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Eezywhippet t1_ja9e489 wrote

HD 650/6XX don't have a wow factor, and that's kind of their thing. They just sound right to me. IMO, a wow factor comes from something being over done, whether its soundstage, treble etc. But after the novelty wears off, it becomes bothersome. I think people love the hd650/6XX and 600 because they are just easy and wonderful to listen to, even for long periods. They take a bit of getting used to if you're coming from something with a little more "pazzaz". But long term the 650/6XX are great. I suggest listening to them for a week or two exclusively and then go back to the akg and Hifiman and you'll probably feel differently about them..... or maybe not. 😁

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pkelly500 t1_jab3nzu wrote

Bingo. The HD 6XX is all about exquisite timbre and mids. Yes, HiFiMan has more air and sparkle, at the expense of a more thin, metallic timbre.

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09212 t1_jac2wrf wrote

>a wow factor comes from something being over done, whether it’s soundstage, treble etc

based as fuck, and very well said

the “wow factor” that people mention with the hd6x0 series only really occurs when people go from their beats or $20 earphones to a proper headphone for the very first time. i’m sure of this — especially considering the hd600 and hd650 are the most popular choices when it comes to reference open-backs

my r70x also sounds just right. it’s insanely neutral. yet i still experienced the “wow factor” purely because i’d never heard good sound before. i would’ve experienced the same thing if i’d went with an hd650 instead, but if i were to buy one now i’d probably feel like i wasted my money.

diminishing returns are huge in this hobby. it’s kinda crazy how some people just aren’t aware of that

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sustained_vibrations t1_ja9mxt9 wrote

Perfectly said. Switching between the XS and 6xx repeatedly is the perfect loop for me.

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radrod69 t1_jac2k7q wrote

This was my experience trying the 6xx coming from an Arya Stealth. At first, I couldn't stand listening to them due to their small soundstage, but after a couple of days I got used to it and was able to appreciate them for what they were. Eventually, I couldn't throw the Aryas back on; it turned out I much preferred the Sennheiser tonality over the Arya's. For my music preferences (music with vocals essentially), the 6xx was a much better match.

I did prefer listening to instrumental music through the Hifimans, but I realized I only listened to those genres as much as I did because I had the them. Once I got the 6xx, instrumentals became again a small portion of my listening time, and thus I could no longer justify keeping the Arya and I returned them.

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TaliskerBay22 t1_jabsyex wrote

That is absolutely right. For me though all the Sennheiser 6xx series does not work so well for orchestral music. Everything is on top of each other.

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rob417 OP t1_jad46ph wrote

Absolutely. Listening to anything with an orchestra with the 6xx just sounds weird. Everything is jumbled together right next to my ears and it's just not a great experience. Listening to the same orchestral music with my Hifiman is much more comfortable.

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