Sennheiser HD650

JINX 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 you owe me a coke no backsies.

 

Interesting. I gave my HD600's to someone close and in need and picked up HD6xx's for myself and right from the jump I found myself enjoying them much more. The HD600's have that lively upper-mid presentation that serves most music with vocals very very well... but I don't know. It might be due to pairing with a Vali 2 but I always kind of found them lacking that last bit of body to them, which is where the HD6xx's were sort of the first revelation.

They also seem a bit more forgiving to my ears. Nothing ever sounds bad on them to me. I completely can't deal with any shoutyness or high-frequency anomalies. I wouldn't say either the HD600 or 660S's have any glaring problems in the upper-mids or treble, but there's definitely a slight emphasis that I find makes it less forgiving of mixes with problems there. They can sound a liiiitttle bit thin and artificial. Very little but I swear it's there. Compared to headphones with genuine sins in that department, I'm being SUPER nitpicky. I just find that aspect of them a bit distracting in the sense that while what I'm hearing is still good to me, I feel like I'm missing parts of the sound that I care for more.

It may just be me, but even though the HD6xx's are slightly darker and may take a step back in clarity, the midrange is noticeably more refined and just... granular in its presentation of detail. Imagine a grainy solid that is so fine that it behaves like a liquid. The character of different instruments just seems more cohesive and nuanced. I also notice with everything from the mids up taking that little step back, the layering improves, too. If I didn't know better I might even say the HD650's are more resolving, as well. I feel like they put everything on an equal footing, where if you listen for it, it's always there. Whereas the 600's, while very close in sound, favor certain sounds over others a little more often.

The HD600's sound all around more forward and condensed to me. I actually find them mildly fatiguing over long periods of listening. HD6xx's, I will wear for a literal 6 hours. They're just very smooth and flattering to everything, yet with zero compromise to detail or midrange tonality. Seemingly everything more analytical-sounding headphones wish they could have. Smooth and detailed don't often go together ime... not anywhere near that price point, at least. That's what most stands out to me, and is why I prefer them over the 600's.

They do lack a little of that mid-upper energy and sparkle that both the 660S's and 600 definitely have. There's an engagement factor to that. And I'm sure for some the middling amounts of background clarity can be distracting. For me, it was a lesson in how little a totally pitch blackground actually means for my experience. The texture, fine detail and generally faithful signature count for more to me. They sound more pleasant and musical, without majorly mucking up anything else.


I could just as easily say I just prefer that little laid-back lean in sound. Slightly warmer bottom end with lots of detail and breathing room for everything in the mix. If I was stuck with either forever I'd still be a happy camper, though.

 

Maybe its my cables, or my pads? What do you have on yours? My HD 600s are from the first year they were offered. That might have something to do with it.

 

First off, that looks pretty nice, I'm a little jealous!

I am running mine bone-stock, just like I ran my HD600s. I would love to have a nice cable and fool around with pads, but right now I have many other things in the signal path I'd like to upgrade. One day maybe my 6xx's will get the same nice treatment as your 600s

I'm sure there are some differences there. Both models did undergo a lot of silent revisions, too. I've never gotten to hear the differences between them myself so I'll leave it at that. I see you're also running balanced. I don't even have a balanced source to compare. You could probably say a lot more about the differences with your setup vs my old stock HD600s than I could surmise myself. From your sig you're generally running higher-end stuff than I am, too. Maybe at different scaling points, one does subtly better than the other? *shrugs* Just a random thought. Or more simply put, it could be a matter of plain synergy.

Definitely a lot of variables to our setups. I'm betting what you hear with your HD600s is at least a little different to what I heard with mine.

Honestly, I would borrow my old pair back to maybe make some comparisons, since I'm going on memory of when I last had a direct comparison, but at the moment it's probably best to hold off on that, without going any further on that subject.

