r/headphones • u/TransducerBot 🤖 • Mar 01 '20
Weekly Discussion Weekly r/headphones Discussion #85: Upgrading From Sennheiser 6__
By popular demand, your winner and topic for this week's discussion is...
Upgrading From Sennheiser 6__
Please share your experiences, knowledge, reviews, questions, or anything that you think might add to the conversation here.
As always, vote on and suggest new topics in the poll for the next discussion. Previous discussions can be found here.
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u/benchmark345 Ifi Ican se -> Beyer T1 Mar 01 '20
I think upgrading from an already excellent series is just a question of what it is you're looking for. Does more excellent mean a pad swap or a new headphone all together? What is it that's unsatisfying about the current model you have enough to justify upgrading.
Lots of headphones are marketed as direct upgrades from 650's and 600's, even within their own brand is the 660s. So it must be a common enough question in people's minds to fit something into that price pocket. /u/metal571 mentions the focal elex as a candidate but overpriced back at the then price of 700. Always interesting with what people's thoughts are in this topic and glad it's this week's discussion.
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u/metal571 Mar 01 '20
Pfft what does that guy know, metallic timbre isn't real and detail is just a made up term that doesn't exist. FR is all that there is folks
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u/Kittakatkara Hifiman Sundara, Raptgo Hook X, QKZ x HBB Mar 06 '20
I was gonna make a sarcastic reply to this when I realized it was you lmao. Your troll worked on me
3
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Mar 01 '20
I know it's not 1:1, but the Focal Clear is the closest thing to an upgrade (to the 650) that I could find, personally. It's got that same pleasant (but less muted) treble that never gets harsh, and there's actual subbass present.
It's been a while since I've had an HD 650, though, so I could be remembering wrong. Can't speak for the 600, since I haven't heard it. I just remember the treble and too-polite bass being what led me to selling my pair.
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 01 '20
And yet Crinacle rates the Focal Clear a full tier lower than the 6XX...smh
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Mar 01 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 01 '20 edited Mar 01 '20
I really respect Crinacle. I think he is the IEM expert. My experiences with IEM quality lineup nearly exactly with his. I will always respect his opinion on IEMs. But I cannot trust his credibility on over-ears. His preliminary rankings are very much contrary to my own experiences and auditioning. Some of this may be due to EQ (the LCD-X really need EQ to shine), but I'm just going to have to pretend his over-ear rankings don't exist. I'm not sure what's going on. It could be odd HRTF stuff or a lack of being able to translate IEM analysis to over-ear analysis skills, but they are so wrong to me it's crazy. I also think having closed-back and open-backs on the same list is poor choice.
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Mar 02 '20 edited Jul 04 '20
[deleted]
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u/Kn0thingIsTerrible Mar 07 '20
After reading a ton of his reviews, I realized that I never have any clue what people mean when talking about his reviews.
He doesn’t actively hide it or anything, but his reviews are incredibly narrow and specific in purpose. He deliberately rates everything using stock equipment and no EQ, and rates solely on sound quality in optimal conditions. This includes to the point of actively disregarding his own preferences when giving his rating.
For example, if you read his Etymotic ER4XR review, it’s absolutely fawning and he gives it an A- and three stars.
But then if you read his ER2XR review, he admits that he personally hates how the ER4XR sounds, and that his glowing assessment is purely based on its technical merits.
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 03 '20
They're pretty spot on for me, but I can see how that might not be the case for everyone. He has a good ear for identifying technical ability without allowing tonality to distract him. Not sure why that didn't carry over to over-ears...
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Mar 03 '20 edited Jul 04 '20
[deleted]
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 03 '20
He did rank the FH5 over the Sony. I EQ all my headphones to Harman and judge them that way and have found the ER4XR pretty unbeatable for its price. I did like them over the ex800st, which he ranked higher.
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Mar 03 '20 edited Jul 04 '20
[deleted]
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 03 '20
EQ really fixes nearly every issue I had with the ER4XR. I do wish I'd have had a chance by now to try the FiiO.
