The question that's been asked a thousand times. Which 600 series headphone would fit me best?

[Fosh612]

My songs are really different to john denver, rhcp to bon jovi. I realize the cans wouldn't fit the best of all of these but for the appropriate artists. Which would best fit? The sibilant tight hd 600, boring dark hd 650 or the extremely detailed 660's?

[LIGISTX]

42 minutes ago, Fosh612 said:

My songs are really different to john denver, rhcp to bon jovi. I realize the cans wouldn't fit the best of all of these but for the appropriate artists. Which would best fit? The sibilant tight hd 600, boring dark hd 650 or the extremely detailed 660's?

6xx’s. Like 200 bucks. Literally can not beat them for the price. With proper amp and dac driving them, they are legit end games headphones. I have used a pair driven by a tube amp the costs literally 10x as much as the headphones and a schiit bifrost, and they sounded absolutely unreal. I still enjoy mine with my Lyr 3 as well, and I have friends and my brother who enjoy them with a schiit stack. They just get better and better as you drive them better and better. 

[Fosh612]

14 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

6xx’s. Like 200 bucks. Literally can not beat them for the price. With proper amp and dac driving them, they are legit end games headphones. I have used a pair driven by a tube amp the costs literally 10x as much as the headphones and a schiit bifrost, and they sounded absolutely unreal. I still enjoy mine with my Lyr 3 as well, and I have friends and my brother who enjoy them with a schiit stack. They just get better and better as you drive them better and better. 

I didn't mention the 6xx but I was thinking the clarification between the two are minimal so I just listed the classic sennheiser model. I'm afraid thise are dark and I like treble. Just not painful lol. 

[LIGISTX]

7 minutes ago, Fosh612 said:

I didn't mention the 6xx but I was thinking the clarification between the two are minimal so I just listed the classic sennheiser model. I'm afraid thise are dark and I like treble. Just not painful lol. 

I think they are pretty amazing when driven well. With the same amp and dac setup we also tried my buddies hd850s’, and I didn’t like them as much. Just too much high end, they are fatiguing. They are certainly amazingly clear and the sound stage is unreal, but they are hard to listen to. 

[Fosh612]

16 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

I think they are pretty amazing when driven well. With the same amp and dac setup we also tried my buddies hd850s’, and I didn’t like them as much. Just too much high end, they are fatiguing. They are certainly amazingly clear and the sound stage is unreal, but they are hard to listen to. 

Unfortunately only got a schiit stack. I have heard about how dark they are. Doesn't sound too appealing but I'll look into it more. I currently use the hd 599's. Didn't mention that. 

[OfficialTechSpace]

They all have a tonne of issues, none of which make them worth the money. Unless you're a collector, avoid them entirely.

 

HD6XX also makes zero sense because it's a re-released HD650, so it doesn't have the same prestige by having it in your collection. They're all what I'd classify as vintage cans, and technically insufficient. Not competitive with modern times, but some are tuned reasonable well, like the HD600.

 

Here's my review of the HD6XX/HD650:

 

[OfficialTechSpace]

5 hours ago, LIGISTX said:

6xx’s. Like 200 bucks. Literally can not beat them for the price.  

Okay that's just plain wrong. Can beat them for less than half of the price, which is $240 plus shipping btw. Overrated vintage-sound. The only thing it has going for it is the brand name, tuning is what I'd consider passible. Should be $90 to be competitive in 2022.

 

HiFiMan HE400SE is $110, has more detail, better extension, wider soundstage, and better imaging. Very linear response, and no veil.

 

Beyerdynamic DT990 / TYGR 300R is $150, has more detail, better extension, wider soundstage, and better imaging. Elevated response in a few areas, and also not veiled.

 

AKG K612 Pro, and the Audio Technica ATH-R70x are all of the above as well. They're what the 600-series wishes they were.

[rice guru]

7 hours ago, Fosh612 said:

My songs are really different to john denver, rhcp to bon jovi. I realize the cans wouldn't fit the best of all of these but for the appropriate artists. Which would best fit? The sibilant tight hd 600, boring dark hd 650 or the extremely detailed 660's?

