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Son of HD650

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by rott, Oct 25, 2015.

Page 5 of 6
  1. maibuN

    maibuN Guest

    I used hd650 with ifi idsd micro and also used hd800 and lcd-x with it and listen mainly to pop, hiphop, electronic and some rock, no "audiophile" stuff or classic. I have to admit "hands down" was a bit provocative :D To my ears lcd-x sounds much more realistic than hd800 especially with voices and in the bass region. But to my ears hd800 and lcd-x are much better (more precise, realistic, more resolving etc.) than hd650. No way hd650 can compete with these flagships to my ears. For the price it costs it is good and lcd-x is not five times better because it's five times more expensive. Maybe as a budget headphone hd650 is underrated but not as a competitor to those flagship headphones.
     
    maibuN, Nov 8, 2015
    #81
  2. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    We need to sit you down with a new production, modded HD650 and a TOTL tube amp to see what you think then. ;)

    Though if you prefer the HD800 over the HD650 right now, which some do, I can see why you might like the LCD-X. I found both it and the 800 to sound a bit etched or rough, and brighter than neutral up top, but with the LCD-X sitting in between the 650 and 800. Maybe it strikes a nice balance for you. Or maybe you have a magical unicorn, unobtanium LCD-X (ie struck product quality control gold).

    FWIW I still find the HD650 to be wonderfully competent and competitive with TOTL gear when driven with the right setup, but you still might disagree even if you get the chance to sit down and pair it with a TOTL DAC/amp.
     
    Hands, Nov 8, 2015
    #82
  3. T.Rainman

    T.Rainman Acquaintance

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    A deja vu....

    In days-gone-by the debate used to be.... K701, DT880, HD650 and all kinds of people telling one-another 'their choice' was best.
    This thread: HD800, HD650, LCD-X... go figure

    Neither HD800 nor LCD-X are 'sons' of the HD650 in fact they sound nothing alike. No family relation at all.
    Oh wait ... they are all headphones so they DO have something in common.
     
    T.Rainman, Nov 8, 2015
    #83
  4. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    What would the implications be if the HD6x0 were designed with much lower impedance?

    Personally I like them and their sound is obviously of a somewhat different flavor, but I wonder - being so efficient with low 20 ohm impedance and high (103dB) sensitivity, would that partly explain why the LCD-X might not seem to scale as well as the Sennheisers (or other power hungry orthos), more so in terms of amplification (rather than source)? Right now I don't have anything other than a portable amp/DAC so can't evaluate how they scale with headphone-biased gear of increasing quality.
     
    rott, Nov 9, 2015
    #84
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The LCD-X doesn't scale because Fazor (the new diaphragm material and design which is supposed to be more reliable) isn't as resolving as the older non-fazor grade A or B+ units, not because its impedance is 20 ohms or because it's more efficient.

    The high impedance of the HD650 is fine. Better efficiency is always good, but comes with drawbacks (bigger magnet, higher cost, higher Q = less bass extension for open cans.)
     
    purr1n, Nov 9, 2015
    #85
  6. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    Thanks for that tidbit of knowledge, and in my case:

     
    rott, Nov 9, 2015
    #86
  7. USAudio

    USAudio New

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    I've come full circle with the HD650's. Bought a pair (~2008) but while they were smooth and non-fatiguing for long-term listening I craved more "detail". So I sold them and bought a pair of HD800's. They gave me the additional detail I wanted but I eventually found them to be too bright. Moved on to the LCD-2's, but eventually felt they were a bit too dark for me (and too heavy). I read that the HD650's drivers had undergone some positive changes over the years and so I decided to give them another try. This time I found they were less veiled than before while still maintaining that smooth non-fatiguing sound they are so famous for.
     
    USAudio, Nov 10, 2015
    #87
  8. kapanak

    kapanak Canucklehead - Friend

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    Then you should definitely check the mods we have done in this site on the HD650 new production ones, as they clean up the sound just a tiny more and add ever so slightly more detail and air.
     
    kapanak, Nov 10, 2015
    #88
  9. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    The hd650 remains a regular in my rotation despite it being the least expensive of what I own. The tone, timbre, comfort among other things make it a compelling choice for me each time I get a chance to listen to music. The hd650 is able to do female vocals like few others. While I would have never bought the Gungnir Multibit/mjo2 for the hd650, I absolutely love what I hear from the 650 on that combo...just wow.

    Been experimenting with new pads for the 650 that are less expensive. Right now I'm loving the Brainwavz hm5 velours. They are big and juicy for sure. Fitment is an issue but once I got the method down it was easy. I really enjoy the memory foam and I actually like the sound better with the hm5 pads than stock. All for $20.
     
    Ice-man, Nov 11, 2015
    #89
  10. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    How does the sound change subjectively with the HM5 pads? I've always been curious. Wait...I have a pair. Duh! I just can't figure out how to get them to work with the HD650.
     
    Hands, Nov 11, 2015
    #90
  11. k3oxkjo

    k3oxkjo Friend

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    I suspect they are underrated most places and overrated here, maybe largely to counteract the short shrift they get elsewhere. And maybe to differentiate "us" from the unwashed masses, haw haw...

    Bottom line, they are far better than they need to be at the price.
     
    k3oxkjo, Nov 13, 2015
    #91
  12. lashto

    lashto New

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    I will not necessarily call them the sons of hd650 but philips fidelio l2/x2 sound like relatives to me
     
    lashto, Nov 14, 2015
    #92
  13. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    To each his own, I suppose, but the X2 to me was very bassy/thick and sharp + accentuated sounding up top, where as the HD650 has a slightly dark-neutral tilt to it with a touch of added mid-bass.

    Though the X2 had a wider, larger stage. I'd be curious about modding a pair.
     
    Hands, Nov 14, 2015
    #93
  14. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    There's that and more in solderdude's analysis.
     
    spoony, Nov 14, 2015
    #94
  15. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    rott, Dec 10, 2015
    #95
  16. takato14

    takato14 God of Ruin

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    =____=
     
    takato14, Dec 12, 2015
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  17. T.Rainman

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    Here you can order the son of HD800 and its an even sweeter deal as well.
     
    T.Rainman, Dec 13, 2015
    #97
  18. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    LoL @T.Rainman ! Someone got me with that joke before - good one!
     
    The Alchemist, Dec 13, 2015
    #98
  19. obsidyen

    obsidyen New

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    I have Oppo PM-2 now... It's very similar to HD650 in terms of overall sound signature but bass extension is far better.
     
    obsidyen, Dec 18, 2015
    #99
  20. Judeus

    Judeus Facebook Friend

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    Judeus, Dec 18, 2015
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