Sennheiser HD650 - The classic beauty in a grey dress Appreciation thread!
- Thread starter Ryanr1987
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very cheap too. manz gotta save to search for that cherry picked LCD-2.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 May 2006
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- 5,769
I absolutely love my HD650 and still looking for a worthy replacement. They just sound "right" to my ears. More importantly though, they sound consistently good across all genres of music I've tried. My Hifiman HE400i sounds better with only selection of music, but the HD650 sounds almost as good with the same music and way better for everything else.
If there is one defining characteristic of the HD650, it would be the mids which sound in another league to my HE400i. They add this lush, meaty and palpable quality to the sound that no other headphone I've heard can properly reproduce. Even the treble sounds 'thicker' which doesn't really make sense, yet it's one of the first things you notice when you compare them. My HE400i whilst having clear and upfront mids with better bass extension, just sound thin in comparison. I can go into more detail as to why this is, but as I said before the HD650 just sound "right" to my ears, whilst the HE400i are "not quite right". This is most obvious when you listen to vocals, which sound scarily real and up close with the HD650 but a little distant and synthesized with the HE400i.
Regarding the Sennheiser veil, I think there is a veil, but only because other headphones are too bright. Whislt I think the HD650 could do with some more treble extension, I don't think they need more in terms of quantity. I also think it's a positive to have slightly relaxed treble response as you rarely get any of the painful sibliance or general harshness you find with many of the other audiophile headphones. It's better for your ears too as I've listened to the HD650 for hours on end at seemingly high volume without any fatigue at all.
The last point also leads on to another great thing about the HD650 which is their exceptional comfort. Sure, they might not look that fancy and don't make use of any exotic materials, but its well built and perfectly functional. Soon after I put them on, they just disappear and I feel like music is being sent directly into my ears from thin air.
I'm actually considering buying a new pair of HD650 just to keep it as spare, they are just that good.
If there is one defining characteristic of the HD650, it would be the mids which sound in another league to my HE400i. They add this lush, meaty and palpable quality to the sound that no other headphone I've heard can properly reproduce. Even the treble sounds 'thicker' which doesn't really make sense, yet it's one of the first things you notice when you compare them. My HE400i whilst having clear and upfront mids with better bass extension, just sound thin in comparison. I can go into more detail as to why this is, but as I said before the HD650 just sound "right" to my ears, whilst the HE400i are "not quite right". This is most obvious when you listen to vocals, which sound scarily real and up close with the HD650 but a little distant and synthesized with the HE400i.
Regarding the Sennheiser veil, I think there is a veil, but only because other headphones are too bright. Whislt I think the HD650 could do with some more treble extension, I don't think they need more in terms of quantity. I also think it's a positive to have slightly relaxed treble response as you rarely get any of the painful sibliance or general harshness you find with many of the other audiophile headphones. It's better for your ears too as I've listened to the HD650 for hours on end at seemingly high volume without any fatigue at all.
The last point also leads on to another great thing about the HD650 which is their exceptional comfort. Sure, they might not look that fancy and don't make use of any exotic materials, but its well built and perfectly functional. Soon after I put them on, they just disappear and I feel like music is being sent directly into my ears from thin air.
I'm actually considering buying a new pair of HD650 just to keep it as spare, they are just that good.
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When I had my Crack the HD650 was very fast and agile. With the Chord Mojo on its own I get fantastic resolution and speed by I also get some of that warmth and slightly slower decay in comparison. What I like about the Mojo and 650 paring is its all about emotion and elegance rather than business. The Crack was warm and had a lush voicing but the speedball made it less so than other tube amps.
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Soldato
Have to disagree on that . I own the 598 / 600 and the 700 . 700 are my favs with the 598 beating the 600's Can have these on all day with no fatigue . Love them
Have to disagree on that . I own the 598 / 600 and the 700 . 700 are my favs with the 598 beating the 600's Can have these on all day with no fatigue . Love them
I've never driven the HD600 to a high level like I have with the 650. I did find the HD600 driver to be a bit sloppy in comparison to the 650.
ergh I've never hated a headphone as much as the HD700 lol I like my headphones to sound as one where as the 700 sounds like it's tuned by two different companies it just doesn't sound correct to me.
That said I like the Nighthawk which most people seem to hate!
