Son of HD650

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by rott, Oct 25, 2015.

  1. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    I can't remember specifically in which site/thread I recently read it, but someone mentioned that the LCD-X was essentially just an HD650 on steroids or something to that effect and therefore not a great value, which I can agree with at least as far as Audeze pricing is concerned. (Glad I got in on an authorized retailer's mistaken 20% discount that lasted just a couple of days!)

    Which cans are generally considered the spiritual successor to the HD650, if there is such a thing currently? It can't be the HD800 if they sounds so vastly different, right?

    *UPDATE NOTE - this isn't an LCD-X thread, wasn't trying to imply it is a "successor". I just heard a comment about it and that triggered my general question about the HD650 (which was introduced in 2003, which some might consider many product generations ago).
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2015
  2. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Thank god this isn't your first post. Hopefully @Hands doesn't see this. Oh yah and there is no spiritual successor that I know of and even if there was it wouldn't be made by Audeze. :)

    Just teasing obviously. Not about Hands hopefully not seeing this.
     
  3. kapanak

    kapanak Canucklehead - Friend

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    HD600 and HD650 are highly regarded here, and there is simply no other headphones in the same price bracket or even twice it that offers the same sound signature and technicalities.

    In fact, the first thing I do whenever a new flagship is released is compare it to the HD650 and see how much better than the HD650 the new TOTL is. I know several others here do the same.

    HD650 also scales massively with better DAC and Amp.
     
  4. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    No current production Audeze really competes with the HD 600/650. The Fazors are garbage and the old LCD-2 and 3 drivers were so inconsistent. Not even the HD 800 competes with regards to accuracy of imaging and overall tonality.
     
  5. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Sorry @rott looks like you are on your own here :(
     
  6. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    The HD 650 is like Jesus. Both are their own sons.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2015
  7. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    Yikes, didn't mean to imply I thought LCD-X was it. I have an HD600 and prior to that did have an HD650, see here for more details:
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/sennheiser-hd650-love.44/page-5#post-8002

    I do consider the HD6x0 benchmarks for sure.

    Sorry for the cross-posting. Thought the question deserved its own topic.

    When I heard that comment about the LCD-X, it just caused me to wonder what people thought in general about a potential HD650 "successor", if such a thing exists. Here I guess the concept is absurd, which is fine.
     
  8. TMRaven

    TMRaven Friend

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    The LCD-X is more like an HE-400 on steroids-- only it's not steroids, more like a maturation process. The X holds the same type of coloration as the 400, where it has a linear, but raised, bass and lower midrange section. Whereas the 400 starts dropping off after 1khz, the X drops off after 2khz. Both are recessed by a good amount in the upper midrange and lower treble, although the X is a little less so in this regard. Also, both have a mid-upper treble spike, but again, the X is a little less extreme in this regard.

    Consider the X as a more mature, and less colored 400, that's also less distorted and thicker sounding. It's also considerably less comfortable and 8x the price of a used HE-400 though.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2015
  9. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    LCD2 and 3 were more similar to the HD650 than the LCDX. I did not care for X. Tried to make up for the slightly dark, murky nature of 2 and 3 but instead just brought out the inherently rough and uneven nature of the 2/3 in an attempt to be more neutral/brighter.

    HD650 still better than all of them, especially with the right setup. ;)
     
  10. No_One411

    No_One411 Fired by Jude

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    There probably aren't any true "sons" of HD650, but rather "brothers and sisters".

    There are just a lot of side-grades that don't scale as well.

    Audeze's headband also bothers me past 30 minutes.
     
  11. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

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    This is mostly true, but a lot of the "side grades" have additional compromises, that in my opinion make them slight down-grades.

    @rott I know you are talking about the next iteration of a similar-ish sound when you say "spiritual successor", but if we are talking about the true "spirit" of the headphone, I gotta go with the HD800. HD6x0 were groundbreaking in capability, and the next step on that path is the HD800. They sound different, sure, but the fundamental goal is the same: realistic recreation. I think the 800 does it better overall, but carries a threat of 6kHz assault, instead of being "laid back".
     
  12. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    @aufmerksam that's a good point, more in (technical) spirit than in actual evolution of similar sound. Not like HD580 -> HD600 -> HD650 (though the 6x0 could be considered siblings). Must be blasphemous to mention the HD700.

    Hope to try the HD650 (again) and HD800/S one day soon, once my setup levels up.
     
  13. Judeus

    Judeus Facebook Friend

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    easy now ....


    I actually think the he1000 would be a hd650 upgraded, all be it at $3000 (just a hint talk to ur dealer, you might be able to get a deal|\/|)
     
  14. BeyerMonster

    BeyerMonster Guest

    Out of curiosity, how close do you think a 595 is to a 600 or 650? I picked one up a few years ago on the cheap to use for computer games, but felt it was a bit lacking for music.
     
  15. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    600/650 > 558/598 > 555/595

    I found these to be large jumps in quality. 600/650 blew me away compared to 598.
     
  16. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    My journey was HD555 -> HD555 converted to HD595 -> HD598 -> HD650 with distinct improvements at each step. The HD650 is my main headphone at home and I still use the HD598 for FPS gaming. The HD555/595 was given away to a friend.
     
  17. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

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    In keeping with the spirit of this thread, I would dub the HD595 the "first cousin, once removed" of the HD650. It's the kid of the cousin of the 650. Kind of out there, had some good ideas, but never really amounted to what the rest of the family thought it was capable of.

    The 595 was my very first "serious" headphone. It was good, and I think it was Sennheiser's first experiment with angled drivers in the enclosure. This helped staging and placement quite a bit, and I kept it for gaming for a long time until I needed to get closed headphones. However, I would not consider it anywhere near the prowess of 6x0 in terms of overall quality.

    The mids are pretty good on 595, and the treble spike at 9-10k is not as awful as measurements might imply, but the bass is ... not good. In gaming that doesn't matter so much (bass rumble in cut scenes don't make you play better). In more critical listening, its kind of a big deal.

    "Picked up on the cheap for computer games" is probably the perfect application for the 595.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2015
  18. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    Its crap bass is actually beneficial to competitive FPS gaming. I can hear footsteps extremely clearly on the HD598, and it is great with positioning.

    Now that I've heard HD650s and many other better headphones, I can't handle listening to music with them, but they're still the best competitive headphones I've used (and I've tried many).
     
  19. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Agreed, the sound in gaming (CS:GO for me) is great to hear footsteps with and where the enemy is coming from.
     
  20. Eric Farrell

    Eric Farrell Friend

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    While I haven't heard anything that I would call "brother" to the HD650, the SR007 shares several notable traits with it. The euphonic, "bloomy" mid-bass, the warm midrange that comes out with solid amplification, the somewhat airy (more Stax ) treble shimmer. Also, the dependable soundstage, that is neither cavernous, nor shallow, but just right most of the time. The Stax just gives you a little more of everything: speed, resolution, locality and fluidity/dynamic transients.
     

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