My 15 year Old Sennheiser HD650 need replacing

[kingcobbler]

My 15 year old sennheisser hd650 are finally falling apart!

what should I replace them with?

have about £400 Ish to spend, (the 650s were 300 15 years ago!)need super natural sound quality with plenty of volume capability. Is it just another of hd650’s?
happy for them to be wired and open backed, HD700 / 660S??

I only put the headphones on when people are I bed for some loud dance tunes.

cheers

 

[Steven]

Where are they 'falling apart' as Sennheiser direct or many third parties everywhere sell spare parts. Can basically build a HD650 from ordering parts

 

[kingcobbler]

Very true.... just fancy splashing some cash on something new, maybe a small upgrade?

the worst bit on my current pair is the foam under the bit that goes over the head, and the foam closest to the eat is beginning to go. To be honest the sound is still ok

just thought I deserved a new pair 😃 I’ve saved £100+ per month since March working from home cos of Covid and need a treat!

 

[BlueOrange25]

I tried out the HD 660S. Similar sound to the HD 650 but the 660S may be better for dance music. (I tested it with some Daft Punk and liked it.)

Unfortunately, I thought the retail price of the HD 660S was too steep; it's more of a different version of Sennheiser's 6-- series rather than an upgrade/improvement. That being said, if I could get the HD 660S on a good deal (Amazon Warehouse), I'd have considered it more.

For the budget, the HiFiMan Sundara is popular but the company has a questionable track record with QC. (I've not tried them.)

Another alternative is as Steven has suggested. As long as the effort and cost to fix your existing pair isn't too bad, it should be an option.

For some reason, headphones tend to have a bass/treble focus or are neutral. The nice balance of the HD 650 is quite hard to find, especially factoring build quality and being able to replace parts.

 

[Steven]

If it was my money, I would buy a replacement headband and ear pads (lots of YouTube if you want guidance on fitting)

New pads in particular should refresh the sound. Used pads will be flat and compressed after so much time

Definitely keep them. Vintage drivers that are not even available anymore. Production moved to Romania

Replace ear pads on HD580 Precision headphones

My trusty old Sennheiser HD580 headphones are in need of some attention, the ear pads are badly worn and so is the headband padding. I mainly use these headphones connected to my synthesizers and they get a lot of use... Does anyone have experience of replacing the ear pads and maybe the...

www.avforums.com

And save the money or else maybe blind buy a budget tube headphone amp such as the darkvoice

I honestly regard all headphones £300 to £1k* as side grades to the HD600 / HD650. Rather than mess about in mid fi purgatory I'd rather keep the money or properly save up and start looking at high end Focal or ZMF

*I have not heard everything, YMMV

 

[kingcobbler]

thanks for the info, I think I will keep them. Will take a look at some you tube videos to see how easy the headband is to fit.

 

[Dixie4]

I bought the HD660S about a month ago & they're absolutely brilliant, with every music genre.

 

[rabidrat50]

I bought the HD660S about a month ago & they're absolutely brilliant, with every music genre.

I found they work especially well with female vocals and instruments. I’m using a JDS Labs Atom amp & a Topping D50s DAC though I’m thinking of upgrading my amp to a Topping A50S when it comes out and getting the P50 Linear power supply to see if I can eek out extra performance on the dac

 

[HMHB]

I replaced the earpads on my 580s and it was quite painless to do... if I can do it then anyone can I got the earpads from Amazon and I know you can get the headband padding as well. They aren't exactly cheap but I think worth it for making old headphones feel like new again.
My headband padding needs replacing as well so I will be looking at doing that soon.

 

[rabidrat50]

I would love to know other peoples take on custom headphone cables (U.K. manufacturers preferred) I am using the stock i need to replace my headphone cable on my Sennheiser HD660s so I am wondering if a custom cable upgrade will improve the sound quality with my existing system of Atom Amp & Topping D50s Dac

 

[dannnielll]

I would love to know other peoples take on custom headphone cables (U.K. manufacturers preferred) I am using the stock i need to replace my headphone cable on my Sennheiser HD660s so I am wondering if a custom cable upgrade will improve the sound quality with my existing system of Atom Amp & Topping D50s Dac

The senns seem to be rather particular about the cables they use. .. little things like clearance for the plugs to mate properly

 

[rabidrat50]

The senns seem to be rather particular about the cables they use. .. little things like clearance for the plugs to mate properly

Yes I’ve heard that too, though have seen a lot of custom cables using the readily available 2 pin connectors but I need to look at the user reviews. The sennheiser stock cables seem to have disappointing build quality.

