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Thuraash t1_j2a41d6 wrote

Reply to comment by PolarBearSequence in Basic bitches unite! by Warlord_Wiggles

My HD6XX, with the Magni-Modi, are still hooked up to the old PC one desk over from my new one. I stuck with the 6XX for I think three years largely because I could not figure out what would be a clear upgrade. I did not want to lose the natural timbre and richness of the HD6XX sound, and basically everything felt like a sidegrade rather than an upgrade for way more money. Better (and sometimes much better) in some respects, but often worse in respects I did not think it would be worthwhile to compromise.

And then there was ZMF. And my wallet was sad.

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PolarBearSequence t1_j2a4l0h wrote

To be fair, I did not upgrade, but instead side-grade (and bought some novelty headphones and vintage stuff for the fun of it). And that timbre/natural sound aspect is exactly why I’m never selling them. I’ve only heard one headphone in my (rather limited) experience that sounded better in that regard than the 650/6XX (or the 600 as well).

Well, and ZMF… they’re absolutely gorgeous, and if I ever get to try them, my wallet will be crying too.

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Thuraash t1_j2a5r16 wrote

The Auteur is probably the closest thing to a direct upgrade from the HD6XX/HD650, but it's hard to say the price bump justifies the quality increase unless dropping that amount of fun-money isn't a huge deal to you. I went with the Verite because it was both an upgrade in almost all respects, and different. But truth be told, I have barely used the 6XX since the Verite arrived.

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KawaiifuWorks t1_j2b022l wrote

Went with Clears myself after reading about it as an upgrade to the 6XX. Definitely felt that way after having them.

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Thuraash t1_j2b17lk wrote

They'd moved on to MGs by the time Clears were on my radar, or I might have gone with them as well.

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KawaiifuWorks t1_j2b91r1 wrote

Yeah I've heard the MGs are different. I was able to get a set of OGs from the headphones website, so the cheaper price ended up selling me on them. Can't say I'd go for them at the original price.

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PolarBearSequence t1_j2a7tcn wrote

Yeah, I’ll definitely have to try them out before. It’s too much money to buy them based on looks alone, and I’d want to try through different sets to see which one fits me best. Maybe I’ll make the journey to try them out next year.

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AnOldMoth t1_j2aps54 wrote

Meanwhile I bought Ananda, EQ'd it a little, realized how inferior the 6XX was in pretty much every way, and never really used them again. Well, I do sometimes out of curiosity, then I hear the extremely muddy bass with no control, the recessed treble, the completely closed-in soundstage, and go "Oh right, this is why I don't listen to these," and go back to my Ananda.

They are a beginner trap, because they sound better than the usual commercial garbage.

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Thuraash t1_j2as359 wrote

I mean... $200 vs. $700. I don't know why you'd expect equal technical capability. That's like trying to compare your Anandas head to head with a Focal Utopia or ZMF Verite. Roughly the same price ratio. The Anandas aren't on the same planet, but it doesn't make them crap.

And I think you're alone in calling the 6XX a trap. They do certain things incredibly well, and far better than anything in their price range for probably the better part of a decade. Bass is not one of those things, but if you're chasing natural timbre and mids the 6XX is very solid.

And whether you prefer the soundstage to be wide or narrow is as much personal preference as anything. Many people really like the "inside your head" sensation of the 6XX.

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AnOldMoth t1_j2atl5r wrote

I think the KSC75 sound far better and more natural than 6XX do, despite being 1/10 the cost and having no bass. 6XX are, as far as I'm concerned, mud-fi and a Reddit meme.

I know I'm alone in that opinion on Reddit, but this isn't just my opinion. I just think Reddit has fairly questionable taste and doesn't know any better.

> That's like trying to compare your Anandas head to head with a Focal Utopia

Having heard them, the Utopia isn't anything to write home about. Cost isn't much of an indicator of sound quality after a certain point, and as we can see with the KSC75 versus 6XX, you can charge out the ass for very mid stuff.

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Thuraash t1_j2auryx wrote

You're pretty much in a minority of one, but audio is subjective like that. As long as you're happy, it's all good.

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