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

mrk · 29 Dec 2015 at 17:44

Cable arrived today. contrary to a reddit comment, the side with the R and L stamped on each plug is on the correct side, the reddit user must have got an early batch of this cable.

Seems fine quality wise. Good terminations and good strain relief. Just like with the K7XX cable I got (same cable in fact), it's a right bargain at under a tenner.

DagsJT · 29 Dec 2015 at 20:37

My workmate is lending me a pair of these tomorrow, I'm eager to compare them to the Fidelio X2's I've got.

Running a Creative SoundBlasterX G5 which are able to power headphones up to 600ohm's apparently so I should be able to run the 650's well enough hopefully.

mrk · 29 Dec 2015 at 22:03

Incredible listening evening tonight. Spent a few hours out with peeps to get a break from headphones, came back and started listening to some Spotify sessions.

https://play.spotify.com/track/1r8gTkFVP0mZCdk3HzcFmf - Compared to the K7XX this just feels so much more personal, like the players are a few feet in front and around my frontal circle.

The more I listen to the 650, the less I want to put the AKGs back on.

This is a dangerous game.

Ryanr1987 · 29 Dec 2015 at 22:14

They really highlight a singer don't they? Those mids man.

mrk · 29 Dec 2015 at 22:16

https://play.spotify.com/track/1BMDaiVYDREQnrQZA7Drpk

PapaLazaru · 29 Dec 2015 at 23:46

Guy at work has been talking to me about getting into the headphone game for a while and spoke to him today. He's been doing a lot of research over Christmas and has settled on the 650's and is also looking at the Schiit Modi 2 / Vali 2.

Is he likely to find a better match for £200?

Psycho Sonny · 29 Dec 2015 at 23:47

link to cable?

PapaLazaru said:
Guy at work has been talking to me about getting into the headphone game for a while and spoke to him today. He's been doing a lot of research over Christmas and has settled on the 650's and is also looking at the Schiit Modi 2 / Vali 2.

Is he likely to find a better match for £200?

i wouldn't think so. the vali is a wonderful amp.

mrk · 30 Dec 2015 at 00:15

Cable: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UVPXN3K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

rids57 · 30 Dec 2015 at 01:05

I might just grab me one of those, it gets untidy wrapping the cable around my phone

mrk · 30 Dec 2015 at 01:31

I can't stand rolling/tangling cables!

titaniumx3 · 30 Dec 2015 at 03:46

Might not be to everyone's taste, but try the album Raising Sand by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. Has this intentionally lo-fi but incredibly warm and analogue sound. Sounds incredible through the HD650. Just can't believe a sound so rich and full can come from a headphone.

Also try anything by Mogwai, particularly their albums Young Team and Rock Action. Mastering is hit and miss, but a lot of the tracks whilst really harsh at times, have this intensely intimate sound. Mids can become a mess on lesser headphones, but the HD650 handles it just fine.

Anything by The Cinematic Orchestra, particularly their album Man With A Movie Camera. Lots of other jazz/electronica fusion type music similar to this that I find sounds amazing with the HD650.

I also think a lot of rock and metal sounds good with the 650. It lacks some of the speed required to properly appreciate certain complex tracks, but makes up for it by adding a lot of warmth and depth to overly bright records, which is a common problem in these genres.

Tephnos · 30 Dec 2015 at 04:26

Alright, so after a few hours of talking with mrk on steam, I'm really tempted to get a HD650 again. (Years ago I tried to get him to try a pair but it took him a while as you can see

)

Originally sold my entire headphone setup after going to bookshelves at my desk due to my growing hair making wearing headphones a pain in the ass. It's now long enough that I can tie it up fine without it falling back down, so mrk freaking out over how good the 650s were makes me really tempted to just buy them again now! (Moreso when someone in this thread scared me by saying they will probably be discontinued soon - don't do that!)

Only thing is, I have the NAD D3020. Due to its lower power output compared to the 7050, I'm not sure if it will do the HD650 justice, and I'm not prepared to buy a DAC/Amp and HD650 all at once!

DagsJT · 30 Dec 2015 at 11:21

Ryanr1987 said:
Yeah I've noticed the HD650 are more N shaped when they are not powered.

Compared to the X2 the HD650 images better. Soundstage is about equal. The X2 struggles with separation and can sound a bit blurred when things get busy. The problem with the 650 for gaming at least on consoles, is that it isn't as resolving as it can be. When I had the Bottlehead Crack, I connected it to my Mixamp and found it really good.

I personally would rather an AKG or AD700x for gaming.

There's no way I could swing having two sets of headphones unfortunately, so I'd need one pair of headphones that's good at everything rather than being particularly good with music/gaming/movies.

I've looked at the AD700X before, I think I've seen comments saying that the sound feels quite "airy" and like it's around you rather than in your head. That sounds amazing for games but not sure how well it would work for music.

