OFFICIAL: Massdrop Sennheiser HD6XX

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by purr1n, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. Negura

    Negura Friend

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    Let's add to this? By way of pure coincidence I compared recently 2 samples of HD650: my pair which is from 2015 and another pair from one of the last production batches. Both were bought on Amazon UK and had more than sufficient run time.

    2015 pair:
    - smoother midrange, treble
    - more velvety sounding
    - more midbass nonsense
    - just a bit warmer

    latest pair:
    - very slightly grainy in comparison
    - less midbassy
    - slight treble edge
    - overall a bit less warm

    Another way I can summarize the newest pair is 90% 2015 HD650 10% HD660s.

    Oh and HD660S sounded way worse than both. I had them all at the same time.

    Exactly the same mods and cable on both. I swapped pads too, to rule out this difference.
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2018
  2. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    I should let someone compare my late 2004 HD650s...
     
  3. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    @Negura Same mods and cable, but the 2015 pair have less-stiff pads on them? I had the privilege of playing with an HD650 for an extended time and even bought new pads for them after the ones they came with disintegrated. The pads change the sound a hell of a lot, specially in the upper and lower registers. Treble was definitely more "present" on the newer pads, though I neglected to compare grain.

    @Elnrik You could ship them to me and I'll be able to compare with a 2010 or so 650 and an HD6XX :)

    Kidding aside, sounds to me like vintage HD650s might start fetching premium prices. Poopy.
     
  4. Negura

    Negura Friend

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    Yeah, I was just adding this info. I used the same pair of pads on both. There was a very marginal difference from the pads, mine being older, but even so it does not bridge the gap. The character was retained.

    Talking about pads I did like my older pads on the HD660S better than the stock pads they came with. The reverse wasn't true.
     
  5. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    Hey, if you pay shipping, I'll send them your way. I'll need them back next week though.

    Oh wait, your postal service takes twice that to clear stuff through customs.

    Sorry man.
     
  6. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    @Skyline and I did a comparison of my older HD650's and his newer HD650's that he purchased slightly new about a year ago. I have to agree with @Negura's assertions here.

    The only thing we did not try was swapping pads. The theory is the pads get softer, compress more, and will sound more vevlety. This also might also be attributed to the age of the drivers.

    About the only point will contend is the grainy. Newer ones sounded smoother in the mids, but older ones had a hint of grain in the mids. This was more apparent in female vocal tracks. The higher end of the newer ones were a bit more present in the 3-4K range, but I would not call them grainy, but the newer ones just sounded slightly smoother in that region.
     
  7. Negura

    Negura Friend

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    Also worthwhile to mention is that I was not a heavy user of HD650. In fact I've used them more this year than I used them in the previous 2.5 years combined. So while driver use can indeed account for differences, they were not heavily used by that point.

    I did like both variations of HD650, but since the second was a friend's and he asked me to mod them in the same way I did my pair, they had to be returned. But i really liked they had less midbass and more present treble. The slight grain was not an issue as it is for me for example with HD660s. Nothing like that.
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2018
  8. Brad Tombaugh

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    I have a year-old HD6xx with KISS and Coin Mods, and another HD6xx still new in box, if you want to compare them?
     
  9. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    You want me to? Or you want to?

    I hate to say it, but my plate is full for the foreseeable future (at least until after Thanksgiving). But... I don't mind loaning them out for a week or so.

    Heck, might be a good excuse to get together somewhere between you and I for a coffee while we're at it. Besides, I'd rather pay coffee tax than USPS tax.
     
  10. Brad Tombaugh

    Brad Tombaugh Facebook Friend

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    PM sent
     
  11. RedLipstick

    RedLipstick Acquaintance

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    I'm trying to decide which amp to get and I'm torn between a Lyr 2 or Valhalla 2.
    I will be using the HD6XX with the Chord 2Qute, which amp you think would have better synergy with this system?
     
  12. sheldaze

    sheldaze Friend

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    See posts #9 and #13 in the thread https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/noob-questions-about-lyr-2.1533/
    I'm not sure where you plan to purchase a Lyr 2, but I would still recommend a quick read through the thread linked.
     
  13. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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  14. GiantHeadphoneSquid

    GiantHeadphoneSquid New

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    Unit variation is a thing sure, but that looks a lot like the new factory may not have the recipe quite right yet.
     

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