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

trawetSluaP said:
I've certainly noticed this!

Essentially I'd like a really nice pair of headphones with amazing sound quality. The one thing I need them to have is deep ear cups as if they aren't they'll irritate my ears! Having said this if a decent amp is needed to have them properly perform then please recommend away and I'm consider my budget!
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HiFiMan HE400i are still available for £180 on the rain forest - one of the most insane deals of all time :)

Very easy to drive as they are both fairly sensitive and low impedance
 
You can plug them straight into your motherboard at a pinch as they are very easy to drive.

I have them plugged into a Schiit stack, the Modi Multibit and Magni 3

If you just want an amp to go with them and will be using your motherboard as a DAC then the Magni 3 is incredible value at £110
 
I've been a very happy HD650 user for the past few years but since getting the HE400i (about 6 weeks ago) they haven't left the headphone stand, well Asda mug tree actually.
I've been a Schiit stack user for the last 3 years but have recently upgraded from Modi to Modi Multibit and Magni 2 to Magni 3 and am now very happy with where I am sound wise.
 
I finally got around to plugging my HD650s into my relatively new Schiit Modi Multibit and Magni 3 combo and the result was nothing short of WOW. It sounds as though the bass has been put on a course of steroids, it's more powerful, digs deeper and has more impact, it really does sound good. The imaging is slightly better than with the original modi and Magni 2 but still falls well short of the HE400i, it is still mostly, left blob, middle blob and right blob. The actual timbre of the sound though is wonderful though, very natural, never "shouty" or harsh, just layer after layer of smoothness at all frequencies. One area where they do fall short of the HE400i is comfort surprisingly, I find that my ears get heated up considerably faster than with the HiFiMans, probably due to the extra room afforded by the round pads rather than the quite snug fit of the oval Sennheisers.

So which is better, HD650 or HE400i? I honestly can't choose, they are both exceptional but with different strengths and weaknesses: The HD650 has more bass quantity but the HE400i has better bass quality and speed, The HE400i has very smooth, natural mids but the HD650 trumps it with some of the best mids in the business, and on and on it goes. I'm just very glad I have both :D
 
I find my headphones like i do my breakfast cereal. Rice Krispies for a couple of weeks, try corn flakes, omg these are so nice why did i stop eating them.... 3 weeks later try Rice krispies again, omg these are so nice... Repeat.
 
jaffveyda said:
I have seen those sub ~£300 , would sound blaster Z be able to drive those?
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Well, HD650 needs some amount less volts (and power) per dB than 250ohm Beyers which work with SB Z so at least there shouldn't be major problems.


Sc00p007 said:
I find my headphones like i do my breakfast cereal. Rice Krispies for a couple of weeks, try corn flakes, omg these are so nice why did i stop eating them.... 3 weeks later try Rice krispies again, omg these are so nice... Repeat.
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Maybe you should try rye bread.
Rice Krispies feel like eating air. (just like white breads)
 
Actually the amp in the SB Z isn't very good with the HD650, it can get them to loud enough volume levels but they sound quite thin with weak bass - I changed up to an STX and the difference was very noticeable.
 
EsaT said:
Well, HD650 needs some amount less volts (and power) per dB than 250ohm Beyers which work with SB Z so at least there shouldn't be major problems.
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Despite the on paper numbers the 600 series tends to "collapse" the bass and treble and generally sound a bit muddy unless they have a decent amount of voltage (and responsive voltage swing) driving them.
 
I've had my HD 650 for 2 years now, plugged into Aune T1 mk2. I'm set for life, the sound signature is perfect for me. I also have Beyerdynamics DT880 250 ohm and Audio Technica AD700 (that are 32 ohm and great for PS4 and TV because they're easy to drive).

The HD 650 are easily my go to headphone, just love the sound and comfort. One of the best purchases ever.
 
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