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atarione
230
Nov 3, 2016
Well... thank you for making my Xmas list more complicated...
So I have a couple questions for anyone that has owned / compared the 650 and the beyerdynamic DT880 250ohms .. I have owned the beyer DT880's for several years and I quite like them, I'm wondering what anyone has found when comparing the two.
Also... How annoying does anyone find the two cables running down both sides of your head? I think I would find it bothersome... honestly that was part of the reason I picked the DT880's two years ago... and at the time I found the DT880 much less expensively than the Senn's ... Sadly I could find no place to demo either... I already owned (and greatly enjoyed (enjoy) the DT770's and love the comfort and ruggedness... So I went with the DT880's.
This drop does seem to open the door to getting the Senn's so I'm interested in anyone that can speak to one vs the other...
Thank you very much indeed. ... and good luck to everyone trying to get their ducks in a row to get these.
Cheers.
eddd
27
Nov 3, 2016
atarioneI have the HD650 and DT880 (600 ohm). I find the DT880 to be a bit too bright for my tastes, so I don't really listen to them much at all. The HD650 is certainly not as bright as the DT880, so you might find that they complement one another. Regarding the cable.. yes, it's certainly nicer to only have one cable coming out of the headphones; though, if you're ever interested in trying out a balanced system, it's as simple as buying a new cable (or re-terminating the stock cable) with the HD650's.
Generalqwer
3
Nov 4, 2016
atarioneI have owned both and their sound signatures are quite different. The Beyers have a V shaped sound and the Senns are neutral with slight warmth. Before owning high end headphones I used to think all headphones sounded the same, but after trying them both side by side the difference is very noticeable. The mids are definitely recessed in the Beyers which leads to V shaped sound.
tayswifty
4
Nov 5, 2016
GeneralqwerNot sure if you mean 990 or 880. DT880 isn't V-shaped, more like fully neutral with medium-size soundstage.
spronk
176
Nov 5, 2016
atarioneI found the DT880/250 had a more sibilant top high end, a bit more sparkly, bit more detail, and a bit drier sound, but lacked bass presence in comparison to the 650 (and 600 to a lesser degree). The midrange was similar, but the Sennheiser definitely is more prominent, and smoother. In comparison, the DT880 is quite grainy.
At the time I thought I preferred the DT880 sound, but these days I just keep coming back to the HD6x0s.
Generalqwer
3
Nov 6, 2016
tayswiftyyeah i actually did mean the DT 990s. the 770 (closed), 880 (semi open), 990 (open) have the exact same driver so I thought they had the same signature. But yeah I have the DT 990s, never tried the other ones.
dasman
387
Nov 7, 2016
atarioneI demoed the hd600, hd650 and dt880 extensively a couple of years ago and found them all outstanding, but I purchased the hd600's.
I found the 650's a tad dark for my tastes. I thought the 600's and 880's were very similar, but I found the 600's more comfortable to wear for longer listening periods.
Since original purchase, I've paired my 600's with a bottlehead Crack tube amp and they were taken to another level. It would be interesting to demo them all again with this amp to see how the others change, but a good amp makes all the difference in the world.
Xandros
43
Nov 8, 2016
atarioneI've owned both the DT880 and the HD 650's in the past and overall, I preferred the HD 650's. Do keep in mind though, in order to get the best out of both pairs, you need good amplification; I find that the 650's in particular are extremely picky about what you pair them with, but with the right headphone amp / DAC, they can really excel.
mattlach
16
Nov 8, 2016
spronkI've owned two Beyerdynamic headphones now, and both of them have been rather sibilant when new, but once burned it, it mellows out the highs a bit and is no longer painful at high volumes.
After the first pair, I thought it was my ears that had been broken in, not the headphones, but then I got another set, and had the same experience with them.
Zatarot
98
Nov 8, 2016
atarioneI don't have experience with the dt880 but have used headphones with cables running from either or both cans and from my experience is that I didn't even notice the cables after awhile so it doesn't matter to me what cables running down the side of my head.
