Ryan's Headphone Review Thread

rids57 said:
I've been on the fence between the HD 650 and the K712 but I think the Sennheiser is the one that fits my needs perfectly. I already have a modded pair of AKG K702's, so the more analytical side is covered. What I want is a pair of headphones that are comfortable and light, with a warm, relaxing and above all, musical sound for just laying back on the couch and enjoying my music. I think the HD 650 are the ones.
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They are both really great the K712 is a good choice if you prefer a more spacious warm headphone. If you want a more liquid warm intimate sound then HD650. I'd probably pick the 650 just because of how it engages people.

Cookeh said:
Ryan, any experience with the E7 or E07K? Tempted to pick up one as a DAC for my home setup, and for use as a portable DAC with (possibly the Qs) or a range of IEMs.
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Yeah it's decent the Dac does the job fine. The amp side is pretty average for a Fiio product but it's still good for the price. Is say it's worth it for £45-£50.
 
HD650 they have their own unique signature similar to the LCD2 but a bit more slushy sounding.

The HP200 is warm with decent mids but not HD650 good. I have the HP200 planned for review soon but I have a lot in front. The HP200 when compared sounds more dry and grainy compared to the 650 with a harder sound. I'll add a bigger comparison under the under the HD650 review in the VS part.
 
I have the E07K Cookeh and depending on their use it could be a good buy. Being a bit of a novice I bought one to power my DT 770s but it just isn't capable. For lower impedance cans it should be okay though.
 
So out of K712s and 650s you'd pick the 650s?

Hrm, I used to own the 880s (600), replaced them with 650s, then tried out the X1s after getting rid of the 650s (loved the X1s btw) and I was wondering if I should jump on to the 712s, but maybe not.

Perhaps I just need 800s now. If only someone would let me try theirs out :D

Edit: Read up on the Oppo PM-1 and 2s. Think you could get some of those? They're being touted as up there with the very best.
 
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Tephnos said:
So out of K712s and 650s you'd pick the 650s?

Hrm, I used to own the 880s (600), replaced them with 650s, then tried out the X1s after getting rid of the 650s (loved the X1s btw) and I was wondering if I should jump on to the 712s, but maybe not.

Perhaps I just need 800s now. If only someone would let me try theirs out :D

Edit: Read up on the Oppo PM-1 and 2s. Think you could get some of those? They're being touted as up there with the very best.
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I prefer the HD650 based on musical enjoyment but the K712 is no slouch. From a technical view the K712 is better but not by much. Both make great end game phones without going overboard on prices. The PM-1 is a headphone I'd like to try. I've tried all the Audezes and Hifimans. I think the K712s are a good headphone to aim for, I prefer listening to that than the HD 800.
 
Well, I recently learned about the PM-2s as well. Pretty much the PM-1 in a (more plastic) package, shaving a lot of the cost off. So that's $1,099 worth of headphone for $699. Really interested in that one now.

It's too bad you live in London, I'd like to demo your headphones. :p
 
Been sitting here, listening to my brand new, squeaky clean Sennheiser HD 650's while reading Ryan's review of them. I have to say that initially, I thought there was quite a bit of exaggeration in Ryan's opinion of just how good these things are - I was wrong, they really are that good and then some. :D

I've been playing my favourite tracks for a couple of hours and I'm still hearing things that I've never noticed before, not even with the AKG K702's, it's like a whole new world of micro-detail has opened up. I was a bit concerned before I got them about the sound stage and the "veil" due to rolled off high frequencies. Both of those concerns went out the window within seconds of hitting play. I don't find the sound stage to be that much smaller than the modded K702's I've been using up until now and the high frequencies seem perfect to me, detailed without excess sizzle. As for the other end, nice powerful bass without it sounding "boomy" and the legendary mid range is just right off the scale. The only negative was the initial clamping pressure but even that doesn't seem to be a problem now, whether it's eased off or I've become used to it, who knows or cares.

I think this may be the end of the line because I may well have found my perfect headphone :)

The Aune T1 DAC/Amp is doing a pretty decent job with these, it doesn't sound lacking in any area, bass is crisp and highs are clear plus there is plenty of volume. I may well save my pennies for a better amp in the future and feed it with the DAC part of the T1.

So thank you Ryan for the effort you put into writing your reviews, specially useful in my case as two of them were headphones I was looking at. I think what finally did it was that you sold your HD 650's in favour of the AKG's and ended up buying a new pair just a few weeks later because you missed them. As for me, I'll be selling a kidney before I'd part with these babies. :D

ps. It's taken me ages to write this because I keep stopping, shutting my eyes and listening to the music - currently playing Life's been good by Joe Walsh (OMG those drums!).
 
Late to posting here, but just to agree and what's been said that it's a well put together thread and useful resource.

