Sennheiser HD650 Love (Appreciation Thread)

Wow. That seems a long way down a one way street.

 

Those are part of the driver element ain't in?

Anyways tried @gixxerwimp's stage 2 stuff, I'm really not sure if its more controlled. Attacks of drum seems more rounded off so I rolled back, though there is less bass quantity.

 

I wouldn't do that honestly! Those seem more there for safety I wouldn't really go that far myself.

In my experience you're probably hearing a ton of extra bass, I tried a similar mod when @PacoTaco mentioned covering the holes, that was too much. Then I tried one that you can see in my previous reply. I've now reverted back to a bit more modest usage of Dynamat. YMMV but here's how mine went:
Too thick, bass was controlled but still a bit too much: http://i.imgur.com/qggakRE.jpg
Slightly too much bass presence: http://i.imgur.com/hUIsVk9.jpg
Exactly where I feel the sweet spot is for me: http://i.imgur.com/410u2tM.jpg

Anyway hope that helps.

Additionally everyone should give the K240 foam (and make a hole in there as well) a try. This was a very good addition for a very small price. It's like 3$. Slightly thicker, seems to bring the whole thing together. Was harder to cut so the circle isn't perfect but: http://i.imgur.com/B5z6QC5.jpg. Solderdude's measurements also confirm my impressions that the can seems to be faster.

 

I can see why the first ones sounded too thick, you were partially blocking the baffle vents, allowing the ear chamber to become more pressurized. Both the silver mesh and the foam-filled holes are ports, blocking them will affect the bass response. If you don't want such thick bass, just apply dynamat around the baffle venting.

 

Keeping it aesthetically pleasing was my goal, that's why I was ok spending 2 hours doing it ☺️

 

I'm been toying with the idea of getting a HD650, but is the HD650 in the latest stock form really that much better than a HD600 that is the 2014 rev which seems to be the latest as they were obtained from Amazon in late 2015?

 

I guess I should mention that I have never had any brightness with my HD600s, but this might also be due to my amps (Violectric V100, Yulong D100 MKII, Modi 2 Uber, and Lyr 2).

 

Never heard anything as "hot" or "shouty". As we were talking in another thread probably a week or two ago, I do have some sensitivity to treble. My new HE-400i is too sibilant for my taste. Although, it is amp dependent, and it is definitely less so on my Modi 2 Uber than the Lyr 2. Go figure since I typically use a warm tube in the Lyr 2. As far as Ok as is, I'm not so sure. I'm just a crazy audio nut, so I'm always on the look out for something better. Having said that, I do find that I like my HE-500s which I believe some consider dark better than the HD600s. I'm not sure if they are HD650 dark. Nonetheless, there is just so much talk about the HD650s on here that it gets me thinking if I should give them a try. But if everyone is saying they are perhaps only 0-10% difference between a HD600 and a HD650. Then, ok I'll probably just stick with my HD600s for dynamic headphones. If the HD650s are really a lot better than the HD600, ok maybe I should pick up a pair and see what the fuss is all about. I realize better might be a matter of perspective. It would be great if there was a HD650 loaner program... Then I could determine for myself whether I would like to purchase a set.

 

You can buy a pair of HD650 drivers for about $100 and put them in your 600's. It's easy, but it takes a few minutes so you can't quickly A/B them. That's what I did with my 580's. I sold the 580 drivers, so it hardly cost me anything.

[Edited to add quote to make clear what I was responding to.]

 

Certainly an interesting recommendation for those that want to try this potentially low cost mod.

 

Other than the drivers, is there anything about the 650 that contributes to its sound that's different on the 600? In other words, if I ordered 650 drivers and swapped them into a 600, am I going to hear just what I'd hear from a production 650 headphone, or am I going to hear some kind of Underworld-esque hybrid?

 

The drivers come with frames/baffles, so mainly the earpads are the only other part that should affect the sound. It's been discussed here that the newer pads (for both 650&600) are firmer than the original design. It's been suggested that the HD580 plastic grille might affect the sound a little, but that shouldn't apply to the 600 and 650's similar perf metal grilles.

 

Is there any benefit to removing the front plastic driver guard? I think Hands did it?

 

I know hands removed the rear plastic spider that held in the dampening foam. I think it was another gentlemen who took out the front plastic protector. I did as well, but I removed the front and rear plastic and did the dynamat all at once, so I couldn't tell you what benefit each individual piece provided to the sound

 

No problem. I need to find some dynamat stat!

 

Fingering the driver?