OFFICIAL: Massdrop Sennheiser HD6XX

Interesting, what is the minimum I will need to hear differences in versions of Foobar? I assume the Hifiman Edition 6 for the headphones, but upstream gear?

 

Well , start with 'capabilities'. Zero investment.

 

I have a HD 650 from 2013 silver box, is the 2016 HD 650 or HD 6xx any different?

 

Shouldn't be any difference.

 

Can you please elaborate? Which model and what tonal shifts?

Always wanted to try one of these with the HD6x0, but always miss the well-priced ones on the forums.

 

I received my HD6XX and applied the usual mods (foam disc removal, dampening, coin hole) as soon as I took it out of the box. This time, I applied Damplifier Pro on top of and around the driver magnet without removing the spider cage. It took some effort cutting the dampener to pieces that rest in the space between the magnet and the cage, but I wanted to make the mods as reversible as possible for posterity's sake. It is essentially the same as Marvey's initial HD650 mod in the link below, the only differences being I used DP instead of DE and the spider cage remained intact.

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...r-hd650-love-appreciation-thread.44/#post-446

In comparison to my previous modded HD650, the sound doesn't seem as smooth at first, but I believe it is because it has not been broken in at all. My HD650 became noticeably smoother after enough break-in, so I expect the same with HD6XX.

At the end of the day, the (modded) HD6XX is an incredible sounding headphone for an unbeatable price of $199. Unless Sennheiser comes up with an actual HD850 (smooth/natural tonality of HD650 with transparency/resolution/soundtatage of HD800), I don't see it going anywhere. Some might find it absurd to use a sub-$200 headphone with a $8K+ amp (EC Studio with P+G pot upgrade and 2A3 tubes)--heck, even my custom balanced cable and headphone stand cost more than the headphone itself--but it is a testament to HD650/6XX's boundless scalability that is only matched by HD800. In this respect, I'll have to agree with what Jude said in the video; it is not out-of-place to use the HD6XX with ultra high-end upstream gears, in fact I strongly recommend it if you can.

On a side note, despite it being a rather simple paint job, I slightly prefer the HD6XX's dark scheme over HD650's glossy finish. The HD6XX looks more discreet and stealth in a way. Could be just new toy syndrome. Build quality is excellent for its price, superior to many HFM cans that cost several times more IMO.

Will post pics when I have time.

 

@songmic - what did you do with the rear foam?

 

I'm still confused over the term "rear" in a headphone. Are you referring to the small foam disc underneath the spider cage or the large foam underneath the earpad? The foam disc was removed with a pair of tweezers (but not discarded just in case), and a coin-sized hole was cut through the center of the large foam.

 

The thing is, it is utterly absurd- and completely baffles the imaginary listening massive who judge everything by the pricetag and confirmation bias. The fact that not even Sennheiser themselves have managed to top this headphone in all the years it has been on sale, even with models at five times the price, is absurd.

There aren't nearly enough direct upgrades for these headphones, and all of them are firmly in four digits. Even then, people who do spend the big bucks on headphones often end up returning to the 650, and giving them an awful lot of head time. They're very nice headphones- don't get me wrong, but it's also a barometer of how fucked the market is.

 

Yes, small foam disc under spider cage. Thanks

 

@music4mhell - What was the Cardas cable model you had on the HD650 ?

The cardas cable has bass roll off. Also smooths the texture, gone was the low level detail and midrange grit.

 

Don't know the cable model no. It was from company VE.
Yesterday, i and one of my friend compared Cardas cable and Stock cable. We both found that Cardas cable is superior. With cardas cable i am getting better resolution, separation and more airy sound.

It's my personal opinion. I am not able to listen to stock cable anymore. With stock cable, Midrange is very dense, heavy and slight forward also.
Cardas cable costs me $190, but i am very happy to buy it. In future, if i buy any other headphone, i will for sure buy Cardas cable for that headphone. Now i have become a Cardas fanboy, they really have some vodoo magic. I am using my cardas cable with HD650 and HD6XX as my daily driver

My HD6XX is only 40 hours burn in, after 100 hours i will do a good comparison between HD650 and HD6XX.

 

Almost spent more on the cable than you did the headphone, where is the line drawn?

 

Even SD card module Poly is more expensive than Mojo, which i will buy once it's available.
I feel in audio world, it's better not to draw any line !

 

Got an email from Massdrop... a 6 ft cable will be sent to everyone who was in the drop. When? Eventually.

 

It's worth remembering that a stock HD650 cable can be had fairly cheaply as a spare, too, if it's urgent.

 

Unfortunately Sennheiser has been sold out and everyone else charges over twice as much. Not that it's a lot of money but ya know.. the principle. I think I'm just going to upgrade my cable with one from Impact Audio.

brad

 

I wonder if these 6 foot cables will be the same good quality as the stock 3m 650 cables.

 

Most unexpected. It would be rather expensive for the shipping, for cables to 5000 addresses, I would think. Everyone knew what cables came with the HD6XX when they ordered them. It would be interesting to hear why they are doing this. (I am not complaining, I just find it curious.)

 

It's because the drop said we would get 6 ft cables but we got the short ones. So not everyone knew! You didn't! Aha! Busted.

People have been fussing about it in the discussions page for that drop for quite a while.