First of all the 600 is not at all sibilant.  The 650 isn't really that dark unless you have suffered hearing loss's, and 660 is detailed but so is the other 2. The 660 is probably closer to being sibilant then the 600. The safest bet imo is the 650 or 600 if your willing to at least get a schiit stack or similar. The 660 is decent if you want to stick to a piece of cheaper amp or dac as it is way more efficient. But for the music you stated my personal preference is the 650 followed by 600.

[LIGISTX]

5 hours ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

Okay that's just plain wrong. Can beat them for less than half of the price, which is $240 plus shipping btw. Overrated vintage-sound. The only thing it has going for it is the brand name, tuning is what I'd consider passible. Should be $90 to be competitive in 2022.

 

HiFiMan HE400SE is $110, has more detail, better extension, wider soundstage, and better imaging. Very linear response, and no veil.

 

Beyerdynamic DT990 / TYGR 300R is $150, has more detail, better extension, wider soundstage, and better imaging. Elevated response in a few areas, and also not veiled.

 

AKG K612 Pro, and the Audio Technica ATH-R70x are all of the above as well. They're what the 600-series wishes they were.

I really can’t disagree more. But sound is extremely subjective. There are objective parts to rating headphones, but at the end of the day it’s more subjective then objective. 
 

Comparing most of the sennheiser, multiple versions of tr-x00’s, some Sony’s some others I can’t recall the name of, and what ended up being my favorite the ZMF Eikons, the 6xx’s were my second favorite of the bunch with that particular amp and dac. 
 

On my Lyr 3, I prefer my tr-x00’s over the 6xx’s, but when driven by better gear I liked the 6xx’s more which I found interesting. 
 

I respected the 800s’ the most, but I would never “enjoy” listening to them for more then a quick comparative session. They offer amazing clarity, definition and sound stage, but after about 10 minutes they were not really enjoyable to listen to. 
 

This was the random assortment of stuff we were side by side comparing, and the three of us all came away with different ratings… because of the subjectivity of sound. But we all agreed 6xx’s punch well above their weight class and scale extraordinarily well; drive them better and they just get better and better more so then expected. 
 

But, I am by now means a professional, and the subset of cans I have listened to isn’t very large. But 6xx’s have blown me away. I guess I was fortunate to get them for 200 a few years ago, iirc that included shipping as well. 

[HumdrumPenguin]

11 hours ago, LIGISTX said:

6xx’s. Like 200 bucks. Literally can not beat them for the price. With proper amp and dac driving them, they are legit end games headphones. I have used a pair driven by a tube amp the costs literally 10x as much as the headphones and a schiit bifrost, and they sounded absolutely unreal. I still enjoy mine with my Lyr 3 as well, and I have friends and my brother who enjoy them with a schiit stack. They just get better and better as you drive them better and better. 

I know what you mean. The 6xx sounds unreal with proper amplification. Until last week I had a similar setup (15x the price of the headphones though), but now I'm transitioning to a smaller all in one box, the Timekeeper 3i for both speakers and headphones. The good thing about the 6xx is that it really rewards you every time you update your amp. I haven't come across anything like this. Maybe Focal Utopias, but even then not at the same scaling level.

[Fosh612]

5 hours ago, rice guru said:

First of all the 600 is not at all sibilant.  The 650 isn't really that dark unless you have suffered hearing loss's, and 660 is detailed but so is the other 2. The 660 is probably closer to being sibilant then the 600. The safest bet imo is the 650 or 600 if your willing to at least get a schiit stack or similar. The 660 is decent if you want to stick to a piece of cheaper amp or dac as it is way more efficient. But for the music you stated my personal preference is the 650 followed by 600.

I actually have a schstack already

[Spuriae]

The 600 and 650 aren't terribly different; just a slight, broad tuning shift. I'd just get the cheaper one (usually the HD6XX) and EQ in a bit more or less treble to your liking (and a decent bass shelf, if you want more bass). The HD650's headband is also slightly more comfortable IMO. The 660S and 58X are good in their own ways, but use a different driver that can't quite reproduce the special timbre of the 600/650, even with EQ.

