Sennheiser HD650 Love (Appreciation Thread)

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

Tags:
  1. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,040
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Ohio, USA. Home of the eclipse
    nope no offense. Initial impressions are what one would expect. Bass seems more focused, but this could be placebo effect. Listening to The Smith's Headmaster Ritual - better defintion, a better balanced soundstage, I think.

    EDIT: ok, there's a difference, it didn't help that I was chasing it. Once I relaxed, I could hear it. Listening to the Tempest album by Dylan, which has a pretty unremarkable low end...now with the Dynamat, its got some presence and definition.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2016
  2. mawk

    mawk Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    May 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    89
    Trophy Points:
    18
    [​IMG]

    Not the cleanest job out there, but it'll do. I thought @Wilson was joking but removing the paper backing was actually the hardest part of the whole process.
    This has eaten up what little spare time I had today so impressions will have to wait until work stops trying to kill me.
     
  3. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,201
    Trophy Points:
    93
    ive been using the hd650 for a couple of years but ever since I received my hd800, the 650 just isnt to my taste much anymore.
    Ive removed the foam behind the drivers and installed brand new stock pads. will do the quarter mod soon. right away, I hear more clarity and air!

    has anyone tried smaller or bigger size of quarters?
     
  4. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,790
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    In the wind, so to speak
    Home Page:
    I am 90% sure if you read the back thread you'll find a lot of information on that. It would be a very easy experiment to just temporarily remove all of the front foam, see if that sounds to your taste, and go smaller or bigger on the hole cut out based on what you hear yourself.
     
  5. Ryu

    Ryu Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    480
    Trophy Points:
    93
    I have about a nickle sized hole in mine. Sounds fantastic. I think anything bigger would ruin the sound.
     
  6. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,201
    Trophy Points:
    93
    I have just compared the stock hd800 with the moded hd650 and wow, removing the foam behind the drivers gets the 650 much closer to the 800 then I tought possible. I really didnt expect that.
     
  7. Ryu

    Ryu Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    480
    Trophy Points:
    93
    This is one of the reasons why I recommend people to get the HD6X0 before jumping to the HD800. There isn't really a reason to spend that much money if you already enjoy something much cheaper. I am talking out of my ass here but I have heard that the HD800 is really only good for classical music and things of that nature compared to the HD6X0 which works as a really well rounded can for almost any genre.
     
  8. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,201
    Trophy Points:
    93
    I just made a friend listen to the modded hd650 vs the hd800. his comments: hd800 sounds like I hear the recording but the hd650 is much more enjoyable and engaging. I sort of agree right now. even hd800 + sonarworks to him sound flatter, more clinical less engaging

    a couple of months ago, when I made him listen to stock hd650 vs hd800 comment were that the hd800 was much clearer and detailed then hd650.
     
  9. Gravity

    Gravity Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2015
    Likes Received:
    168
    Trophy Points:
    43
  10. mawk

    mawk Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    May 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    89
    Trophy Points:
    18
    @Gravity Yeah that looks the same as mine. Actually, if you're willing to wait for things to ship across oceans I can send you some. The standard pack comes with far more dynamat than I have a use for.

    @murphythecat you want some too?
     
  11. Gravity

    Gravity Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2015
    Likes Received:
    168
    Trophy Points:
    43
    That would be amazing! Thanks.
     
  12. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,201
    Trophy Points:
    93
    that would be amazing! you got pm! thanks.


    BTW, Ive spent all night yesterday listening to the moded hd650. what the hell! normally, after a album, I switch to hd800 since the lack of clarity is getting on my nerves. not yesterday night. im shocked by how removing the foam has opened the sound, brought back some of the air, ect! amazing
     
  13. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,201
    Trophy Points:
    93
    spider removed. yet another increase I think. without the foam, I thought the sound was more open and clear but tiny bit harsher. now it seems the harness is gone completely with the spider removed.
    stocked to add the dynamat.
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2016
  14. James Whiting

    James Whiting Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    109
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Decided to post some of my recent fiddling and retuning of my Sennies! These mods were based on the idea that even after dinking around with foam and different damping on the grilles I couldn't quite get the midbass absolutely right. I found earlier that leaving the magnet body filters fully open the midbass was okay but bass didn't have the same snap punch or dynamics. As I previously mentioned I settled on two opposing angle filters covered with damplifier pro....as is my back frame as suggested in previous posts. I also found a 1/8" merino wool felt backing on the same frame around the backplane improved sound as well! Then I did 1/8" thickness foam around my grille frame edges to help with possible diffraction...again a subtle but noticeable improvement. But midbass still not quite right...but loved everything else about the sound. I had put felt over the damplifier pro that is directly on the magnet with the 1/4" spacing around the diaphragm back as Hands suggested! This does improve the sound as compared to jamming it up to the edge of the hole. So I took some 1/4" foam very similar to the material of the front blanket, which of course is over the suggested rugliner/shelfliner. That is what really balances the sound the most and brings it to life after the quarter mod and rear foam removal!

