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GLikesSteak OP t1_j5u7dm1 wrote

I started my "proper" headphone journey only end of last year with the Sennheiser HD 58x, where previously I only had Logitech G Pro X, Razer Krakens, I thought they were good, but when I first heard the HD 58x I actually teared up from how good it sounded, it was like listening to a whole new world of music.

I fell in love with the forward and intimate mid range, as I usually listen to Scandinavian female vocalists for the most part such as AURORA, Eivør, Susanne Sundfør, where they all have angelic, soothing vocals, and the HD 58x just brings them to the next level as compared to what I had in the past. After just a couple of weeks of listening however, I still loved it, but felt like it was a little muddy, I can't explain it, but I felt like it could be better.

When I first started checking out audiophile headphones, the HD 6x0 series instantly caught my eye, I LOVED how they look, with the exposed grilles and clean design, I just thought they were really handsome headphones.

Came one fine afternoon, I saw a good deal on a brand new HD 650 for less than $250, had to snatch it up, partly because I heard from reviews and such that they were basically a better version of the HD 58x. I got home and put them on and the feelings that made me enjoy the 58x washed over me at an even higher degree. I fell in love with the HD 650 then and there.

The HD650 seemed to have a higher degree of clarity that I felt that HD 58x was lacking, and although the general knowledge is that the HD58x had more bass, I didn't really notice much of a difference, nor did I miss that one bit. The song "Winter Bird" by AURORA showed me that it still got that bass, just within the first 20 seconds.

The mid range performance is gorgeous and paired with a tube rolled Xduoo MT602 hyrbid tube amp (stock tubes sounded too solid-statey), it is honey and soooooo easy to just put on these headphones and just enjoy music, to chill and relax. The treble is pretty tame and never gets piercing (unlike the Shuoer S12 IEMs...). Yes, I'm sure there are plenty of more "exciting" headphones out there, but for vocal-heavy pop and folk music and acoustic, I am more than satisfied with these.

I've had them for 2-3 months now, and if I had to have only one headphone for the rest of my life, I would be happy with the 650, they are damn near perfect for me and most of my music tastes.

Just a small example of music that I thoroughly enjoyed on the HD650 are:

Eivør - Falling Free (Live in Torshavn)

Susanne Sundfør - Undercover

Susanne Sundfør - When the Lord

AURORA - The Devil is Human

AURORA - Exhale Inhale

An honorable mention is Elton John's Can You Feel the Love Tonight, I almost shed a tear because his voice just sounds so beautiful there.

However of course, the HD 650 isn't without drawbacks. With orchestra music like Hans Zimmer stuff, it is almost underwhelming, and the intimate sound stage that usually I like just does not do well to give a sense of grandness to the music, everything feels cramped in and almost blended together, example is the Inception soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.

As such, although the HD 650, is near perfect to me personally, I am getting a Hifiman Sundara some time next week, for the more "exciting" music. I've had the pleasure to try one at a local store, just for a few short minutes, really liked it but did not feel like it was better than the HD 650, just different, more energetic and punchy with a wider soundstage, something to pair well with the 650 I hope!

This is my first ever audio stuff write up, I'm still a total noob in the topic but trying to learn as much as possible, hope it wasn't too boring!

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SteakTree t1_j5uer38 wrote

Definitely can understand what you are hearing and feeling. Over a decade ago I got my first HD650, and over the years tried many sets, even picked up a second 650 after selling my first. After a number of flagships, I've settled on the HD660S. These are the ones.

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GLikesSteak OP t1_j5uh1zd wrote

Definitely am Interested in a 660S! Pretty dang pricey where I'm at though

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radrod69 t1_j5vcb33 wrote

The 660S is an awesome headphone too (my pick if I could have only one headphone under $2k USD), more of an all rounder than the 650, but since you're getting the Sundara too you will be covered and having variety is so much fun.

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yosoysimulacra t1_j5uztd2 wrote

Sitting here listening to A Moon Shaped Pool on my trusty old 650's, and I only kinda regret selling my SDR-modded HD800's a few years ago.

The 800's are something special. That said the bleed is insane, and I couldn't warrant them sitting around only being used to listen to Yo Yo Ma and Steely Dan to death. That said, I miss the space the 800's created--hard to beat, but damn those things are big.

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FallenLlama t1_j5u8qwm wrote

I just switched from HD 58x’s to Sundaras. They are a noticeable upgrade. More so than I was expecting. Skipped the HD600/650/6XX/660s with the expectation they wouldn’t be quite as resolving as I was looking for. The Sundaras certainly offer more clarity than the HD 58x’s and have cleaner deeper bass.

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GLikesSteak OP t1_j5u8xvp wrote

Yup, but I wouldn't trade that mid range for anything, love it too much.

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RChamy t1_j5uhmsj wrote

The 650's mids are quite unique, I might say.

