    This is why I love this place.
     
  6. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    I don’t think there’s any magic there really. Treble probably sounds more extended because the front foam is removed. Distortion is probably lower because of the added damping material. Probably sounds a little cleaner because of lack of grill reflections. The downsides to all that are long-term durability and cleanliness, just like with the former trifecta of mods here.
     
  7. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    I think I'm as familiar with the stock HD650 performance as anyone - put in a good word for me? I'd like to try this thing.
     
  8. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

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    No no magic, just another take on a 650 Mod. I'm sure you're familiar with various mods, which I'm not. After talking with Jupiter, I found out that this came out of his dissatisfaction with the mods he tried.

    All I do know is I like what I'm hearing. Your points about cleanliness and long term durability may be true, but only time will tell about that. I believe he's had the mod in one iteration (different dampening etc) or another for over a year now with no ill effects so far, but that's short term at best I agree.

    I don't think that would be a problem at all!
     
  9. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    I've always had reservations on adding any non-reversible mod to my HD6XX coz I also love the sound too much. It's very enjoyable and fatique-friendly. I never had much problem with the lack of sub-bass or too much mid-bass. Comparing stock-to-stock, HD650 actually works better for me than LCD-2C for hard rock. There is just more punch in the mid-bass. Soundstage is more coherent too, even though rather closed-in.
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2018
  10. RiddleyWalker

    RiddleyWalker Friend

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    Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but did Sennheiser change the 6** series replacement pads to a new denser foam? I thought they were just using a slight variation of these pads for the 58X series, but I’ve read accounts that new replacement 6** pads have this new stiffer foam as well. The velour is also a bit scratchier and less velvet-like.
     
  11. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Hard to tell. The Sennheiser pads in general wear and soften pretty quickly with regular use, so it's hard to tell if they've really made running changes or not unless you have a collection of unused pads from various years sitting around.
     
  12. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

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    If anyone is interested in getting ears on the Jupiter Audio Research 650 Mod, drop me a line.
    @EagleWings is done with his listening, and @k4rstar is delaying until he gets some gear in.
    Jupiter is hoping to get people to hear it (obviously).
     
  13. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I'd like to check it out.
     
  14. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    This is perfect. I was hoping someone with a modded 650 and a measurement rig, would volunteer to test the JAR650 next. This will be very interesting. @Hands , I'll PM you in a bit.
     
  15. songmic

    songmic Gear cycler East Asia edition

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    @Hands is one of those people who are particularly fond of HD650, myself included. HD650 with the trifecta mod remains one of the top 3 best headphones I've heard, and I sometimes prefer it even to Utopia in some ways, under certain setups. The JAR650 looks very interesting, it looks like it shares a lot in common with the trifecta mods (dampening, disc removal, coin hole or foam removal). Looking forward to your impressions!
     
  16. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    I'll send tomorrow one of my HD650 for this mod. I'm curious to see if it adds anything extra to a dynamat, back foam removed and coin modded HD650. My gut says not really.
     
  17. Baten

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    Super interesting! I have the same trifecta mods as I'm sure a lot of people on the forum here have, would love to hear your thoughts once you get your headphones back.
     
  18. EagleWings

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    JAR-650 aka J-Mod

    Intro:
    JAR650 or JMod is the name given to a HD650 modded by Jupiter Audio Research (JAR). JAR is run by the DIYer/modder, who goes by the name Jupiter, and is located in Korea. A new set of JAR650/Jmod can be purchased from JAR for $400, or you could send your own 650 in and have it modded for $100.

    Background:

    I joined the 650 religion rather recently, and my 650 actually doesn't get much use, as most of my listening is done with my LCD-i4, and when I want to listen to classical, I use the HD800. I have listened to other 650s and 6XXs in the past, and my 650 sounds a little bright in comparison. I wonder if breaking it in will change that, as my 650 hasn't even crossed 50Hrs of usage. I haven't done any mods on my 650 and I was saving it for the future. The pads on my 650 are almost like-new and don't think they have broken-in. The pads on the JAR650 seem to have seen some usage and feel broken-in.

    Setup:
    Mac (JRMC) > Hugo 2 > HD650 & JAR650

    Physical Differences:
    - The obvious physical difference is the removal of the outside grill and the addition of what looks like a 3-D printed baffle.

    - You could also see that the centre foam disc and the foam liner inside the ear-cup have been removed.

    Sound Differences:
    - As with most other mods for the 650, the primary aim of the J-mod seems to be to control the bass hump. Compared to the stock 650, the bass on the JAR650 is more linear. The result is a removal of a layer of warmth/veil covering the mid-range and therefore an improvement in clarity in the presentation.

    - The JAR650 also seems to render a more linear treble, compared to the 650's slightly uneven, and sometimes peaky treble. Because of the more linear treble, the note releases are more effortless.

    - As a result of the above 2 changes, the overall clarity, transparency, instrument separation and the perceived resolution in the mid-range are improved. These improvement yield a more accurate timbre of instruments and vocals. This is a good illustration of "treble brightness does not equal resolution".

    - I do not hear any improvement in the sub-bass extension. I do sense a slight improvement in perception of treble extension, as the lower treble is no longer masking it. But I am not 100% confident.

    - No noticeable changes in the soundstage dimensions itself, but the stage sounds slightly cleaner and open due to the reduction in warmth. While the imaging precision itself doesn't go through a change, the perception of imaging seems more precise, due to the removal of veil and improvements in separation and perceived resolution.

    - Overall, this mod seems to bring in some welcome changes to the 650's tuning, that makes the 650 even better. I would go to the extent of saying that JAR650 is one of the most neutral headphones I have tried. At core, its still your favorite 650 possessing most of its traits. What the mod does is, it fixes the bass hump and the uneven treble and offers a more linear tuning, that makes the 650 sound more transparent, resolving and accurate.

    Outside 650.jpg Inside 650.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2018
  19. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I am skeptical about completely removing the HD650 front foam entirely. I've tried and measured it before. It results it fairly nasty treble. Still, I am open minded and will give the mod a fair chance when it shows up.
     
  20. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Even it all sounds amazing I wouldn't use it due to the lack of protection for the driver on both sides.
     

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