 

I wouldn't describe the HD600 as sibilant, the HD650 as dark, or the HD660S as detailed. I'd describe the HD600 as bass-rolled neutral, the HD650 as warm neutral, and the HD660S as warm with a dash of false detail.

[Fosh612]

1 hour ago, Nimrodor said:

The 600 and 650 aren't terribly different; just a slight, broad tuning shift. I'd just get the cheaper one (usually the HD6XX) and EQ in a bit more or less treble to your liking (and a decent bass shelf, if you want more bass). The HD650's headband is also slightly more comfortable IMO. The 660S and 58X are good in their own ways, but use a different driver that can't quite reproduce the special timbre of the 600/650, even with EQ.

 

I wouldn't describe the HD600 as sibilant, the HD650 as dark, or the HD660S as detailed. I'd describe the HD600 as bass-rolled neutral, the HD650 as warm neutral, and the HD660S as warm with a dash of false detail.

Honestly might get the 6xx. Those are just cons I've heard. 

[OfficialTechSpace]

5 hours ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

I know what you mean. The 6xx sounds unreal with proper amplification.

6 hours ago, LIGISTX said:

But we all agreed 6xx’s punch well above their weight class and scale extraordinarily well; drive them better and they just get better and better more so then expected.

I don't think there's a single objectivist audiophile that'll agree with what you guys've said about scaling OR how high they punch in their weightclass. There comes a point when your amp measures better than the headphones themself, and there is no longer a benefit. It's all placebo. Also, running things through tubes adds a number of other issues. Like I said, should be $90 to remain competitive. Until you've heard a better headphone it's hard to put things into perspective though, so I understand the confusion.

32 minutes ago, Fosh612 said:

Honestly might get the 6xx. Those are just cons I've heard. 

If you've read anything I've said, you wouldn't even be considering that. If you'd like a headphone rankings list, check my bio or otherwise In Ear Fidelity. C-tier headphone by my standards.

[LIGISTX]

1 hour ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

Until you've heard a better headphone it's hard to put things into perspective though, so I understand the confusion.

Again, I very much disagree here. They were the “worst” headphones in the group of cans we had on hand. So to say “until you hear better headphones” is somewhat moronic. It would be hard to say 800s’ are not “better headphones”, same with the Eikons. 
 

When driven well, the 6xx’s are astoundingly good. 
 

Again, on my lyr 3 I enjoy my fostex more, they better suite my preference for more lows so I default to them over my 6xx’s on my own setup. But on a much better amp, I was more impressed by the 6xx’s, maybe that is partly just because of how much better they sounded when you start driving them better.

 

But, to each their own. I greatly prefer the sound of a tube, thus why I have a lyr 3. The tube “rounds off the corners”, and I enjoy that. 
 

1 hour ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

C-tier headphone by my standards

That is an extremely unique take…. 6xx’s are some of the best bang for buck options, and again, they scale amazingly. Calling them C tiger is a bit harsh, but, your entitled to your opinion and preference. But I have never heard them rated as C tier, especially at the price point.

 

If you want 6xx’s to be 90 dollars, should 599’s be 49 dollars? 280 pro’s be 34.99? Going bellow 35 bucks gets you actual trash, so that doesn’t exactly make much sense. But I have a pair of 599’s and 280’s as well, but they don’t even make my recommendation list when 6xx’s exist.

[Fosh612]

25 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

Again, I very much disagree here. They were the “worst” headphones in the group of cans we had on hand. So to say “until you hear better headphones” is somewhat moronic. It would be hard to say 800s’ are not “better headphones”, same with the Eikons. 
 

When driven well, the 6xx’s are astoundingly good. 
 

Again, on my lyr 3 I enjoy my fostex more, they better suite my preference for more lows so I default to them over my 6xx’s on my own setup. But on a much better amp, I was more impressed by the 6xx’s, maybe that is partly just because of how much better they sounded when you start driving them better.

 

But, to each their own. I greatly prefer the sound of a tube, thus why I have a lyr 3. The tube “rounds off the corners”, and I enjoy that. 
 