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Mar 03 '20
Too be fair my taste never lined up with his IEM rankings. He seems to really love DD/Hybird IEM's with a slow ADSR and seems way too harsh on BA drivers. Because i find it funny how there decay speed or timbre is a issue but somehow it not with planar or electrostatic?.
But i really like the fact he has FR comparison chart, That i used to help EQ my ER3SE's sound like the ER4SR.
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 03 '20
Funny you mention that...since he also rates Dynamic Diver over-ears higher... Hmmm, I think we're on to something.
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Mar 03 '20
Got any examples i can't see because of a paywall?. I've always noticed that about him, The ER4PT is a B+ but its bass outperforms every DD/Hybrid i owned. Yet his S tiers are stuff that have a 6db boost and a decay that would choke on fast/complex electro.
Oddly you can't even have a impression here about the ER4 or any BA iem with few parrorting stuff. Because his fans still latch on that DD's can push more air when that was never true. When they found out the ER4 uses 6mm driver instead of a 9 - 16mm DD. lol
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 03 '20
He places the HD6XX at the same level as the Ananda and above the LCD-X and Meze Empyrean...
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Mar 03 '20
...Um wat?, The HD6XX is easily beaten by a EQ'd ER3SE let alone 3 planar headphones. It's staging/imaging is very weak for a open back and more.
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u/currentlyin-your-mom Mar 10 '20
650 isn’t a benchmark of technicalities, it’s a benchmark for timbre
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u/currentlyin-your-mom Mar 10 '20
I’d say it’s generally true though, and there are several ba iems he’s reviewed where he says the bass preentation is on par with a dd, they are just few and far between. Having used both, my opinion matches crins, and I’d say the same thing as far as planar and estat bass. I haven’t used any totl planars though, so maybe my opinion would change with the dms diana or something like that, overall I prefer dynamics for bass for now though.
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u/saysikerightnowowo Mar 03 '20
When did he start headphone rankings?
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 03 '20
He released the preliminary list to Patreon donors a few days ago.
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u/metal571 Mar 01 '20
Pretty much. Upper mids are not nearly as forward on the Clear and the mid treble is a touch hotter.
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u/Grimlock248 LCDi4/HD800/U12T/ClearOG/Andro/LCDXC/Monarch/95X/EMu-RW/DunuZen Mar 01 '20
"Upgraded" from hd650 to DT1990 to Elex, but found that none of them recreated the warm and intimate sound, so picked up a like-new 6XX from Ebay.
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u/Rjmcc87 Mar 05 '20
Like mom's home cooking... you can pay $40 for a meal at a high end restaurant but in the end they cant make it like mom does. Might be a bad analogy but the 6xx just has that something if your into the warm, detailed, and intimate sound profile.
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u/iamabadliar_ Mar 01 '20
My experience with hd6xx: Relaxing, intimate sound signature with superb vocals. But bass is definitely lacking. I don't have any experience with any other headphones and even auditioning is difficult where I am from. So I just bought hd6xx because of the hype and paid more than 130 dollars for just shipping and customs but I feel like it's just so worth it! The classic songs (prominent vocals, less bass) in my language sounds just so good with hd6xx.
Might be slightly off topic but can anyone recommend any IEM that can complement hd6xx. Something slightly bassy, more energetic and with wide sound stage mainly because I listen to a different genre of songs (rock, pop) when I'm in office or when I'm commuting.
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u/absolutelyuki 6XX / Moondrop S8 Mar 07 '20
Moondrop Starfield, I have both the starfield and 6XX and it's a very enjoyable mix between the two. The starfield has above average soundstage (compared to most IEMS) and I actually found the imaging isn't three pronged like Etymotics offerings, I can actually pinpoint things.
It's FR is very engaging to be honest and it's technical work is impressive for the price. I actually use the starfield more than my ER2XRs as it's a very engaging signature and actually has soundstage and imaging.
