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Member Back to Top Post by solderdude on

I heard one of the first production models today.

It came straight from the factory in Germany.



What it is ?

Well it looks exactly like an all black HD650.

It sounds similar to an HD650 as well.

Only heard it with 2 songs I am not totally familiar with but it sounded good.

A bit more subbass for sure . [edit] was the music used which had deep subbass to show off the goods at the show it seems.

Pleasant in the treble a lot like the HD650.



Not the same drivers though.

Different damping scheme in any case.



It has the familiar HD650 connectors and looks but as said all black.

Clamping force was high.

The pads also differ a bit.

They are slightly deeper and have edges that are getting smaller near the edge.



Because of this they aren't as comfy as HD650 pads as with the high clamping force you also have less surface and thus more local pressure around the ears.



The price is around 500 Euros.

So inbetween HD650 and HD700.



Liked it far better than HD700.

It is kind of an improved HD650 in my view.



Alas I haven't spent much more time on it.





They also had the Orpheus (HE1)and had a listen to that one.



Have to agree with Sennheiser... best headphone ever made.

Effortless, deep bass.

Everything was easy to pinpoint.

Marvelous separation of instruments.

Better than HD800 for sure.

Nothing I could mark as problematic... except for the price.



The guy behind the table knew what he was talking about and discussed the driver construction at length.

Completely different from what's been made previously.





At the show there were also 2 Kennertons.

They are even heavier than HE-6 and LCD-2 etc.

Nicely made. Nice bass, slightly laid back. Not bad at all.

The cheaper one was slightly less in performance.



The headphone I came for wasn't there yet.

The open Aeon flow.

But the closed one was there.

From all the headphones I heard there (not many) this one came closest to the HE-1 !

Fortunately the guy who now represents mrSpeakers is close-by (Ears Unlimited) and will visit him in the near future and measure the mr Speakers line-up as well as Staxes which he also sells.



The Aeon flow is 'affordable' and very comfy for me.

Affordable but not cheap but cheaper than a new HD800.



That one might be on my list, at least the open version when it becomes available here.



Yes, this is no typo.... HD660S I heard one of the first production models today.It came straight from the factory in Germany.What it is ?Well it looks exactly like an all black HD650.It sounds similar to an HD650 as well.Only heard it with 2 songs I am not totally familiar with but it sounded good.. [edit]Pleasant in the treble a lot like the HD650.Not the same drivers though.Different damping scheme in any case.It has the familiar HD650 connectors and looks but as said all black.Clamping force was high.The pads also differ a bit.They are slightly deeper and have edges that are getting smaller near the edge.Because of this they aren't as comfy as HD650 pads as with the high clamping force you also have less surface and thus more local pressure around the ears.The price is around 500 Euros.So inbetween HD650 and HD700.Liked it far better than HD700.It is kind of an improved HD650 in my view.Alas I haven't spent much more time on it.They also had the Orpheus (HE1)and had a listen to that one.Have to agree with Sennheiser... best headphone ever made.Effortless, deep bass.Everything was easy to pinpoint.Marvelous separation of instruments.Better than HD800 for sure.Nothing I could mark as problematic... except for the price.The guy behind the table knew what he was talking about and discussed the driver construction at length.Completely different from what's been made previously.At the show there were also 2 Kennertons.They are even heavier than HE-6 and LCD-2 etc.Nicely made. Nice bass, slightly laid back. Not bad at all.The cheaper one was slightly less in performance.The headphone I came for wasn't there yet.The open Aeon flow.But the closed one was there.From all the headphones I heard there (not many) this one came closest to the HE-1 !Fortunately the guy who now represents mrSpeakers is close-by (Ears Unlimited) and will visit him in the near future and measure the mr Speakers line-up as well as Staxes which he also sells.The Aeon flow is 'affordable' and very comfy for me.Affordable but not cheap but cheaper than a new HD800.That one might be on my list, at least the open version when it becomes available here.