And then I only ever see the HD650 mentioned for music, Googling for how good they are with games doesn't really bring up results. I'll give the 650's a go tonight but it looks like my X2's might be my best option for an all-in-one set of headphones.

darreny · 30 Dec 2015 at 11:37

Tephnos said:
Alright, so after a few hours of talking with mrk on steam, I'm really tempted to get a HD650 again. (Years ago I tried to get him to try a pair but it took him a while as you can see )

Originally sold my entire headphone setup after going to bookshelves at my desk due to my growing hair making wearing headphones a pain in the ass. It's now long enough that I can tie it up fine without it falling back down, so mrk freaking out over how good the 650s were makes me really tempted to just buy them again now! (Moreso when someone in this thread scared me by saying they will probably be discontinued soon - don't do that!)

Only thing is, I have the NAD D3020. Due to its lower power output compared to the 7050, I'm not sure if it will do the HD650 justice, and I'm not prepared to buy a DAC/Amp and HD650 all at once!

Didn't mrk have that amp before the 7050. He should know

mrk · 30 Dec 2015 at 11:44

I did yes, but not on the 650s

I had them on the AKG and Senn HD598. It was fine.

DagsJT said:
There's no way I could swing having two sets of headphones unfortunately, so I'd need one pair of headphones that's good at everything rather than being particularly good with music/gaming/movies.

I've looked at the AD700X before, I think I've seen comments saying that the sound feels quite "airy" and like it's around you rather than in your head. That sounds amazing for games but not sure how well it would work for music.

And then I only ever see the HD650 mentioned for music, Googling for how good they are with games doesn't really bring up results. I'll give the 650's a go tonight but it looks like my X2's might be my best option for an all-in-one set of headphones.

Having now watched film/tv files on them I can confirm they are fine for those. I've not played any games yet so will have a few TF2 rounds otnight I guess along with whatever else I can get round to.

It's true the AKG K/Qxxx are superb for games due to their airy soundstage, but I can't imagine the 650s taking too much away from the experience.

Will confirm later.

Based on yesterday's listening, I've put my K7XX on the MM.

DagsJT · 30 Dec 2015 at 12:01

mrk said:
I did yes, but not on the 650s I had them on the AKG and Senn HD598. It was fine.

Having now watched film/tv files on them I can confirm they are fine for those. I've not played any games yet so will have a few TF2 rounds otnight I guess along with whatever else I can get round to.

It's true the AKG K/Qxxx are superb for games due to their airy soundstage, but I can't imagine the 650s taking too much away from the experience.

Will confirm later.

Based on yesterday's listening, I've put my K7XX on the MM.

Cheers MRK. I'll have a go on some games myself tonight and see how I get on too. Interesting that you've listed your K7XX's as I've read really good things about them.

What percentage would you say your listening is split between music/gaming/movies?

mrk · 30 Dec 2015 at 12:14

I'd say the split would be 60/20/20 (music/gaming/movies). Probably more music most days as I tend to listen to music while bbrowsing/photo editing or just generally doing stuff at the desk.

When a few mates and I were playing Dying Light the gaming split was far larger, but since finishing, it's down to 20 again. Gaming goes up and down based on what we are playing that season

Ryanr1987 · 30 Dec 2015 at 12:18

DagsJT said:
There's no way I could swing having two sets of headphones unfortunately, so I'd need one pair of headphones that's good at everything rather than being particularly good with music/gaming/movies.

I've looked at the AD700X before, I think I've seen comments saying that the sound feels quite "airy" and like it's around you rather than in your head. That sounds amazing for games but not sure how well it would work for music.

And then I only ever see the HD650 mentioned for music, Googling for how good they are with games doesn't really bring up results. I'll give the 650's a go tonight but it looks like my X2's might be my best option for an all-in-one set of headphones.

The 650 has a good soundstage, it's accurate. The actually imaging is better than those headphones but the AD700x has a massive soundstage so it gives that advantage in games making the image appear better.

I think the 650 has equal soundstage to the X2. The more I hear the X2 the crappy it sounds. It's not a bad headphone I f it was half the current price..it has higher distortion, poor driver matching wonky treble. It has a good tone though, I think if they spent more time improving things, even if they made it more expensive with changes it could be a great headphone.

Ryanr1987 · 30 Dec 2015 at 12:23

Mrk I love how in your sale ad for the 7XX the HD650 look like they are sitting there all smug like I'm being kept.

I knew you'd love the 650 didn't expect the AKGs to go up for sale!

mrk · 30 Dec 2015 at 12:30

As much as I would want to keep the AKG, I just find the idea of swapping headphones back and forth for different media a bit tedious/faff filled. Plus I just know I'd be wearing the 650 more than the XX - They'd be sitting on the stand most days which would be a shame as they are very good headphones in their own right!