New Massdrop for Sennheiser HD6xx headphones is on now

$199 for what is a HD 650 in a different color.

If you've never heard HD 650's - you should!

Amazing bargain here:

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones | Price & Reviews | Massdrop

 

I had a pair of the HD650s for maybe a decade, I loved them and used them extensively. I gave them away to a nephew who wanted his first real audio rig when he went to college - I miss them BUT my guy gets to experience something great so it makes me happy, too.

 

I have to ask.Exactly the same as a 650 but for the color?

 

It looks like and says the cord is shorter (6 instead of 10 feet) and the plug is a 1/8" plug (comes with 1/4" adapter) instead of 1/4". And the "Massdrop" logo is painted inside so it is a real limited special edition made for that website. But the real guts are supposed to be identical.

 

And a cheaper price.

 

they just did one of these about 2 weeks ago and one a few weeks prior to that, i think they see the cash cow theyve got now.
but hey i ordered some last time...i can wait till december to save that much money

 

Great price for sure! I have always used Grado cans but wanted to try Sennheiser's to compare. At this price I ordered a pair without hesitation. I can't wait to get them!

 

I paid more for my 600's a long time ago.

 

Thank you for the heads up. I have had a lot of headphones, and the HD650s are my all time favorite . My pair is 10+ years old, so couldn't resist a spare at $199.

 

I have a pair of HD600 in the study but could not resist getting the HD6XX for the living room. I'm so weak...

 

I got a set of these in the first drop. They came with 6 foot cords but we were later sent a free 10 foot cord so now I have both cords. I got these because my HD580's were just worn out, literally held together by Gorilla glue and duct tape. I now have these, HIFI Man 400i's and grado 325's. All are good and all are worth having but at 199 dollar these are an unbelievable bargain.

 

I have a pair of HD 558's with the foam mod. I wonder how these Massdrop cans compare?

 

They're the same. Massdrop works deals directly with the manufacturer for volume orders, thus members get best price. I got some AKG 701's this way a while back

 

Massdrop just had a HD6XX drop end, and I came close, but didn't pull the trigger. Now, again.

I've read (not here) that the HD600 has a more neutral sound, and the 650 is a little bit goosed at certain frequencies when compared to the 600. Meanwhile the Sennheiser model numbers above 650 take a lot more liberty with the sound profile they pump out, as in neutral not.

Does anyone care to express a preference between the HD600 and HD650?

After researching online, I thought it may be better to go with the 600 when I eventually take the plunge. But $199.00 is hard to resist.

 

FYI, it's back on for now.

 

Actually, everything I'm seeing on the forum re: 600 v. 650 confirms what I've already read.

 

I just read they've bumped up the number available to .... wait for it... TWENTY THOUSAND UNITS.

Good God that's a lot of headphones to be selling in a month.

PS: Just had a good buddy tell me 'the 650 is the LS3/5a of headphones'. Yup, I think so.

I have 700's and 800S's, but I've ordered a pair of these just for fun. Love the midrange on this unit.

 

Anybody know what the new revision and 'a few updates' to the retail HD650 are? Is there a difference in sound to the official retail version?

 

Plenty of comparisons were done for the last drop, including Jude over at head-fi showing the frequency response and THD of both, they look pretty much identical ...

Sennheiser x Massdrop HD6XX Review / Preview - Head-Fi TV

 

I bought a pair just to compare to my Audioquest Nighthawks. There is a lot of discussion on the Head-fi NH thread between the NH and 650's and figured I'd decide for myself and at the price it was easy to justify.

 

I bought a pair of 650s a couple of years ago for much more than $199 and never regretted it. If you have the funds, this really is a no-brainer. Great headphones.

 

There are an infinite number of comparisons online, too many to the point where it gets confusing. I think on a decent resolving setup the sonic differences really boil down to three simple things.

1. HD600 has a slight emphasis in the upper midrange (2-3kHz) and lower treble. Otherwise they follow very similar response curves. This may give the impression that the HD600s are more 'forward' or 'bright' versus the HD650s. Having had both in hand to compare neither is more 'correct' at any given time and preference over this tuning will be dependent on component synergy and the given recording. On some tracks the 600 is too forward, on others the 650 feels too laid-back. The differences are only a few dB however and not worth agonizing over. I've found that personally I gravitate towards the 650s response when hooked up to gear I would consider more or less 'neutral'.

2. The HD650 has a few dB more midbass. This doesn't always show in comparative measurements, due to any number of inconsistencies, but I've found it to be consistent in subjective listening. It's more apparent when using for example an OTL tube amplifier with a higher output impedance that raises midbass levels than a low OI solid-state amp with tighter and more damped bass.

3. The HD650 driver appears slightly more resolving and refined in subjective tests. There's no way to qualify this in a measurement, other than perhaps attributing the more refined nature to a lack of emphasis in the problematic upper mid and lower treble areas. Again, marginal differences but notable to me.

To summarize, I wouldn't be upset if someone stole my HD650s tomorrow and left HD600s in their place. They are that close that preference could easily change from the mastering of one track to another. Older reports (pre-2010 usually) inflate the magnitude of difference due to the various silent revisions both headphones have seen over the years. The current production models are really quite similar.

 

Great info, thanks.

 

Another issue with HD600 vs. HD650 comparisons that are a decade old or more is that many of the affordable headphone amps that were available were not as good for the Senns as the headphone amps we have now. Amps have greatly improved. 10 years ago the affordable solid state amps tended to play the HD650 with lacking treble. Back then I'd listen to the HD650 and say "where's the treble" while my HD600 sounded fine to me. Affordable SS amps now are much better with the HD650 and I'm not likely to complain about a lacking of treble. In fact, with some amps now the situation is somewhat reversed. Some SS amps now play the 650 with good treble and the 600 a bit too much for my taste.

So a lot of the old comparisons of the HD600 and HD650 don't apply so much to today. I find the HD650 just fine today while I didn't prefer it over the HD600 10 years ago. If you do end up wanting a bit more treble with the HD650 you can do the mod where you cut a quarter size hole in the foam over the driver and remove a couple of small foam discs that are over the driver.

$200 for the HD6xx is a no brainer as long as you have an amp that can drive them well and give them enough treble. Why spend more for the HD600?

 

I've actually been on this forum long enough where I was hoping you'd chime in as an avid headphone listener.