 

[Steven]

"Seem"? Is that nervosa based on appearances or actual user experience of an issue

I have owned the stock HD600 cable (the one with 3.5mm termination) and stock HD650 cable (with 6.3mm termination) for 12 and 8 years respectively. My concern about durability is nonexistent and even if an issue were to arise the internet says they would cost £23 and £13 respectively to replace (not sure why better built HD650 cable is so much cheaper but there you go).

 

[rabidrat50]

"Seem"? Is that nervosa based on appearances or actual user experience of an issue

I have owned the stock HD600 cable (the one with 3.5mm termination) and stock HD650 cable (with 6.3mm termination) for 12 and 8 years respectively. My concern about durability is nonexistent and even if an issue were to arise the internet says they would cost £23 and £13 respectively to replace (not sure why better built HD650 cable is so much cheaper but there you go).

Well it’s actually based on experience on owning sennheisers with cables .. perhaps I’ve been unlucky but I’ve had faulty HD 25 cables faulty 540 reference II cables faulty hd 595 cables, faulty hd600 cables ( from new twice) now faulty HD660s cable after only 3 weeks of actual use. I’m not saying they aren’t inexpensive but I’ve read on the forums and know from personal experiences that there are problems. I’m glad you haven’t had any but my main question was was it worth paying extra money for a higher quality eg silver coated POFC copper headphone to use with my system.

 

[kb33]

Maybe look at the new Sennheiser HD560S I have preordered (due out this week ) intial reviews are very good ....And the price is even better

 

[Qactuar]

Maybe look at the new Sennheiser HD560S I have preordered (due out this week ) intial reviews are very good ....And the price is even better

I was about to suggest the same thing. Seems the atom amp and DAC go well with it.

 

[Steven]

The HD560S is not a replacement for the HD6XX series

DMS is not a reliable YouTube reviewer. Anyone who cannot hear the skewed treble on Beyerdynamic has no credibility. You can still like Beyerdynamic, but to not hear something so obvious means your ears need calling out

 

[Qactuar]

The HD560S is not a replacement for the HD6XX series

DMS is not a reliable YouTube reviewer. Anyone who cannot hear the skewed treble on Beyerdynamic has no credibility. You can still like Beyerdynamic, but to not hear something so obvious means your ears need calling out

I don't think anyone said it was a replacement?

 

[kb33]

DMS seems pretty credible over on hifi.org plus there are more reviews now and agree with his findings ( mostly )
I’ll get my 560S this week from sennheiser, there’s a 60 day return policy , so no harm in trying them .
I hear also they have sold out of the first batch of 560’s

 

[Steven]

Everyone should respect money but the new 560S are priced low enough as you are going to get to take a blind buy punt

 

[Qactuar]

Everyone should respect money but the new 560S are priced low enough as you are going to get to take a blind buy punt

£170 is still a lot of money to most people, but yes in the premium-esque headphone market, it's a decent entry price. Can't think of many who'd blind buy £170 still!

If they are as good as suggested though, I hope they don't have a hike. Doesn't seem very much like Sennheiser, but if they've created a golden price point, they'd also be mad not to.

 

[kb33]

You could just blind buy them and return them if you're not happy ?

 

[Qactuar]

You could just blind buy them and return them if you're not happy ?

Me? Not in the market this month, already bought a 4k monitor 😂

 

[Gray3]

I found they work especially well with female vocals and instruments. I’m using a JDS Labs Atom amp & a Topping D50s DAC though I’m thinking of upgrading my amp to a Topping A50S when it comes out and getting the P50 Linear power supply to see if I can eek out extra performance on the dac

Just wondered if you went for an A50S in the end.
And if so, how it compared with your Atom.