Even for albums with actual acoustic kicks like Motorhead's Overkill/Ace of Spades and Immolation's Dawn of Possession? Where you can hear that 16th and 32nd notes are softer than eighth notes? I'm sure it would handle typewriter kick samples (Morrisound death metal and modern sterile computer metal) with the bass sucked out of them fine. I'm just nervous buying the HD 650 due to all the reports of them being slow despite needing an open neutral to warm headphone with no treble emphasis or ringing. The ringing and treble on my HD 25s is driving my allergy and childhood infection caused tinnitus nuts. Parametric equalization just ends up highlighting the ringing!

You still need a good resolving and powerful amp for 6xx. What are u using?

I have an O2+ODAC combo I bought as my last few laptops' Realteks had a ton of annoying background noise. The one in my Thinkpad T440s can't even drive portable headphones to an acceptable volume with not slammed recordings like 80s CDs. The brightness will mesh well with the laid-back upper mids and treble of the HD 650?

Tried the original black driver version vs the new 2014 silver driver, black box version (which I had never heard before) Sunday at Capital Audio Festival. The silver driver black box version sounded almost identical to the HD 600 but with better bass and no shouty upper mids and treble peak to make sparkly cymbals sibilant. I liked it so much it's my favorite stock open headphone now for rock and metal (replacing the HD 580/600). I even bought it with same day shipping on Amazon, MSRP be damned.

i honestly think i prefer my 650s with 90 percent of my music compared to my hd800s. ( hd800 fanboy for a longtime)

dont get me wrong, hd800 is  technically a better overall canbut the hd650s are just so musical and nice to listen to, they make my foot tap I just forget about listening and enjoy.

I have only been hooking up my hd800s for critical listening and with well mastered music.


hd650s are imho the best all around can ever. (have not heard ching chong 1000s or abyss666, stupid prices for them too) Also not gonna include the 009s simply because for a setup your at 10k, (iggy,009,bhse) for that kinda money mine as well just get speakers imo

If Axel grell could make a hd900 with the mids and treble of the 650s and the bass and soundstage of the hd800s would be the perfect headphone IMO

@Judeus : What music are you listen to ?

everything and anything really, the only thing i dont really like the 650s with is edm or hiphop/rap/rnb, since the bass is well, mid-fi

I'm probably just in the honeymoon phase and will revert back to my hd800s eventually as my daily driver

im getting my iggy/rggy tomorrow from schiit. Am interested to test the 650 on the rok.


two more thing on my checklist are:

an eddie current tube amp
a planar can with visceral punchy bass,  most likely will grab the he-6 since the rok can drive them phenomenally

my setup will be

computer>6 jitter bugs(one for every usb port)>geeklps4>lightspeed10g cable>schiit wyrd>uptone audio regen>.....




Jkjk

computer>wyrd>iggy>rggy>650/800 (balanced with modded stock cables) interconnects just standard snake oil free canare cable with  neutrick xlr connectors and monoprice usb 2.0 cables

also will be using the kef ls50s and some old Yamaha studio monitors hooked up to the rag

pretty good reference rig, I think. Again Id like to add a EC tube amp and an He-6 for it to be complete



portable rig is pretty crap right now

fiio x3ii (terrible) > dununnununununu2000j/UERM

I just got a cayin n5 in today, I will probably right a review on it if its good, if not, I likely wont bother. It is a very interesting little DAP though.