Sennheiser HD650 Love (Appreciation Thread)

@Luckbad

Classical kind of demands TOTL drivers because of how tonally and technically complex the genre is.

I like the Auteur for classical but it doesn't really do the job compared to the 800. Imaging and resolution falls noticeably behind, even if they are tonally superior and have more speed. This isn't really a problem if you're free of nervosa and don't know what you're missing. They are still competitive with TOTL headphones.

I haven't tried Verite yet but $2K is alot of money to spend on small pieces of wood and a couple drivers. A $700 used HD800 is almost impossible to beat. Ditto for what you already have.

Auteur is definitely worth checking out as it's roughly in the same ballpark as the 800 for technicalities and price on the used market and tonally is virtually perfect (I don't have any treble problems with my teak version btw, so I don't know what that's all about).

 

@Luckbad the second coming of the 650, considering you're looking at classical music, might be the hd800 classic with sonarworks EQ. It worked really well for me in that regard.

 

I might have to try the HD800 yet again. I've always found them fatiguing after a couple minutes even when modded.

Or just continue my costly journey in the speaker realm. Any legitimate upgrade in that department would require me to sell the SPL Phonitor XE though.

 

^^ Yep, ETHER 2 with perforated pads (similar 650 response) is really nice with classical. Speed and decay are great. Timbre and tone match orchestral instruments very well.

 

@Luckbad Clear with front foam has all but replaced HD650M for me. I hardly listen to any classical and acoustic only occasionally, but Clear with this foam out of BF2 > NBM hits my sweet spot (MCTH when I need sub-bass).

 

FWIW, an HD800S with Misodiko pads lands squarely in the HD650 realm, like HD650++.

 

what was the mods? ime, the superdupont mod only is not enough to tame the brightness of the hd800. but when you add the sbaf mod, to me it removed the inherent brightness and the hd800 are absolutely tolerable in terms of brightness. going back to the hd650 is always a small let down.

 

@Luckbad I'd consider the HE6SE (+ mods + pads) since they're selling on Adorama for $899 right now. Works well with the current-gen Phonitors too. Use a warmer sounding source. @neogeosnk also has experience with this combo.

 

That's how i stopped looking into super utopian HD600. For me it also worked well but...i still like Verum a whole bunch and miss it, just for the different flavor. My HD600 is still here more for nostalgia sake.

 

For my tastes, the only true upgrade to my well modded HD650 with in system is the Susvara. Unless a headphone can upgrade every part of what makes the 650s great I'm not interested.
HD800 is a side or downgrade in certain areas and it's still a lot of work to tame that headphone. It can be great, exceptional even but it's a lot of frustration. Myself and others have owned the HD800 multiple times.

I wouldn't give even an inch from the stunning, beautiful mids the HD650 can do. The though of any focal even coming close is laughable.
HD650 is my only headphone now, I've got the K1000 refurbished, substantially better but still not getting any use.

 

I'd take a custom-modded HE6 or 6SE tuned to your own preferences over a stock Susvara any day of the week, and invest the extra $5100 in better upstream gear or simply better life choices. And for some things still prefer HD650 over either.

Maybe something from Aurorus Audio could be promising once they hit a more full-scale production timeline. If you want everything from the HD650 but with better bass extension, you could also use a sub alongside your headphone setup?

 

I had the stock 6SE for a loaner, very nice headphone, involvement was lacking even if technically quite brilliant. Would modding help in that regard?

 

We might be getting off track on the thread topic and in order to answer I'd have to know how 'involvement' is sonically realized to your ears.

HE6 does have quite a bit of range in terms of how modding can change things (and you can be strategic about your choice of 4-screw, 6-screw, or 6SE depending on what sound you ultimately want to achieve), but some aspects of the sound are more likely to change with mods than others. System synergy is a *huge* aspect too, a good HE6 can be very chameleon-like.

So the answer to 'can mods help with involvement' really just comes down to what aspects specifically you're trying to change. Then it's simply a matter of knowing what materials and placements are able to achieve or approach that goal, and deciding on what compromises may be acceptable or unacceptable to you. Some goals are unrealistic, some are more easily achievable. There's a bit of an art to modding strategy.

 

Did you know HD650 has probe points at the back of the driver near the connector? Not sure why they're there but it makes scoping/measuring a whole lot easier. I felt a little channel imbalance and wanted to rule out source,dac,amp in one go.

 

just pulled the trigger on a set of these for the second time in my life. i missed these so much. i needed a set of open cans that didn't have cup reflections for film mix monitoring and didn't have any at the moment

 

OK - I asked this in the general advice thread with limited/varied results: What's a good portable amp for HD6x0? Still looking for something battery powered that can be hauled on vacation/travel that gets me somewhere near T3?

 

If you're just looking for drive and a warm signature, you could check out the fiio A5. About $130.

 

Imo, the HeadAmp Pico Power is a darn good portable for HD6xx. It's just pricy at full price, second hand or back when it was on massdrop was a good deal.

 

What amp are you using?

I'm planning to use either a Sound Devices MixPre-D or MixPre 3 Mk II for some audio work and might pick up a pair of HD6XX from Massdrop. The amps on these interfaces are VERY powerful with a really "dynamic" sound but I can't find the output impedance on them.