The soon-to-be-controversial HD 660S2 thread

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by rfernand, Feb 21, 2023.

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The HD 660S2…

  1. is a Sennheiser “meh” side-grade.

    10 vote(s)
    14.9%
  2. will replace the 650 in my collection.

    2 vote(s)
    3.0%
  3. is not better than the 600 or the 650.

    9 vote(s)
    13.4%
  4. is too damn expensive.

    40 vote(s)
    59.7%
  5. joins my collection and adds something new.

    6 vote(s)
    9.0%
  1. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    The JAR's are round-up by Erroneous - he is in Texas - maybe once my JAR650b are on their way back to me, he could send them towards you instead of me. Just an offer - cheers.
     
  2. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    So will replacement pads from Senn for the 650 have the same issue I wonder? Just ordered a set actually so will know by next week (coming from Senn US because they were cheaper than Amazon Canada). Could be the “darkness” I’m hearing with the worn pads is more the perceived lessening of fatigue, which may be measured somewhere else than the FR, not sure. Either that or my pads are worn to a different degree than yours.

    I’m loving the worn pads on these so far. I can crank the shit out of them and no fatigue at all, but still great articulation and timbre.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2023
  3. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Somewhere around here some folks noted a change (i'll search, but not promising anything right this instant!) in the materials in the senn genuine replacement pads. It's easy to tell the difference between the old style pads and the new "normal" by looking at the plastic backing plate: the old pads have a matte finished plastic and the new style are glossy. I think some further inspection revealed the fabric material on the interior holding the pad to the backing plate is slightly different, too.
     
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  4. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    @yotacowboy ‘s memory is right on about the differences. I compared new Senn pads (ordered from Amazon a couple weeks ago) vs 650 worn pads here.
     
  5. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    It was solderdude at DIYAH. See here, scroll down to 'New Sennheiser pads'.
     
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  6. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Yeah, I just got them. New pads from Amazon are just exactly the same as the ones on 660S2. No difference.

    Ah well, I'll try ZMF pads next. Specifically the perforated suede. If that doesn't fix much of anything, I think I'll give up then. This headphone just needs a wee bit more air for me to keep it. It does have a very even-handed presentation that makes it worth it over HD650 to me. But the lack of air is really not a good thing.
     
  7. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    And... so this is a bit of mixed results for me. I do find it very nice:

    [​IMG]

    Subjectively, the ZMF suede pads did make 660S2 sound "better" to my ears: more air, maybe more distance and more breathing room overall, too. It makes sense: my ears are now further away from drivers.

    With Zana Deux, 660S2 is now sounding very close to an "improved HD650" that I really want to keep it this way.

    The bad thing: I put these pads on 650 and it's the same improvement, plus more. Much less shouty. Much more even sound. Less crazy bass.

    So now I do like 660S2 but I think it's just the pads being amazing and much less the headphone. Fundamentally, if I base all of my impressions on just these pads, it seems the pads are the cause and the headphone is still not that amazing.

    Edit: bonus 650 with ZMF suede pads vs 660S2:

    [​IMG]

    660S2 is just a smidge cleaner sounding in the bass here but both sound to me subjectively almost about the same. And that's the issue: they're so similar I can totally forego 660S2 for 650 here.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 2, 2023
  8. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    Looks to have also added to the dip in the 3.5 - 4k area. How does that translate to female vocals or instruments in that range? Noticeable?
     
  9. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    I haven't extensively analyzed with many tracks yet but for the most part, it just makes things sound a bit more distant. At least the bump at 8KHz remains so it's not super dark.

    You can clearly see that this is entirely not an issue at all with 650. 650 still keeps most of its midrange tonality while being even more airy.
     
  10. rfernand

    rfernand Almost "Made"

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    Nope, “Don’t Give Up” (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel) showed me these cans do not worse than their 650 cousin in that regard.

    Make no mistake, Stealth and Utopia’22 these are not. But definitely the fun ones out of the 6x0 line for me.
     
  11. chesebert

    chesebert Acquaintance

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    Maybe I need to burn in my pair a bit more, but I am hearing simultaneous boosted vocal "clarity" and veiled presence range. It's like someone over did the autotune setting and then cut the "sibilance" region too much. It's really strange when I flip back and forth among 650, Clear and NDH30.
     
  12. Paul Scandal

    Paul Scandal New

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    You're not ripping off Bezos, it's your fellow audiophile who pays more as a result of people borrowing things from Amazon they have no intent to purchase.

    I can't wait until returns are no longer available to the public for anything thanks to people like you.
     
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  13. zottel

    zottel Friend

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    I hope you all saw that he calls himself Paul Scandal. Ignore, don’t feed the troll!

    EDIT: Just saw there are more posts with content, too, so not the troll that creates an account to just send this one post and grab popcorn. But still …
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2023
  14. chesebert

    chesebert Acquaintance

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    I have completed my evaluation and returned 660s2 back to Amazon. I don’t feel like doing a full impression because I simply could not listen to them for more than a few minutes because of the wonky mid and upper mid frequency response. Between 660s2 and 650, 660s2 sounds muffled and lacking any leading edge detail whatsoever.

    I hope this is not a controversial take. But if it is, it would fit right in with the thread title.
     
  15. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Legitimately curious about who exactly Sennheiser have they been trying to target with their product lines for the last 20 years - this statement more or less confirms my suspicions. Will withhold random further comments though in case I say something dumb at 2AM.
     
  16. Nicked_Wicked

    Nicked_Wicked New

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    Pretty interesting that the discussion has grind to a halt, I personally think the 660S2 a pretty fantastic offering despite the relatively steep price. If you don't wanna EQ or mod your pair this is sound-wise the best HD 6xx offering by quite a margin IMO.

    If tonality and a natural sound is of the utmost importance for you then the next best thing in this price range is the NDH 30, a bit more sterile but technically on a whole other level. These 2 pairs have a certain neutral yet playful tonality I haven't been able to find in a lot of sub 1k headphones.
     
  17. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    When the HD660 came to the market it was priced at about 500 Euros.

    Then and now you can still find HD600s and HD650s from careful owners and buy them for about half or less depending on whether you get the box and papers. I never disliked the HD660 but the price, nope.

    I just checked with a quick search, 415 Euros still not good enough value for me. (Then imagine improving your audio system and you will reach a 1000 Euros soon.)

    I would hunt down the AKG K601 or Sennheiser HD580/600, get the better ear pads and some cash for upgrades later on. If you want the portable version of the Sennheiser HD660, get the Audio Technica ATH M50 X. The M50X is so much value for money.

    If I want to spend silly money on Sennheiser I have to go HD800 or beyond. That way I can reasonably say that I have to spend at least 1000 to 2000 Euros to get my audio system right.
     
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  18. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    Very polarising headphones though, never liked the M50X..
     
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  19. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    You can also go for the M30X or M40X. The M40X has less low-end emphasis apparently. Either way if I want a Sennheiser with more bass, there are better options. Especially for less than say 400 to 500 Euros.

    Whoever is in charge of marketing at Sennheiser, needs to reconsider a few things.
     
  20. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    @Solderdude’s impressions + measurements with comparisons to 660S1 and other Senns. The difference in bass between 1 and 2 isnt as big as advertised or there is much variation.
    [​IMG]
    ^Solderdude
     

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