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Articles and Reviews
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Sennheiser
HD650 Headphones Headphones are cool now. In the early 1990s, serious headphone listening was in a nascent stage with a new upstart company laying down much of the groundwork for making cool, the notion that we could walk around in public looking like Princess Leia from the original Star Wars movie. The company is of course Headroom and over a dozen years, they have revolutionized headphone listening by offering portable and home amplifiers capable of driving power-hungry cans to satisfying levels with a quality few had heard before. Yes, some headphones can be considered difficult to drive, just like some home speakers are considered pigs and require massively built power amps to drive them stably to satisfyingly loud levels. Mate a set of top-end Sennheiser cans, with a typically high impedance of 300 ohms, to your typical portable device and you’ll get sound, but it’s doubtful that you’ll get anywhere near the full measure of what those high cost Sennheisers can offer. Just going loud in volume is not enough in itself, because you want refinement and quality behind that loudness – but not too loud, because as erstwhile Stereophile reviewer Corey Greenberg wrote once, you wanna be able to hear the grandchildren call you gramps or grannie when they come to visit.
While I was smart enough to buy a set of Sennheiser HD580 headphones in the mid 1990s, I wasn’t smart enough to buy a headphone amp to drive them with. I came close in 1997 when I ordered a McCormack headphone amp, but a pricing mistake by the store had me cancel the order and I bought a camera instead…J Through those years, I used the HD580s direct into whatever portable device was in vogue at the moment, from cassettes, to CDs, to Minidisc. I also used the headphone jacks of some home components such as a Rotel pre-amp and Nakamichi cassette deck, and for the most part, I was pretty happy with the HD580s. Even before the HD580s, I was into headphone listening. Like most people of my generation, I had a portable cassette player throughout my teen years, as well as a modest home stereo (a hand-me-down from a cousin). Headphone listening was a way to shut out the world without disturbing anyone else. But in those years, quality was not a word you’d use to describe the sound quality through any number of cheap headphones I had, or through that old stereo. Before
moving away from
I had the Grado SR100s for a couple of years before buying the HD580s. During those years I got use to the Grado sound and enjoyed it, but the HD580s eventually supplanted the SR100s for comfort and smoothness in sound, of which I’ve described already in the Headsave Classic review. The SR100s eventually became the computer cans, used for listening to all sorts of computer generated sounds, as well as music files, but these days, are left lying on my shelf, as Sennheiser has fully taken over my headphone listening. I didn’t bother going for the HD580 Jubilees, or their mass market offering in the form of the HD600s, so I would expect that the HD650 should be a nice jump up in sound quality rather than an incremental step up. However, I did get a chance to try out a friend’s HD600s directly to my HD580s and wow; I hadn’t expected that there would be that much of a difference between the two. My understanding of the HD600s is that they aren’t different from the HD580s in terms of design, but more in cosmetics and materials used, such as carbon fiber. The HD600s definitely look much nicer with a gloss finish to them compared to the matte grey on the HD580. But, in listening to them I was struck by how laidback the HD600s are whereas my HD580 definitely has a more forward balance. No wonder my friend stated he could listen for hours on end with no fatigue, the HD600s are super smooth (a few users have criticized the HD600s for this trait). So much for incremental change. It made me wonder what the heck was going on and whether the near decade old age of my HD580s was a factor. If there was this kind of difference between headphones with nominally the same technical design, what kind of change could I expect with the HD650s that have been technically updated? I had to find out for myself and finally bring myself into the 21st Century for headphone listening by ordering the HD650s from Oakwood Broadcast. My HD580s are also looking their age with the inner foam lining torn, exposing the drivers, so a new set was warranted…or, at least that was the story I told my wife when she caught me with the new HD650s J There have been a few times when my wife would complain somewhat jealously about how much time I spend with my cameras, computers, and audio gear, as if these were all mistresses of mine.
