Hd 650

[Halz79]

I just replaced my hd650 drivers after 15 yrs of use.  They were starting to break up on some low end hits. Also replaced the ear pads and headband.  Listening right away they sound way brighter. I realize part of this is there is less proximity to may ears with the new pads. I assume they need some time to break in as well.  How much time do new drivers need to break? Is the system 300R driver the same now as it was 15 yrs ago?  Does sennheiser break in completed headphones? The speakers I use sell the replacement drivers pre broken in for many hours. Anyone have experience with hd 650 replacement drivers?

[StephenJK]

The jury is out.  While there was some activity a number of years back on the importance of "breaking In" any component I don't think there's any Nobel prizes being handed out any time soon on how material sciences has an affect on audio products.    

 

That whole schtick about "cable burners" and how important they were came from - big shocker here - people who were trying to sell gizmos that would do exactly that.  

 

I suspect that over the course of 15 years that Sennheiser doesn't make their drivers quite, exactly, the way they used to.  Either that, or they do, and your perception or expectation may have also evolved.  

 

On a final note - a bit of confusion is with your comment that "the speakers I use sell the replacement drivers pre broken in for many hours."  Does that mean you bought replacement drivers from a third party vendor?  If that's the case, I'm not surprised they sound different.  

[Halz79]

4 hours ago, StephenJK said:

The jury is out.  While there was some activity a number of years back on the importance of "breaking In" any component I don't think there's any Nobel prizes being handed out any time soon on how material sciences has an affect on audio products.    

 

That whole schtick about "cable burners" and how important they were came from - big shocker here - people who were trying to sell gizmos that would do exactly that.  

 

I suspect that over the course of 15 years that Sennheiser doesn't make their drivers quite, exactly, the way they used to.  Either that, or they do, and your perception or expectation may have also evolved.  

 

On a final note - a bit of confusion is with your comment that "the speakers I use sell the replacement drivers pre broken in for many hours."  Does that mean you bought replacement drivers from a third party vendor?  If that's the case, I'm not surprised they sound different.  

No, I bought my speaker drivers from the manufacturer. There was an option to have the LF driver "broken in" (I think with 40hz tone) or not. I got the sennheiser drivers from sennheiser. The hd650s do sound better now after 2 months of use. I'M pretty sure the whole issue was  the ear pads. They are much closer to my ears now that the padding has broken in. The proximity effect. Even the head band padding changes the sound.  Less isolation from my skull now.

[StephenJK]

22 hours ago, Halz79 said:

No, I bought my speaker drivers from the manufacturer. There was an option to have the LF driver "broken in" (I think with 40hz tone) or not. I got the sennheiser drivers from sennheiser. The hd650s do sound better now after 2 months of use. I'M pretty sure the whole issue was  the ear pads. They are much closer to my ears now that the padding has broken in. The proximity effect. Even the head band padding changes the sound.  Less isolation from my skull now.

That makes sense. 

 

I'm not a big fan of headphones but do understand that for many people they can be the only option.  In my limited experience, I prefer on-ear as opposed to over-ear and open back as opposed to closed.

 

I'm pleased that your new drivers are working out for you.