Sennheiser HD650 - The classic beauty in a grey dress Appreciation thread!

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Treated myself to a pair of HD579 for a cracking price. However, I just read they come with a 6.5mm cable instead of 3.5mm. Does anyone know if it can be replaced with a 3.5-3.5 or is it actually a 2.5mm cable that connects into the headphones? If that's the case Ill have to hunt around for a 2.5-3.5??
 
Soldato
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Treated myself to a pair of HD579 for a cracking price. However, I just read they come with a 6.5mm cable instead of 3.5mm. Does anyone know if it can be replaced with a 3.5-3.5 or is it actually a 2.5mm cable that connects into the headphones? If that's the case Ill have to hunt around for a 2.5-3.5??

Headphones take a 2.5mm jack. You can get replacement cables that are made for the headphones with a 3.5mm end rather than 6.35mm. Not sure if a standard 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable would fit, as Sennheiser use a kind of twist lock moulding on the 2.5mm casing. A standard cable will possibly need a slim casing.

Some of the other HD5** models include a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable, albeit 1.2m. HD579 just have 2.5mm to 6.35mm 3m cable.


[rant aimed at Sennheiser]

I have no idea why Sennheiser still use a fixed 6.35mm jack plug and a 6.35mm to 3.5mm adaptor. It's a stupid idea for such headphones. The adaptor adds weight and bulk to a 3.5mm jack plug that is not as strong as 6.35mm.

The vast majority of users I'm sure will use the headphones with a device that has a 3.5mm connection, not 6.35mm.

They aren't studio headphones and they don't need a headphone amp, so Sennheiser can't point to those two as reasons for including a 6.35mm jack plug.

My HD600's are sold as monitoring headphones, need a headphone amp and are more likely to be used with amps or devices that have 6.35mm socket, yet they have a 3.5mm jack plug and come a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adaptor. :/

Ass-backwards?

[/rant]
 
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My HD600's are sold as monitoring headphones, need a headphone amp and are more likely to be used with amps or devices that have 6.35mm socket, yet they have a 3.5mm jack plug and come a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adaptor. :/

I'm not a fan of the extra connection it adds but the 3.5mm to 6.35mm on my 600s is pretty neat - so well integrated it is no bigger than a regular 6.35mm plug.

I use customised cables instead however partly to minimize number of connections.
 
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i bought my son a cheap pair of headphones for christmas that have a 3.5mm socket on one cup and 6.35mm on the other. The cable itself is reversable with a 3.5mm on one end and 6.35mm on the other, so you can just reverse the cable and plug it in to the other cup if you want to switch from one size to the other. I thought that was pretty neat, especially on a pair of 25 quid headphones. Makes me wonder why this isn't a more common feature.
 
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Massdrop 6xx arrived today. Straight out of the box = absolutely delighted. Can't wait to hear these connected to my schiit stack!

Ended up with a pair of hifiman he-400i a few weeks ago but I decided to return them as they weren't for me.
 
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Wow, nice selection. Do you think that the Amiron's do anything better than the 650's? I have the 650's and they are my only survivor from my own headphone journey but unlike you I have sold them all on. :)

I was looking at the Amirons as a kind of do it all music and gaming headphone as the 650's are not great for gaming.
hmmm what can I say, the Amirons, considering also they are more expensive than the 650s, they are very sensitive, meaning any absolute how ever minor it is is picked up, for example if I hot swap the 650s vs the Amirons, the Amiron sounds more detailed, sounds as if it has more volume on the headphones even though both cans are connected to my ZXR at 40% I would say the Amirons are more for critical listening, especially hi res FLAC DSD lossless music, I would prefer my 650s on watching a movie than the Amirons, the ZXR has more than enough juice to run them beautifully, Also connected to my Apogee Groove DAC it sounds Amazing

Oh and when I compare the DT990s vs Amirons also big difference to, I use to love listening to the 990s now ive got the Amirons the 990s arent used.
 
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Anyone had experience with sennheiser repair centre? Paid to have my 12 year old HD 600 fixed that had been in a drawer for years They are completely knackered. Will they fix or replace them with newer model ?

