Sennheiser HD650 Love (Appreciation Thread)

Yeah the K240 foam probably has a smoothing effect on the highs and upper mids. With the crack i lose some plankton but on SS it has a nice effect. Still think tubes are the way to go though with the stock foam. But since my HD650's are mainly used on SS the K240 foam is better. I use the crack with modded HD800's.

 

I got Valhalla 2 today.
Mad creds to this forum, marv and everybody else.
I think it sounds better then WA6-SE. Its cleaner, more dynamic, brigthen the HD650 up and make them more livly.
Why dident I hear about this community before now? Id save so much money

 

Awesome! Honestly, the Woo Audio stuff looks amazing, but I've never been impressed with anything of theirs at the prices they charge. I tried the WA5-LE at CanJam hoping to convince myself that the ampsandsound Mogwai wasn't as good as I thought, but I thought the Mogwai sounded much better on my HD650s.

 

isn't the mogwai / hd650 combination too dark?

 

Maybe with the wrong tubes. I love it!

 

Gah, searching for Lyr 2 mentions is such a hassle, too short of a name and the forum doesn't let me search for it because of that... Any HD650 users here rocking a Lyr 2?

I'm still waffling between it and Valhalla 2, was set on the former when I thought I had a chance to get it cheaper/used... That didn't happen tho, and I'm in the middle of a move which gives me more time (too much time?) to debate the decision.

 

definitely vahalla2. Really good pairing

 

I really love the HD650/Valhalla 2 pairing.

I've owned the original Lyr, Mjolnir and Ragnarok.

Enjoyed the zest the original Mjolnir injected, with its taut bass, slam and dynamics. Downside was a slightly dry and grainy quality.

The Ragnarok is a sublime match for the HD650. Incredibly resolving and smooth. Nice heft and control over the low end too. Unfortunately, it's too big a unit for just a headphone amp and I didn't utilise it as a speaker amp.

The Valhalla 2 concedes to its bigger siblings in some things but it is a fine amp for the price. Its defining trait is how resolving it is imo. To nitpick - I'd like a bit more bite, better dynamic contrasts, but as is, the Valhalla 2 is truly deserving as one of the first recommended components for the HD650.

 

I think if I can find a weekend to dedicate to it soon I might end up getting both and just sending one back to Schiit later... I hate buying with the intent of returning but I'm gonna be left wondering otherwise and it's the only way I'll get to listen to both.

If I end up vastly preferring Valhalla 2 I'm not even sure what I'd do about my PM3/X2, possibly keep my Asgard 2 for them and buy Magni for the location I was moving Asgard to, heh.

 

Ok,
I'm sitting here with a serious sinus cold while the n.o French quarter fest is going on. Got the 650's on with Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses. Blown away. Believe it's time to part ways with some of the flagships and get the right shit!

 

I currently have both. I'll let you know in a couple days which I end up preferring.

 

That'd be outstanding!

 

I attached some Brainwavz Hybrid Memory Foam Earpads (http://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Hybrid-Memory-Foam-Earpad/dp/B00ZGGG3KY) to a pair of HD6xx mounting rings (graciously provided by @Luckbad) to see what would happen on my HD650s. Some very tentative measurements:

Frequency response of stock pads and Brainwavz (BW) pads compared (with stock pad levels reduced to match up the upper midrange/lower treble more closely):



CSDs of stock vs. BW pads:




Measurements were quick n' dirty, so take with a grain of salt.

Subjectively, it's too soon to say if I like the result of the BW pads. I like strong bass, but we'll see if this extra bass integrates well with the rest of the 650's strengths.

Not pictured here, but 3rd order distortion is increased with the BW pads. All distortion in the bass increases with the BW pads, but 3rd harmonic increases relative to 2nd order in the bass.

UPDATE:

Yeah, it's too much mid-bass. Makes most of the music I listen to sound muddy and boomy. The bass is out of character with the rest of the 650's presentation.

 

I took the suspension strap idea from r/headphones one step further and attached the ZMF pilot pad so that it's suspended in mid air.



(After some sit-down, I adjusted my analysis)

Comfort level is a modest improvement above stock. The pilot pad and leather strap do add significant weight to the headphones, particularly on the upper head band, but the added suspension allows weight to be distributed towards the mid upper ear cup and along the pilot pad. The ear cups present themselves flatter on my head, relieving large amounts of pressure typically near the lower jaw.

I'm currently experiencing a tiny hot spot on the top of my noggin, but that's most likely due to improper length on the leather strap. With some further tweaking, I might consider getting another pilot pad for my Omni's, because these are pretty damn comfy in this state.

EDIT: Please be aware of which tape you use to attach the leather strap to the metal headband, the metal headband has some kind of protective coating and I used heavy duty postal tape because that's all had. As far as I can tell, the postal tape stripped off a layer of coating when I went to adjust the headband. I'm now using pretty weak tape and it seems fine now.

 

I just traded my mad dog pros for a pair of HD 650s and oh my god.. they're everything I wanted when I started this hobby. These must be magic, and I cant get them off my head. But then I came over here and saw those mods.. and i can't say im not tempted if they really are HD 800 level but with HD 650 sound.

 

If Sennheiser teamed up with massdrop and dropped a sennheiser version of a modded HD 650's that would be epic.

 

question about the mods: Are they actual improvements over the current sound of stock hd 650s or are they changing the hd 650 to something else? I'm interested but I love the way these sound now but want some tighter bass and a wider soundstage is always welcome.

 

Ive lived with hd650 for 3 years!

Im trying hd800. I dont think I could replace my stock hd800 for hd650 . HD800 + EQ (sonarworks) may do it. Im not even sure though tbh.
crazy but the hd650 just pulls me in musically.
maybe I just prefer dark presentations?