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