That is an extremely unique take…. 6xx’s are some of the best bang for buck options, and again, they scale amazingly. Calling them C tiger is a bit harsh, but, your entitled to your opinion and preference. But I have never heard them rated as C tier, especially at the price point.

 

If you want 6xx’s to be 90 dollars, should 599’s be 49 dollars? 280 pro’s be 34.99? Going bellow 35 bucks gets you actual trash, so that doesn’t exactly make much sense. But I have a pair of 599’s and 280’s as well, but they don’t even make my recommendation list when 6xx’s exist.

How are the high notes and treble on the 6xx again? I've heard they're so dark and I don't want pain but I do want some clear guitar strings and piano etc etc. 

[OfficialTechSpace]

50 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

Going bellow 35 bucks gets you actual trash, so that doesn’t exactly make much sense.

Koss KSC-75's are $20, and so is the Moondrop Chu. So that's a broad and knowledgeless stroke. Both of which also aren't dark or veiled, so I'd argue they have a better treble response than the HD6XX. They may lack some resolution by comparison, but they're better tuned.

50 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

If you want 6xx’s to be 90 dollars, should 599’s be 49 dollars? 280 pro’s be 34.99?

Yes exactly, that's what they should be priced as to remain competitive in this modern climate, or outright be discontinued.

[Fosh612]

5 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

Koss KSC-75's are $20, and so is the Moondrop Chu. So that's a broad and knowledgeless stroke.

Yes exactly, that's what they should be priced as to remain competitive in this modern climate, or outright be discontinued.

I'd go right for the anandas if it weren't for worries for qc from hifiman

[OfficialTechSpace]

5 minutes ago, Fosh612 said:

I'd go right for the anandas if it weren't for worries for qc from hifiman

That's an old and silly concern. Those are nearly decade-old QC issues that've been since FAR resolved. I own the Ananda's personally.

[LIGISTX]

12 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

Yes exactly, that's what they should be priced as to remain competitive in this modern climate, or outright be discontinued.

That is the most wild take I have ever heard. But. To each their own. 
 

You have a good amp and DAC, right? I assume you must… but this is very confusing to me, thus the question. 

[OfficialTechSpace]

4 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

You have a good amp and DAC, right? I assume you must… but this is very confusing to me, thus the question. 

SMSL SP200 THX-888 AAA amp, with SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII DAC. All in my signature.

[LIGISTX]

25 minutes ago, Fosh612 said:

How are the high notes and treble on the 6xx again? I've heard they're so dark and I don't want pain but I do want some clear guitar strings and piano etc etc. 

Personally I think they are solid. Not in your face, not over the top. There are certainly options that have better highs, but I can listen to 6xx’s for many, many hours and it’s not fatiguing at all. 
 

As a comparison, 800s’ are extremely good highs, I would describe them as “transformative”, but after 10 minutes I had to take them off and say “these are not for me”. Impressive, yes, 100%. But not something I’d want in my life beyond just having them to introduce people to what clarity in a headphone can be. 

[Fosh612]

6 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

That's an old and silly concern. Those are nearly decade-old QC issues that've been since FAR resolved. I own the Ananda's personally.

I see you rated them very well. I heard that the customer service is well. 

[LIGISTX]

3 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

SMSL SP200 THX-888 AAA amp, with SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII DAC. All in my signature.

Have you used higher end gear to drive your cans? I wonder if your opinions would change. I would argue if you have not used a higher end amp, it isn’t really fair to say you don’t agree the 6xx’s don’t scale. They are a bit modest with a modest amount (while I still like them a lot) but they only get better when driven better. It really is impressive. 

[OfficialTechSpace]

3 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

Have you used higher end gear to drive your cans? I wonder if your opinions would change. I would argue if you have not used a higher end amp, it isn’t really fair to say you don’t agree the 6xx’s don’t scale. They are a bit modest with a modest amount (while I still like them a lot) but they only get better when driven better. It really is impressive. 

That's scientifically impossible to my knowledge, but I'd love to believe that. My DAC/Amp measures cleaner than the headphones themselves, so anything beyond them could be chalked up to either placebo, or a colored DAC/Amp tonality. Tube amps on top of that add distortions.