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Associate
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- 24 May 2011
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Just goes to show how much it is down to individual perception with sound as I also love the hd700s whereas I actually have never particularly liked the hd650s I find them muddy.
im upgrading from my hd650s to hd800s 
cause for some reason i think its going to cost quite a bit to restore my hd650s as i need a new headband and new right speaker as the bass or the tweeter is broken in them, so i might just buy the hd800s as i know from experiance the hd650s are awesome so how more awesome can the hd800s be over them
cause for some reason i think its going to cost quite a bit to restore my hd650s as i need a new headband and new right speaker as the bass or the tweeter is broken in them, so i might just buy the hd800s as i know from experiance the hd650s are awesome so how more awesome can the hd800s be over them
Soldato
Parts aren't that bad tbh
http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co.uk/hifi-tv-headphones/hd-650
worth ringing sennheiser first though, as im pretty sure they still offer a (very cheap) flat fee replacement service.
http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co.uk/hifi-tv-headphones/hd-650
worth ringing sennheiser first though, as im pretty sure they still offer a (very cheap) flat fee replacement service.
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im upgrading from my hd650s to hd800s
cause for some reason i think its going to cost quite a bit to restore my hd650s as i need a new headband and new right speaker as the bass or the tweeter is broken in them, so i might just buy the hd800s as i know from experiance the hd650s are awesome so how more awesome can the hd800s be over them
Probably not much more, the more you spend the less the gains and nowhere in hi fi is it more true than with headphones.
im upgrading from my hd650s to hd800s
cause for some reason i think its going to cost quite a bit to restore my hd650s as i need a new headband and new right speaker as the bass or the tweeter is broken in them, so i might just buy the hd800s as i know from experiance the hd650s are awesome so how more awesome can the hd800s be over them
The HD800 are not great for music IMO unless you do the mods which make them very good. Over the HD650 they have better resolution and better micro detail. The thing with the HD800 is they exaggerate the uppers making them sound very unnatural and coloured. The HD650 present the music in a smooth and natural way, no peaks just a smooth response from start to finish, the HD800 are meant to make you see everything in the music which also clouds out the emotion in a track.
650 has better mids and also sounds a bit more grounded but the HD800 is a bit better when it comes to the technical side of things. The only clear upgrade I've ever found without going into the 1k+ was an LCD-2 that I had a few years ago which was a bit better in almost all ways, mids where equal maybe slightly on the 650 and so was air and openness but extension in the bass, depth, impact everything went to this LCD-2.
I don't recommend the HD800 unless you are going to mod them but if you like that dry, maybe dull detailed sound then go for the HD800. The HD800 driver probably has the most potential out of the flagships! I still personally prefer the 650's LCD-2's and PM-1's for music.
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If you got a muddy sound I can assure you that's your gear not being a good match for them. The 650 is smooth from bottom to top and the mid bass punch doesn't really bleed like it does on something like the Nighthawk and other mid bass phones.
Not gonna say the 700/800s are good or bad - but its a fallacy to see them as an upgrade to the 600 series (Sennheiser should have gone with better naming really) the 600 series was born out of intentions of creating something closer to reference headphones the 700/800 are designed for the high end listening experience - whether they achieve that I think depends more on taste than the quality of the headphone.
EDIT: Be interesting to know if people's perception of the 650s being muddy is due to them not liking the relatively flat response or whether their amplification isn't upto doing them justice - I think both are probably true - personally I love the frequency response but I know often the average consumer finds it dull and boring.
EDIT: Be interesting to know if people's perception of the 650s being muddy is due to them not liking the relatively flat response or whether their amplification isn't upto doing them justice - I think both are probably true - personally I love the frequency response but I know often the average consumer finds it dull and boring.
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They still do the flat fee repair, but the price has almost doubled since I used it a few years ago
http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/service-support-headphone-repair-wireless
Mine literally had EVERYTHING replaced on the fixed fee service. I'm not sure what was left of the original pair I sent out!
I've had mine for so long now....maybe in excess of 7-8 years. Well worth it though, even at £90 you get a refreshed pair of headphones!
Soldato
They still do the flat fee repair, but the price has almost doubled since I used it a few years ago
http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/service-support-headphone-repair-wireless
Mine literally had EVERYTHING replaced on the fixed fee service. I'm not sure what was left of the original pair I sent out!
I've had mine for so long now....maybe in excess of 7-8 years. Well worth it though, even at £90 you get a refreshed pair of headphones!
That's disappointing but still, £90 is really nothing if your sending in a pair with a broken headband and blown driver
Caporegime
Still using my HD700's and I find them superb but I've never tried the 650's. I might try and pick some up and sell the 700's if they're actually a worse headphone.
Soldato
i dont know if they are much worse, they are more 'different'. I think most people would agree that the 650s are better at what they do than the 700s are at what they do. I don't know if that makes them worse, i guess it depends on what you want.