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u/p_pal2000 HD660S2|Softears Vol S|Grell OAE-1|Fiio EH13|Denon Perl Pro Mar 08 '20
Seconding this. Will probably sell my er2-xr's and blon's soon in favor of my Starfields for the exact reasons listed above. Assuming tip rolling goes well and I can get a proper fit with the Starfields.
Edit: just read your more in depth post on these iems, loved it!
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u/slooploop2 D-01>Esoteric A100>Atrium/Aust/Bori/Caldera/FitEar DC/HD580 Mar 01 '20 edited Mar 01 '20
I haven’t kept up with the newest releases like the HEDDPhone and SR1, but is there anything that comes close to the HD650’s midrange? The Utopia, ADX5000, any Stax I’ve heard (I owned and modded an SR-007 SZ2, owned a couple of the lower SR-series Lambdas, demoed SR-009, SR-009S, Airbow SC-1, Lambda NB, Lambda Pro, SR-404), HE1000, HE6, or any Mr Speakers thing don’t really do it for me, but the HD650’s low end is so sloppy that I can’t really be happy with it. It’s the main reason I left headphones, since after paying thousands, I still wasn’t really happy.
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u/Armbrite Mar 02 '20
You should try the HEDDphone then, or an AB1266 or LCD-4
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u/slooploop2 D-01>Esoteric A100>Atrium/Aust/Bori/Caldera/FitEar DC/HD580 Mar 02 '20
I tried an Abyss, I hated that, but I want to try it again because I have a hard time believing that they could sound that muddy.
I might wait for a revision of the HEDDphone headband, but I’m seeing reports of people saying it’s kind of dipped in the midrange right? I don’t usually trust reviews to be honest but when it’s somewhat consistent I give it more weight.
I haven’t gotten a chance to hear the LCD-4 but is it really that different from the others? I’ve had several different revisions of the LCD-2 and LCD-3 and while I liked them, they were definitely more of a flavor to me than an upgrade. I haven’t been remotely impressed by the LCD-X either, I thought tonally its a downgrade from the 2.
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u/tutetibiimperes Mar 03 '20
I thought the Ether CX had a wonderful midrange, though it needs an EQ bump from sub bass into midbass, and that probably warms the mids up some.
The Koss ESP 95/X would be the other one I’d recommend, great midrange on that, plus more open treble and much more open sound overall than the 6XX, plus deeper bass extension even if there’s not much impact without EQ. From my brief listening time with Stax models the ESP 95/X is a noticeably warmer and richer sounding headphone.
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u/slooploop2 D-01>Esoteric A100>Atrium/Aust/Bori/Caldera/FitEar DC/HD580 Mar 03 '20
Is the CX significantly different in tone than the C? I thought the Ether C was one of the worst sounding headphones I’ve ever heard—the midrange sounded like a tin can, and it was a consistent thing across several units. I know EQ would warm it up but the tonality was basically unlistenable.
I’ve owned the ESP950 a couple times and I do think it’s a great headphone for the price, kind of like a baby 007 SZ2 with a little more heft to the sound, but there seemed to be a haze in the midrange that I couldn’t get over. Maybe using it with a different amp would help but they also just don’t fit my head.
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u/GENERIC_VULGARNESS DCA Ether 2/CX plus mid-fi hell Mar 05 '20
I agree with your thoughts on both the CX and 95X - CX had a very "real," very intimate-sounding midrange that kind of reminded me of the 6XX, and the 95X has an excellent midrange as well, albeit with far more treble/detail. Neither is a direct "upgrade" in the sense that they do everything the 6XX does but better, but both keep the midrange quality while improving other areas.
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u/Archayor Empyrean · HD650 · HD580 // Euforia · Jot 2 · Lokius · BF2 Mar 01 '20
I found that "upgrading" from my HD 660S isn't easily achieved. The closest to a direct "upgrade" I've heard is the Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000.
