Apparently sometime ago Sennheiser quietly changed the drivers on the HD650, HD600, and HD580 models. While the old ones have black screen, the new ones are white. The material of these screens were changed as well. They may have changed other things inside the drivers as well, but we can’t tell for sure.
What we do know, is that now these new Sennheisers have lost their dark and veiled sound. Instead, they are sounding very neutral, nice and detailed, while still retaining their laid-back presentation. No more muddyness, no more veil. It’s interesting because this driver change may have happened as early as 2007, and this explains the different impressions from people who have heard the HD650, HD600, or the HD580.
In the beginning of my headphone journey many many years ago, I had a listen to the Sennheiser HD650, but I really couldn’t like it, cause I thought the headphone sounded muddy and veiled. However, recently I had a listen to the HD650, and I got hooked on the sound! After owning the HD650 for a few months, I really can’t comprehend what happened. How the HD650 that I had no desire for many years ago suddenly became one of my favorites. When my friends heard my HD650, they wondered the same thing as well: How can they hate this beautiful sounding headphone?
Clearly, the driver was changed by Sennheiser. Although this was also confirmed by a few people in the Head-Fi forum, Sennheiser seems to deny this change. After getting together with other owners and comparing our headphones, it becomes clear, that the new driver has a brighter, less veiled sound. A sound that definitely appeals to a lot of people.
The change seems to be universal, covering all three HD580, HD600, and HD650s. As to when the change officially occur, we don’t know for sure. What’s also interesting is that now the HD650 seems to be much much easier to drive. The new driver works with just about any portable amp that we use, including the Corda 3Move, the RSA SR71a, and the Headamp Pico. Even the headphone out from a Marantz 5001 CD Player drove the HD650 to fairly loud levels at just 10 o’clock in the volume knob. Yes, powerful amplifier like a Balanced Beta22 would be best for the HD650, but what I’m saying is that the new version is actually listenable on any decent portable amps!
Related Posts
Sennheiser Founder Died
"Under his guidance the first shotgun microphones and open headphones ...more
Sennheiser PX100-II vs PX100
Sennheiser PX100 is quite possibly the most successful portable headphones ...more
Sennheiser-Adidas Collaboration
This is just another product announcement from Sennheiser and Adidas. ...more
7 Comments
Join the Discussion
Recent Posts
Finally! A Unique Melody US Dealer
Stephen Guo from www.custom-iem.com informed me that now they are ...more
Hey there everyone i was just introduceing myself here im a first time visitor who hopes to become a daily reader!
Welcome! Hope you enjoy the articles, and if there is any inputs for us, feel free to use the forums to post them there.
Hello,
I enjoy reading your website! Recently, I placed a post in Head-Fi regarding the changes in sound associated with the changes in the construction of the HD650 driver. Hope that this is helpful to anyone interested!
The original link is: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/hd650-new-version-455060/index3.html.
I am now quoting my original insight regarding the debate that the new silver metal acoustic mesh version sounds different to the old black acoustic silk version. There are some who say there are no differences between the new and old versions. And of course, some do.
Here is the quote:
“Some people hear the difference between the black acoustic silk and the silver metal versions, and some don’t. The debate rages on. Is there a difference or not? Let me suggest that the answer is both YES and NO!
How can this be? Let me give you a plausible explanation. As John Willett mentioned in the above quote (see the weblink in Head-Fi), Sennheiser had experienced difficulties in fixing reliably and identically the black acoustic silk. I believe part of the difficulty was due to the different climatic conditions that the phones ended up in which perhaps caused the tension in the acoustic silk version to sag and hence, the differing sound quality experienced by end-users. This resulted in the change-over to the current silver metal mesh version.
Evidence for this hypothesis is taken from sennheiser.com website:
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/09969_headset?Open&path=private_headphones_audiophile-headphones
“A specially developed damping element, made from fine acoustic metal mesh, ensures a precise damping over the entire diaphragm surface, highly constant in all climates.”
If the damping of the older black acoustic silk version is not consistent, it is possible that this would have affected overall sound quality; hence, the boom in the bass and veiled sound experience.
However, not all black acoustic silk versions have this problem as I’m sure some were ‘perfectly manufactured’ within established tolerances. I am certain that these ‘within spec’ versions would sound identical to the silver metal ones. This might explain why some people say that there is no difference…in this instance, they are right to say this!
For myself, I had purchased the old acoustic silk version and it was boomy and veiled. Perhaps like others, I had ones which had reliability issues in regard to the proper attachment of the silk material. To my ears, the new silver version which I now currently use sounds significantly quicker and tighter. So perhaps we too are also right!
That is my response to the confusion that many have experienced! Unless there is a more plausible explanation, this is the best explanation I can think up so far.”
It would be interesting to hear any comments to my explanation thus far.
Cheers!
Hi Cansman,
Thanks for the excellent contribution. That explanation does seem plausible, because Sennheiser in the past have stated explicitly that there is no difference between the two versions.
The question is that, I don’t think that these differences is not likely to come from manufacturing differences, because all the dark screen versions I’ve encountered are always darker sounding than the silvers.
Dear Mike,
Thanks for your kind feedback – appreciate it! In regard to your point stated above, for me personally, I have only heard two HD650s – my previous dark screen version and my current silver screen version. So I cannot comment on other previous dark screen productions. And I am certainly in agreement with you in regard to your observations of the sonic differences between the two versions.
However, the explanation I have given takes into account a significant number of others in Head-Fi who (and very emphatically!) indicate no sonic difference between both versions.
Nevertheless, like yourself, I am enjoying the new silver screen version a lot more with my Benchmark DAC1 USB amp. Thanks again for your well-presented and thoughtful website!
Cheers!
How come nobody has commented on the same issue with the HD600 since the old ones also use the same black acoustic silk? I have listened to a pair about 8 years old and they didi not sound dark at all, could the issue be caused by something else even if it makes sense to blame the damping materials?
Hi Che15, that’s very true. No one seems to have brought up this issue with the HD600. I wonder why. I don’t think they changed the damping materials though.