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

easyrider · 15 May 2016 at 00:06

Don't have Spotify as the compression sucks ...

I don't get it....

People with hd650 and listening to YouTube and compressed audio is beyond me...

Listen to the same track on tidal and hear night and day difference...

What is the track called ?

mrk · 15 May 2016 at 00:10

Erm you do realise that Spotify has settings to choose high/supreme quality output right?

Besides, that track even on the browser based player sounds really excellent. not all music on Spotify sounds "compressed".

I like my FLAC as much as the next person, but that doesn't mean I'm a snob about playing good mp3/streams.

easyrider · 15 May 2016 at 00:14

mrk said:
Erm you do realise that Spotify has settings to choose high/supreme quality output right?

Besides, that track even on the browser based player sounds really excellent. not all music on Spotify sounds "compressed".

I like my FLAC as much as the next person, but that doesn't mean I'm a snob about playing good mp3/streams.

I did a test ..

Lossless audio on Tidal v the same track on high quality Spotify

It was Elle Goulding...

My 13 year old niece could tell the difference .

Garbage in garbage out...that's the bottom line.

james.miller · 15 May 2016 at 08:58

mrk · 15 May 2016 at 10:33

Tidal...

easyrider · 15 May 2016 at 12:26

http://tidal.com/gb

Ryanr1987 · 15 May 2016 at 12:47

Spotify would depend on the individual tracks or albums but most I've listened to have been great and I think it's a great source for for music.

Our minds really play tricks on us and sometimes when I'm listening to a FLAC recording I'll think there's a difference but then that difference will dissappear I don't think there's much of a different between high quality recordings on Spotify.

easyrider · 15 May 2016 at 13:01

Ryanr1987 said:
Spotify would depend on the individual tracks or albums but most I've listened to have been great and I think it's a great source for for music.

Our minds really play tricks on us and sometimes when I'm listening to a FLAC recording I'll think there's a difference but then that difference will dissappear I don't think there's much of a different between high quality recordings on Spotify.

Do the test yourself

Sign up for a free trial on tidal

and choose the lossless subscription.

Then compare identicle tracks from both Spotify and tidal

mrk · 15 May 2016 at 13:10

I know what tidal is, why would anyone want to use it over Spotify anyway?

IMO your argument is invalid here.

Spotify is excellent quality, even free account users enjoy it. I posted a link to a very good quality track on Spotify that sounds great on the 650, and all you've done is bang on about how tidal is poor quality compared to local lossless files.

deFiniLoGy · 15 May 2016 at 13:29

It definitely depends on the album to be honest, however in my country (Hong Kong) there's a definite difference between Spotify & their FLAC ripped straight from the CD (not reworked from 320kbps MP3).

It was very evident as FLAC definitely had a lot more details.

But sadly that difference does seem to diminish as the industry evolve.

PapaLazaru · 15 May 2016 at 13:37

Watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIQ9IXSUzuM

easyrider · 15 May 2016 at 14:21

mrk said:
I know what tidal is, why would anyone want to use it over Spotify anyway?

IMO your argument is invalid here.

Spotify is excellent quality, even free account users enjoy it. I posted a link to a very good quality track on Spotify that sounds great on the 650, and all you've done is bang on about how tidal is poor quality compared to local lossless files.

No, I said I compared lossless audio on tidal streaming service to the 320kb Spotify stream and the difference was night and day.

Using my oppo ha2 my iPhone and my 650 my 13 year old niece told me instantly In a blind test which was the lossless version...

However you look at it... A 320kb stream is simply just that...

Disco_P · 15 May 2016 at 15:42

I've signed up for the free trial. It will have to be really good to replace Spotify as I've got 2 years free premium.

Angst · 15 May 2016 at 16:09

I really cant tell the difference between lossless and 320kb/s mp3 in the vast majority of things even the times i think i can i put it down to a bad mp3 rip.

james.miller · 15 May 2016 at 17:14

how boring.

Easy, we're talking about people using high end headphones, must have whom have them connected to high end amps and/or dacs. Most of us have a lot of time/money invested in audio, yet and you're here trying to argue about lossless audio? do you not think we already know enough not to have you banging on about it in this thread?

Think i preferred in when easy didnt own a pair of 650s.

easyrider · 15 May 2016 at 17:22

james.miller said:
how boring.

Easy, we're talking about people using high end headphones, must have whom have them connected to high end amps and/or dacs. Most of us have a lot of time/money invested in audio, yet and you're here trying to argue about lossless audio? do you not think we already know enough not to have you banging on about it in this thread?

Think i preferred in when easy didnt own a pair of 650s.

All I said was I found it amazing that people still listen to MP3 on high end gear..

:confused:

Ryanr1987 · 15 May 2016 at 17:48

About 85% of my music(That mainly listen to) is 320kbps, I also own many uncompressed files, CD'S etc.

Sometimes when I play a FLAC file I think I can hear a difference but other times I cannot tell the difference and it's probably all in my head. If a high quality MP3 sounds bad next to FLAC then something else is going on like crappy processing.

I've compared FLAC files vs MP3'S on the HD800 and they've sounded the same. I can tell minute difference between headphones fairly easily so I'd easily be able to tell the difference and so would many here. I've listened to FLAC files that sound atrocious before so it's not always about the bit rate.

I'd take Spotify 250-320kbps over anything right now as it's so convenient and has tracks I can't find anywhere else.

Disco_P · 15 May 2016 at 17:49

james.miller said:
how boring.

Easy, we're talking about people using high end headphones, must have whom have them connected to high end amps and/or dacs. Most of us have a lot of time/money invested in audio, yet and you're here trying to argue about lossless audio? do you not think we already know enough not to have you banging on about it in this thread?

Think i preferred in when easy didnt own a pair of 650s.

mrk · 15 May 2016 at 18:08

Exactly Ryan, I've had the same music ripped to both FLAC and LAME encoded mp3 aty the higher -alt presets and couldn't tell any difference between the two.

These days this is a non issue, if I rip a disc it's always FLAC because space concerns no longer exist on my devices or computers so why not have a lossless copy everywhere just because you can :cool:

That's not to say I won't spend hours listening to Spotify streams... 320K or whatever doesn't matter, a well mastered album or track will sound excellent and it will be very hard to tell the difference as mentioned above.

easyrider · 15 May 2016 at 18:25

mrk said:
That's not to say I won't spend hours listening to Spotify streams... 320K or whatever doesn't matter, a well mastered album or track will sound excellent and it will be very hard to tell the difference as mentioned above.

Ok so what you're saying is that listening to Fleetwood Mac tango in the night on Spotify and then Tidal lossless you can't tell the difference?

For me it's night and day....the detail and space and dynamics are more open engaging and just well...better.

For convenience on the move on mobile data then Spotify is great but for critical listening at home or in the office I want to listen to lossless audio.

It's a shame Spotify don't offer lossless tbh in this day and age....