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oceans22

Location: Orange County, CA.
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A review for you iPhone, iPod guys!

 Posted by oceans22 from Orange County, CA on 2012-12-23
Posted on Sennheiser HD 650

Recommend Product: No
Pros: Very well made
Cons: iphone/ipod/iphone people...don't expect miracles!!

I have wanted the infamous pair of HD650's for probably a good 2 years now.

Let me start off by saying I understand right from the start that my source unit is of a poor choice, but it's of a typical one for a lot of people who listen to music. I listen to my music completely compressed, some at 128kb others at 256 & still others at 320 through my iPhone & sometimes my iPod & iPad. Yes I'm a sheep, baahhhhhhh!!!

I have a pair of Sennheiser CX880i in ear phones with the iPod controller. I wanted something with the controller because of the ease of use, but I wanted a better sound than the stock buds that come with the iPhone. They sound awesome but I'm getting quite tired of the irritating sweat building up after an hour or 2 of listening so I wanted to get the HD650's.

Time & time again I would lose bids on eBay until I finally won with a great price! So I was excited, they even came early 3 days before Christmas 2012. I put them on & just to ad I also have a TotalBithead Amp so I wasn't caught off guard with not having a DAC + AMP!

Boy! Was I sooo disappointed! They didn't sound any better than the CX 880i in ear headphones!!

I was expecting this supposed "wide open" sound stage with 3D effects & instruments coming from all different angles & all this BS I've heard other posters write about. NOT!

Now, let me say that these aren't bad headphones, just the opposite I know they're terrific but I believe you better have a 1/2 decent HOME AUDIO setup in order to get the most out of them.

"Putting on fancy expensive rims on a Hyundai....it's still going to be a Hyundai". Remember that!

My post is specifically for the person who wants some hi end headphones for their ipod, iphone listening pleasure but don't want to look like some NBA guy coming off the tour bus with the Dre Beats! Which I have nothing against.

Seriously unless yo have all Apple Lossless music or ripped all your CD's & music at 320kb then you iphone/ipod guys/girls save your money & definitely don't buy new! OR bid on them first like I did. I got mine for $335 & just resold them for $345 after only a few days use.

Also, they aren't as comfortable as some say. Yes the velour pads are super soft but they clamp around the ear area a bit tight & I'm sure I'd get a headache after a while. I'm sure that so you get a good seal but it presses a bit too hard for my taste around the bottom portion of your ear near your rear jaw bone!

For those who are going to say, "Oh you didn't burn them in" They were used and the person before me stated he had 300+ hours so they were burned it just fine!

Sennheisers are great but they can't perform miracles!

I believe I will be experimenting next with the Sennheiser Momentums since they're designed for listening on the iphone/ipods. I'm crossing my fingers I won't have to immediately re-list these as well!



Sound Quality
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36 out of 42 people found this review unhelpful. Did you?

Not what I expected

 Posted by oceans22 from Orange County, CA on 2012-04-27
Posted on HeadRoom Total BitHead

Recommend Product: No
Pros: Increases volume of iPod/iPhones
Cons: Remote on earbuds no longer functional using amp

Let me first start off by saying the customer service guys at Headroom are TOP NOTCH, friendly & always willing to give their advice. I think I did a decent amount of research before purchasing & had to try a couple of different headphone options. That being said....

The Bithead wasn't what I expected. I was SOOOO excited to get this thing. Being a car audio nut from the 90's I knew that the end sound is only going to be as good as the beginning source unit. That being said I knew not to expect hugely dramatic "sound quality" difference but the item does state it is a DAC which I figured I'd hear "SOME" sonic difference. NOPE!

All this amp did was crank up the volume a bit. And there was a lot of crackling & hissing when adjusting the volume. So if you listen to music primarily from your iPod or iPhone & have the volume cranked up 90% most of the time, this amp will allow you to ease the volume level of your phone back down to around 65% & still get the same loudness. That's it. Really I didn't hear anything different in the supposed conversion from digital to analog converter.