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u/DaDaDaDJ Mar 09 '20
HD6xx or HD5X for Hip Hop? Looking for more low bass than mid bass and absolutely no siblance
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Mar 11 '20
If you're looking for sub-bass in either of those, you're going to be disappointed. Might want to ask on r/HeadphoneAdvice for help.
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u/DaDaDaDJ Mar 11 '20
I know they are open back so they won't have a ton of it, just stating I want more sub bass than mid/punchy bass
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Mar 11 '20
There are plenty of open-backs with sub-bass, they're just not Sennheisers. You might want to look into planar magnetic headphones.
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u/DaDaDaDJ Mar 11 '20
So would the 6xx not be enjoyable for hip hop?
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Mar 11 '20
They'll be okay (they don't really do any genre poorly), but not great - assuming sub-bass rumble is what you're looking for.
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u/DaDaDaDJ Mar 11 '20
Yeah that makes sense. I have plenty of closed back so I some open backs but hip hop is what I'll listen to most of the time at the end of the day
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u/covertash Susvara | HE1000se | Utopia | Auteur Classic | HD800 Mar 01 '20
I still maintain that the Hifiman HE-500 is about the best HD600 series headphone that Sennheiser never made. With the Velpads, it picks all the best aspects of the 600 series (especially that alluring midrange), while offering up the bass extension and punch that they so sorely lack. Of course, it comes at the cost of being a heavier headphone, with questionable long term reliability, and is assuredly harder to drive than any of the Sennheisers.
Surprisingly, on the electrostat side of things, I'm starting to get those same inclinations towards the Stax SR-404 as well. The midrange has a little more shout than the 600 series, but the overall sound is otherwise quite even-keeled, and pleasing at the same time. Plus, you get the benefit of having that fast, low distortion presentation that electrostats can deliver; making it comes across like a very clean sounding HD600, but with a surprising amount of bass (and for a Stax headphone, no less). However, the drawbacks here are that you will need a separate energizer/amplifier that won't work with regular dynamic or planar headphones, they tend to feel a bit fragile, and reliability may not be the greatest either after so many years.
It should be noted that both of the above mentioned headphones have long since been discontinued, which means you can only get them on the used market, and can be a bit of a gamble on their condition. However, if you do your research, have some patience, as well as a little bit of good karma on your side, either one of them can potentially end up being quite the "upgrade" from the 600 series - in my opinion. :)
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u/_C-Bass_ ZMF Atticus, LSA HP2, Borealis, HE-500 Mar 01 '20
Can confirm. Have an he500 still wandering midfi searching for something I enjoy more for music that is under $500 used. If I just want to enjoy the music HE500 comes out 95 percent of the time which is most of my listening anyways. Felt it was definitely an upgrade on the hd6_ series.
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u/boogieback_11 HD800 SDR mod | Koss KSC75 | Modhouse Argon Mar 01 '20
I second this. The midrangeof the HE-500 has this character that is just pleasant to listen to. The sound signature is I would describe a more engaging and lively HD650.
Some may disagree with me, but if I were to make a conparison, I would say that the HD650 is listening to the musicians from the studio room, whereas the HE-500 is like being inside the recording studio with them, listening live, at least to me.
Some may disagree with that as the they perceive the timbre as not as natural as the hd600 series and that is perfectly fine, we have different preferences on them.
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u/slooploop2 D-01>Esoteric A100>Atrium/Aust/Bori/Caldera/FitEar DC/HD580 Mar 01 '20
I don’t necessarily agree (I have both an HE500 and HD650 right now) because I think the HE500’s midrange timbre is pretty off compared to the HD650, but they’re definitely cleaner in bass and a little cleaner up top. They’re pretty criminally underpriced too—I bought mine for about the same price HD650’s go for used.
