FM9 & Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones

9

95standardplus

Member
I see quite a few posts by people using the Sennheiser HD 650 headphones with their Fractal units.

My question is are you using a headphone amp or plugging straight in?

I just ordered an FM9 and need new headphones but I read that the headphone impedance of the FM9 is 35 ohms whereas the HD 650 is 300 ohms.

To anyone using these headphones without an outboard headphone amp, what is your sound quality experience and do you have adequate volume?

Thanks in advance!
 
I will break from the pack and tell you these are among my least favorite mid-fi headphones for modelers. Why? I don't like the 600 series veiled high-end. They are pleasant for long musical listens where you don't want fatigue, but I get a subtle blanket over the speaker feeling from the high-highs that I don't like for guitar.

I prefer Audeze LCD which are quite expensive I know, but even the less expensive Hifiman Sundara sounds much better for full range guitar than the 650 or any 6XX to my ears. Trying yourself is always best tho! Just my 2 cents.
 
FPFL said:
I will break from the pack and tell you these are among my least favorite mid-fi headphones for modelers. Why? I don't like the 600 series veiled high-end. They are pleasant for long musical listens where you don't want fatigue, but I get a subtle blanket over the speaker feeling from the high-highs that I don't like for guitar.

I prefer Audeze LCD which are quite expensive I know, but even the less expensive Hifiman Sundara sounds much better for full range guitar than the 650 or any 6XX to my ears. Trying yourself is always best tho! Just my 2 cents.
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Thanks for your recommendations, the Audeze are more than I’m looking to spend but I do have a Hifiman dealer not too far from me so I may go check them out.
 
I also am not thrilled with my HD650. They sound fine for listening, but don't sound anything like what my FM9 sounds like through studio or stage monitors. I wouldn't mix with them either. For just jamming though, quite comfortable and sound good enough.
 
Yes, the headphone amp on these units is plenty powerful to drive higher impedance headphones. However I agree with the few posts mentioning the veiled high end of the HD650 and HD6xx. The HD600 is less veiled and I used that headphone for a long time for this purpose, though it is not neutral. I've since upgraded to the Ollo S4X several years ago, and subsequently to the S5X, both of which are still in the $4-500 USD range I believe. No other headphone in this price range compares to the Ollo products for this purpose i.e. flat response.
 
Also, if you want a GREAT VALUE pair of grab and go headphones that turned tightly to the Harman target I highly recommend getting a pair of AKG K371 ($149)

Mixing an album with the band spread out all over the place, we used these as a shared point of reference. It worked well.

I keep a pair in my travel bag all the time. Work great to my laptop, audio gear etc. They aren't my favorite, but they are light, reasonably durable and don't break the bank at all. They sound good and represent a useful out of the box EQ.
 
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