[I'd love to hear your opinion on the 580 vs 650, once they are properly broken in! I was thinking about getting the 650s for Christmas...ya' know, Merry Christmas to me
Later,
pjdavep
I've got about 150 hours on the HD-650s and I can safely say that they're really in a different class than the HD-580s. The most profound difference is the improvement in clarity and resolution, I can hear tiny nuances now that I never heard with the 580s. This becomes even more apparent when listening to complex music with a lot of texture. The next biggest difference is in the bass, the HD-650s have more extension and definately have a greater impact. The midrange is a bit smoother and the highs are slightly more extended when compared to the HD-580s, though these diferences are more subtle. Overall the HD-580s place more empshasis on the highs and mids than the HD-650s which seem to be more balanced and have greater extension.
On bass heavy recordings the bass on the HD-650s can be a bit overwhelming and it takes away from the rest of the sound, in this situation I prefer the HD-580s but otherwise I find the HD-650s to be much more enjoyable and interesting. That being said the HD-580s are still great cans and I'd still say they're the best headphones I've heard costing under $150.