Sennheiser HD 660 S vs HD650 vs HD6XX

I've not heard the Sennheiser HD650 or the 660s but I have heard the new HD599s which are supposed to be up there with the long standing legendary HD600.

In a straight comparison I found the HiFiMAN 400se to be considerably more life-like than the HD 599.

If funds allow then the HiFiMAN Sundara is probably as good a headphone as anyone will ever need and should be on your list.

I've listened to the HD599s and the 400s through a dedicated headphone amp and through the headphone jack on my Xiaomi phone.

With well recorded music (Lambchop, Diana Krall Live) through the headphone amp the HiFiMAN 400s were easily better than the Sennheisers.

With less well recorded music (Cat Steven' s Mona Bone Jakon and Bowie's Reality etc) through the headphone amp the gap narrowed considerably but was still perceptible.

Through the smartphone alone, the gap had more or less disappeared.

The first conclusion I drew was that the smartphone couldn't optimally drive the HiFiMAN phones to demonstrate their superiority.

The second conclusion (more or less a given with any audiophile comparison, as anyone who's been to a show will appreciate) was that it's only with high quality recordings that sonic differences become more apparent.

Take this with a grain of salt since I'm not an everyday headphone listener.I really like the Sennhieser HD650s.Female vocals especially are absolutely gorgeous and the bass is very good. I do listen to some not so great recordings and I like the fact that they're more forgiving of those.They're also very comfortable. My two cents:-)

I’ve auditioned or owned all of the above.

HD660s is a bix more relaxed-sounding. The HD 6XX is produced by way of collaboration with a company called DROP, which as you may already know, produces some discounted audio gear. Manufacturers cut corners where possible, and then sell to DROP. They then sell the product to you...

I believe the HD650 is a bit better though, right across the board in terms of a more neutral sonic presenation. Most headphones will have a sound of their own; rather than be a chameleon that takes on the color of the source component/amp.

Headphones that don’t have a sound of their own are truly accurate. They will reveal problems in a recording; such as sharp or unpleasant peaks, yet with really good recordings can also sound a bit warm, without harshness or grain.

rec Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee, 150 ohm + 104 dB at 1V, 1 kHz spl,    https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sennheiser/hd-58x-jubilee   

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