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Author Topic: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.  (Read 51298 times)

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mikoss

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #420 on: September 04, 2015, 07:28:47 PM »

To me, the biggest difference is bass and probably the soundstage if i understand the term correctly. HD650 feels very.. narrow? It's like the music is very close to ears (obviously not closed-cans close), but at the same time very distant if that makes sense? It's right HERE, but not really. Very strange sound. And it becomes even more apparent when i put on X2's. They sound really wide, i can't even tell where the sound is coming from, because it feels like sound originates somewhere outside the cups. The bass is superior, it had more punch where it needed. Also, X2's draws you into music, while HD650 produced music disappears. It's not engaging.
It seems to me that the X2's may seem to have more perceived bass response with the Modi2/Magni2 combo. I haven't heard the HD-650's driven by the Magni2 myself, but I have heard the X2's, and did notice their bass.

As for the soundstage, maybe just double check that the HD-650's are wired properly... the connectors on the left and right side at the bottom of the headphone cups should have "L" and "R" facing outwards. If one of them was inverted, it might cause them to sound screwy. It's a long shot, especially since the connectors are pinned in different sizes, so someone would have had to jam the connectors in improperly.

If everything is connected properly, maybe you just perceive the soundstage of the X2 to be wider... it's entirely possible. Soundstage with headphones can be a subjective thing, although there are generally accepted perceptions. I personally find the soundstage of the 650's to be entirely comfortable, they don't sound congested or flat to me, however I do know that things change depending on what is driving them. It sounds to me like you might just prefer the X2's.

You may also find that it takes a while for your brain to adjust to the differences between the headphones. I know a couple of people who have a preference for headphones that have a lower bass presentation, and higher treble as well. The 650's may not seem to reach as low or high, but the beauty in the 650's is resolution throughout their entire presentation. I'm not going to say to force yourself into preferring them, but maybe give yourself a good week with them exclusively, and then go back to the X2's and see how you feel. Or maybe you already have... my subjective opinion of the X2's was that they lacked the resolution I hear in the 650's, which translated to me as muddy/wooly/congestion - silly words, but ultimately I preferred the resolution of the 650's, their linear sound, their lack of fatigue, and quality of bass, vs quantity.
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Psalmanazar

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #421 on: September 04, 2015, 07:37:26 PM »

This is interesting. Sonarworks averaged FR measurements of new HD 600s and HD 650s (2014 black box, silver driver) confirm that I heard in a recent comparison. Almost identical mids except for a few db less forward upper mids and slightly dark in the treble where the HD 600 is slightly bright. Blue is HD 600, red is HD 650:

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Riotvan

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #422 on: September 04, 2015, 07:38:29 PM »

What i didn't read is if you modded your 650's i found them to sound better then stock. Not a subtle difference to my ears.
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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #423 on: September 04, 2015, 08:09:44 PM »

X2 had a larger soundstage than HD650, less narrow sounding, but damn did it have fat bass and overly sharp treble.
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keanex

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #424 on: September 05, 2015, 01:51:28 PM »

Sorry if I missed it but how many iterations of the HD650 are there? Someone just told me there's a 2014 "black box" version that is retuned with silver drivers? I thought that came out in like 2007, no?
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foxfluent

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #425 on: September 05, 2015, 02:14:44 PM »

You shouldn't be using high gain on the X2 because they're very low impedance. Do you have the switch on the Magni 2 flipped for high gain (rear switch)? The 600 might need it, but the X2 definitely shouldn't use it.
If you are using high gain like Luckbad said, it is possible that you amp is in high impedance mode (not sure what the output impedance of the Magni 2 is in high gain). Note the X2 has a large impedance hump in the bass area but still south of 45 ohms. This can result in even more bass out of the X2.

Thanks, that helped, no more background hiss. I thought it should be really easy to fix because i couldn't find this problem on the internets regarding X2.

As for the soundstage, maybe just double check that the HD-650's are wired properly...

Yes it is wired correctly and i'm putting them on correctly on my head. I don't think i'm imagining things, HD650 sounds narrow and a bit congested? I cannot believe i'm saying this but i get more instrument separation and music is a bit more revealing with X2's. I think the bigger soundstage helps to separate instruments better.

For example "Last Chance to Reason - Adrift I: A Vision Begins" (got the album from recommendation thread) sounds a lot better on X2's. On both of them i can tell the instruments apart, but on HD650 it seems they come from the same place, basically sounding like a total mess, while on X2's i don't even have to try because instruments are in different places in space. I hear the bass is behind my head, cymbals on the sides, high notes more inside ears while all midrange is in front of me. HD650 most notably Left and Right side.

Obviously i'm alone in this so maybe i'm doing something wrong. I have Foobar2000, choose output device as USB Modi 2, play HD650 on High Gain and X2's on Low Gain. I haven't done any modding, because i'm still deciding on which to return (and i don't think i should do any modding for HD650 to sound better than X2's?).

Do i have to re-educate my ears? I think i've read enough of this forum to trust all of you more than Tyll or head-fi or headfonia. And the consensus seems to be that the setup i have can be an end-game for non-audiophile.

Ninja edit: Can someone suggest me an album, or a single, which should definitely sound better on HD650? Thank you.
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Luckbad

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #426 on: September 05, 2015, 02:58:57 PM »

Honestly, I tried the original Schiit stack (first gen) with my HD650 and returned it. It could be that the pairing is no good, or maybe you just prefer the X2.

People say the 650 scales well, meaning that with better quality music files. dacs, and amps, they keep sounding better. I've recently found this to be true.

I don't have any links to lossless music files (e.g. Flac) to test, unfortunately. I love rock and blues on these cans, so maybe poke around for high quality recordings of that. My favorite album to listen to on them is Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's Texas Flood.
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OJneg

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #427 on: September 05, 2015, 03:00:38 PM »

Do i have to re-educate my ears?

I think so. But you should also give it some time and try things out with a wider selection of genres and recordings.

Or you just prefer a brighter more forward sig. IME the HD650 is better at disappearing and letting you into the music despite the slightly dark sig.
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Solderdude

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #428 on: September 05, 2015, 03:06:43 PM »

IF the X2 sounds better than the HD650 to you then simply keep the X2 ?

Both are good headphones but have different properties/sound signatures.
Whatever fits YOUR taste better is what you SHOULD be using.

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Bill-p

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Re: The Amazing Super Duper Underrated HD650. A Headphone That Kicks Serious Ass.
« Reply #429 on: September 05, 2015, 03:16:05 PM »

Last time I auditioned the X2, it was indeed a bit too cloudy on the bottom end, and a bit too sharp at the top end. Soundstage was more... well, reverberating, and it didn't sound natural to me. Something about the upper end is just weird.

And at higher volumes, the midrange is grainy. In contrast, my HD600 is much smoother, much cleaner down at the bottom, and with a more natural, less forward/wonky/reverberating soundstage, and yet that soundstage was also bigger.

So... I think that if HD650 is not to your taste, then HD600 should be, and while I don't think the X2 is a bad headphone, the HD600/650 are just exemplary for their price.
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