Depends on what is knackered. Assuming it's drivers and the padding (ear and headband), then they'll just replace those. If they are structurally knackered (frame), then I can't see them replacing the whole headphone for the paltry charge of £78? Unless the £78 is a minimum charge, depending on what is wrong with the headphones?
 
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Was just digging in my drawer of audio cables for something and realised I've got way more of the 600/650 cables than I remember ever buying LOL. Also bought some of the OEM replacements ones for modding to various balanced configurations and must have accidentally doubled up on the order at some point forgetting I'd already done it.
 
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Depends on what is knackered. Assuming it's drivers and the padding (ear and headband), then they'll just replace those. If they are structurally knackered (frame), then I can't see them replacing the whole headphone for the paltry charge of £78? Unless the £78 is a minimum charge, depending on what is wrong with the headphones?

I had them back last week They basically replaced EVERYTHING. Only thing they missed on was the outside headgrills. After phoning up it seems the tech guy missed out on those. They are OOS atm, but mines in order and they will send them to me. Main cable looks abit poor tbh,, but I hadn't used them in years so can't remember. Practically a new hd600 for £78. Bargain.

And even if the structure was broken they give you a new equivalent headphone. It's almost worth buying a knackered one for 30 quid lol
 
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Wow. That is great value. Must admit I am rather surprised they replaced all that for £78, but it does make me question what looks to be ridiculous prices of the HD600/650, if they can just basically give you a new headphone for £78-£90.
 
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The current prices are crazy - most time I look they are well north of £300 - way more than I paid for mine.

EDIT: My last pair of 600s I paid £206 for - they are currently £309 with discount on Amazon, £370 direct from Sennheiser and £280 upwards from any reputable retailer.

That level of service is basically what you pay for though with Sennheiser for those HD product lines.
 

mrk

mrk

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I've had the Dekoni memory foam pads for a while now and recently switched back to the stock pads just for kicks and to see if I could notice any difference.

The stock pads definitely have a more open/spacial soundstage but produce what I'm now going to label as limiting bass. The memory foam ones produce richer and deeper bass where it matters most. The side-effect of this is that the soundstage is brought closer, so slightly less wide. This is the only difference I notice, and this isn't a bad thing either. It's not better, it's not worse, it's just different. I'd say it's like the difference between the Fidelio X2 now vs say the stock HD650s in terms of openness vs bass and soundstage direction.

The upshot being the HD650s with these memory foam pads produce a wider soundstage than the X2 ever did and the bass is rich but more neutral whereas the X2s focused too much on deeper bass.

I think these pads were a great investment, I've put them back on and enjoy the more musical intimacy with them, especially with acoustic and jazz music.


As far as I'm concerned this combo for me is end game. I know I could get better if I spent more, but I really don't need better, I'm just enjoying this for pretty much everything. Perhaps the amp combo has something to do with this as well, but it's a great match for my taste and I can't see that changing for the foreseeable future!

Just hoping that Sennheiser never stop servicing the 650s going forward :p
 
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Did you get the velour ones?

Just looking at some user reviews on the jungle site, but they are for the leather ones. One guy said the headphones lose everything for an increase in bass with his 600's; timber, vocals and the sparkle in the treble. That sounds like they ruin everything which makes the 600's special, at least in my eyes.

Another guy said that what is lost is too minor for him to care.

Some other guy notes the change in sound and seems to criticise the headphones, that a change in pads alters the sound. That makes me laugh; how can it not. To expect headphones not to sound different with a change of pads is not understanding the simple basics of the way audio works. I'd expect that view from beats users, not someone who spent time choosing a well renowned headphone and not one based on how many celebs own. That's almost like expecting a speaker to sound the same in an empty room as it would in a furnished room.

I'd be interested to know how the leather compared to the velour in terms of changes in sound and whether the velour has a similar impact on the 600 sound that the leather does. Might look on some other sites, see if I can find any opinions.

My 600 pads are looking a little on the flatter side and my ears touch the foam covering the drivers. Would love some memory foam pads, but not if it's going to change drastically what I love about the headphones.
 
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