    Anyhow. The 1/4" foam is obviously much more open cell than the stock denser back foam. This smoothed everything and made about a 20% improvement in midbass. But some of my male guitar vocal stuff was still to resonant. Most noticeably on John Gorka stuff and some George Strait! So I pulled the grilles off and listened to the 650's and found the midbass was pretty close to ideal and I probably could have lived with that except everything is open and the lower midrange balance was just a hint thin sounding which caused a certain warmth and liquidity to disappear. Beside the midbass being right...the stage opened even more and there was more air around instruments...highs were also a bit more detailed and overall sound was more even...more neutral with no loss of bass or dynamics.

    Speculating that creating my own grilles might improve things...I remember some of the grille mods out there on the Hifiman stuff and thought I would try that!.[​IMG]

    Put some Dynamat Extreme around frame to hold and damp it. Not the cleanest but I don't really care about that! You can also see the felt I mentioned The gray edging around the grille is 1/8" foam I mentioned playing with on the stock grilles. Again even here I found it subtley improved detail airness and just made everything a bit smoother! You can see the lower front paper port is open and the upper rear port is also open...harder to see at this angle.


    [​IMG]

    Here you can see more clearly the way I did the ports. You can see the charcoal gray mefrino felt around the magnet and the backplane frame. The 1/8" foam center plug and the 1/8" gray open cell foam around the bass of the grille frame. I initially cut down all a dollar pencil baskets using the original grilles as a pattern. I then bent the metal into the back of the sennie grilles to shape and form it. A bit of fiddling and adjusting till if fit inside the original grilles lip. That and the Dynamat Extreme...ran out of Damplifier pro sample...keep it in place. In this current version I got a magazine rack that they have at wallmart for about 4$ since they are flat and uniform hole spacing and redid them. It may be imagination or just that I did a better job of it, but they do sound even better than the pencil basket version.

    The midbass is very close to open back sound...maybe a hint of bloominess but certainly very good! The lower midrange issue is gone! The balance overall is just as even. Bass is tighter snappier more alive than I have ever heard it previously. Very comparable to 4 ports covered but without adding a bit to much midbass., like that did. It might work in this configuration...4 ports covered definetly is the liveliest sound I heard, but this is very very close. The staging and sense of air sound like open back as do the upper midrange and highs. I have only heard one transducer that sounds better to me right now than these do.

    A very large bookshelf speaker by a well known former Wilson Audio and Talon Audio designer who is moving in a different direction now! That is the best thing I have ever heard! But in this form these come pretty close other than sheer size and absolute low frequency concusive force.


    Amazing how cheap these are for what they do!

    Happy Listening,

    jgwtriode
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2016
  15. Ryu

    Ryu Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    480
    Trophy Points:
    93
    @James Whiting
    Jeez man. I don't know what to say to all this but keep on doing what you are doing. You will crack the mystery eventually! Are you typing this on your phone or typing this into a word processor or something before posting here? Your formatting looks really weird before all your picture but looks fine after the pictures. Don't be super concerned about this but I feel that good formatting is really important in these kinds of informative posts.
     
  16. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    12,569
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I couldn't pass up that NIB 650 from the Amazon Warehouse deals, so that's coming on Friday. Since everyone has been harping on the 650/Jot combo, I had to try it for myself and compare it against my 600, which I think also pairs very well with the Jot. I'm going to use it unmodded at first, both as a baseline for any future mods and also to see how the Jot does with the 650 in stock form.
     
  17. Ryu

    Ryu Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    480
    Trophy Points:
    93
    What does NIB stand for?

    Has anyone listened to the HD650M with the Zana Deux Super? I saw someone post about it in the general advice thread and it got me excited.
     
  18. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    2,461
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NYC
  19. James Whiting

    James Whiting Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    109
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Thanks didn't realize that so have corrected the formatting. Temporarily permanently done until the next good idea comes down the pike....LOL! This place is as awesome as the Sennies!

    Happy Listening,
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2016
  20. James Whiting

    James Whiting Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    109
    Trophy Points:
    43
    They sound great at low volumes...no loss of performance and are the best headphones I have heard at any volume. And when you want some head banging just crank your amp.

    I find them wonderful across all genres of music. The only area I have found them to have issues was a hint of brightness and some extra mid bass bloom depending on your tastes. But both of those came be tamed or eliminated with mods suggested on this thread!
     

Share This Page