 |
Nov 15, 2007 - 11:32 PM |
|
 |
On Sennheisers and eardrums |
|
|
I recently purchased a pair of Sennheisers HD 650s, upgrading on my pair of HD600s. Some reviewers tended to think the HD650s were "better" than the HD 600, while some thought the HD600s did a better job at recreating the song more exactly. I had some extra money around (though not enough for a pair of electrostatic headphones... Someday...), so I decided to give them a whirl.
After listening to the HD650s for several days now, here's my comparison of the two.
First off, it's true what they say about the HD600s. They are focused on delivering the aural fury as exactly as they possibly can. After listening to 600s, that's the most prominent different between them and the 650s. The 650s seem to make everything sound more normalized in a way, though that's not quite the word for it. Balanced, I guess, is a somewhat better word.
Though there are some serious upgrades present on the 650s. For one, the bass they offer is noticeably better than the 600s, and with a proper amplifier these babies can punch your eardrums out. They come with a better stock cable than the 600s, and it shows with the clarity that's produced. Another thing is that the 600s, due to being so anal about reproduction, tended to make metal sound "messy." With the 650s and a proper rip, all aspects of metallic fury come through even in the complex parts, with nothing drowned out as a result of crappy engineering / mixing. That's what impressed me the most: these cans can actually compensate for shitty engineering.
However. there are some downsides. For one, these 650s needed several hours or aural fury before they sounded their best. Unlike the 600s which sound awesome the moment they're plugged in, these need to be broken in. They also make the headphone amp an absolute requirement, and while the 600s did benefit from an amp, it wasn't as necessary. The amount of bass they offer also turns out to be a downside when listening to Trance, as the beat can overwhelm some parts of the song. However, if you're going to listen to Benny Benassi or Dark Ambient pieces, these are the cans you want to listen with.
Of course, these are aspects of the perfection of the 600s that could not be improved upon, just reproduced. Once you fit the headphones to your head, you can forget you're wearing them. They never feel hot, and any background noise is vanquished. There is a phone literally 4 feet from me when I listen to these things, and I can't hear it ring with them running. And the things it can do with it's tiny speakers, it just blows the mind.
If I were to recommend a pair of headphones, I'd pick the HD650s. However, in the next breath, I recommend you hear a pair of 600s first.
|
|
|
|
|