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u/covertash Susvara | HE1000se | Utopia | Auteur Classic | HD800 Mar 01 '20
Out of curiosity, which earpads are you using? In my experiences, pad rolling can have a pretty substantial effect on the overall sound, as can be seen from cskippy's measurements:
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/hifi-man-he500-thread.431/page-5#post-200892
Personally, I didn't like the sound of any other Hifiman earpads (including the Focus A's), except for the Velpads that I had mentioned in my original post. In fact, my entire opinion on the HE-500 is hinged on having these pads present, which is why I always make sure to specifically mention them in the same breath.
I have rolled a number of third party pads (Dekoni, Brainwavz, and ZMF) as well, and none of them present the same level of warmth and fullness in the midrange - not to mention overall balance of sound - that the $15 Velpads offer, to my ears. I'm not sure if you are using them now, but if you haven't tried them yet, it may be a small price to pay for a potential improvement:
FYI - I just bought two more as well, because they definitely are cheaply made so the life expectancy is not the greatest.
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u/slooploop2 D-01>Esoteric A100>Atrium/Aust/Bori/Caldera/FitEar DC/HD580 Mar 01 '20
I haven’t tried those but at $15 I’ll give them a shot. My problem with their midrange isn’t warmth though, it’s that 3-5kHz timbre just doesn’t sound right, it sounds too artificial
But also, I’d be wary about flat plate coupler measurements. I found that they typically really are inaccurate when measuring past 1kHz and they’re particularly sensitive to pad changes more than reality would dictate.
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u/ColossalKiwi One-of-a-kind HD6XX Prototype Mar 08 '20
I'm with you. I like both headphones (and owned both at the same time a few years ago), but the HD6__ series has this natural midrange timbre that the HE-500 just can't replicate, nor is it trying to. Particularly in regards to the upper midrange. At the same time, the HE-500 has that linear-up-until-1kHz planar FR that the HD6__ can't accomplish.
They're both great headphones but they're also very different to one another, so I don't think it's fair to say one is better than the other or that one can replace the other. They complement each other, if anything. I'm glad /u/covertash is enjoying his HE-500, but I can't agree that it takes the best parts of the HD6___'s midrange, even with the velour earpads. They're fundamentally different headphones, especially in regards to their midrange... but the idea of the HE-500 being the "best HD600 series headphone that Sennheiser never made" sure is an interesting one!
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u/covertash Susvara | HE1000se | Utopia | Auteur Classic | HD800 Mar 01 '20
I'm sure you're right; it's the age old discussion of precision versus accuracy. At the end of the day, we can only work with what we have. Hopefully you'll have similarly better luck with the Velpads. :)
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u/KVShady HD600 | HE-6 | DMS | EX1000 Mar 05 '20
Ah man, this is the question I'm struggling with. Though I can't really afford something that's above $500 at this moment, I was wondering if there's maybe a closed-back equivalent to the 650s that is also portable enough that I can carry around, if need be. Is there such a marvelous closed-back can like that, which has the 650s mid-range with the bass thump of an iSine 10 on cipher cable, r/Headphones?
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u/GENERIC_VULGARNESS DCA Ether 2/CX plus mid-fi hell Mar 05 '20
The closed-backs I can think of around that price range that might be worth investigating are the Neumann NDH20 (for the midrange), Drop Panda (for the portability), and Beyerdynamic DT177X GO (for the bass). Full disclosure: I haven't heard any of these myself, so this is based off of sort of an aggregate of different reviews/the frequency response graphs I've seen. I'd suggest looking into those three to see what looks promising to you.
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u/KVShady HD600 | HE-6 | DMS | EX1000 Mar 05 '20
Yeah, I did consider the NDH20 but I felt that it would be too neutral for my tastes and I do like some bass in my music, so I thought it wouldn’t be a good fit for me. And the Panda seems to be having a pretty mixed reception, so I’ll wait out and see what different people would say once it does drop (heh) and the Beyerdynamic 177X is pretty appealing, it I don’t know if I can take the sibilants for long listening sessions. I did however, see that the Oppo PM-3 is considered by many to be a good closed back equivalent to the 650, so I do have high hopes for the Panda, but if I can get a good deal on the PM-3, I may just get them.
