Sennheiser HD650 vs. HD600

Posted by: pslosarc on 15 February 2004

Just bought a pair of HD650's to replace my well loved and cherished HD600's following the review in Hi-Fi World.

I must say I was a little sceptical as to whether it would be worth the upgrade (£250), however I have to say that the difference is huge, and well worth the price.

The HD650's are particularly well matched to the characteristics of the new Naim sound and in particular the CDS3 (they could almost have been designed for the CDS3). The sound is particularly engaging and more musical, with suberb timing & dynamics across the range, sweeter treble, deeper more sculptured bass.

The notes talk about the design of the HD650's being aimed at 'music lovers who want to feel the sound more instead of analysing it' - now where have I heard that before.

I can see the HD650's being a perfect match and becoming very popular with the new Naim Reference series. The only down side is at the end of the night you end up dancing alone.....
Posted on: 16 February 2004 by Chris Metcalfe
I've just tried them at home against my HD600s. I'd agree with you about the bass and the sense of rhythm, momentum etc. Not entirely sure that they're as detailed in the mid and top as the HD600s, which are exemplary in this respect. This could be a 'burn-in' issue (the 650s I tried were unused), but this normally applies more to bass freedom than upper frequencies. Different, certainly....
Posted on: 16 February 2004 by Top Cat
Interesting. I'm sticking with my 600s, complete with hugely modified X-Can v2. Not heard anything on this planet so far that can compete in detail and dynamic terms, though of course speakers remain my preferred option...

John