Topic: Sennheiser HD 650 vs. AKG K 701

[thegreatgumbino]

Anyone listened to both that can share some opinions?  Seems like the AKG's are supposed to be a little more forward/punchy sounding & the Senn's a little more organic.  They're about the same price.

[Chuck]

I have the HD600's and I am very happy with them. Especially when driven with a headphone amp.

[joekar]

I have the HD 650's and love them.....use a AKG Hearo 999 Audiosphere headphone amp to drive them....the combination is bliss.. .....They even sound great plugged into my Sony receiver...

Peace,
jk

[Stagger]

You can see what I run in my sig... I'll also say that the 600's run just fine out of the 722/744t headphone amp (though I usually use my E4Cs on the raod for obvious reasons). In any case the 600's are a much warmer and more open sound... they are like butter when driven with tubes. The AKG's are like slightly more forgiving Grado's. The are accurate as hell but can be a bit harsh to my ears...also they don't come close to the 600/650's for comfort (nothing does IMHO).

[Jammin72]

The AKG's seem to split the difference between the forward in your face Grado Sound and the Relaxed, Open Sennheiser sound.

For what WE do mostly I would consider the Sennheiser Cans with an amp that has an available crossfeed filter. 

As always, what floats your boat is what's most important.  Buy some AKG's to try and borrow some Sennheisers for comparison as they're much more common. Most folks give you 30 days as a return policy... 

[thegreatgumbino]

I've been trying to find the thread that mentions what cans Mike Grace likes with the M902 but haven't been able to find it.  I think he likes the HD650's with it.  One plus I see with the Senn's is the cable is easily upgradeable.  The AKG's would require cracking open the phones.

[spyder9]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

[thegreatgumbino]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

Thanks, Dan.  I've been reading quite a bit over at Head-Fi.  Good stuff.  I'm leaning towards the 650's right now. 

[George]

I've demoed the akg's with some killer headphone.com amp and it sounded fantastic, very smooth and involving.  I think the akg's are more prone to be picky about what is used to drive them compared the sennheisers.  I've only tried the 650's briefly and thought they sounded good too.  I own the 580's and think they are great, very speaker-like presentation.

My rec would be the sennheiser's because their sound scales in proportion to the amp and source used with them.

[ts]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

and then the 595's with cable upgrade My Grace 901>595's are all I need.

[George]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

and then the 595's with cable upgrade My Grace 901>595's are all I need.

Actually, the 595's are a different beast altogether.  It would be 650, 600 then the 580's.

[thegreatgumbino]

Thanks for the input guys.  I grabbed the HD650's earlier this week.  Got my M902 yesterday, but haven't had a chance to play with it yet.

[ts]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

and then the 595's with cable upgrade My Grace 901>595's are all I need.

Actually, the 595's are a different beast altogether.  It would be 650, 600 then the 580's.

What makes the 595's so different? Other than looks. Just curious.

[George]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

and then the 595's with cable upgrade My Grace 901>595's are all I need.

Actually, the 595's are a different beast altogether.  It would be 650, 600 then the 580's.

What makes the 595's so different? Other than looks. Just curious.

Different kind of headphone in terms of sound representation.  They're more forward sounding (like grado's...much more treble energy) compared to the 650, 600's and 580's which kinda sound dull/boring/veiled if not properly amped.  The cables also come into play to bring back some of that clarity that is lost due to their stock cables (which is ridiculous). 

I thought the 595's sounded good when I tried them out, but a different beast altogether because of that due to their more aggressive nature.  The 650/600/580 have a warm laid-back tone that remind me of speakers.  I really should whip out my 580's again, it's been ages since I've put them to use.

[ts]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

and then the 595's with cable upgrade My Grace 901>595's are all I need.

Actually, the 595's are a different beast altogether.  It would be 650, 600 then the 580's.

What makes the 595's so different? Other than looks. Just curious.

Different kind of headphone in terms of sound representation.  They're more forward sounding (like grado's...much more treble energy) compared to the 650, 600's and 580's which kinda sound dull/boring/veiled if not properly amped.  The cables also come into play to bring back some of that clarity that is lost due to their stock cables (which is ridiculous). 

I thought the 595's sounded good when I tried them out, but a different beast altogether because of that due to their more aggressive nature.  The 650/600/580 have a warm laid-back tone that remind me of speakers.  I really should whip out my 580's again, it's been ages since I've put them to use.