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Member Back to Top Post by solderdude on Yep, exactly the same as HD650 except in all matt black.

Nice looking and sounding.



But yes a high clamping force, probably to get a good seal for bass response with the stiff pads.



Liking the old HD650 pads much better.



Open back or closed back doesn't matter much for bass seal.

The 'chamber' between the driver and ear must be sealed regardless of what happens in the rear of the driver.



There are 'tricks' that manufacturers can do to minimize that effect by using porting from rear to front of the driver for instance.

This will make the bass roll-off less severe when the seal is broken but roll-off it will.

Another trick is to create a (partial) leak on purpose like with some Sony's and the HD800 for instance.



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Member Back to Top Post by Rabbit on Even with 414s or Grados, there is a ‘physical’ impedance on the ear side so there are probably still interactions that take place. Some headphones need a high resistance, as in sealed headphones and some just need a wall to play against.



If you took measurements of a Grado or 414 in space, in front of the driver, there would be a different measurement.



It’s quite complex really and even the heads used for measuring might be different, due to the ‘absorbtion’ of the material they’re made of compared to skin and bone!!



I guess that’s why we all probably hear slightly differently due to where are ears are and the shape of them.....



Some headphones rely on physical impedance more than others though.

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Member Back to Top Post by solderdude on hifidez said: oldson said:

i did not know a good seal was important for bass on open phones.



i do now im showing my ignorance again......i did not know a good seal was important for bass on open phones.i do now

When you consider the famous Sennheiser HD414 or various Grados with their open-foam pads, you would be excused for thinking that wouldn't you? Depends on the design I suppose.



Not to mention the Koss Portapro etc.



With these headphones too the thickness of the foam is important to get a proper seal.

Just press any of those uppies against the ears and you will notice the bass goes up.

When the foam degrades as well as they compress more easily.

People tend to think they are 'burned in' and say... well bass improved and the treble is smoother while in reality the driver did not change.

Only the pad thickness and thus (partial) seal.



With Grado's you can change the sonic signature with different pads which have a different permeability and thickness as well as shape.



A partial loss in air pressure on the business side is essential for these headphones.

As is with the HD800.

That one looks pretty 'sealed' but the metal mesh is a bit open and needed for some 'leakage'.

Not to mention the Koss Portapro etc.With these headphones too the thickness of the foam is important to get a proper seal.Just press any of those uppies against the ears and you will notice the bass goes up.When the foam degrades as well as they compress more easily.People tend to think they are 'burned in' and say... well bass improved and the treble is smoother while in reality the driver did not change.Only the pad thickness and thus (partial) seal.With Grado's you can change the sonic signature with different pads which have a different permeability and thickness as well as shape.A partial loss in air pressure on the business side is essential for these headphones.As is with the HD800.That one looks pretty 'sealed' but the metal mesh is a bit open and needed for some 'leakage'.

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Member Back to Top Post by solderdude on timjthomas said: Interesting Frans. Sounds like the Aeon Flow is a "better buy" than the HD800. Do you think it will take well to the Kameleon, and if so, be a better headphone than the HD800?



Can't say that yet.

Didn't play with it for long nor measure it yet.

Waiting for the open Aeon to arrive.



The HD800 is open with very large pads. It is very comfortable and with the proper EQ sounds excellent.

Soundstage and 'separation' in that case isn't far off from the Orpheus.

Still a little bit behind the Orpheus but think it can be excused.



The Aeon closed (which I heard) is much smaller around the ears.

Comfort is great and the pads soft and comfortable.

I suppose the ears will get warmer sooner on the Aeon.



The Aeon has slightly more bass than HD800 on Kameleon.

About the same tightness.

The Aeon has slightly more treble than the HD800 on Kameleon.



When you don't want to EQ and driver directly from a phone the Aeon is a no-brainer.



Better than HD800 ? can't say yet.

I did prefer it over the open Ether-flow though which was a bit un-engaging in comparison.