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herbertwalkerbush69 t1_j5vt781 wrote

Just wanted to chime in from personal experience going from the 650s->sundara->anandas the sundara gave me a great glimpse into what good planars can do but I really didn’t consider them a complete upgrade from the 650s like the anandas. Mainly in terms of bass separation and overall soundstage. The Sundaras would certainly be a great compliment to the 650s though.

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Pity__Alvarez t1_j5v5exd wrote

I'm using razer kraken, i notice where they sometimes miss clarity but i use eq. In a scale of 0 - 100% percentage, where 100% is listening live in studio and is unachievable, how does sundara and sennheiser feel in your experience? the website rtings gives a score of 8.4 out of 10 of neutral sound to sundara, I don't think i can trust it fully

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MPThreelite t1_j5umrog wrote

I always found my 650s a little bass heavy and muddied. Give the hd800 cans a listen. They're the super clean and a little less bass heavy than the 650s . Highs and staging are beautiful on the 800 . I've never heard the 800s model , probably just a little more refined.

Years ago I remember there was a link on the sennheiser web page to your own headphone readings using your serial number . Not sure if they still have that on there.

M.

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GLikesSteak OP t1_j5umyjx wrote

Too rich for my taste currently, but not impossible to see an 800s in my future

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MPThreelite t1_j5upcis wrote

Oh , give these albums a try if you haven't already . They're magical with good headphones.

Steven Wilson - hand cannot erase (or any of his albums honestly) Daft punk - random access memories / Tron legacy soundtrack Arturo Sandoval- Trump evolution (sound on that one is epic) Yes - closer to the edge (Steven Wilson remaster) Pink Floyd- The Wall / Wish you were here / Dark side of the moon Gladiator Soundtrack

SO many others . You found any great sounding albums ? I'll give them a go. On gaming nights I stick in the ie800s monitors and just listen to full albums on edibles . It's Bliss.

M.

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MPThreelite t1_j5unnbm wrote

Those amps , they change the sound much ? . I have an old headroom powered and battery powered headphones Amp but but doesn't do justice for the 800. I'll have to throw the 650's on it to try .

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GLikesSteak OP t1_j5uo369 wrote

Noticeable after tube swapping, warmer smoother sound than if I were to connect the headphones to the DX1 alone, which is a really clean solid state dac amp. Stock MT602 sounds very much like a solid state though, so gotta tube roll if you want something more tubey.

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jm090 t1_j5vp4l5 wrote

I'm honestly surprised you noticed anything at all, afaik the tube is in the power section on that amp and has little effect tonal effect. Save up for a bottlehead crack and build it yourself, that will make a whole nother level of smooth music come out of the 650s. They are also amazing with hd800s as a bonus.

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MaapuSeeSore t1_j5vye5k wrote

Bass heavy on 650s ? 0.0

You like the sparkly sound

HD800 are definitely what you are looking for

Ultrasones (idk if they still in business) mays be a good fit too

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PaulCoddington t1_j5vr8ui wrote

Adding Morphit to the chain in "reference/correction" mode was a huge improvement for my personal tastes and needs, probably much better value for me than trying to buy better headphones.

It takes away the mid bass hump, moderately counters the deep bass roll-off, clarifies some parts of the spectrum that have a bit of "clutter", makes everything have a little bit more "bite" and "kick" while retaining that smooth natural timbre.

Bought them closer to the memories of the sound of some old secondhand Stax I had in the late 80's.

Free to try, so long as you have a VST capable player.

Other people's ears and tastes will vary though.

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Nayre_Trawe t1_j5vv6se wrote

> Free to try, so long as you have a VST capable player.

USB Audio Player Pro also has Morphit as an add-on, for mobile users who may be interested in trying it out.

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whatitdo101 t1_j5vxa4n wrote

Comparing 650's to HD800 lolllllllll oh the hd800's are better? No way

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Mamad0u420 t1_j5vm47f wrote

Funny how I hated my hd650s had them for like 2 weeks and went back to my good ol' dt990 that don't hide any sound from me

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Paradoxx__- t1_j5xtr2b wrote

I wasn't wowed by them when I first got them, but going back to something else after using them for a while taught me how good they really are.

The "veil" is definitely noticeable and they require EQ to really show their potential.

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blucsigma05 t1_j5umj99 wrote

Cable looks nice is that the default or aftermarket?

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tldnradhd t1_j5uzlvk wrote

Aftermarket. Regular cable is just a long black one.

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Zurevu t1_j5zqt2h wrote

OP, fyi posted your comment to my new sub, r/RedditorReviews.

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Assumption-Academic t1_j5wvzjy wrote

See your problem is fatigue. Listen to some crappy cans for a while then come back to the best ones. Get some superlux, they're good enough but crappy enough, when you come back to your expensive cans you will surely appreciate them better.

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GLikesSteak OP t1_j5xi7im wrote

What? I already appreciate the hd650 a bunch, I'm not going to buy some garbage cans and waste money.

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Assumption-Academic t1_j5y2wmv wrote

How do you know something is crappy before trying it? How do you know your cans aren't crappy without a point of reference? I guess you have the gaming headsets to compare to.

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