Thanks. I have the 580's to. I never really compared them. The 580's are at work and the 595's are home. So maybe the 595's don't really need a cable upgrade, but the other series can surely benefit from one

[j5brock]

Ran my HD650s through a M902 for a while and loved the sound - though I found the mids a little recessed. Put a Woo Audio 6 with a Mullard GZ34 in between the 2 and the HD650s sound unbelievable. The 650s like the K701s need lots of clean amplification. I don't think the M902 had enough umph to drive them cleanly and quickly enough - so the middle gets a little muddied. But with a nice tube amp inbetween - I miss my speakers a lot less.

Jeff 

[George]

Check out head-fi.org Matt.  They've done a ton of headphone shoot-outs.  From what I could gather, the 650's are king, followed closely by the 600's.     

and then the 595's with cable upgrade My Grace 901>595's are all I need.

Actually, the 595's are a different beast altogether.  It would be 650, 600 then the 580's.

What makes the 595's so different? Other than looks. Just curious.

Different kind of headphone in terms of sound representation.  They're more forward sounding (like grado's...much more treble energy) compared to the 650, 600's and 580's which kinda sound dull/boring/veiled if not properly amped.  The cables also come into play to bring back some of that clarity that is lost due to their stock cables (which is ridiculous). 

I thought the 595's sounded good when I tried them out, but a different beast altogether because of that due to their more aggressive nature.  The 650/600/580 have a warm laid-back tone that remind me of speakers.  I really should whip out my 580's again, it's been ages since I've put them to use.

Thanks. I have the 580's to. I never really compared them. The 580's are at work and the 595's are home. So maybe the 595's don't really need a cable upgrade, but the other series can surely benefit from one

Definitely.  A lot of people on head-fi swear by the aftermarket cables...too bad their so damn expensive.  I just traded my millet amp, so I no longer have a tube amp to drive my senns....I think I'll probably sell them off soon.

[plucks]

Are these two headphones considered "best bang for buck" or just some of the better out there?
I am looking for a gift for one of my groomsmen for my wedding in July and headphones popped to mind. 
If the playback amp isn't the best it seems like the Senn's are a better potion?

[George]

Are these two headphones considered "best bang for buck" or just some of the better out there?
I am looking for a gift for one of my groomsmen for my wedding in July and headphones popped to mind. 
If the playback amp isn't the best it seems like the Senn's are a better potion?

If the playback amp isn't the best..well, I'd probably recommend a pair of grado's.  What kind of amp are you talking about anyway? 

Check out www.headphone.com for an entire list of headphones so you'll get an idea of what's out there.

[plucks]

What kind of amp are you talking about anyway? 

Check out www.headphone.com for an entire list of headphones so you'll get an idea of what's out there.

Thanks for the link...lets just say my friend isn't an audiofile but loves his tunes, so he's just got the standard home theater/dvd/cd reciever playback.  He also listens to a lot of vinyl on a separate receiver system in his office.

[heikki]

Bringing this old thread up to the top since I found it while doing some searches.
Did you ever try the K701's with your 902?  Opinions on that combo vs. the HD650/m902 combo?  Just curious what others think.

-Heikki
(m902 > HD600/k701)

[thegreatgumbino]

Bringing this old thread up to the top since I found it while doing some searches.
Did you ever try the K701's with your 902?  Opinions on that combo vs. the HD650/m902 combo?  Just curious what others think.

-Heikki
(m902 > HD600/k701)

I've never tried the K701's with the 902, only the HD650's. 

[heikki]

Thanks.  Was just curious if you followed up with the other set you were considering.

I haven't heard a pair of HD650's through mine, but I do prefer the HD600's, most of the time, to the K701s.  There are good and bad to each, but my personal taste is with the Senns.

[noahbickart]

I've had my k701s for about a month now, and I simply love them. At the moment, I am running them out of my trusty old DA-P1 (which is also handling the digital conversion).

I think that high-end headphones supply fodder for some of the same issues we know from microphones. Both the HD 650s and the K701s are top notch headphones, it just comes down to preference.

-Noah

[Stagger]

Definitely.  A lot of people on head-fi swear by the aftermarket cables...too bad their so damn expensive.  I just traded my millet amp, so I no longer have a tube amp to drive my senns....I think I'll probably sell them off soon.

