Sennheiser HD650 Love (Appreciation Thread)

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Sep 27, 2015.

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  1. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    I fell asleep listening to Agent Steel at 2 am last night in my desk chair leaning forward. Woke up 3 songs later in the same position. We really need an HD 625. Same as the HD 650 until 2-3 khz then right in-between the 600 and 650. The 600 is too bright, the 650 too dark. Quarter mods and foam removal don't actually do that much. Use your German engineering to experiment with damping materials and make it happen Sennheiser. I will paypal or bank transfer you $666 or 666 euros.
     
  2. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Why not experiment with your own damping materials? HD6X5 has plenty of potential for front, back, and structural damping.
     
  3. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    I'm too Irish to risk sacrificing my pair of HD 650s. I will look for a cheap used pair in the line to have fun with though. Even a 580.
     
  4. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Pop off the back of the cups and put in some damping. Don't like it? Take it out. If you screw up your headphone doing that, you must have Hulk hands.
     
  5. mtoc

    mtoc SBAF's Resident Shit-Stirrer

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    Hi, Marv, would you mind post a bigger pic which could show more details about this Dynamat mod? My eyes are not so well cos of long reading in my school days...
     
  6. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    Worn pads will do that for you.
     
  7. Dash

    Dash Friend

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    Received an email that headroom has bstock hd650s for $350.
     
  8. mtoc

    mtoc SBAF's Resident Shit-Stirrer

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    Pardon me, which two small pieces of plastic should snap off? (with scissors?)
     
  9. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    So I went in for another listen and decided to join the Golden Schlong Club. Got a pair for $365 at today's exchange rate but will have to wait a few days as my store only had old stock and they're getting me a silver driver version from the distributor.

    With the bass boost on my micro-iDSD, I think I can compensate for the lack of sub-bass extension when required. I always have my Blackwoods for when I really want some slam.

    Will try to find some Dynamat locally to tighten up the bass, but if anyone is willing to mail me some (I'm in Taiwan) I'd be happy to PayPal them the postage+.

    Merry Christmas to me!
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2015
  10. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I read the pertinent parts of Solderdude's tome this morning before ordering my 650s and he figures the K240 foam does about the same as the quarter mod. A post on HF linked to these.
    http://www.avshop.ca/sound-amp-pa-a...nner-cushion-k2xx-series-240-241-260-etc-pair

    I think I'd rather spend $5 on these than cut a hole in the stock foamies.
     
  11. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Pm me. I have some I'm giving away.
     
  12. FlySweep

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    So.. got around to doing the mods & listening over the last couple of days. Rig: Geek Out 450 (FRM filter) > Liquid Carbon > HD650 (balanced). Quick thoughts..

    MOD1- Quarter mod only: more upper mid and treble presence.. generally cleaner treble response.
    MOD2- Quarter mod + foam removal: noticeable increase in dynamics. improved extension. Looser midbass & increased subbass presence. Edgier treble presentation.
    MOD3- Quarter mod + foam removal + dynamat: HERE WE f'ing GO. noticeably tighter (mid & sub) bass.. hell, tighter everything w/o any sacrifice in dynamics. cleaner, better controlled treble.. faster.. better low level detail across the freq. band. More neutral tuning, for sure. This brings the HD650 closer to the exacting nature of the HD800. Marv coined it "HD850" .. others called it an "HD650S" .. both are correct.

    I might be in the minority, but I wasn't a big fan of the just the quarter mod + foam removal. While the improved dynamics, better sub bass, and more open treble were nice, I felt the HD650 'ace', aka the midrange, paid the price. I love the laid back, slightly mid-centric nature of the stock HD650. The subtle midbass warmth, smooth upper mids and gentle treble seems to cradle a gorgeous, warm midrange timbre. The 1/4 mod + foam removal made it sound a little too u-shaped for my taste.. not to mention, the more present sub bass and upper treble wasn't controlled the best (pretty splashy to my ears).

    Enter the strategically-placed dynamat. This basically fixed everything I didn't like with MOD2. The HD650 is remarkably neutral and transparent. The flatter bass and treble.. and improved control.. brought back the beautiful mids.. and offered even better overall resolution. The tightening of the bass and treble with the dynamat is really quite surprising. The HD650S/HD850 is definitely less warm than a stock HD650.. the flatter mid bass and clearer, more present upper treble is responsible for that.. but the mids remain extremely smooth, tonally pure, and keep that subtle, warm bloom. IMO, either do just the 1/4 mod.. or go full monty and do the front, rear, and dynamat mods.

    I'm interested in Hands' rug liner addition.. and the K240 front foam replacement.. hope we get more impressions on those two!
     
  13. mtoc

    mtoc SBAF's Resident Shit-Stirrer

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    If only doing the dynamat mod, what would happen:headbang:?
     
  14. FlySweep

    FlySweep Friend

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    I wondered the same thing.. perhaps a supremely midcentric HD650? Punchy but tight midbass.. not much subbass.. cleaner upper mids.. no better upper freq. extension, though? Just guessing.

    I definitely dig the improved texturing (particularly in the bass) and openness from MOD3.. no detriment to imaging or clarity, either.
     
  15. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    Hey flysweep, can you post a pic of your dynamat placement?
     
  16. mtoc

    mtoc SBAF's Resident Shit-Stirrer

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    am sorry, what is LC?
     
  17. AustinValentine

    AustinValentine Friend

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  18. mtoc

    mtoc SBAF's Resident Shit-Stirrer

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    The 3-step mod seems good. Will they sound brighter than the stock? (and how much brighter?) Many thanks…
     
  19. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Not necessarily brighter, but crisper. Solderdude's results showed a 1-2db increase in mid-bass with the back foam removed, but I didn't get this result.
     
  20. FlySweep

    FlySweep Friend

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    What purrin said.. IME: quarter mod + rear foam removal = brighter treble response (brighter than stock).. more dynamic sound.. but looser and peakier, as well. Quarter mod + rear foam removal + dynamat = less bright (closer to stock response).. still very dynamic. but flatter/smoother/better extended treble than stock. An overall cleaner, clearer, more articulate, better delineated presentation, as well. Treble tuning was closer to stock w/ all the mods.. vs being just outright brighter with no dynamat.
     

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