HD 650

The 650 ear pads are indeed thicker. I measured a 5 mm difference. The 600 inside foam always sits flat against my ears but the 650 barely touches them at all, which I like. Ever since I tried the other Sennheiser slanted driver designs, I've been yearning for that spaciousness around my ears but the HD800 is out of my price range.

Also, what I meant about music perception with headphones is that I never quite get the impression of a performer being in front of me, as many people describe other good headphones. I always equate a headphone experience like one of the characters in the movie "Being John Malkovich" where they see everything from the actors point of view ( minus the creepy ability to control their body, as in the movie) lol

Been wanting to give this headphone a try but the only thing thats holding me back is I might not like it. Currently using Fidelio X1 and I love them!

Just received a set of HD-650 off the bay. Couldn't demo them so I got a good deal on the Bay and I figure I can sell them for what I paid...$270 excellent condition, in the box.

Any way I can make them a little brighter?

I like bright headphones and I know that is not what these are but I thought I'd ask.

All the reviews say these are not what I will like but they are a classic and I figure I should own a pair at some point in my headphone journey. Hifiman HE-500 are the next on my list......unless something else, like an HD-600 jumps up on the radar.

Rabbit, thanks for the input. I normally listen pretty loud and I will experiment with tubes....and I will go look for Frans' filter. I like to fool with this type of thing but I am very limited when it comes to understanding schematics so I may not be able to do it. I expect anything more complex than the Superlux HD681 filter is beyond me, unless in kit form. We'll see.

Sorry Chinook, I may have given you a wrong impression.

I have the HD650 and it is one of the best resolving and relaxing listens that I have. It is actually, an excellent headphone.

However, if you are like me, I am very much more tuned in to the 'timbre' or 'sound' of the headphone more than anything else, I think. ie - spacial stuff is kind of lost on me. (I need speakers for that)

So although the HD650 has a brilliant bass and very fast attack, lots of detail (albeit lower in volume up there) to some, the 'sound' of the top isn't quite right for them either. Solderdude designed a filter to counteract this but the Senn laid back sound remains.

To some extent, changing the output impedance of the Ember and the valves will help, but that basic Senn sound will remain. If you like that sound, then you'll be happy as Musicman is.

If you are thinking about buying tubes, you could use that money to buy another headphone like the Beyer DT990. The 990 has a similar hard hitting bass but the treble is more clearly there in terms of quantity and it's not at all bad in terms of resolution too. The trade off is less in the mids, since the DT990 has a kind of 'v' shaped FR. The Senns are excellent in the mids too.

In the UK, the DT990 is around £130 and is an excellent buy. You could hit that in valves quite easily and very often, differences between valves are kind of subtle imo. In the end, you never really lose that Senn sound.

I have tried quite a lot of tubes in my Ember (in fact, many of the ones Musicman suggested above) and ended with the Amperex Orange Globe which I think is a very nice valve. I'm tight in that I won't pay lots of money for them since imo, the differences can be too subtle and the cost is the major factor that seems to change perspective/viewpoint of the valve's sound very often!!!

So while Musicman is correct, the tubes will change its sound, it's not as big as you may actually want. If you have another valve, swap it and see ho big the difference is. You may be surprised actually how small it is, since you didn't lay out any money for the change. However, pay for an expensive tube and to your ears, it will be a massive improvement!! (I'm being devil's advocate here)

There was a guy on here who actually spent $300 on tubes for the Ember. He could have bought a decent heaphone (for him) for the same money and got much bigger improvements.

If the Senn HD650 isn't for you, I wouldn't hesitate to move on. Just because loads of people say how great it is, it's not the be all and end all of headphones. The DT990 may well do it for you at less than you might end up spending on tubes out of curiosity.

The tubes that Musicman lists are all nice ones but the changes won't be as massive as you expect.

The one I use is the DT990 pro. It's a rally good buy in the UK. Very comfortable, and has a more v shaped fr curve. In comparison to the HD650, it can sound quite sharp in the treble, but once you adjust, it's fine.

I kind of have it in my 'bargain bin' category along with the old K601 which also sold at a good price for the sound you get.

Great!!

You'll get a similar hard hitting bass and a stronger treble which you may well like. Not a 'flat' headphone but a really nice listen. You got a good price too. Well done. Was that for a new one?