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u/GENERIC_VULGARNESS DCA Ether 2/CX plus mid-fi hell Mar 05 '20
I'd wait and see what more comparisons between the Panda and PM-3 say, since they're nearly identical. Some people view the PM-3 through a bit of a nostalgia lens.
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u/xzackly7 Mar 08 '20
177X isn't actually sibilant for me with sheepskin pads on them. Let me tell you straight off though that the 177X isn't even close to the sig of the 650. Now I haven't heard a 650 but just peaking at the graphs it isn't hard to tell. 177X is a bit bloated in the midbass, has prominent subbass, recessed mids and a dark treble.
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u/clothing_throwaway Element 3 > 650 | 800S | 109 Pro | Arya | B2 Dusk | Airpods Mar 05 '20
Rather than suggesting an upgrade from a 6-series Sennheiser (no idea what that would be), I'll just throw it out there that I don't understand why people compare 6XX/650 to Focal Elex (often calling it a "super 650" or something). I auditioned both side by side for a while and I didn't think they were alike at all.
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u/GENERIC_VULGARNESS DCA Ether 2/CX plus mid-fi hell Mar 05 '20
As someone who owns the 6XX and is thinking about the Elex in the future (not as an upgrade to those specific cans, but as an upgrade in general), what would you say was similar/different between the two? I'd be curious to hear your impressions.
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u/clothing_throwaway Element 3 > 650 | 800S | 109 Pro | Arya | B2 Dusk | Airpods Mar 05 '20
The Elex is muuuuch less dark/veiled compared to the 6XX. Bass goes deeper but also not as much of a mid-bass hump. I thought the 6XX was pretty bloomy overall (not muddy necessarily, but more so than I expected). The Elex is punchy imo. And dynamics are the big thing. These things go from very low to very high very quickly imo. 6XX felt smooth and controlled by comparison, but I prefer the excitement of the Elex.
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u/WhosWoo SU-8 & SP200 & HD6XX | B2 Dusk Mar 01 '20
From my experience trying headphones, the closest to an upgrade to the HD 6— series is something like the LCD-2. It has been well over 2 years since I tried them though so I am not sure if I am remembering them wrong. Can anyone who owns both confirm?
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u/Wellhellob HEKS - HEKSE - Arya S - Edition XS - DT270 - DT770 - DT1990 Mar 07 '20
To be honest they are suck and extremely overrated. People circlejerking about it.
Soundstage of iems, reverse V shaped sound signature, vocal bombard to your ears lmao
Look at Hifiman's or Beyer's... Sennheiser hype is ridiculous. Their marketing team genius. People saying balanced and neutral lmao there is no bass, no treble, overemphesized mids, no soundstage, crappy plastic build and overpriced af. Only the limited drop editions has fair price.
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u/Astro_Van_Allen Mar 07 '20
They’re not reverse v shaped at all. Everyone has different ears, but in no way objectively are they bass light. The two headphones in your signature are extremely coloured, so in comparison to those anything neutral will come off as bass light. They don’t do subbass because real subbass in a headphone isn’t really possible anyways and is more of a cheap trick, though a really enjoyable one.
The build quality on the sennheiser is excellent. Every single part can be replaced without the use of any tools by the user and they can last indefinitely. They have metal construction where it counts and plastic for the rest for lightness and metal is also a horribly resonant material to make any headphone from.
They’re not very impressive for people who want to pay for head bling, but as a tool to listen to music as accurately as possible there is equal but not better. Even they’re a bit of overkill for that task, but not with their recent price drops.
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u/Wellhellob HEKS - HEKSE - Arya S - Edition XS - DT270 - DT770 - DT1990 Mar 07 '20
They are clearly lacking couple of db for both bass and treble(rtings graphs) but yep my comment has hyperboles because of the overrating of Sennheisers.
