OFFICIAL: Massdrop Sennheiser HD6XX

This a very astute observation. This framing, I think, does a disservice to the viewers. The correct framing would be that you can spend $200 and get a headphone that has not been definitively surpassed by products at 10 times the price.

 

After watching Jude's video, just curious.

Apart from this crazy price of hd6xx, what would you recommend when you're asked about headphones for serious listening under $200 (for new one, street price)?

I could comfortably recommend hd598 or dt880.

 

The midnight blue color scheme looks pretty cool. I don't like the 1/8" plug as standard...but I would upgrade the cable anyway! I was hoping for some driver refinements etc. or possibly some updates but you can't argue with the pricing. Depending on the budget and when the drop finalizes I might pick up a pair. They will of course immediately be modded to my standard if I do. Apparently 5000 units is what the drop will be limited too.

 

I've generally recommended the 598, dt880, k7xx and used 400S depending on the sonic qualities someone is looking for.

Can't really see myself recommending anything else now at this point, unless the person wants absolute bass monsters.

 

For us it would be better to be patient and wait for black friday, every year good deals for new items.

 

Koss Porta Pros are like HD650jrs. Great bang for the buck.

 

I know-the interest level is off the charts.

I'm seeing a server implosion at 6:03 A.M. PDT

 

Agree 100% that is the one of the cheapest Hifi setups. I don't like any of the super cheap DS DACs anymore since Schiit switched from AK4396 to AK4490 Velvet bloom and the Magni's have problems with Sennheiser bass meaning Vali 2 must be had and is cheaper than the Asgard, Jot, or Rag.

I actually think HD 600 might be okay with the stock tube to save even more money even if your proposed chain sounds better.

 

I think you got it at least 85% right, but to really "frame" it for the NON SBAF (or HF) crowd you'd have to qualify your statement slightly....

"you can spend $200 and get a headphone that has not been definitively surpassed by products at 10 times the price, if you are willing to make a modest investment in an amp/dac"

I know the $2000 (10 times more expensive) headphone needs an investment in the source as well. But an HD650 out of a smartphone leaves something to be desired and I can think of at least half a dozen headphones at only 2 to 4 X the price of the HD6XX that will sound better out of my Samsung phone.

 

I have recently pulled an @atomicbob and have the Vali2 driven with the Joti preamp out. This gives me both flavors with the HD650.

 

I'm actually surprised the Hifiman Edition X isn't brought up more here. It's one of the only headphones, if not the only headphone that I've heard, that has a soundstage that doesn't leave me wanting after a direct swap from the HD800. It's also got a relatively balanced and warm-sloping frequency response, and is deep in the bass. It's also comfortable as hell to boot. Yes, it does cost an arm and a leg, and yes, its transients aren't that crisp and it doesn't quite have the attack like an HD650 or HD800.

We like to give Hifiman crap here recently due to the outrageous prices of the HE-1000 and their upcoming shangri-la, but the Edition-X, if found for a good price, has that combination of traits that a lot of people seem to want.

 

Funny you should mention... I own one which I'm trying to sell. Any takers?

But I agree it's a nice headphone. I like it better than anything from Audeze. Mostly selling beacause the not-so-crisp transients and that it leaks sound like crazy. Well duh - it's an open ortho. I don't think it quite cuts it against a modded HD800 in a good rig but from a portable source it's hard to beat. I've never heard a headphone which sounds so good straight out of an iPhone.

 

You are not wrong. ;-)

Amping considerations aside, the larger point was that the framing in the vid that @Merrick noticed is misleading in the way it ignores or minimizes the HD6XXs value as compared with the rest of the TOTL world. I could also argue that it's the kind of framing you might use if you were more concerned about pissing off sponsors than with informing your audience or being an actual critic/reviewer.

 

Marv's measurements used to illustrate a point on Massdrop:


Will2691 Custom Products Team

more_horiz

Lots of questions about driver matching here, HD6XX goes through the same driver matching process as the HD650. See attached, measurements of both sides from Marv. Red line is the right driver, green is the left driver.

 

Awesome - I missed Marv's chart here somehow and I was one who had asked about driver matching at MD.

 

I really don't understand why his and now my comment got disliked so much? Is it because of the "Rando" status or what? It was a legit question...

 

SBAF is a place to share information and learn from eachother. Most of these threads can serve as a reference for newcomers and people interested in learning about certain gear.

If you have too many off topic posts or ask questions that have been answered several times before you will start to see some dislikes. Its somewhat expected that randos first observe and learn how the community works before posting whatever is on the top of your mind.

 

The color of the HD6XX in the photos posted on "SuperBAF UnCanJam Meet 2016 Impressions" look like gbeast's photos (in the quoted post) and fit Massdrop's description of "deep midnight blue".

Spoiler: SuperBAF UnCanJam Meet 2016 Impressions pics

As does the pic on InnerFidelity.

The pics on Massdrop look lighter, more like a navy blue, to me.

I hope it looks more like the former (midnight blue) than the latter (navy blue).

 

Apologies if I missed this elsewhere (no search hits), but now that more people have spent time with these can anyone confirm whether the build quality is identical to the HD650 in all aspects except for the different paint job? My only real concern, aside from having to replace the short cable with the regular one, is that Sennheiser skimped elsewhere to get costs down.