Rameish
19
Nov 9, 2016
dasmanAgree with dasman - I personally prefer the Senn 600 to the 650 and either to the Beyer 880
pwnzorzz
6
Nov 9, 2016
atarionebeen using the DT880s (250ohm as well) for several years now - usually with my o2 dac + amp. I did A/B it with the senn650s at point of purchase and felt like the DTs were the better choice. i remember thinking the senns were a bit too dark.
but I really couldn't resist getting the senn650s at this price. we shall see how it goes. don't really think you can go wrong at this price
Rameish
19
Nov 10, 2016
atarioneI would like to add that no headphone does everthing well with all amplifiers. To me the HD600 was a very well thought out headphone that requires good amplification and being 300 ohms it can be equally well driven by both tube and solid state amplifiers. The HD 650 on the other hand was a conservative update on the 600 (notice I didn't say improvement). It's just different - slightly. The Beyer DT 880 and 990 are far brighter (the 600 ohm versions less so). The soundstaging is also very different. However they are no where as bright as say Grados. Hope this helps. Everything I say here is related to how I perceive music and my ever changing taste. I used to be a GRADO /AKG fan - esp the Grado Hp-1/2, AKG K1000 and K501. aNow I'm more into Senn HD600. Sadly my Beyer DT-931 has died through over use. BEYER DT-150 Is also a great can. Dry, neutral but great closed cans.
Stephen879
64
Nov 14, 2016
atarioneI have both the HD650s & the 880 (250 ohms). The Massdrop version of the Sennheisers is functional equivalent of the HD650s I think, which is why I passed on this drop. I am not a great fan of the 650s, preferring the HD600s. In fact, the HD600s are among the best cans I have ever heard. I realize this drop is over but if you passed, you might want to check Amazon for the 600s. The last time I checked, theye had them at an excellent price.
dcofficehack
26
Nov 15, 2016
atarioneI own the 770s and 880s and love them both, although I find them (the 880s in particular) to be a touch ear fatiguing, and I think it's the treble. They do in fact have a V, just not as pronounced as the 990, which many people dislike because of the sibilance. While the 650s are tempting, especially at the drop price, I think what I really want is the 600, for the 600 most likely will be the most different from the Beyers, different in potentially a very good way. Still, it's hard to see how one can go wrong with any of these, and I think that the Massdrop price might well change the calculus regarding the 650 relative to the 600 and all the other cans at the $200 - $400 price range. I mean, most of the criticism of the 650 relates to the usual MSRP relative to the Beyerdynamics, the Fidelio X2, and the 600...it costs more than them all yet is arguably not better but different. Lowering the price to below the rest of them might transform perceptions of it...one can plausibly argue that it's simply the best $200 cans full stop.
svenmuilwijk12
31
Nov 23, 2016
atarioneHi. I have the Sennheiser HD650 right now and I am blown away by this thing. The sound is very spacious and clear. I hear sounds which I didn't even hear with the Bose QuietComfort. It's a great pair of headphone.
Davidbea
0
Apr 3, 2018
RameishHow do these compare to the AKG K-501 for classical music? Do they sound okay for occasional iPhone listening. I listen to WFMT on my bicycle trainer. Thanks.
dasman
387
Apr 3, 2018
Davidbeathe HD6xx really need a headphone amplifier to sound their best... they are not designed to be run directly from a phone
Davidbea
0
Apr 3, 2018
dasmanThanks. I really meant and do they sound okay... I'll listen to them on a Mytek Brooklyn much of the time but will also use them use them while listening to WFMT while on the bicycle trainer where sometimes the main purpose is to distract me from the pain. Can they produce reasonable volume without distorting too much on iPhones? Thanks.
dasman
387
Apr 4, 2018
DavidbeaTo test, I tried to listen on my Samsung galaxy s7 tonight. IMHO, there are many other cheap cans that sound perfectly ok fed from a phone... these aren't one of them.
Can't speak for iOS devices, never had one
Rameish
19
Apr 4, 2018
DavidbeaDavidbea, I wouldn’t use either the AKG-501 or Senn HD6xx or 650 or 600 with an iphone directly. You need something around 32 ohms with relatively high sensitivity. some isolation would be good as well. A Sony MDR-7056 might be the ticket. It sits on the ears, is relatively easy to drive and provides isolation
dasman
387
Apr 4, 2018
DavidbeaFWIW, I do all my phone listening with NC wireless bluetooth over the ear cans. My current favorites are Sony WH‑1000XM2. It's not critical listening, but something that sounds decent when on train/plane/gym/etc.
My modded HD6xx, ZMF Eikons, modded HE4xx and HD600's are all tied to various Amps and DACs - all fall short of the Sony when driven directly from a phone.
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