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Sennheiser HD650 Review (Headphone)

Thomas_bati

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Unfortunately I don't have many test headphones to compare, but I find the Sennheisers comfortable especially for the oval ear pads that few headphones have. I hesitated for the Sundara as my ear measures 6cm and the internal diameter is slightly less. For clamping I didn't have these problems even with a big head, after about a week of music the problem disappears.
 

gvl

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can someone recommend a balanced cable for these headphones?

Thanks

If you know how to use a soldering iron the best route is to make one yourself from a spare Sennheiser stock cable and a 4-pin XLR connector. If that's too difficult there are some options to buy on eBay for a similar setup for about $50, which is what I'd pay max for it.
 

Spojkovic

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If that's too difficult there are some options to buy on eBay for a similar setup for about $50, which is what I'd pay max for it.
can you send a link to some with good reputation? i never used ebay


XLR for sennheiser series on Aliexpress. A deeper search will show longer cables than the one shown in the link.
i am not confident ordering from aliexpress and i would need 4.4mm but if it is safe and i wont receive garbage, how long it takes to ship it to Europe?


btw if you would have Europe friendly recommendations, ebay sounds good but as i said i would like specific recommendation so i buynit from someone with good reputation so it would not be garbage quality or something
 

gvl

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can you send a link to some with good reputation? i never used ebay

Just look for the type you need for the price you want to pay, then look at the seller's rating and location.
 

Patrick1958

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can you send a link to some with good reputation? i never used ebay



i am not confident ordering from aliexpress and i would need 4.4mm but if it is safe and i wont receive garbage, how long it takes to ship it to Europe?


btw if you would have Europe friendly recommendations, ebay sounds good but as i said i would like specific recommendation so i buynit from someone with good reputation so it would not be garbage quality or something
4.4 pentacon 2 meter (raster K) - 4.4 pentacon 1 meter (raster I).
Shipping time is reasonable, about 2 weeks, depends on the customs in your country.
 

DubbyMcDubs

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can someone recommend a balanced cable for these headphones?

Thanks

I bought mine from Custom Cans. The quality is great.

61ED6311-6B1C-47F2-8A9D-E36B59260F96.jpeg
 

Spojkovic

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i think i will order this https://oidiosound.co.uk/headphone-cables/sennheiser/hd650/obm-092885
it has good reviews and its not very expensive and i wont be waiting a month or longer for a delivery

headphones should arrive so im curious if i would even need that cable and Topping A50 could maybe handle it on SE, but Topping A50 is my backup and A50s is my main which is a bit weaker but i RMAed A50s cuz it was clicking sometimes, same sound like when im turn it on or off, so im waiting for conclusion, i think they send me a new one

Amir said in Topping A50s review that he tried these headphones and it was enough but what is enough for someone could not be enough for someone else
 
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Spojkovic

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headphones arrived and first thing i noticed, that i have way much more volume

what other factor makes a difference other than impedance? i get way more volume from these (300ohms) than from Beyers (250ohms)... i wonder how it will sound on A50s (A50 is boosting treble a bit compared to A50s) when i get it back and on balanced when i get the cable
the difference between A50 and A50s could be output impedance, thats why A50 is "tuning" the sound a bit, A50 has i think 4 or 5 ohms and A50s has <0.1 ohms

i will let you know how it is on A50s when i get it back from RMA and then when i get balanced cable, what is the difference there
 

phoenixsong

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headphones arrived and first thing i noticed, that i have way much more volume

what other factor makes a difference other than impedance? i get way more volume from these (300ohms) than from Beyers (250ohms)... i wonder how it will sound on A50s (A50 is boosting treble a bit compared to A50s) when i get it back and on balanced when i get the cable
the difference between A50 and A50s could be output impedance, thats why A50 is "tuning" the sound a bit, A50 has i think 4 or 5 ohms and A50s has <0.1 ohms

i will let you know how it is on A50s when i get it back from RMA and then when i get balanced cable, what is the difference there
Sensitivity?
 