 

I find myself reaching for them in the mornings, when I put something easy on and want to enjoy a cup of coffee with. I like the big soundstage, and the things they tend to do well (IMO) are things well-suited to the kind of music I like to listen to at this time of day (EST) and the kind of mood I'm in.

 

Using your definitions I agree that clarity isn’t there in the 6xx like in higher end headphones. Murky is a good way to describe it. What I was labeling as less detailed is better labeled as more murky. There is a difference in detail as well between higher end headphones and the 6xx, but less than the price difference would suggest.

 

Sorry this horse has been beat to death, but I still can't make up my mind between Valhalla 2 and Bottlehead Crack.

I have HD650 and HD6xx, and have Magni 3 and Vali 2 (with Amperex OG). When I switch to Magni I love the detail, range, and dynamics, but it's a little artificial or digital sounding compared to Vali. When I switch to Vali I love the life and realism it gives to instruments, but it's missing some air and upper end detail compared to Magni.

I'm not particularly into tube rolling as a hobby. I want the most magic I can get out of my cans (in this price range) and set and forget it. This would be for instrumental music, mostly acoustic but not all, and lots of piano.

Thanks for any comments!

 

I picked up a very lightly used 650, thanks @Ntbm3 . I like them but am still getting used to them so please consider this a first impression. There is a Veil over the entire Frequency Range compared to my Beyer DT880s with Dekoni Hybrid pads. The frequency range seems extremely balanced to my ear. Darker then the Beyers but not as Dark as the ZMF classics. They really translate a ton of information effortlessly but subtly. Everything is there but you have to look for it. They are lightweight and SO comfortable to me but I tend to want more clamping force in general.

These fit in my trio of Headphones. I don't use EQ I change cans. The 650 fits in the center of the bright to dark range. I have not tuned into the headstage yet so I doubt it is a strong suite of this can. These do not offend except the veil and if these were the only nice cans you have heard you would not even know what I mean. I doubt they will piss me off so consider them here to stay.

 

What amp do you run these with Squishware? My initial experience with the 6xx was like yours- a veil over everything. That changed when I fed it from my WA-6SE (a SET transformer coupled amp). The improvement was pretty dramatic.

 

Running LYR 3, JJ tube and factory cable.
I should mention also the bass does seem slightly rolled off. Not to the point there is data missing as much as it is alluded to rather than expressed fully. I am using the word "veil" to describe sounding as if there is the opacity of a single sheet of wax paper between me and the music.

 

Lyr 3 is not the most synergistic amp I've heard with the 650. It works better with the 600 imo. Get something like a ZDT Jr., Valhalla 2, or Shortest Way 51. It won't completely get rid of the veil, but it'll make for a more exciting and lively listen.

 

I have a La Figaro 332C OTL amp that just needs a little jack repair that will probably wake these right up with 1 watt of power. For the record, it's more about fitting the 650 in my rotation as a tool to access the music than to build a system around them. I might consider mods in the future.

 

yeah the KISS mod would be an easy and affordable mod to help with the veil if you don't want to build a system around it

 

I’m with you there on the rotation. The Lyr 3 works well with almost any headphone. It may not be the best with the 650, but it does a thoroughly decent job and it kicks planar ass. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the differences we talk about are pretty small.

 

Try the coin mod part first and see if that helps lift the veil. Quick & dirty (and easy).

 

Is the WA2 really worse than the WA3? There are so many well experienced and respected members (Macedonian Hero, Dubstep Girl, Skylab and many more) who made positive recommendations for the WA2 with high impedance headphones. Maybe you just prefer non-OTL tube amps?

Also, how can it be described as a mistake by MH if he praised it? I mean if it was a mistake then he would've regretted the purchase, been disappointed one way or another and he wouldve manifested this in his feedback? Just because he found something better later on doesn't mean purchasing the former amp (WA2) was a mistake?

Not disagreeing with you and you could be right about the WA2, I'm just trying to get a better context.

And finally, is there any OTL tube amp in the same price range that you feel is significantly superior to the WA2? Thank you.