Sennheiser HD650

Hi Everyone!

I'll be starting my time with the 650s in a few weeks and wanted some opinions on some things.
I have been using a Fiio X1 as a source with KRK 6400s which have both been improved by a newly acquired Vali 1. I'm still learning the vocabulary to accurately describe the difference, but I can tell you that instead of searching for details in the music, they revealed themselves to me. For example, the guitar work in Dear Prudence seemed to have added dimension.

I have a GO 450 coming to plug into a Lenovo but I am unclear how that will come together with the Vali, but figured it would do until I can save up for a Modi Multibit. I am not locked into that, of course, and feedback on this would be welcome, but I can move that to the General Advice thread ...

I listen to a wide range of stuff, but return a lot to the 90s (shoegaze), so in the past, I have become fatigued by the treble from that era, hence my decision to get the 650s.

So my question (for now) is - How much weight should I give to burn-in before I decide on mods? Thanks!

 

#1 -- Get a USB cable adapter for your GO450. Like this. Your PC's USB port will thank you. If you're getting a cable adapter that LHLabs shipped with some of the GO dongles, chuck it.. build quality & reliability-wise, it blows.

#2 -- To connect your GO450 to your Vali, you'll need a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable (like this or this). If you want a custom length cable (that's also built really well), head over to BlueJeansCables and get an MSA-1 cable. I've had mine for five or six years, it kicks ass.

#3 -- regarding modding the HD650 .. I'd recommend listening to the stock HD650 for at least a couple of weeks. Get your ears used to the sound (and how your rig affects it). Then, decide if the sound that the mods offer are of interest to you or not. If you do mod, do the reversible stuff first (damping with dynamat or Damplifier).. listen for a while.. then proceed to the non-reversible stuff last (clipping off the spider over the driver and removing the rear foam, quarter mod on the front foam).

Just a little tip on the 450 (and all the Geek Out dongles, really).. IME (having owned the 100, 450, 720, and 1000.. and the GOv2+Infinity for extensive periods of time), they sound best after they've been running (continuously) for a good twenty minutes or so.

 

Thanks for the advice! I've always thought of the Dynamat as the last mod because of the complexity, but what you are saying is worth thinking about.

 

Sounds like I need to get some new pads. Seems like there won't be any new headphones to buy for a while.

I keep hearting Sennheiser is the biggest brand. When was the last time Sennheiser actually made something good? Serious question.

 

Hi Guys,

Has anyone on here used Solderdude's Kameleon amp with the HD650 filter module?

Any impressions?

 

No reason to constantly tweak and change current production HD6x0 or HD800 headphones. Other manufacturers still trying to catch them, and new releases will always be compared to them (and maybe Focal did with Utopia, but at 2.5x the cost). They have a solid lineup as is. A good headphone company shouldn't release, tweak and re-release headphones yearly, quarterly etc i.e. Mr Speakers, Audeze, Hifiman just to satisfy flavor of the month addicts. Sennheiser is the industry standard because they have headphones that sound great and last.

That said they have a large research and development team, I'm sure something is on the way. And when it comes out it should stick around for a while.



PS in order for above to make sense, pretend the HD700 never happened

 

On the subject of re-terminating cables (HD650's), what male/female 4pin xlr sets are you guys using or like best? I found these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JUVRHO6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A17GJYPD0QYIUB

Interested in good strain relief, basic good quality.

(let me slip this in, there are no grado threads really) Anyone know off-hand if grado sr225i's have 4 wires running the entire length of the cable... they make a y-split up high... it's a little vague on the goooogling I did.

 

The other hd650 thread has had a lot of cable talk recently, I think most people are using the XX series from neutrik rather than the X series, better strain relief I guess. And you can order them from markertek for considerably cheaper and with free shipping

http://m.markertek.com/product/nc4f...emale-xlr-cable-end-black-shell-gold-contacts

 

That's what is frustrating too. I am glad that they set such a high baseline and standard when it comes to quality headphones, but you think that with the way technology has been advancing, there shouldn't be a reason why someone can't make something better after more than a decade of new headphones and such coming out. The Elear has been the headphone that is the most recently comparable, and they are still quadruple the price of a 6x0. I'm not mad at Sennheiser because they shouldn't fix what isn't broken, but the other companies really need to step up their game and do something that can at least compete with the 6x0 and 800

 

I can understand one thinking that Sennheiser should have improved on the HD6X0. I agree.