Spojkovic

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Sensitivity?
ok, so in case of lower sensitivity, amp has to deliver more mW correct? and what it has to deliver in case of high impedance?
for example, Topping A50 and A50s are recommended to max 300ohm headphones but in case of HD650, at around 100hz impedance, it goes up to 480 ohms, does this mean that these amps are not strong enough or it does not matter if its only in certain frequencies and not the majority of the spectrum?

im new to these stuff ... its not that long ago that i was unaware what Vrms mean, that signal can have different voltages so i want to learn more
 
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solderdude

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High impedance headphones usually have a lower sensitivity (dB/V) but can have high efficiency (dB/mW)
The impedance peak is only of relevance when the output resistance is high (because of voltage division).
For high impedance headphones this is not so much an issue.

An amplifier does not provide power. It provides an output voltage.
The impedance hump basically increases the efficiency (dB/mW) of the headphone in that frequency range but not the sensitivity (dB/V).
As amplifiers provide a Voltage only the sensitivity (dB/V) is of importance. Some manufacturers only provide dB/mW which, to make any meaningful numbers, would have to be converted to dB/V.
Amir provides it in another form as needed voltage to get 94dB SPL at 425Hz.
How others determine efficiency and at which frequency often is anyone's guess.

The impedance determines the drawn current at a specific voltage.
Current x Voltage = drawn Wattage.

All amplifiers have voltage and current limits which determine the max. output power in a specific impedance.
 

Spojkovic

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An amplifier does not provide power. It provides an output voltage.
is it that the "Vpp" number in amp specs? or what that Vpp means?

and another question, is Topping A50s or even Topping A50 enough for these headphones to drive them properly? i will be using them with A50s on balanced output + Topping E30, now im using them with A50 + E30 on SE... volume wise i cant go past 12 oclock on most songs but i dont know if the volume is everything
maybe im just not used to more sensitive headphones, i have to play with volume knob a lot more from song to song, with Beyers 250 ohm i would have to go to 3 oclock on A50 to get volume im getting on A50 on these headphones at 12 oclock

i found on some forum that one guy tested different headphones and is recommending mW for them and for HD650 he recommends 167 mw - 24 ma - 7.08v rms, A50 on SE should give 160mW @300ohms (but i dont know at what Vrms) so im a bit short now and maybe even more if that was result with more than 2 Vrms input but with A50s at 2 Vrms i get 208mW @300ohms on balanced so i should be fine then

im curious what will be the difference but i have to wait maybe two weeks for the cable to arrive and my RMA of A50s to be resolved, it was clicking sometimes, same sound like when i turn it on or off and i read on this forum that some other guys had the same problem with A50s but others were saying that they dont have that problem so first i contacted seller if i should RMA and they said "yes"
 
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dfuller

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is it that the "Vpp" number in amp specs? or what that Vpp means?
Vpp = AC Voltage, Peak to Peak. It's another way of measuring from RMS.
 

solderdude

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When using a pure sinewave the Vrms value is 0.3535 (2x sqrt2) x the Vpp value.
When you use a squarewave the Vrms value is 0.5Vpp.
This, however, can only be measured by a true RMS meter which most multimeters aren't.
So both Vrms and Vpp are kind of useful numbers.
 

Spojkovic

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When using a pure sinewave the Vrms value is 0.3535 (2x sqrt2) x the Vpp value.
When you use a squarewave the Vrms value is 0.5Vpp.
This, however, can only be measured by a true RMS meter which most multimeters aren't.
So both Vrms and Vpp are kind of useful numbers.
but is A50 SE output or mainly A50s balanced output enough for HD650 to drive them properly? you are experienced guy solderdude, so you should know and you understand all the numbers and stuff ;)
i will be using only A50s, A50 is just a backup amp for me
 
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