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#1
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Sennheiser Hd650: Any good?
What do you think?
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#2
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"Asterix" wrote in message
news:5nOad.3850$Rp4.1095@trnddc01 Hi, trying to gain insight into these phones... they have a fascinating character that I getting used to. Definately a high-quality, detailed sound but maybe a little bit bright and stinging (not-so-mellow) and somehow tainted with a sort of coating of some sort. That's my major gripe. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's as if the phones were designed with primarily pop and rock music in mind (not classical like the hd600 'symphony'.) The response is not flat and there is something tiresome about it. Nonetheless I can't seem to put them down, since the sound is very immersive and sensous. So what's going on here, are you suffering from buyer's remorse? |
#3
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"Jerry G." wrote in message
I would suggest you listen to them, and judge buy what you hear. Also, visit the various sites that give out opinion, but in the end, you must trust what you hear. Sennheiser is a reputable manufacture of professional audio equipment with a very high reputation for all their products. The irony is that the OP already owns them. |
#4
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Arny Krueger wrote: "Asterix" wrote in message news:5nOad.3850$Rp4.1095@trnddc01 Hi, trying to gain insight into these phones... they have a fascinating character that I getting used to. Definately a high-quality, detailed sound but maybe a little bit bright and stinging (not-so-mellow) and somehow tainted with a sort of coating of some sort. That's my major gripe. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's as if the phones were designed with primarily pop and rock music in mind (not classical like the hd600 'symphony'.) The response is not flat and there is something tiresome about it. Nonetheless I can't seem to put them down, since the sound is very immersive and sensous. So what's going on here, are you suffering from buyer's remorse? Arny, that's one of the things I really like about you--right to the point! I very much think I would like to meet you personally some day. :-) I think I empathize with the OP questions as I've been there before. You get a system put together and it does so many things just "right" to your liking but there's this one thing that doesn't fit into your comfort zone the way you want it to. In order to decide what to do about it, you need to get a better handle on exactly what "it" is. I've always found that getting other's opinions and interpretations was always beneficial to me, even if I end up disagreeing with them. Ultimately the increase in understanding of the problem winds up with you replacing the component or changing something else to balance out the things you don't like about it but enabling you to keep what you do like. Anyway, responding to the OP's question, I'm not familiar with the 650's but I did use the 580 and 600s a lot prior to loosing my job a way's back (and subsequently most of my audio equipment) :-( The 580 and 600 phones are extremely similar. If you know of anywhere you could get a pair to borrow for a while, listen to them at length and use them in comparison with the 650's. The 600s or 580s may be a bit less fatiquing to listen than the 650s and that might be what you are experiencing. Also, because the 580/600 phones are similar in other ways to the 650s, it could help you get a better handle on what it is that doesn't seem quite "right" to you. Also, the electronics driving the phones can have subtle differences in the way the final sound is presented. Some of the phones like the 600's can also sound better with an external headphone amp that can better drive the higher impedance phones so you might want to experiment there too if you really like most of how the 650's sound. - Jeff |
#5
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The
600s or 580s may be a bit less fatiquing to listen than the 650s and that might be what you are experiencing. They are! (I own a pair of 580's) Not only that but the 580's sound more accurate/even in terms of the tonal spectrum. Some of the phones like the 600's can also sound better with an external headphone amp that can better drive the higher impedance phones so you might want to experiment there too if you really like most of how the 650's sound. Absolutely, these headphones require an amp, and since the 650's are so extraordinarily sensitive, a good quality one is necessary to reap the benefits of these higher end phones. My $50 cmoy amp just doesn't cut it. I am considering upgrading to a Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline SR-71 portable solid-state amp. On my Luxman tube amp, with 2 EL34's/channel in a push/pull configuration (35 watts/channel,) the 650's reveal everything. The sweet, laid-back sound of the tubes comes right through. Everything is there. Not to mention the improvements in the sound all the way from the deepest bass to piercing high notes. These headphones sound amazingly in tune (perhaps because they are made with a