Some things that loom larger in my thoughts are, I am glad that Sennheiser did not:
Discontinue either model.
Raise the prices significantly.
Make "improvements" to these models that changed them for the worse.

I'm amused that they haven't offered different finishes for these models, especially the HD600.

 

I just need whatever plastic used for the HD800 being used to improve the HD6x0 series' enclosures.

 

I'm also gonna pretend that HD800 and HD800S never happened. I didn't say they should tweak their current linenup, they should make something new. I'm just wondering when that is gonna happen. In my opinion they haven't made anything good since HD650, and that is a long time ago.

 

This is pretty much it.

What bugs me the most is that over the last 5+ years consumers have shown that they are willing to spend $250++ on headphones and Sennheiser has chosen to cater to that market at the expense of their mid/hifi offerings. Bose was the first brand to bring $200+ headphones to the general public and Beats just blew the market wide open so I understand a highly respected manufacturer like Sennheiser needing to get "in on the action" with sub hd600 offerings like the momentum et al.

The flip side is that enthusiasts have also shown that they are willing to spend well past the $500 mark so resources would presumably not be wasted on upgrading the 600 & 650. Frankly, I don't understand why Sennheiser doesn't consolidate their model offering. It just seems like they have way too much going on below the 600 range. I think this is where Focal could be a threat. Focal is in the process of really disrupting the market place if they play their cards right... a $1500 to $2000 "elear+" with Utopia pads along with a $700 offering between the spirit and Elear could really shake things up. Sennheiser MUST be up to something.....

 

I'm willing to buy an expensive set of cans and so are others, but what segment of the market do we really represent? I don't have those numbers, but I'd bet that Sennheiser has a pretty good idea of what they look like. At least consider the possibility that they know what they're doing with their product lines, even if it sometimes seems illogical to those of us on the outside looking in.

As for the color, that's a non-issue for me. I bought them to listen to, not to look at. I can't even see my headphones when I'm using them and generally, no one else can see them either; such is the nature of full sized headphones. Do they sound good to me? Are they comfortable on my head? Am I satisfied with the price? Will they last for a while? Beyond this, I'm not concerned. I'd take them in lime green with pink polka dots if it improved the sound. While I can understand the desire for something to look nice simply for the sake of looking nice, it isn't something that I prioritize if it's not relevant to the intended usage.

 

Recently I have renewed apprececiation for the HD650, motivated by reading Hands' comments about them here and there. I upgraded to the TH900, then the HD800 over the last year or two. I use them for everything not just music. But it wasn't until having the latter two that I realised my equipment was a bit shite to total shite. Coming back to the HD650 with decent portable USB gear I think it's an overall better headphone than either for music. Better bass than the HD800, better mids than the TH900. With a solid feel to the sound and good tonal balance. Though the treble is a little subdued. and the staging limited. (But god damn I wish I could get 'dat TH900 bass in an open backed headphone. I've never tried planars though)

If anyone asked me for recommendation now I'd just tell them to get these, or perhaps the HD600 if they mostly listen to Jazz or Classical. The HD600 I tried out though great, completely lacked bass. HD650 had a better trade off for me. I wish they would release something with the best of both worlds.

 

They did. The HD580.

 

Hands, have you ever had a chance to listen to the 650 from Solderdude's Kameleon amp with the 650 specific filter installed?

If yes is it a worthwhile upgrade?

By upgrade I mean adding the filter to my Bifrost Multibit >Mojo 2 chain

Thanks.

 

@zonto
Really?! I have always seen them discussed interchangeably with the HD600. Or has the HD600 changed more than I thought?

I actually got a deal on a pair of HD600s years ago. I had to sell them on but they really changed my perspective on headphones. A few years later I purchased another pair. I was a bit surprised that they were totally lacking in bass, and even a tad harsh in the treble. I purchased the HD650 and of course found them to be bassier but dark. Which didn't match up with my experience years before. I have since read that Sennheiser make changes over time, and that people have even had HD650 drivers in their HD600s and vice versa. I came to believe that that was what happened to me.

@Hands
In terms of mods I would be satisfied with increasing the treble region that's been sucked out. Never really expected much improvement staging wise. As I use headphones for film that's was one of the main reasons to upgrade.

iPhone -> Tidal Lossless or Apple Music (good for discovery) -> Dragonfly Red (/GO450) -> HD650

I've had to put the purchase of a desktop setup on hold, but I'm starting to look again. It'll primarily be for the HD800 but I may well find myself using it for music with the HD650. I've been keeping tabs on recent releases, and opening my mind to balanced and tubes.