Audio Equipment
- Thread starter ddrueding
- Start date
So my HD6XX headphone arrived on Friday. I gave them a quick listen yesterday just to make sure they worked. They seem to be working okay. Nothing immediately objectionable about the sound. As I expected they're a little different in sound from some of the other headphones I have (which don't all sound the same either). I'll give them a better listen in the near future.
So I've listened to them much closer and longer this morning from my Sony NW-A35 Walkman. They image very nicely and have good clarity and transparency without being overly bright or glaring. I do wish they had a little more low end thump at the very bottom though.
According to all accounts the HD6XX are the HD650's with a shorter cord and slightly different cosmetics.
According to all accounts the HD6XX are the HD650's with a shorter cord and slightly different cosmetics.
So I ordered up the HE-560 instead of the Sundara despite having not heard them. I saw a few people on HeadFi indicate they thought the HE-560 sounded better than the Sundara. I had been eyeballing the HE-560's for many months as an upgrade to my HE-500s when they first dropped to $499. Supposedly they're on their way to being discontinued with production already stopped and they are quite a bit cheaper than when they first came out. On the other hand, the Sundara is brand new and still at the opening price.
Does the older originally $899, now $499 model sound better than the new $499 model? I guess I will find out.
Does the older originally $899, now $499 model sound better than the new $499 model? I guess I will find out.
I'm not sure it's just perceived. This thread I read on Head-Fi is a total trainwreck.
The HD6XX sounds pretty good, but pale in comparison to the HE-500s I have. They are more comfortable though. Of course they were less than half the price.
I'm not sure what's going on with my HE-560 order. I guess buying from the cheapest place has its disadvantages as they haven't shipped and it's sitting pending.
Edit: I now have a tracking number.
I'm not sure what's going on with my HE-560 order. I guess buying from the cheapest place has its disadvantages as they haven't shipped and it's sitting pending.
Edit: I now have a tracking number.
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Not only are the HD6XX less than half the price, you also need less expensive supporting audio gear like amp/DAC to drive them reasonably well. I imagine that for you to get what you paid for out of the HE-500's you would want to purchase a decent amp/DAC to drive those. I carry my HD6xx in my computer bag and use them all day long without fatigue.
I have the worst luck with USB DACs. The nice Grace m9XX unit I got from Massdrop doesn't play nice with my work PC (Lenovo T470s running Windows 7). In both the Class 1 mode (driverless) and the Class 2 mode (requires drivers) there are regular periodic glitches in the audio. The Audio-Gd DACs I have played nice with XP, but the chipset in them doesn't play nice with 7 or newer. I should just get my CM6631A USB to SPDIF board and feed the Grace M9XX that way. That's what I did with the Audio-Gd unit I had at my last job. It should be in the box of stuff I brought home...
I mostly just use it to listen to a few podcasts while at work where the glitches aren't noticeable. I'm going to bring my CM6631A board and optical cable in though and see if it behaves any better that way. I expect it will be flawless.
I should also take the Grace m9XX unit home and confirm it doesn't glitch on other PCs. I didn't listen long enough when I first got it to say one way or another.
I should also take the Grace m9XX unit home and confirm it doesn't glitch on other PCs. I didn't listen long enough when I first got it to say one way or another.