Sennheiser HD650 Review (Headphone)

[ishouldbeking]

And to add to the above, all models benefit from EQ and can be tweaked to sound very similar. And even with the stock tuning, there are folks who prefer each and every model more than the others (including the 58x, which are generally considered the best for gaming).

 

[MrOtto]

Thanks, I will have a lookout for the 6xx on sale. I have an amp.

 

[markanini]

Yes works equally well as Equalizer APO Tried MathAudio as a test of EQ in general its very easy to work with I recommend it, not used fb2k in 15 years and never an EQ program was rolling in 10 minutes. Btw I'm using EAPO because i want the headphone EQ for all audio on my PC .
If foobar was my only source i would be happy with MathAudio.

Also see Ending the Windows Audio Quality Debate | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum if you want to get free of some audio angst re windows10

Btw @amirm thanks for the review and eq curves .

Speaking of EQ curves for the HD650

* Amirm
*Oratory
*AutoEQ

Anyone else that has measured this headphone and conjured up some reasonable attempt to EQ it
Reasonable= some semblance of technical skill and organized scientific approach , so that the result could somewhat apply to others.

I suggest doing it manually, because they way they sit on your ears might be different than to how it's captured on an artificial ear. I provided a guide on doing this this as easy as possible: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-moderate-eq-strategy.20156/

 

[MrOtto]

I can't get EqualizerAPO to work in Windows 10, EQ is not applied. Do you install as SFX/EFX(experimental). Any drawbacks to that? Mathaudio HeadphoneEQ works perfectly in foobar2000.

 

[Patrick1958]

I can't get EqualizerAPO to work in Windows 10, EQ is not applied. Do you install as SFX/EFX(experimental). Any drawbacks to that? Mathaudio HeadphoneEQ works perfectly in foobar2000.

Disable Exclusive mode in windows soundmanager.

 

[MrOtto]

Disable Exclusive mode in windows soundmanager.

Won't this interfere with ASIO output or Tidal exclusive mode?

 

[Patrick1958]

Won't this interfere with ASIO output or Tidal exclusive mode?

EAPO will only work in non exclusive mode so ASIO is out of the question, tidal, don't know, i don't use EAPO.

 

[Jimbob54]

EAPO will only work in non exclusive mode so ASIO is out of the question, tidal, don't know, i don't use EAPO.

Likewise they couldnt use Tidal in Exclusive mode.

 

[MrOtto]

Crap. What do you use, Peace EQ?
Thanks.

 

[ishouldbeking]

Crap. What do you use, Peace EQ?
Thanks.

Peace is just a graphic interface for EqualizerAPO; same underlying equalization. I'm in the same boat for a different reason: can't put unapproved software on my main PC, so I use a Qudelix 5k as a USB DAC and use it's 10-band PEQ. Works great, and it doubles as an excellent bluetooth receiver that can apply EQ for portable use, too.

 

[Postlan]

Could you please provide links to any scientific literature on the topic?

If you like science, I would recommend you to perform your own test just using 2 sine wave oscillators. It's super simple and fun scientific test, and would not take more than 10 min. Or you can do the test with HoRNetHarmonics.

 

[DubbyMcDubs]

For anyone looking for another PEQ set, I found the one below really good. A lot of you will be familiar with Oratory 1990. It says to use -10db preamp, but I am getting away with less headroom management offset in Roon (currently -6.7db), with the offset in the PEQ set to 0.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zr5tqw0qojom9uh/Sennheiser HD650.pdf?dl=0

 

[wseroyer]

Any guess, how much the HD 660s differs from this?

The HD 660s has a impedance of 150 Ohm, where's the HD650 has a impedance of 300 Ohm. A lot of people seem to think the HD660s is the discontinued HD 700 drivers in the much more comfortable HD 650 Chassis. I've also heard that the Massdrop HD 58x Jubilee is the same headphone as the HD660 for $170.

 

[ishouldbeking]

The HD 660s has a impedance of 150 Ohm, where's the HD650 has a impedance of 300 Ohm. A lot of people seem to think the HD660s is the discontinued HD 700 drivers in the much more comfortable HD 650 Chassis. I've also heard that the Massdrop HD 58x Jubilee is the same headphone as the HD660 for $170.

There were early rumors (seemingly started by Zeos and picked up by others online) that the 58x and 660S were the same headphone, but they've been completely debunked. There have been several teardowns revealing different drivers, different damping (the 58x has foam behind the driver, unlike anything else in the HD 6 line), and different frequency response. Subjectively speaking, the 660S is known to be darker but exceptionally resolving (more so than any of the other HD 6 cans), whereas the 58x are brighter but with slightly grainier treble than the rest of the HD 6 line.

That said, they are both 150 ohms (the rest of the HD 6 line is 300 ohms) and share a similar but not identical chassis (the 660S chassis seems to be based on different molds than the rest of the HD 6 line but it's visually pretty similar). We don't know exactly what the driver in the 58x is, but most folks seem to think it's an HD595 driver modified with a larger voice coil. Despite the differences between the two headphones, folks have found they're virtually indistinguishable once you EQ both to Harman, which makes the 58x an incredible deal if you have access to parametric EQ.

 

[solderdude]

The HD 660s has a impedance of 150 Ohm, where's the HD650 has a impedance of 300 Ohm. A lot of people seem to think the HD660s is the discontinued HD 700 drivers in the much more comfortable HD 650 Chassis. I've also heard that the Massdrop HD 58x Jubilee is the same headphone as the HD660 for $170.

None of these rumours are true. HD660S is NOT built from HD700 drivers and the HD58X does not have the same drivers as the HD660S either.

 

[Tortie]

After getting an Atom amp last week I finally love my HD650. Tonight I checked my Amazon account and apparently I purchased them way back in 2014. Barely used them all this time. Over the past 6 years I had three different amps and they all failed, in one way or another, to bring out the HD650's potential. Now it's like I have a 'free' 'new' headphone because I had basically written off this Sennheiser purchase as far back as 2016

 

[Jimbob54]

Peace is just a graphic interface for EqualizerAPO; same underlying equalization. I'm in the same boat for a different reason: can't put unapproved software on my main PC, so I use a Qudelix 5k as a USB DAC and use it's 10-band PEQ. Works great, and it doubles as an excellent bluetooth receiver that can apply EQ for portable use, too.

How many EQ presets can you have in the Qudelix please? And does it have any digital output?

 

[m_g_s_g]

How many EQ presets can you have in the Qudelix please?

20 custom presets, and another 22 ready made presets (rock, R&B, classic,...) that to my understanding you can change as well.

And does it have any digital output?

No.

 

[Jimbob54]

20 custom presets, and another 22 ready made presets (rock, R&B, classic,...) that to my understanding you can change as well.

No.

Thanks

 

[m_g_s_g]

Well, now that I think of it, Bluetooth is actually a digital output...