diaphragm of variable strength tuned by ear) as well. What I don't like about them is that they are not as laid-back as the 580's. The 580's make it feel like you are in the center of the audience, not right next to the instrumentalist. They simply are a pleasure on my ears from that regard. But at the same time they don't reveal all of the details and nuances that the 650's can. They also don't have as pure a sound, without as much sparkle and shine. The 650's are great phones but the 580/600 may be more listenable. Personally I can't put the 650's down because of the good things it offers. I just wish it would more like the 580/600 in terms of basic listenability. Asterix "Jeff Wiseman" wrote in message ... Arny Krueger wrote: "Asterix" wrote in message news:5nOad.3850$Rp4.1095@trnddc01 Hi, trying to gain insight into these phones... they have a fascinating character that I getting used to. Definately a high-quality, detailed sound but maybe a little bit bright and stinging (not-so-mellow) and somehow tainted with a sort of coating of some sort. That's my major gripe. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's as if the phones were designed with primarily pop and rock music in mind (not classical like the hd600 'symphony'.) The response is not flat and there is something tiresome about it. Nonetheless I can't seem to put them down, since the sound is very immersive and sensous. So what's going on here, are you suffering from buyer's remorse? Arny, that's one of the things I really like about you--right to the point! I very much think I would like to meet you personally some day. :-) I think I empathize with the OP questions as I've been there before. You get a system put together and it does so many things just "right" to your liking but there's this one thing that doesn't fit into your comfort zone the way you want it to. In order to decide what to do about it, you need to get a better handle on exactly what "it" is. I've always found that getting other's opinions and interpretations was always beneficial to me, even if I end up disagreeing with them. Ultimately the increase in understanding of the problem winds up with you replacing the component or changing something else to balance out the things you don't like about it but enabling you to keep what you do like. Anyway, responding to the OP's question, I'm not familiar with the 650's but I did use the 580 and 600s a lot prior to loosing my job a way's back (and subsequently most of my audio equipment) :-( The 580 and 600 phones are extremely similar. If you know of anywhere you could get a pair to borrow for a while, listen to them at length and use them in comparison with the 650's. The 600s or 580s may be a bit less fatiquing to listen than the 650s and that might be what you are experiencing. Also, because the 580/600 phones are similar in other ways to the 650s, it could help you get a better handle on what it is that doesn't seem quite "right" to you. Also, the electronics driving the phones can have subtle differences in the way the final sound is presented. Some of the phones like the 600's can also sound better with an external headphone amp that can better drive the higher impedance phones so you might want to experiment there too if you really like most of how the 650's sound. - Jeff |
#6
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Asterix wrote: stuff deleted What I don't like about them is that they are not as laid-back as the 580's. The 580's make it feel like you are in the center of the audience, not right next to the instrumentalist. They simply are a pleasure on my ears from that regard. But at the same time they don't reveal all of the details and nuances that the 650's can. They also don't have as pure a sound, without as much sparkle and shine. The 650's are great phones but the 580/600 may be more listenable. Personally I can't put the 650's down because of the good things it offers. I just wish it would more like the 580/600 in terms of basic listenability. In my previous note I suggested to comparitively listen to both the 580/600 and the 650 for long periods in order to get a better feel for the differences. Don't discount the possibility that the differences may be mutually exclusive. I.e., it may not be posssible to have both attributes that you want at the same time. Some folks will have two pair so that they just pick up the pair who's sound is what they are in the mood for at the time. I've run into this before but for the convenience and cost I usually pick what satisfies me "most" (like 90%) of the time. For example, I had a Maxed Out Home phone amp that I really liked. Although it added a subtle tonal variation that I wasn't really thrilled with when its processor was turned on, it was slight enough and I liked the more relaxing sense the processor gave so I normally used it with the processor on (although occasionally I would turn it off depending on how I felt at the time). If you discover the differences ARE mutually exclusive to you and your satisfaction is only 60% of the time or less, you might consider getting two different sets of phones. Again though, you'll really only be able to figure this out with some comparisons over a longer period of time. - Jeff |
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