Comments on Profile Post by MLegend

That seems about right. From what I have read I am leaning to hear one of those 2.

I think I've heard Auteur mentioned as well. Pretty happy with 650 > Clear, though only after rolling pads.

@SSL What pads did you roll on Clear?

JAR650 for minor upgrade while retaining most of its characteristics, ZMF Aeolus for a semi-open HD650 with wood timbre and better bass extension, Focal clear for better transient and macrodynamics, but with metallic timbre

Dekoni Hybrid. Fixed the 1-2kHz bump which was really bugging me. Fair warning, they add warmth vs stock. The Dekoni Fenestrated seem to be preferred by most for that reason (still warm, just not as much).

@tommytakis Damn. Pretty much lines up with what I've already read. At this point, I'd rather just get a different/better headphone than the JAR 650. The driver excursion issues with Focals and the metallic timbre have been the reasons why I've been hesitant to get them.

@SSL Dang, I had no idea people were throwing Dekoni pads on Focals. I wasn't even aware they fit or made pads for them. I'll have to look into that. Do you know if the driver excursion issues have been resolved?

Not sure how loud other people listen, but I haven't noticed any excursion issues with Clear fwiw. Pad rolling also reduced the metallic timbre a bit. Might also talk to @gixxerwimp who I believe still runs Clears (or Elex?).

I have an Elex, no excursion issues. The presence of metallic timbre, while there, can be overstated. I really don't think it's a huge drawback when considering the other strengths, but gauge accordingly.

@SSL Good to hear. I hope Focal looked into fixing that issue regardless. Hope those pads don't kill the midrange and treble while trying to reduce the metallic timbre. Honestly, I just want a 650 that has good quality bass with real extension and slams.

Dekoni has a satisfaction guaranteed return policy, so I'd say it's worth at least trying their pads if you go the Clear route and aren't happy with the stock sound. Just avoid the full velours, those definitely kill the top end.

I'm not particularly sensitive to metallic timbre, so Clear with front foam and Elex pads work for me. HD650 still has silkier mids, but they've really seen very little use since getting la Clear. They only over-excurse if I crank the intro to Silent Shout to what would be well above my pain threshold for the rest of the track.

The metallic timbre on Focal is grossly overstated IMHO. Every driver material has a timbre for better or worse. @tommytakis basically nailed it with his summary.

My understanding is that the over excursion is due to a design trade off rather than a flaw, either way I wouldn’t expect it to change. IME if you don’t listen to music with a ton of sub bass very very loudly it shouldn’t be a problem.

I haven’t heard the Aeolus, but I would add Auteur to the list to listen to. Re. timbre it depends on whether you’re sensitive to it in general. Some people are, some people aren’t. A bloomier amp or foam over the driver can ease it if necessary.

After listening to Utopia regularly for a couple of years I picked up on a hint of Be timbre on the Verite right away.

Personally, i dont think the Auteur is a upgrade from the hd650, I much prefer hd650.
A real clear upgrade from the hd650 perfect coherency and mids is very very hard to achieve

I haven’t done a direct comparison, so for micro-dynamics and vocals etc I can’t say. But in other aspects like bass and treble extension and resolution it is quite clearly an upgrade.

bass is clearly better on the Auteur, the additionnal treble extension, I'm not quite sure, but the details-resolution for me HD650 are a clear winner, along with microdynamics, nuance, coherence and speed.

HD600

I agree with @ChaChaRealSmooth’s concurrence with @tommytakis’ assessment of timbre (except re: ZMF, which I haven’t heard). Metallic timbre is nice because guitar strings and cymbals are metal and not paper or wood. ;)

HD650 upgrade: better amp and DAC. Mods. Anything else will have at least one trade-off. I'm making it a goal to bring an exclusive option to SBAF before year's end, though. TH900 drivers with custom rear-horn vented cups and extended baffle, OEM pads and headband, should be obtainable around $1k-$1.5k

Also a well modded HE5 or HE6 could be worthy contenders as HD650 upgrades but hard to find and still some trade-offs.

@E_Schaaf Your mods have been looking quite promising, so I'll wait and see what your custom 900 ends up being. Already been down the modding route with 650s, ended up disappointed. Yeah, modded HE6 was on my mind for a while and I almost bought one, then I remembered about its power/amp requirements.