The HD650’s cable differs from the HD580 by offering a full-sized ¼ inch headphone plug whereas the HD580 cable comes with a 1/8-inch mini-jack that has a ¼ inch adapter to fit over the smaller jack. The HD650 comes with a short ¼ to 1/8 inch adapter cable, which is very handy for certain headphone amps like the Xin Super Macro 3 when you used AC power for the amp. Both the AC power and headphone jacks are on the front of the SM3 and are too close together to use with some adapter plugs. Cosmetically, the HD650 is quite attractive with a darker and glossier finish than the HD580. My quick first listen indicated that some burning in would be required, as the sound was muddled and congested. Several hours later, there was some definition to the sound, but I kept at the burning in stage for most of a week with a portable player running on repeat mode almost continuously throughout that break-in period. I did not do any critical listening until at least 100 hours had been logged on the new cans. Comfort wise, the HD650 had a tighter grip on my head with the metal headband being much stiffer than my decade old HD580s. It was a surprise because I recall that my HD580s just fit on my head smoothly with minimal pressure from day one. The HD650s remind of Grado headphones with a similarly tight headband. Thankfully, the full ear cushion and cup still fit much nicer than Grados. HD650
Sound
There is a big difference in sound between the two with the HD580s being more forward with an emphasis in the upper mid-range, i.e. glare on some material, such as rock music. The HD650s are very smooth and laidback and listening to Jim Cuddy sing his heart out on Blue Rodeo’s ballad Try, was free from the glare the HD580s had when Cuddy’s voice hits the high notes.
Bass reach is deeper with the HD650s, which is a nice surprise given that the HD580s are not deficient in bass reach either. However, the HD650s do give a sense of the bass being a bit tighter and better defined. Neither boosts the bass region like the Koss PortaPros do and these cost-friendly portable cans are still the most bass generous cans I’ve heard to date; however, that generous bass does not equate to the qualitative and refined bass that the Sennheisers offer. It’s a curious thing that as I listen with one set of cans and then switch over to the next, my ears hear a huge difference in sound and apparent weaknesses seem to reveal themselves quite easily. If I start off with the HD580s and get use to their sound and then switch to the HD650s, I feel as though I’ve lost the immediacy of sound that the HD580s provide. But, start with the HD650s and then switch to the HD580s and all of a sudden the mid-range glare stares you in the face and you start to miss the smoothness the HD650s offer. The sound field of the HD580s collapses and gets a bit “honky” compared to the HD650s. Which to like between two highly regarded cans? I like the HD650s and that’s not because I just bought them J
As I begin to age and hit my stride as a full-fledged thirty-something adult, forward sounding gear just don’t do it for me. I need to be able to sit back and relax with my music without a need to constantly reach for the volume control to dial down the noise. I’m less interested in ruthlessly revealing accuracy of sound than I am in just being able to listen for extended periods of time without a sonic assault on body and mind. No, it does not mean that I’m listening to Diana Krall or Norah Jones, because that’s just too saccharine for me. Holly Cole is a bit edgier and thus more to my liking, but female jazz is generally not to this fella’s taste. (Reviewers need to reveal their own tastes and biases for readers to understand where they’re coming from) So the HD650s are suiting my changing needs better than the old HD580s, but at times, the HD650s seem a bit too distant and too mellow and relaxed even if I feel that they offer greater refinement in sound quality. If we could bring it forward just a bit without losing the smoothness, with a little bit more energy then I would believe in the claim by the folks at Headroom that the HD650s are arguably the best dynamic headphones in the world. Enter
the Zu Mobius Cable The distant perspective provided by the stock HD650s became closer with the Mobius; I’d say that from a row Z seat, the Mobius brought you up to Row M. M as in More lively, More engaging, Mo’ betta soundin’ J I liked it! A lot! It’s trite to say this, but everything just sounded “right” with the energized HD650s. I have to eat my words (won’t be the first or last) previously written about what the Mobius provided and say that over time, as your ears become accustomed to what the Zu cable provides for the Sennheiser cans, you become spoiled and you don’t know what you would be missing until it’s taken away from you. The Mobius definitely provide a meaningful upgrade in sound to the HD580s and HD650s, but as to whether that upgrade is worth US $225 plus S&H, only you can answer that. I’ll just reiterate my past conclusion about the Mobius; now that I have them, I won’t be without them. Though more lively and engaging, HD650/Zu combo is still without the glare I hear in the stock HD580 (or with the HD650’s cord used in place of the old cord). Its tonality and balance is still leaning towards a smooth and laidback sound, but less so than the stock HD650 and it makes the HD580s harder to go back to. There’s no going back now that I’ve heard what the HD650s can sound like with a good cable harnessing it (I think the HD580s can still offer good sound, but they would need a custom cable that is ultra smooth to ameliorate some of the glare I spoke of).