The post above is also cementing this hunch that the HD650's might also be perfect for me. Argh!
 
rids57 said:
Been sitting here, listening to my brand new, squeaky clean Sennheiser HD 650's while reading Ryan's review of them. I have to say that initially, I thought there was quite a bit of exaggeration in Ryan's opinion of just how good these things are - I was wrong, they really are that good and then some. :D

I've been playing my favourite tracks for a couple of hours and I'm still hearing things that I've never noticed before, not even with the AKG K702's, it's like a whole new world of micro-detail has opened up. I was a bit concerned before I got them about the sound stage and the "veil" due to rolled off high frequencies. Both of those concerns went out the window within seconds of hitting play. I don't find the sound stage to be that much smaller than the modded K702's I've been using up until now and the high frequencies seem perfect to me, detailed without excess sizzle. As for the other end, nice powerful bass without it sounding "boomy" and the legendary mid range is just right off the scale. The only negative was the initial clamping pressure but even that doesn't seem to be a problem now, whether it's eased off or I've become used to it, who knows or cares.

I think this may be the end of the line because I may well have found my perfect headphone :)

The Aune T1 DAC/Amp is doing a pretty decent job with these, it doesn't sound lacking in any area, bass is crisp and highs are clear plus there is plenty of volume. I may well save my pennies for a better amp in the future and feed it with the DAC part of the T1.

So thank you Ryan for the effort you put into writing your reviews, specially useful in my case as two of them were headphones I was looking at. I think what finally did it was that you sold your HD 650's in favour of the AKG's and ended up buying a new pair just a few weeks later because you missed them. As for me, I'll be selling a kidney before I'd part with these babies. :D

ps. It's taken me ages to write this because I keep stopping, shutting my eyes and listening to the music - currently playing Life's been good by Joe Walsh (OMG those drums!).
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No worries glad you like them! When I sold them I just couldn't get their sound out of my head. My Annie's did what they could do but with a faster more open sound but they didn't have that magic that the HD650 had and I realised this after buying them again. I also find the stage to be excellent with tubes. My SS amps give me that more intimate and closed in sound but paired with a good tube amp you get that good separation and space.

I switch between my K712 and HD650 often and can't picture me selling any of them and for the first time in ages I have not bothered looking for anything else.

Enjoy them they are a musical masterpiece!
 
Just got my hyperx cloud yesterday & enjoying the sound immensely. My motherboard is an MSI gd-53. Do you think it would be worth my while picking up a soundcard with headphone amplification? Or an external amp/DAC?
 
I use an external amp and Dac and the HXC really benefits from it.


Just an update with the HXC I've been using the pleather pads and the sound is much more lush and full with more weight behind the bass with a more rolled off treble which I actually prefer. Sadly they heat my ears up quickly which is an issue I have with all leather pads. The sound though, is better suited for music with the pleathers and also seals much better. They don't leak too bad with the pleathers at all. With the Velours it was almost leaking like a semi open headphone.

The sound with the velours is thinner with a more sharper needle like treble but with good micro detail. With the Pleather the sound is still detailed but not as obvious as the velours. The soundstage is much more congested due to the thicker sound of the pleather pads.

I think the velours are better for gaming while the pleathers are more musical.
 
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Tephnos said:
Ryan, how do you get access to all of these? Just really deep pockets? :D
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I'm actually earning quite a low wage. I have always been a trader. I'd purchase something at a high value then trade for multiple items and then I'd sale them off or trade for something else. It is way to experience as many headphones as possible without wasting all my money. Nowadays I will borrow a headphone that I want to review for a good amount of time and send it back. I've probably owned close to 70 headphones and reviewed much more but I've lost a lot of money in this hobby! On the plus side I've learner a lot that can save a lot of people some money.
 
Ryanr1987 said:
I use an external amp and Dac and the HXC really benefits from it.


Just an update with the HXC I've been using the pleather pads and the sound is much more lush and full with more weight behind the bass with a more rolled off treble which I actually prefer. Sadly they heat my ears up quickly which is an issue I have with all leather pads. The sound though, is better suited for music with the pleathers and also seals much better. They don't leak too bad with the pleathers at all. With the Velours it was almost leaking like a semi open headphone.

The sound with the velours is thinner with a more sharper needle like treble but with good micro detail. With the Pleather the sound is still detailed but not as obvious as the velours. The soundstage is much more congested due to the thicker sound of the pleather pads.

I think the velours are better for gaming while the pleathers are more musical.
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Cheers Ryan. I think I'll pick up a Xonar DG & give it a try as my budget is limited atm. I'm just curious to see if there is a difference really over the Realtek ALC892 on my motherboard. This is the first half-way decent cans I've owned & I've always just used onboard solutions for sound.
 
docsonic said:
Cheers Ryan. I think I'll pick up a Xonar DG & give it a try as my budget is limited atm. I'm just curious to see if there is a difference really over the Realtek ALC892 on my motherboard. This is the first half-way decent cans I've owned & I've always just used onboard solutions for sound.
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There will be a big difference between a motherboard integrated and a dedicated soundcard, the DG will be quite serviceable for gaming and will help get rid of the interference you get from motherboard DAC's
 
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