Price wise... the HD800 + Kameleon is about twice as expensive as the Aeon.



One might think that the HD800+Kameleon would be a good desktop set.

The Aeon closed better for dragging it along/portable duties and holidays.



It may be one of the best closed headphones in the higher price class around.

The slight over emphasis on the treble could possibly be helped with 1 ply of toilet paper... but can't say for sure ... yet.

Can't say that yet.Didn't play with it for long nor measure it yet.Waiting for the open Aeon to arrive.The HD800 is open with very large pads. It is very comfortable and with the proper EQ sounds excellent.Soundstage and 'separation' in that case isn't far off from the Orpheus.Still a little bit behind the Orpheus but think it can be excused.The Aeon closed (which I heard) is much smaller around the ears.Comfort is great and the pads soft and comfortable.I suppose the ears will get warmer sooner on the Aeon.The Aeon has slightly more bass than HD800 on Kameleon.About the same tightness.The Aeon has slightly more treble than the HD800 on Kameleon.When you don't want to EQ and driver directly from a phone the Aeon is a no-brainer.Better than HD800 ? can't say yet.I did prefer it over the open Ether-flow though which was a bit un-engaging in comparison.Price wise... the HD800 + Kameleon is about twice as expensive as the Aeon.One might think that the HD800+Kameleon would be a good desktop set.The Aeon closed better for dragging it along/portable duties and holidays.It may be one of the best closed headphones in the higher price class around.The slight over emphasis on the treble could possibly be helped with 1 ply of toilet paper... but can't say for sure ... yet.

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Member Back to Top Post by solderdude on techboy said: Is it brighter than a HD 600/650? More detailed than 700/800?



No and no.



In the short time I heard it on the unfamiliar songs I would say a HD650 with more subbass tighter bass.

Nothing like the (below par) HD700 and (excellent when EQ'ed) HD800.



For 300 more than the HD660S you can buy the Aeon.

To me that is the better headphone, others may well disagree.

No and no.In the short time I heard it on the unfamiliar songs I would say a HD650 withtighter bass.Nothing like the (below par) HD700 and (excellent when EQ'ed) HD800.For 300 more than the HD660S you can buy the Aeon.To me that is the better headphone, others may well disagree.

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Member Back to Top Post by solderdude on fanda said:



Hoping they continue production of 600/650 as this could well result a significant drop in price for those models. So they are finally updating the 600 series. Is the headband construction the same or similar to 650? I was able to reduce the 650 clamping force by bending the metal portion slightly.Hoping they continue production of 600/650 as this could well result a significant drop in price for those models.



Yep, they told me they took the complaints of the HD650 serious and constructed this one.

It costs more though.



EXACTLY the same construction as HD6x0... just all black.

The Massdrop HD6xx looks, but all black instead of very dark blue.

That's probably why the HD6xx is very dark blue and not all black.

I figured Senn said no to an all black version for Massdrop as they were already working on the HD660S.

To be clear the Massdrop HD6xx = an ordinary HD650 with a cheaper paintjob and different cable.



Looked really nice ... all black.



My complaints... the price, the clamping force and the thin area of the pads touching the skin.



The HD650 and HD700 will remain in production.

No price drop for those headphones.



The HD660 is close to the HD650, just a bit more expensive.

Yep, they told me they took the complaints of the HD650 serious and constructed this one.It costs more though.EXACTLY the same construction as HD6x0... just all black.The Massdrop HD6xx looks, but all black instead of very dark blue.That's probably why the HD6xx is very dark blue and not all black.I figured Senn said no to an all black version for Massdrop as they were already working on the HD660S.To be clear the Massdrop HD6xx = an ordinary HD650 with a cheaper paintjob and different cable.Looked really nice ... all black.My complaints... the price, the clamping force and the thin area of the pads touching the skin.The HD650 and HD700 will remain in production.No price drop for those headphones.The HD660 is close to the HD650, just a bit more expensive.