With
the Zu cable, I’m much more convinced that the HD650s can be considered
amongst the best dynamic headphones, but there is that small matter
of US $225 to pay for a two-meter length of Mobius. It pushes
the price of the combo to US $725 and that is a pretty dear amount
to pay for headphones. Thankfully, I live in
As good as the HD650s are on their own, I believe that you will not get the full measure of what they can produce until you toss the stock cord and replace it with a superior alternative from Zu, or another third-party company, such as Moon Audio, or Stefan AudioArt (former Sennheiser engineer producing his own replacement cables).
A friend that also owns a set of HD650s (moved up from the HD600s) had similar qualms about the HD650s being a bit too polite. His description of what he would like met with responses from me that the Zu Mobius will give him all that and a bag of chips, but I’m not sure he appreciated the recommendation to spend an amount close to what he had paid for his used HD650s. It could also be a system matching problem where his Xin Super Macro 3 amp is also a smooth and laidback sounding amp and coupled with the stock HD650, being a case of too much of a good thing happening. With
Headsave Classic
It doesn’t have the size and depth of sound that the DAC-1 or the X-Can offer, but with rock/pop tunes, it’s going to give an appealing sound for those that like speed and detail. When the HD650s were upgraded with the Zu Mobius cable, the match-up with the Classic was still good, but ultimately, I preferred the larger and smoother sound of the DAC-1 and the X-Can. If you can find one, the Classic is still a great choice for an entry-level dip-the-toes-in-the-water foray into better headphone listening. For my ears, it doesn’t work as well with headphones that lean towards bright high frequency presentation such as from Grado, Sony, and certain Beyerdynamic cans, but then given how popular these cans are, there are plenty of people who like that sound. Conclusion Like I said before, Sennheisers tend to sound “right” to my ears with an overall balance of sound that seems to be the most neutral sounding. And this is all with the old HD580s that have been revealed to be lacking in refinement compared to the HD650s. They’re not to everyone’s taste as was revealed by the plethora of headphones available at the headphone meets, but you have to wonder why it is that Sennheiser headphones are almost universally regarded as being excellent cans. Even those reviewers who ultimately don’t take to the Sennheiser sound usually still have a set around for comparison purposes. What it reveals is how prevalent Sennheisers are and that they have become the standard that all others are referenced to. The HD650s continue that reference quality output; however, I strongly recommend a cable upgrade to get all that you can from them unless your amp is biased towards a forward sound, in which case the stock HD650s could be the perfect tonic. Link to Sennheiser USA |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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The
HD650s come in a two-piece box. The first piece is just a cardboard
shell to package the hinged foam-lined case made from thicker
cardboard material. I don’t recall the HD580s coming in such a
nice package. I guess it’s suppose to exude some pride in ownership
in owning and using what some consider to be the best overall
headphones in the world. The only way it could get better is if
they came in a wooden box with a glossy lacquered finish. I’ve
only seen one example of the glossy wooden box when another head-fier
showed off his Audio-Technica headphones, also made with glossy
wood, in such a box with umpteen layers of lacquer.
I
wouldn’t have described the HD580s as being bright before getting
the HD650s, but in certain regions of the sound spectrum they
are and in a similar way that the HD580s are smoother and more
laidback than my Grado SR100s, so too are the HD650s to the HD580s.
After
getting a sense of what the HD650s are about on their own, it
was time to see how they would fare with the Zu Mobius cable upgrade.
Similar
to what I thought I had heard with the HD580s when I first tried
the Zu cable, the volume also seems louder with the HD650/Zu combo.
I don’t think it’s really a difference in loudness so much as
it is a difference in clarity and transparency that the Mobius
offers; almost as if the original cable acted like a resister
for the signal coming out of the DAC-1.
I
can only imagine what the HD650/Zu would sound like with a reference
quality headphone amp from the likes of Headroom, Meier, or Ray
Samuels.
This
is nice combination. There’s a good sense of pace from the Classic
amp despite the more forward presentation from the Classic, but
that only helps to balance out the laidback sound of the stock
HD650s. Even so, there is still a bit of extra top-end energy
that won’t work so well with recordings tilted towards the highs.
