Sennheiser HD650 Love (Appreciation Thread)

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

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  1. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I dunno, I got impatient and did them at the same time without checking. :)
     
  2. juanchotazo99

    juanchotazo99 New

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    I first removed the back foam, listened for a few days, then went ahead with the coin mod in the front foam. I'd say the front mod boosts the higher frequencies just that little much that you're not left wishing for more anymore in stock form. Back then I also tried removing the entire front foam, and I didn't like it. Treble got out of control.

    But yeah, the bulk of the improvement comes by removing the back foam and giving the driver the air it needs to work, with that much foam there it's starved for air. Overdamped is the word I should be using here, I think. The front coin mod just gives a little more higher treble that is most welcome in most recordings.


    As for the front mod, if you're careful and don't destroy the coin shaped piece of foam you take out, you could fit it back into place and keep it there by a little drop of glue or two to the rest of the foam. It is practically reversible, but yeah, if you ever have to sell the headphone it'd be best to just order a new foam piece.
     
  3. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    Whats the recommended best value for money amp/dac pairing for 650? Valhalla 2 + Bifrost Multibit (or Gungnir Multibit) I would think? (with a note to also try the Sonarworks plug-in)

    I'm trying to steer people at meets into a setup which will give them perspective and a strong point of comparison vs TOTL ($$$) gear.
     
  4. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Bifrost Multibit + Valhalla 2, Lyr 2, or Crack + Speedball, depending on their tastes. V2 will be more neutral and faster sounding at the expense of potentially being less dynamic, fun, and/or a bit dry sounding (to my ears). Lyr 2 seemed warmed and softer overall but was very pleasing and dynamic. Crack + speedball is probably the most in-your-face of the bunch and also has a more "tubey" sound than the V2.

    But, keeping it simple, probably the Valhalla 2.
     
  5. New Reformation

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    Very strangely, I have experienced an odd phenomenon with my HD650's. After messing around with sine waves and pink noise, I attempted to neutralize any ringing, due to the driver OR my ears. It appears that there is a definite glare across the treble on my pair. Now before you lambast me as a deformed creature that simply shuns treble, be aware that my ESP-950's have more treble but are free from the glare/resonance. The treble is not elevated, it is simply prone to a glare that obscures the actual treble frequencies.

    What gives?
     
  6. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Modded HD650 or no? I noticed on stock, mine had this weird high-pitched glare (almost like a squealing in the very background of the sound). Strange thing is, despite me finding the HD600 harder to listen to overall due to the upper-mid hump, it did not exhibit this trait. The HD650 mods suggested in this thread seemed to alleviate this for the most part. There's also the topic of finding a good amp to pair it with. A good tube amp will keep all the best traits of the HD650, add some of that tube goodness without syrup and bloat, and also help alleviate any glare.

    On my pair at least, I believe this "issue" may be caused by a peak somewhere above 10KHz.
     
  7. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Agreed. I removed the foam from the back of the driver that was stuffed in there. I get much better sound out of the HD650's after doing this mod.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Slight 5kHz ringing. Easier to hear on recordings with less content.
     
  9. mickeyvortex

    mickeyvortex Friend

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    Just bought the HD650s during a recent binge on Amazon. The binge also happened to included the "special edition" HD598.
    I don't have the balls yet to mod an HD650 but wanted to try modding the HD598s. Any suggestions?
     
  10. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    HD598 enclosure seems less solid and is flimsier. Try adding stuff like dynamat anywhere you can to stiffen things up. You can also try adding some foam around the front side of the driver, kinda like what the HD650 has (with hole cut out where driver is exposed). Then put the dust cover over it.
     
  11. mickeyvortex

    mickeyvortex Friend

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    And by the way, the HD650 is probably THE best headphone (I have heard). Everything is spot on for me. It does music, movies...everything right.
    Even my lowly iPad makes it sing. So to all you gigawatt-porkers, take that!!!!
     
  12. mickeyvortex

    mickeyvortex Friend

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    Awesome. I'll post some photos soon.
     
  13. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    I am surprised the iPad can drive the HD650's significantly, I can't imagine the iPad being able to provide the juice needed to get the most out of the HD650's. But I am glad you are happy. Put them with a nice amp that can properly drive them and you'll really hear them sing!
     
  14. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    I can drive my HD600 more than sufficiently loud from my iPad mini. It may not be the best amp + DAC combo out there, but it's certainly convinient and half decent.
     
  15. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Have you heard it sing from a high end combo, like Yggdrasil + Eddie Current toob amp? Might be best not to if you haven't already.
     
  16. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    That's the dream setup. Dont hear it unless you have the money lying around for the setup!! But you can still get a lot of great sound from more value oriented gear while you save up :)
     
  17. New Reformation

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    7k and 10k seems to be the problem spots for me. Of course, it could always be driver variation. To be honest, I never noticed it was that bad, till I got some experience with my stats. (Wow... might sound kind of snooty, though I really don't mean it to be.)

    Here's an wild idea. Perhaps the overall distortion in the dynamic HD650 driver across the frequency spectrum causes the sensation of glare. We know for a fact that the behavior of bass effects how we perceive treble. Could the treble glare I hear be a side-effect of the driver limitations elsewhere in the spectrum? This would make sense in the light of "Hands" statement above, which indicates that upon the modification being applied, allowing the driver to work more efficiently, the glare disappears.

    By the way, my HD650's are un-modded and I run them off of a Valhalla 2, so my amp pairing is solid. For the record the HD650 is VERY good. Had I not snagged my stats new for less than $700 they would probably still be my main cans.
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Could be the minor bump at 6.5kHz. I know what you are talking about because I hear the same thing, it just tends to be buried under the darker signature. It obvious coming from a smooth silk dome tweeter on a speaker which is dead flat from 3kHz on up. Less obvious if comparing to other dynamic or ortho headphones.
     
  19. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Oh, I actually found the Valhalla 2 + HD650 was not exactly for me. Good, but not my thing. The amp had a somewhat rough or glaring character, depending on the tubes. Plus it lacked some balls. Modded HD650 + highly modded Crack and SB or Super 7 for me. Worth considering a different amp and modded 650. You might have similar tastes and hearing as me.
     
  20. Olor1n

    Olor1n Friend

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    I'm really enjoying the Valhalla2/HD650 pairing at the moment but I do understand what you mean when you say it's "a bit dry sounding". This is mitigated by tube rolling, though the stock tubes are quite good and I doubt I would've identified that "dryness" as quickly, had I not heard a better amp than the V2.

    Have you heard the HD650 from a Gungnir Multibit/Mj2 stack? The Mj2 seems to be a forgotten amp. Crack, Asgard 2 and Valhalla 2 are the main recommendations at the entry level and then beyond that it's the BW before going the megabuck options. Any thoughts as to why the Mj2 is overlooked?
     

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