Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones

Headphones have much lower distortion than speakers, especially at modestly loud levels. You need an extremely good speaker to begin to compete with headphones. However, the sound is in your head...it really is a rather unnatural sensation - no depth to the soundstage. I am not a fan of headphones (versus speakers) except for technical evaluation of distortion - when they may help.

Great headphones. Try one of the aftermarket Zu Mobius cables and they get even better. Also the tube headphone amps from Singlepower are very good with the HD650.

I lurked into Headphone land about 4 years ago right before my son was born, thinking that I would probably not be able to do much listening to my main system at full level after he was born. (As I do a lot of late night listening.)

I diligently participated in the forums over at Head-Fi.org and went to all the local meets for a period of about two years. I now own 4 pairs of head phones and 5 headphone amps. There are just as many headphone choices as there are speakers out there. I made a decision early that I would stick with the Senn HD600. It's a great headphone for the money. I got the itch one year, and bought the HD650 for my birthday. Also have a pair of Grado SR-60 at work, and a pair of Etymotic ER-4S for on the road.

I primarily listen to Jazz, and the headstage thing just drives me nuts every time I listen to Jazz. Yes, for the money, you cannot beat what you get out of a good headphone setup. But I'll take a pair of speakers any day.

To my surprise, my son sleeps through most of the time when I play music. Or we enjoy music together. He has short attention span, so most of the time we don't play LPs but CDs. So now my headphone gear just sits there and gets turned on maybe once or twice a month.

The stock HD650 cable is pretty decent, but there are several aftermarket cables that work really well. Check out the comparison over at Head-Fi.org. I personally like the Zu Mobius/HD650 combo. And a decent headphone amp really makes it sing.

On Head-Fi, you'll find different camps when it comes to headphones. Senns are popular, so are the various expensive Grados (RS-1, PH1000, etc.), AKG, Beyerdynamics and Stax are also popular. The most high-end current production model is probably the Sony (I forgot the model). You have to make an appointment and go to a selected store to get custom fitted for a pair that will ding you US$5k. The most desirable is the Sennheiser Orpheus. They are no longer made. If you were one of the lucky ones that had purchased one when they first came out, you can sell them and double or triple the money you paid originally.

FrankC

Some Great information as always. Thanks guys. I will look into getting a Zu cable.

Yes, the soundstage is missing but seems to be a good alternative when laying flat on your back in bed late at night.

Regards,
Dan