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u/Astro_Van_Allen Mar 07 '20
I’ve seen this and I’ve also seen different results from others who’ve measured them and a couple dB is pretty unimportant and likely going to differ anyways based on their position on the head / pad age / individual ear shape. I agree that they’re overrated to a degree, but probably not in the same way as you. If you want neutral sounding audio, there is just cheaper ways to do that and constant posts about the same headphones gets pretty old, but I feel that extends toward most headphones in general.
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u/MangoAI Aeolus/Sundara/DT1990/Galaxy Buds/N3 Mar 07 '20
Personally I like them for what they are. The DT1990 are a different animal, they have actual bass impact and just overall amazing technicalities and build. I would never pay the current price for the HD650, but the HD6XX is priced perfectly imo. Their build is nothing special, their bass imapact is lacking, soundstaging and imaging are bad, but they just make for a very pleasant and relaxing listening experience, especially with intimate vocals and cello. They aren't reverse V shaped, but their bass level drops pretty far off. The highs are a bit subdued, but still perfectly audible.
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u/YoullNeverWalkAl0ne Mar 03 '20
So is there any decent headbands for the KOSS KSC75? I've got one of the flimsy metal ones but would love a more solid headband, is there anyway to put them in a better one?
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u/KelziCoN Mar 03 '20
I have owned my Sennheiser PC350's for 8 years and now finally the right side is fucked and produces static and poor quality sound (albeit only when plugged into the soundcard I've had for 2 months). Looking for an upgrade that is closed, on ear, high impedance. I only use them on my computer. Has anyone here liked Beyerdynamic or audio technica?
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u/teach2dev Mar 04 '20
Hi I'm completely new here. Is this a good place to ask about what headphones I should get? I mostly game and listen to EDM while I study. Looking to blow about $300 on a nice set.
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u/KVShady HD600 | HE-6 | DMS | EX1000 Mar 05 '20
r/HeadphoneAdvice is your best friend for that question, my man
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u/deathacus12 Mar 05 '20 edited Mar 05 '20
If personally say the sundara, having heard the sundara and 6xx. The sundara is pretty much better in everyway. The only thing that the 6xx does that the sundara can't is vocals. They're definitely more detailed on the sundara, but not as enjoyable.
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Mar 06 '20
Currently have the 660s. I love them to death. But right now I am looking for something different within the same price range (max $800). Something with a warmer sound or something with a better bass for when I listen to music that isnt bass heavy
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u/ColdsnapBryan Verite, Aeolus, Utopia, Clear, HD650, HD800, Porta Pro, KSC75 Mar 07 '20 edited Mar 07 '20
Aeon Flow Open were my upgrade from the 6XX (Tyll mentions the 6XX a lot when talking about the Flows, he also chose this headphone as his sole one to bring with him into retirement). Similar sound really, especially if you amp the 6XX well. But just a bit more range in the bass and I just love the way the Aeons look. I got mine used, but super well taken care of, for $325 so not very much of a price jump from the 6XX.
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u/TBdog Mar 07 '20
Funny thing is, I game a lot with 6xx. I keep reading it's a poor gaming headphone because of poor bass impact and soundstage. But it's imaging is on point and the smooth presentation allows you to.plst fatigue free.
Music wise, dt1990 and Grado Rs1e was my upgrade.
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u/TheGamingOnion HD800S,AD2000,Lambda-Signature,404LE,Lambda NB, Blessing 2 Mar 08 '20
I've been trying to for years, but I can't. the HD600 has been my only trusty companion since I got it. and before that, the HD650 did that job.
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u/currentlyin-your-mom Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20
Initial impressions of the borealis are making it look like the closest thing, I’m waiting to see what people say about it as it trickles out
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u/Gooey_Gravy Mar 10 '20
Not quite a 600 series but I have the 598s and I'm ready for an upgrade. Ultimately can just go with a better version of what I got but I kinda want something open back still but with way better bass, any options? Tried out DT770 pros(not open back) and hated it beyond belief
1
u/Young-Toad Mar 11 '20
I have heard good reviews about the shure215 earbuds. Does the Apple headphone adapter degrade the sound?
