Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Really? Another headphone Thread? Sennheiser HD 660 S

Ok, I'm in trouble now.

Since I've been playing my N1X, I notice that I'm preferring the internal sounds (CFX and Bosendorfer) more than my VST's. I've also noticed that they sound the best (particularly the CFX) through headphones utilizing the Binaural sampling.

I've spent 8 hours over the last few days playing my N1X with headphones on (Shure SRH 440/CFX Binaural samples). I was really surprised when I took the headphones off and went back to the external speakers. They didn't sound that good anymore.

The sound is so immersive with the headphones and the Binaural sampling is spectacular. I can't get that same feeling through external speakers. I'm wondering now if I should upgrade my headphones? All the research I've done on this forum regarding headphones revealed a couple things.

A. There are no perfect headphones.
B. Sennheiser HD's 5xx/6xx seems to be the forum favorites.

I have two questions:

1. Has anybody tried the new Sennheiser HD 660 S (descendent of the HD 650)?
2. What difference should I expect to hear with the HD 660 S compared to the Shure SRH 440 that I'm currently using?

I wish I could try a pair to determine if it's worth 450 dollars. Thanks for the help.

God Bless,
David

I'm confused, if your current headphones sound great, why would you want to change them?

His search for "perfection" suggests that David B might have been bitten by an audiophile vampire

That's why I said I'm in trouble. My wife says my taste is greater than my bank account.

I'm just looking for the best experience I can reasonably afford. If I were to try the two sets of headphones side by side and not discern any real difference, then I'd be happy with what I have.

However, if good headphones are really that much better (enough people seem to recommend them here), then it might be worth the additional expense to upgrade. I love my piano and I'm spending hours everyday playing it, why not have a great pair of headphones to complement the experience.

400-500 dollars (about how much I can sell a gun for) is about all I can justify to spend. Thanks for the help.

God bless,
David

Hi David,

I've tried the HD660S ; I chose the HD600 for myself. The high-end is more sparkly in the 660... to each his own.

Sennheiser offers 30 day money-back guarantee - the 660's are 499 on their site.

Thomann offers 30 day money-back guarantee - the 660's are $388 (plus $33 shipping) on their site.

cheers,

Jack

a note about Thomann -

Shipping will take a bit longer as the item comes from overseas and must clear customs.

here's a link:
Thomann Link

https://www.thomannmusic.com/sennheiser_hd_660_s.htm

You have G.A.S.
Welcome to the Dark Side, Master David ...

Yikes, I hope David B has a bottomless gun collection he can dip into. G.A.S. can be expensive!

Ut-oh!

I've seen that expression used one the forum, but I never bothered to look up the meaning. A quick search yielded "Gear Acquisition Syndrome." Is that correct?

It's good to know about the money back guarantees. Thanks.

I looked at the Thomann link and they charge 32 dollars for shipping which brings the price back up. I think Amazon has them for 450 right now.

God bless,
David

Yes, or "Guitar Acquisition Syndrome" which is where the acronym had its beginning

Do you knowledgeable audio folk think I should expect a significant difference between an HD 6xx compared to what I'm using right now (Shure SRH 440)? Thanks.

God Bless,
David

To my ears, there is a significant difference.

I'm 50+ so my ears aren't what they were.

Your experience will be unique to you.

cheers,

Jack

I've been shooting/collecting guns for about 25 years. Selling the superfluous amount of hardware is the only way I could afford the N1X (and maybe a pair of good headphones ).

God Bless,
David

Thanks.

I'm 45 and I have some tinnitus as result of shooting. I'm particularly interested in protecting my ears so I don't sustain anymore damage. I would think that good headphones can help relieve ear strain and somehow contribute to a safer experience. I need to have something to tell my wife .

God Bless,
David

Looks like you have a "wellness" explanation all set (Of course, a justification so you can deduct this from your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for healthcare expenses won't be so easy of course! )

Yeah, but isn't there some truth to that. You seem to know a lot about this stuff.

Will upgrading from the Shure 440's to either the HD 650's or 660's have any discernible difference? What's your take? Thanks.

God Bless,
David

I have HD800's and am looking to upgrade those to HD800S's (don't bother trying to explain anything like that to your wife - she'd take away your cards ). I'm happy with the Sennheiser brand overall and the quality of their headphone engineering. They are serious and no-B.S. Tech Support and their hardware repair group leaves a bit to be desired though - hopefully you won't need them but I did.

If you take a look at the RTNGS website, you'll see the biggest difference in frequency response from your Shures will be a more neutral response in the mid-treble range. This should make it sound less bell-like in that range.

I'd say you should order from a site with a return possible - so Amazon and not Thomann's - in case you open it up and immediately dislike the sound. This is even more critical for headphones than almost any other piece of electronics.

I do have what may seem like an oddball idea for you which is a lot cheaper, and I make it because I see you are relatively computer savvy with your PC and VSTs set up next to your piano. You might want to consider as an alternative using the free trial of Sonarworks Reference 4 for headphones with your current Shures. You will need to use your computer for that (that is route the audio from piano through the PC sitting there next to your piano, and into the Shures). Sonarworks True-Fi is better for normal listening but might introduce too much latency for piano use because of its phase correction feature, which cannot be switched off. You might want to give it a spin too to confirm if it is useable/unusable since it has a free trial too. I use this myself even though my HD800s are very good, but they make them even better. For less expensive headphones, you might find you can get HD650 performance (or even HD800 level performance) by only spending $100 after the free trial is over. So for no cost at all, you can see if this suddenly upgraded your headphones for a fraction of the cost... You won't need to sell a gun for it

Based on that ratings chart I wouldn't notice a difference in that range because a piano doesn't have those "mid-treble" ( > 5000Hz) frequencies. Am I interpreting the data wrong?

God Bless,
David

David, these are mentioned in some of the other headphone threads, but if you are going to buy a Sennheiser HD-6xx, then the Massdrop HD-6XX are probably worth considering at $200 (drop is still going for another 12 hours, and will probably come back around again in a few months):
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

Then there are also the Sennheiser HD-58x for $160; drop going for 4 more days:
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

I am using a pair of the HD-6XX, but for listening to music. Since I'm concerned with open back sound leakage (you are not, I think), I haven't used them for piano, yet. They are wonderful. So far, I'm using a pair of closed back Sony MDR7506 for my piano, but am thinking about getting a pair of the HD-58x. Have not done further research on it yet.

Just thought I'd post about these, because if you are going for similar Sennheisers, these are a pretty good value.