Sennheiser HD650

I get pretty good mileage from the XBass boost on my micro iDSD (silver) when I feel the sub-bass is lacking. Dynamat tightened up the bass appreciably for me, but as @Garns said, it's still an HD650.

You could try picking up a pair used, and if they don't work out for you it shouldn't be too difficult to sell them on for minimal loss.

 

Thanks guys.
I could see myself using dynamat as it would be reversible in theory and I would not create channel imbalance with it. I have not heard planar bass before (well I did listen to he400S for 10 minutes, but that one is not known for its planar bass) so I do not have any reference.

I would like to try an hd6xx myself but can't seem to find any, have called even the sennheiser representatives here but to no avail. I have, however, tried to tweak a friend's hd 518 to Harman Curve and it was ok with the sub bass content plus no mid bass bump and more air. I do not think the sub bass was the cleanest just ok but an acceptable trade off, nonetheless everything sounded better than before and the increase in sub bass helped with some low end content. With that said I believe an hd650 would be more capable than the 518 in this regard? Just seeking your experience as always

I have thought about trying out a planar, but they seem to do the rest not as well as hd6xx at least at their price point. I love to listen to a lot of varied music but also to watch some movies at night so all in all everything in the frequency response is of some importance to me, tonality scores a bit higher though. I have also read that dynamic headphones sometimes can create a sense of weight/punch (regardless of mid bass bump) that many planar don't have, but again can't talk from my own experience here.

Thanks

PS:I would not be able to start with an amp more expensive than a magni 2 u, I would prefer SS though, due to convenience and neutrality.

 

I think you have basically talked yourself to the edge of the diving board and at this point you just have to jump. Any choice you make will involve some trade-offs and sounds like you have figured that the HD650 has the least of these for what you want. If you thought the 518 was acceptable then the 650 will be more acceptable. There is clear consensus that 650 is great value. So I would say just get it, stick with it for a while, learn about it. If after some time you do have a dissatisfaction you can articulate, feel free to come here and ask our further advice

 

I owned the HE-560 for over a year, just sold it this week. Hadn't listened with it in months after getting the HD 650. While it did have more clean and articulate bass, ultimately I found I didn't care that much and other aspects of sound were more important to me.

I also found I do indeed prefer the mid-bass hump or punch that many dynamics have. I found the HE-560 bass to lack excitement despite the precision. Granted, I only had Magni/Modi 2U, which probably couldn't deliver the dynamics or warmth of a better gear pairing.

On that subject, I found HD 650 from Magni 2U to be passable but fairly of boring. Not bad if you like the sound of the HD 650 overall, though.

 

I will probably pick the hd650, thanks guys. As Garns said I know the trade offs and having now the confidence that the hd650 will most certainly respond better to eq than hd518 in terms of sub bass seals it for me, knowing it does the other areas quite well.

SSl, I enjoy natural sound, being used to some monitor speakers during the day, would magni 2 u be a good candidate in this regard or would you or anyone else suggest otherwise? As far as I know it is a very neutral amp so it should not add coloration. I believe I saw a graph here on SBAF where it showed the hd650 scaling decently with it.

Knowing I want to tweak(EQ) the headphone slightly in order to achieve my final sound (probably harman curve target) I believe the hd650 might have an advantage over the 600. From my experience the hd518 was very boomy without EQ, but once I tweaked it it became quite enjoyable, I am positive the hd6xx won't need as many tweaks out of the box(and it will sound good just as it is) but I am convinced they will still see improvement especially the sub bass. Would anyone recommend the 600 over the 650 with this in mind?

Thanks all!

 

I have both the Vali 2 and the Magni2U, and the Vali 2 is definitely an improvement with the HD650 - better/more micro detail, especially in the treble. Vali 2 is still a reasonably neutral amp to my ears and would probably sway you over to the tube side of things, which is a generally a clear win on the 650s.

 

I was also going to suggest the Vali 2. It's an outstanding amp, works well with almost everything I throw at it.

 

I would like an "affordable" SS amp due to convenience, though I am sure the tubes work well as so many recommend it.

 

I've settled on an equalization curve for my HD650's . It is loosely based on the frequency response curve over at rtings (http://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sennheiser/hd-650). If you double click on the curve(s) at that site, you can display the curve values anywhere along its length. Very useful.

Only four bands are used in my equalization curve because it uses the CAPS LADSPA Peaking Parametric Equalizer. Sounds really great, more low bass and no mid-bass bloat. It gives a much cleaner, airier and bright sound. The fourth band increases the treble. On the Vali 2 with a relatively darker tube (eg WE 396A, Valvo (Germany) E288CC) this sounds perfect. With a brighter tube (eg Valvo (Heerlen Holland) E88CC), it is a bit too much. To remedy this, just knock that band down a few dB. Or, if using a bright amplifier such as Jotunheim it would likely be advisable to disable this band.

