Navyblue Posted March 7, 2012 Report Posted March 7, 2012 HD650 used to be the headphone to get. Everyone seem to have one at one point or another. I have heard on various occassion and I am quite familiar with the sound signature. However I have not own one, I had always planned to get one, however throughout all these time, I never got around to do it for one reason or another. Recently, I considered getting it again. However again I ended up with something else, the HE-500. I compared them, along with LCD-2, the two orthos sounded better by a significant margin to me, which made sense considering they also cost more. There is something that I have always been wondering all these years, I kept hearing people saying these scales well. What exactly is this? Does this still hold true in the the age of thousand dollars headphone? And by it "scales well", does it mean that it improves a whole lot by driving it balanced? Or simply high end equipment in general? Although I consider myself rather familiar with its sound, I've not heard them with really high end equipments (the best being out of Naim DAC and Beyerdynamic A1 headphone amp), and of course, I have not heard any of the "magic" that is being described. Is it still worth building a system with the HD650? I don't plan on going balance though. FWIW, I also prefered HD600 over HD650 with the Naim DAC and Beyerdynamic A1 headphone amp. With Rega DAC and Beta 22 (3 channel), the HE-500 sounded good to me. However, sometimes orthos in general gave me the feeling that fine details are being smoothed over.
Pars Posted March 7, 2012 Report Posted March 7, 2012 (edited) I would stick with what you have. What you are saying regarding orthos smoothing things over is the opposite of my experience, as I would say orthos in general are very fast drivers and will capture details that dynamics miss. I should preface this by saying that I have never been a fan of the HD650s, feeling they do a very poor job of classical (large symphonic), I've never owned them however, but have heard them both single-ended and balanced on good amps (Dynahi, etc.) I haven't heard the HE500s, but have heard the LCD-2s (r1) in my own system and liked them alot. +1 on reading your welcome PM (again). Edited March 7, 2012 by Pars
mikeymad Posted March 7, 2012 Report Posted March 7, 2012 are you sure you read your welcome pm? ^ this I kept hearing people saying these scales well. What exactly is this? To answer this one question -- for me, it means that the more that you throw at them, the better it rewards you. Better source - you hear it, Better amp - you hear it, Better cable - you hear it. I really liked my pair that I tweaked for years. But for me they could never make the final leap where the headphones disappear (hello STAX). Mikey
Navyblue Posted March 8, 2012 Author Report Posted March 8, 2012 Thanks for your inputs. In my defense, I did lurk here for a while before I registered, I was hoping that would count for something. But anyway, I'll come back in 2 weeks or so. If you wonder why, that is when I have to decide to return the HE-500. In the mean while if you have any opinion, please post away.
acidbasement Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 are you sure you read your welcome pm? Here is the relevant passage, in case you didn't see it: Spend some time reading before you start to post. Get familiar with what is going on, and who the various people are. Don't just jump right into the fray. Now, I'm not going to tell you to get lost, because you seem like a courteous person so far and, being Canadian, I like that. Just consider this a friendly warning that noobs tend to get worked over pretty harshly for posting too much all at once, and it often snowballs into a ban. Read some of the old threads where new people ask for advice about headphones or amps for specific examples. Then keep reading, because you will probably learn more that way than by asking us anyway.
Tyll Hertsens Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 ^^^Yeah. And I'm gonna review the 650 soon, so there's that.
swt61 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 Tyll, get Sennheiser to send a unit to me for review. I won't review it, but I will sit on it for two years, ignoring all of their requests to get it back.
Fitz Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 Tyll, get Sennheiser to send a unit to me for review. I won't review it, but I will sit on it for two years, ignoring all of their requests to get it back. He's not bitter at all!
nikongod Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 But anyway, I'll come back in 2 weeks or so. If you wonder why, that is when I have to decide to return the HE-500. In the mean while if you have any opinion, please post away. It is my opinion that Ortho's are over rated and a passing fad. The neat thing with the HD650, and why I think that they scale well, is that they are forgiving enough that they do "work" with crappy gear but they are nice enough that when you get something different the differences are audible. I guess I'd say they are very well balanced between those two extremes and really quite neat for that.
guzziguy Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 At $2k a pop, they are definitely a passing fad for me.
dsavitsk Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 It is my opinion that Ortho's are over rated and a passing fad. QFT
johnwmclean Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 It is my opinion that Ortho's are over rated and a passing fad. At $2k a pop, they are definitely a passing fad for me. I heartily agree in the case of the LCD-3.
swt61 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 Please dispose of all passing fad ortho headphones properly. I have a licensed ortho disposal facility here, so send them my way, for a nominal fee.
Pars Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 ^ Yep. I'll take any that Steve can't dispose of...
deepak Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 It is my opinion that Ortho's are over rated and a passing fad. Agreed about the current production ones. I did like the some of the vintage ones that had good value for the money.
Pars Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 I'm using some T50rps that my brother modded now, and like them quite a bit. These sounded like shit stock. I would love to hear Luis' modded T50rps (Paradox), and I believe Tyll has measured these. My pair are perhaps not quite as good as the LCD-2s I heard, but aren't too far off. I should ask Tyll to measure them
Torpedo Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 He's not bitter at all! Not rancorous nor resentful either Orthos as in Fostex T30 and LCD-2 are good. I don't think the LCD-3 are worth 2K, but what do I know not having listened to them I wouldn't ever buy any HE, it's some sort of gut feeling, like subconscious aversion or something. So all things equal, the HD6x0 are a terrific value and scale great.
CarlSeibert Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 I have to admit that it's a little sick that I always click on these threads when I see them on Twitter. Usualy some newbe gets shredded by lions. But this guy does seem polite. So, I have 650s and like them. Yes, they sound better with better amp, better cables, better source, but they are pleasant and satisfying in their own way regardless. Kind of warm and comfy. I also have HE 500s and I like them even better. They happen to get along famously wih my amp. I can suspend disbelief pretty well with them. They sound better or worse according what's in the rest of the system and what music you play, just like the 650s and every other headphone (with the obvious exceptions that sound awful no matter what). I've always had a warm spot in my heart for planar and electrostatic drivers in speakers, so it kind of follows that I would like orthos and stats. But in the end it's all just flavors. Go with what floats your boat and don't worry too much about what we think.
wink Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 The HD650's are good. The HD600 is more neutral. If you cand stand the pads, the Grado HF-2 are better still.
Leonardo Drummond Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 The HD650's are good. The HD600 is more neutral. If you cand stand the pads, the Grado HF-2 are better still. I just got a HD600 in a trade, and I really like it. Now I know what all the fuss was about. It's such a calm and relaxed presentation... the HF-2 on the other hand sounds incredibly forward to me, not my cup of tea at all! Recently I also had the chance the audition the LCD2s, and being the only ortho I've ever listened to, I can't comment on them being a passing fad. But then I didn't find anything I hadn't heard before in dynamics or electrostatics either. In fact, its sound was remarkably similar to the JH13's. Only it needs amplification and feels like it's made of pure lead. I'd keep my JH13 over it anyday... but to each his own, I guess.
swt61 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Posted March 8, 2012 I like the LCD-2 and Thunderpants, as well as a few modded vintage orthos. The LCD-2 and 3 are just too pricey IMO. They do not compete with the K1000 IMO, but a fun second phone. Gonna listen to a Philips Fidelio L1 this weekend. That may become a second phone for me if Tyll was on the money. I love the JH13, but I couldn't handle them as a main phone (or any other IEM), because my ears would start to bother me.
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