Sennheiser HD 650 vs.600

[hussey]

I'm going to moving out soon, so looking to invest in a good set of headphones. I've been looking at these two for quite a while and I think one of them will do the job nicely. One question though. I have an Alesis io26 interface and was just wondering would I need an amp, or can I plug them straight in to the Alesis?


I know some of you are sick of headphone threads, but if anyone wanted to offer feedback, i would really like to hear from some current users.. Is there a massive difference between the two?

[luddy]

I don't know about the Alesis as an amp, but these are kind of in the middle in regards to current draw, as pro headphones go. That is, they aren't very very efficient so that your ears will get blown off, but they aren't ridiculously low impedance so that you have to have a dedicated amp.

They are both good headphones. I prefer the 650 by a little bit, especially in the low end.

-Luddy

[h4nc0]

have 650 and can tell you that you would need a decent headphone amp to get the best out of either phones.

[fishmonkey]

they aren't ridiculously low impedance so that you have to have a dedicated amp.

wrong way around. it's high impedance headphones that need dedicated headphone amps to perform well, although it depends upon the device you are using and how much juice it can pump out through its headphone output.

it's true though that the HD600/650s (which are 300 Ohm impedance) are on the borderline where some interfaces will drive them well, and some won't have enough power.

[hussey]

I checked the stats for the Alesis and found the following:

Headphone Outputs
Frequency response: +/-0.1 dB, 22Hz to 22kHz
Power (@ 32 Ohms): 50mW
Gain range: 20dB
THD+N: <0.05 %
Signal-to-noise ratio: 100 dB, A-weighted
Output impedance: 32 Ohm
Load impedance range: 32 to 600 Ohms

Will I be able run the senn's through it?

[luddy]

wrong way around. it's high impedance headphones that need dedicated headphone amps to perform well, although it depends upon the device you are using and how much juice it can pump out through its headphone output.

A headphone with infinite impedance would draw no current. At 1megaohm, it would draw 0.000001 amps at 1V, etc. A 10ohm headphone on the other hand would draw 100mA at 1V. The point is that lower impedance headphones require more current from the headphone amp. Something like an ipod can't supply very much current.

At 32ohms output impedance, the Alesis can certainly drive the HD600s or HD650s with sufficient volume. Whether it sounds good or not is a different matter, gotta just try it and see.

-Luddy

[Zoosh]

Just invested in a pair of Audio-Technica headphones, I must admit to loving them, they're way better than my old Sennheisers

[hussey]

Been looking more closely at other headphones and i came across the MDR 7506. Reviews seem excellent and they seem really well priced. I think i'm going to go for these.

[fishmonkey]

wrong way around. it's high impedance headphones that need dedicated headphone amps to perform well, although it depends upon the device you are using and how much juice it can pump out through its headphone output.

A headphone with infinite impedance would draw no current. At 1megaohm, it would draw 0.000001 amps at 1V, etc. A 10ohm headphone on the other hand would draw 100mA at 1V. The point is that lower impedance headphones require more current from the headphone amp. Something like an ipod can't supply very much current.

i get where you are coming from, but i still think you've got it a bit confused.

higher impedance cans (or speakers for that matter) require more power to put out the same amount of noise as their lower impedance brethren. it simply takes more power to move the drivers. you need to think about power, not just current.

you will find that all iPod type headphones are low impedance types.

[Anubis]

Been looking more closely at other headphones and i came across the (Sony)MDR 7506. Reviews seem excellent and they seem really well priced. I think i'm going to go for these.

I just got a pair of these and I found them to be somewhat uncomfortable... both sonically and fit wise. I wanted to replace my trusty old (Sony) MDR V600. The ear cup on the 7506 is too small compared to the much more natural shape on the V 600's. fwiw- I'm not fat headed at all.

Sonically, I find them to be fatiguing. There's just too much bass and high end compared to the Sennheiser HD 280. I bought them based on the recommendation of the "Pro" audio guy as being very well rated. Does any body know if these 7506's are truly a flat response? It seems to me that the mid freq. are scooped out. It was a toss up between these and the Senn HD 280's. Any recommendations for a truly what-you-hear-is-what-you-get headphone?

[3phase]

wrong way around. it's high impedance headphones that need dedicated headphone amps to perform well, although it depends upon the device you are using and how much juice it can pump out through its headphone output.

A headphone with infinite impedance would draw no current. At 1megaohm, it would draw 0.000001 amps at 1V, etc. A 10ohm headphone on the other hand would draw 100mA at 1V. The point is that lower impedance headphones require more current from the headphone amp. Something like an ipod can't supply very much current.

At 32ohms output impedance, the Alesis can certainly drive the HD600s or HD650s with sufficient volume. Whether it sounds good or not is a different matter, gotta just try it and see.

-Luddy

the output impendance dont tells anything about the load an output can take..

theese consumer line outs are made to to drive high impendance inputs..so no allmost no current draw at all...

you actually can be certain that they cant drive headphones when they are not labled as headphone outs.. and even the ones that are labled as headphone outs are usually too weak theese days,

[ynfynytyng]

Sony 7506's will pancake your ears and leave you with bad mixes. Terrible headphones. Owned them for a long time before I finally woke up. Use them for an hour and your ears will hate you for a year.

Sennheiser 600's are more flat / neutral to my ears than the 650's. The 650's have a lot of bass and are very nice, I just found that for mixing I liked using the 600's better and wished I hadn't sold them to finance my 650's.

For the closed can world I have Ultrasone 750's and while they are perfect, they are very nice, not fatiguing, and translate very close as long as you aren't completely slamming them. I use these all the time. Great for making mixes in the same room as your woman and not pissing her off. She feels like she is spending time with you, and you are getting some mixes done - very important.

[dave999z]

I have 650s and love them for mixing and just for listening.

Slightly OT... Obviously can't track with the 650s though because of their open design. So for tracking I'm about to get either the Beyerdynamic DT-770M or Audio Technica ATH-M50. The Beyers will have better isolation (a benefit for tracking). The Audio Technicas would be a little more open and neutral sounding (also a benefit for tracking). Leaning toward the Beyers, because I have to use them to place a mic in front of a guitar cab while it's blaring at me, and if they don't isolate really well, I just can't do that.

[hussey]

Thanks for the honest feedback. I've been looking around for other ones at a similar price range, and it looks like the mdr comes out on top. There are negatives, but it seems there are negatives to every headphone. If anyone has any other recommendations for a flat response, i would really appreciate it. I've heard negatives and postives about them all, so it's very difficult to decide.

[dave999z]

I think the frequency response curve of the 650s is pretty damn flat. Those headphones sound great, but they don't sound hyped in any particular range.