When I first bought it I had a pair of Sennheiser HD558's & yes it cranked up the sound much nicer then just listening to the cans straight from the iPhone or iPod. It did it's job power wise. Then I thought, "You know I'm going to get a pair of good in ear headphones, so I got the CX800i from Sennheiser primarily because it was a good set of "in ears" & it had the remote so I could control my music. Well, to my disappointment once you connect the CX800i through the Bithead the controller no longer works, I guess it needs direct connection to the source unit. I wish this would have been highlighted either with the Bithead or with Sennheisers manuals.

Anyway, it's hard to knock the product. Like I said, it partially does it's job, which is cheaply cranks up the sound. Buuuuuut as far as any sonic quality difference I didn't hear any. I know a lot of you are already saying, "Well look at what you're starting out with as a source". And yes I agree but I would think I would here at least 5% difference in sound quality? No?

I'll honestly probably sell this on eBay soon. Without the ability to control my music with the remote, it get's cumbersome having to unlock, control music, set down, unlock, reverse, set down, unlock forward, set down.

Lazy?? Yeah but it's a leisurely enjoyment so the remote should work through the amp.



HeadRoom Response:

As explained in the HeadRoom Total BitHead product page and also the Total BitHead FAQ, a 'DAC' will only accept a signal from a DIGITAL audio source, like a computer laptop/PC via USB connection, for example. Standard ANALOG line input does not trigger/activate a DAC processor and merely amplifies the original source file. In this customer's analog line-in application, car audio systems can be prone to line-level analomalies and hiss emanating from the vehicle's own electrical circuitry. An analog 'line-out adapter' for iPod/iPhone to the amp -- as opposed to connecting via the player's headphone jack -- will also improve sound quality in this customer's car audio set-up.

As always, our HeadRoom 30-day 'no questions asked' return policy is at the ready for a full purchase price refund if not satisfied for any reason!



14 out of 19 people found this review unhelpful. Did you?

Best in ear headphones I've ever had

 Posted by oceans22 from Orange County, CA on 2012-04-27
Posted on Sennheiser CX 880i

Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: I'd rather listen to these then my HD558's
Cons: Remote will not work through the Bithead amp!

This is the best headphone purchase I've made so far. I know I have to have a few more burn in hours but I'm thoroughly impressed with these in ear headphones. The only thing that concerns me about these in ears is that the wire is extremely thin. I was almost afraid to "pry" them out of the casing! Be careful when you first take them out!

Sound wise I was pretty amazed by the bass it could carry & the volume load it handled. It is a bit bright at times but not to the point getting too fatiguing. I've read reviews that the fit is something hard to get used to. I guess I just got lucky or have those set of ears that accommodate this set of headphones because I used the set that was already stock on them. Fit perfectly. I even tried the others & they didn't fit as nicely as the medium sized cushions.

Sound Quality
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3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Did you?

Ehhhh, thought they'd be much better!

 Posted by oceans22 from Orange County, CA on 2011-11-08
Posted on Sennheiser HD 558

Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Great clarity
Cons: the fit is a bit tight, I don't hear this

I've had some time to "break in" these phones & so far they're okay but I don't hear this supposed "up front sound stage" that everyone is bragging about in the HD Sennheisers. Sound from the left is coming from the left, sound from the right is coming from the right. I close my eyes & I don't feel like anything is really in front of me like some other reviewers have said. maybe I'm missing something. They're a good pair of starter headphnoes but I think I need to get on eBay & sell these & move up to the 598 or 650's with a good amp.So I'm lowering my overall rating.

I had a pair of HD570's I purchased back in 2000 but sold them to a friend. Decided to pick up another pair of Sennheisers & opted for the 558's. I just got them today 11/8/2011 & so far so good. I'm not quite sure they're as good as my 570's & maybe I should have bought the 598's, maybe those were the appropriate heir to my 570's but I felt since the 570's were almost 10 years old that a model number down would have the equivalent specs but I'm not quite sure they do. Anyway, I primarily listen through my iPhone 4 ( I know, not the best source to listen through) but I notice I have to turn the sound up 100% which is kind of bad so I think these can's need an amp in order to truly get the most out of them.

Sound Quality
Comfort
Look & Feel
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26 out of 38 people found this review unhelpful. Did you?