Here is my final curve:

https://ibb.co/gbgM55

And the parameter values:

Code:

    {
      id 2609
      label EqFA4p
      input {
        controls [ 1 20 1.15 8.2  1 180 0.91 -3.6  1 2000 0.35 -2.4  1 11700 0.14 7.0  -5 ]
      }
    }

There are four sets of four numbers (Enable / Disable, Frequency, Bandwidth, Gain). The final number is overall gain.

I tried a couple of curves for JACK using the Calf equalizer and EQ10Q. More bands and had good results with them. In the end I settled on the CAPS equalizer because it sounded just as good (if not better) and I didn't want the inconvenience of using JACK.

An interesting point, is that applying the equalization changes the synergy between the amp, tube, and headphones. I've found that using the equalization curve has widened the gap between the lesser tubes and the better tubes. More on this in the Vali 2 thread when I find the time.

 

I also have the 'No Limits' profile but it's worth remembering that it doesn't actually do anyting in & of itself. At least that's my understanding of it. What it does do is allow you to apply an EQ adjustment elsewhere & Sonarworks will reproduce it.

At the moment that means I use Sonarworks as a Audio Unit in Vox on OS X Sierra. I also use the Apple parametric EQ to apply a boost to the bass low down. Actually, the trouble for me right now is that I used to use JRiver but I got so pissed off with their lack of consideration of the Mac community that when my install broke for the 3rd time, I said bugger this. Unfortunately that means I'm reliant on what's available on my machine.

I want Foobar!

 

Hey folks. How common are driver mismatches with the 650? I often find myself thinking the left side may be slightly louder/different, but it's subtle enough that I'm questioning my sanity. Sometimes I feel it's an issue and other times everything sounds fine and I wonder if I'm just overanalyzing every sound and obsessing over something that's not actually there.

What's the best way to definitively tell?

 

First, if you wear the headphones backwards does the shift stay on the same side or switch sides? Second, do any other headphones do the same thing? If it shifts with only the HD650 it's the drivers. If it's one of the other cases it's more likely your hearing. Most people have a slight hearing imbalance and is completely normal.

 

I've tried flipping them around a few times, but will need more time to play with it to have a definitive answer.

My HE-500s always sound dead on to me, so I don't THINK it's my hearing. But, like I said, it could be something I got in my head at some point and can't let go of now because I'm always fixated on it.

I'll play with it some more next week and bring my 650s to work so I can try it on different amps.

Wish I had the ability to measure it and come up with an objective answer.

 

I found that HD650 is really sensitive to positioning since the audio is so directional compared to a planar. Just shifting the cup forward or backwards can have a noticeable effect on center imaging.

 

I felt the need to chime in to this thread, because I just seriously upgraded my home rig:



My HD 650's have never sounded so good! Here is a summary of my signal chain:

iPhone 7/CapTune/Tidal -> Apple CCK -> PYST USB A-B -> Schiit Gungnir Multibit -> Dyson Audio Facemelter Silver Litz Balanced XLR -> Jensen Iso-Max PC-2XR -> Dyson Audio Facemelter Silver Litz RCA -> Eddie Current Black Widow 2 -> Sennheiser CH 650 S -> Sennheiser HD 650

I am powering the BW2 and Gungnir Multibit through an Emotiva CMX-2, which is in turn plugged into a Tripp Lite Isobar 6.

I got the BW2 from another SBAF member yesterday (thanks, @kirayamato !) and I just hooked everything up this evening.

Based on very early impressions, this setup is a significant (or as they say in my profession, material) improvement over my existing rig, which was iPhone 7 -> Wyrd -> Jottenheim -> HD 650.

I am going to keep that rig at my workplace, as it is nice and compact, and the HD 650 does seem to play nicely through the Jotti.

However, the BW 2 and Gungnir Multibit seems to be at another level altogether. Somewhat surprisingly, the Dyson cables appear to make a noticeable difference as well over the PYST XLR and RCA cables that I already had.

So excited! Here are a few more pictures to reward you for reading my whole rant:

 

I might have to get a Black Widow down the line when one pops up for sale. It's a serious piece of SS gear. Congrats!

 

Nice. I love BW.

 

Does your Gungnir Multibit have the Gen5 upgrade? That or the Eitr would take it to another level.

 

It does have the Gen5 USB. I just ordered the Gungnir Multibit directly from Schiit last week. Really nice not to have to use another box to clean up the signal.

 

I think this nailed it.

I just adjusted the band up a notch smaller and bam. Sounds nice and balanced.

Felt a little too tight at first and I wanted to loosen it up a hair, but I suppose it's keeping them a little more evenly positioned on my head.