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Listening to my HD650's, a sobering experience...

My fellow audiophiles, I'm a bit depressed. Please let me take a moment & jump up on my soap box and vent a little..

A couple months a go I picked up a pair of the excellent Sennheiser HD650's, to replace my venerable HD600's.

While I primarily listen to my "big rig", during the evening hours I am relegated to listening to the cans to keep the peace around the house.

So, I'm listening to a couple discs recently re-processed and re-transformed by the Reality Check CD-R process (more to come, see www.positivefeedback.com, Clark Johnson's report for details -- EVERYONE should check into this, but I digress...) when it dawns on me how much more detailed, relaxed, natural, musical, REAL -- well you pick your adjective, EVERYTHING sounds through the headphones.

It just really makes me realize that even as good as I think my big, honkin' EXPENSIVE main system is, there's STILL a helluva lot of information that's in those little pits that I'm just not hearing.

Just HOW friggin' high up on the scale do you have to go to get this "HD650" type of reproduction in your listening room anyway???

Is it even POSSIBLE????

Since I'm using my CD player as the same source for both the 'phones and the main speakers, I guess I can rule it out as the culprit. Must be in the speakers, amp, room acoustics, or a combination of all.

Not like my system is a "lightweight" by any means, and I'm generally happy listening to it, but...

I know, I know, SELL MY HD650's, right?!

My main system; MArtin Logan Prodigys, Halo JC-1 amps, Audio Aero Capitole 24/192, Analysis Plus cables, PS Audio P300, SoundString cables, Acoustic Zen AC cords, dedicated AC lines, dedicated soundroom, and one slightly depressed and frustrated audio-dude.

Headphone System: A. Aero Capitole, Wheatfield OTL tube headphone amp, Sennheiser HD650 (with STOCK cord, how good are they gonna sound when I get that Silver Moon replacement cord???).

Oh well, thanks for lending an ear (or eye, in this case) and Happy Holidays everyone. I've been pretty good this year, so maybe Santa will leave a set of Lamm's in my stocking and a pair of DALI Magelines under the tree.
denf
larryi
3,757 posts
 
I have a pair of Stax Omega II headphones (same thing as Xiekitchen) which I rarely use. I like the sound of music emanating from real space, not sounds in my head.

Phones are great if detail is placed above all other consideration. The Stax are so amazingly detailed and free of any transient overhang -- small phono ticks and pops come and go so fast with good phones you come to realize how much fullixixed speakers are prone to resonance. But, that kind of detail can become a bit exhausting.

Also, my Stax sound dry and analytical and cold with my current complement of equipment; they really only sounded their best when I tried them in a system with crazy expensive Audionote equipment (M-8 linestage, DAC-5 signature for CD).
ellery911
549 posts
 
Robm321 summed it up for me with headphones stating that the soundstage is in your head...drives me crazy.

just my 2c
david_berry
211 posts
 
Denf,

I hear you loud and clear.
I also have a good 2 channel system (that is ever evolving - I should update my profile :)); however, I feel that when I put my headphones on (Senn 600 / Corda HA-1 MkII), I seem to relax more. No worrying about sitting in the sweet spot. Not worrying if the loudness is bothering anyone else in the family. Realizing that I am getting this incrediable sound for a small fraction of what I paid for my 2 channel system.
Just seemingly, a lot less fussiness or tweaks required.
david_berry
211 posts
 
Unclejeff:

"...except when no volumn setting whatsoever is low enough for the wife."

:)

That exact situation happens many times in our house. This was one of the main reasons why I bought a headphone setup.
megasam's avatar
megasam
798 posts
 
Denf.....what about the CDR you got from Reality Check?

I have had good results playing with my outboard CDR drive and am seriously considering getting $500 custom CDR duplication decks offered by this company. What are your findings so far?

Please start new thread here, we have briefly mentioned this in a couple related threads about CDRs and I saw recently a few people at AA have been to guys house that sells these see/hear for themselves.
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