Which Millet amp did you have? I picked up my Millet when he sold his project box at Head-Fi.org long with my HD-600s and my Clou Red cable. My amp was actually the prototype unit that Pete built to pitch his tube hybrid design to Headroom (he never told me this when I purchased my amp from him).. Imagine my surprise when, 6 months after I bought my amp from Pete, I was flipping through Stereophile and saw Headroom's ad for a much more slickly packaged version of the "Amazing Pete Millet designed hybrid tube headphone amplifier".  I love the thing and it drives the HD-600's quite well.

I will say that my Clou Red cable makes a world of difference over the stock cable. There is a dramatic improvement in bottom end and transparency with the aftermarket cable. The Clou Red is even a few dB louder than the stock. I am glad my cable was included in my purchase as I probably would not have gone out and picked one up if it wasn't. I will say that, from everything I read, the Cardas cable for the HD-600's is even better than the Clou Red and it is far more flexible (one of the drawbacks of the Clou Red is that it is pretty stiff).

[George]

Stagger,

         I had a one-of-a-kind millet that Joe Sagan built for me.  It had a wooden chasis, here's a pic:



It sounded great with my senn hd580's and my grado sr60's, bu it rarely got any use.  Head-fier 'terance" traded a new pair of shure se530's for it...I love the shures to death.      I really don't miss the amp any more and will eventually settle down on a more portable solution...I recall reading on Head-fi that Pete Millet was building a portable tubed millet.  If that comes out...oh boy!   

[Stagger]

Nice! I'll have to post a pic of my Millet... No where near as pretty as it is in a blue project box but it works nicely.

[Jammin72]

Stagger,

         I had a one-of-a-kind millet that Joe Sagan built for me.  It had a wooden chasis, here's a pic:


It sounded great with my senn hd580's and my grado sr60's, bu it rarely got any use.  Head-fier 'terance" traded a new pair of shure se530's for it...I love the shures to death.      I really don't miss the amp any more and will eventually settle down on a more portable solution...I recall reading on Head-fi that Pete Millet was building a portable tubed millet.  If that comes out...oh boy!   

Todd The Vinyl Junkie is Already Selling the Portable Millet Hybrid








I think Project boards for the design are also available.

The Millet Hybrid is one of the most popular builds for aspiring amp builders.

The Millet Hybrid Maxx is one to check out.

[RebelRebel]

My HD 650 pair have been a constant companion on recording trips the past few months, and I have come to learn why so many folks use them. Very articulate, balanced sound and work equally well for analytical and casual listening purposes. I have a pair of Stax and the accompanying amp now, and they are the finest ive heard, but I am leery of using them in the field, so my 650s will remain on first string for remotes. . The HD 650s will never dissapoint, in my opinion. Solid choice.

Had been using the Etymotic ER-4  for a long time, but an equipment change on the front end of my recording setup made them not as desirable, though they are still the best plane/train/ and automobile phones out there.

Good luck with the purchase. You really cant go wrong with either choice. At that level of quality I suspect that differences arent as glaringly obvious as some would say.

[pigiron]

lot'sa difference, but you could make a button-hole argument for either one. Just after having spent an expensive trip thru the top shelf Grado's, Senn's, and AKG's, i'll spew a personal opinion...

Grado's... these are slamming straight into your cranium,  if you have the right stimulants and the correct tunes, who's to argue?... enough said.

the 650's... lot'sa talk on this one... my litmus test was Floyd... as in pink... just yummy and silky smooth... but damn... those bottom ends don't seem to come outside the bricks... but, really... relax... don't pay attention to that talk... we know what's what... lay back and we'll feed you the best... hold on... wait a sec...

I want everything this HP has to offer, but with the bottom end of the Grado's... if it had that, this thing sits on top of the magic mountain.

701's... lean waaay back... really... I mean it... grab a pair of left and right... bring down a pair of your best speakers over the top and you'll be close... (they ain't Stax... but Stax is off topic for this discussion)... we've got top, bottom, and a whole bunch in between... listen to that... hmmm.... quite good isn't it? Now you really can relax... everything is as we said... nothing more... nothing less... just lean back.

as the thoughts above describe... you need lot's of sweet juice to make either work... you ain't got it?... get Grado's.

[RebelRebel]

One very good option(some would say much better) at the same pricepoint as both the Sennheiser and AKG is the Ultrasone proline 750. THe company HQ is German, and quality is outstanding. Had I known about them before I got my Sennheiser pair, I probably wouldve looked into them much closer. The guys I know that own them swear by em.