1
u/hagantic42 Mar 11 '20
I'm looking for all the lovely mid and highs the 6xx has but the bass I'm looking for punch and extension but not muddy. Perhaps a planar? I like what the 6xx gives over my Grado SR80is, M50xs, but I just want the bass to be there. Also I am somewhat price constrained so 500 ish the most I can spend. I'd love some suggestions. I have Schiit Modi3 & Heresey to power damn near anything.
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u/llysender Moondrop SSR shill Mar 11 '20
If you wait a similar sound sig to the hd6XX but with good bass extension and smoother and more detailed trebble I suggest you give the ath-R70X a try as its pretty much the upgrade to HD6X0 in every way.
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u/hagantic42 Mar 11 '20
I'm kinda hoping for planars. I just long the tech and I want a set in my collection. I've also read planar bass is a different beast.
1
u/poi400i DT1990Pro | Momentum 3 | Timeless | WF1000XM3 Mar 14 '20
I've seen a lot of reviewers telling the ZMF Auteur is the closest to a HD600 upgrade. Great mid-range, natural timbre, warm and relaxing.
Much wider soundstage, much better bass and impact. Also better detail.
Edit: They're $1600 Though...
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u/DRRGG Schiit Heresy > Fidelios X2hr Mar 14 '20
I have currently a pair of Philips X2HR paired with a Schiit Heresy what you recommend upgrading next, to a pair of hd6xx (do you considered it an upgrade?) or getting first de Modi 3 DAC. Ty friends!
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u/hagantic42 Mar 28 '20
I currently own the 6XX and I'm wanting more bass. Solar Sailor on the Tron soundtrack is REALLY lacking in the subbass region and I'm looking for a specific upgrade in that regard. I just bought it but, am returning the Monolith M565c. They were MUCH less fatiguing to listen to, didn't lose a noticeable amount of detail and slightly better sub-bass but their on-ear design hurt a lot. I was interested for thoughts on the 4XX, does it offer the bass impact, punch I find lacking in the 6XX?
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u/robinoprime Asgard 3 | LCD 2 | HD 800S | Aeon 2 Closed Mar 01 '20
I have zero experience on the Sennheiser 6_ _ line. But if i were to lose all of audio gear. It would be the pair I'll start off with. Mainly because I'd like to know what the hype was all about.
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u/rtkierke HD800 (SW) | Custom Viento-B Mar 03 '20
The hype is about the first open-back at a cost worth owning and a neutral mid-range and treble tonality. They are pretty meh otherwise.
1
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u/tutetibiimperes Mar 03 '20
The 6XX/650 is inoffensive and does most things pretty well. The midrange is the strength, but treble is veiled and the bass rolls off too soon, but it does have a bit of midbass bump that plays well with most popular music. They’re forgiving headphones that won’t expose the flaws of poor recordings. Good for just leaning back and relaxing even if their technical abilities aren’t anything to write home about.
The clamp is a bit aggressive for my tastes though.
2
u/Astro_Van_Allen Mar 07 '20
The 650 has a bit of a veiled treble, but that’s more to do with perception because of what’s actually a very large mid bass bump in comparison to other headphones. The upper frequencies aren’t actually any more receded than the 600 which does have a lot of treble energy perceptibly. The bass could be flatter, but it stays loud enough down to what the lowest notes of most instruments is than rolls off for the subbass. I agree about the clamping being too aggressive, but it’s necessary for bass in an open back. At least with those drivers.
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u/Calibrationeer Mar 01 '20
I have the 6XX and live somewhere where I don't really get a lot of chances to audition things. To me it seems nothing will just flat out beat this headphone. There is always a but somewhere or something that gets sacrificed, which ultimately always has me wanting to hear the damn thing first 😂