If you want something close to HD650 sound but better, wouldnāt LCD1 a better choice?
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That would be a good choice as well, imo over the aiva or m570 or blon
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If youāre going HD650, you should get the (Mass)Drop version: HD6XX.
It is an HD650 with a different color, 3.5mm cable instead of 1/4", and a lower price tag. I have a pair of 6xx and they are really solid overall headphones. They excel at midrange timbre and are solid just about everywhere else: treble, bass, imaging, detail, etc. You will find individual headphones that do better than the 6xx at one of all those things, but it is difficult to find a headphone that can outperform them at ALL those things for ~$200.
I donāt have the new Monolith planars, but the āplanar soundā is going to be a bit different than the dynamic driver sound youāre used to. Planars are usually described as sounding āfastā. What that means is their driver is very responsive and tends to have quicker decay - meaning that a given sound āendsā a bit quicker. This gives their overall sound a slightly different character. That character is neither good nor bad, just different and might take some getting used to.
If youāre really getting into this hobby though, youāre gonna end up owning several cansā¦eventually youāll have a mix of dynamics and planars and then solid state amps and tube amps and tube rolling andā¦
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FYI the M570 are 20% off today, bringing them down to $240 w/ free shippingā¦
Use code JUMBO20
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Any reviews that describe the sound and soundstage well of those lcd1s?
So, to start off with for my first headphone would the 6xx or the m570 on sale right now be a better value?
I canāt give you a clear answer on that. I havenāt heard the M570. Iām personally taking a guarded optimism approach to these new Monolith planars. I got caught up in the M1060 hype and have mixed feelings. The M1060s arenāt bad and Iāve modded and eqād them to the point where I enjoy them for certain things. But the 6xx is my daily driver these days. Certainly the newer Monoliths are improvements over Monopriceās previous efforts (at least the should be) , but Iām going to wait for the hype train to leave the station and see what the real opinions are when the dust settles. These M570s may be stupid good and at a stupid ridiculous price. I just donāt know enough to say.
One more thought, the 6xx take to equalization quite well. Since this is your first serious set of cans, you can play with EQ on these to learn what sound signature you like. Then youāll know what to look for in your next set. And there will be a next set.
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I understand where youāre coming from, but itās so clear that Monoprice has little to nothing to do with the sound of these headphones, so I think youāre off base here.
Itās hard for the hype train to leave the station when you can get these for $240. LCD-1 are $400 or more, no?
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6XX need power and a lot of it. These donāt need a lot of power, but do benefit from it somewhat. I think the M570 are impossible to pass up at this price, and 6XX will always be around if you want to pick them up down the road.
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The power question is valid. The Fiio M6 is rated at 7mw output at 300ohm. 6xx is 300 ohm. The 6xx wonāt sing their best with that kind of power.
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They are also very revealing of an amp too, so a higher quality amp will really benefit them
I have no issue with getting an amp later on, but it would be nice to have a daily driver that can do alright off of just the m6 for moving around the house or a walk through the neighborhood. This verrrrry unfortunately took the argon mk3 off the list for me because otherwise those things looked badass. Maybe Iāll get them later when I have a decent set up.
Itās sounding like the hype train is pretty revved up with this sale. Thereās a reason my question is posted here. It just seems like the m570 is hard to compete with right now at the $250 price rangeā¦ Although yes the 6xx and the Argon are right around there too. 
Decisions are hardā¦
Thereās a new thread about it here:
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the signal is converted to pcm in software (first mqa unfold) in your chain it is Audirvana
the second and third mqa unfold in hardware is missing - this is where all the āmagicā happens(like timing, filters, blurring, etc.)
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I would say it depends on the music you mainly listen to, because for someone who might listen to mid-centric music or dislikes a v shaped sound I donāt know if it would be something they would enjoy
Mon you said before you were good at comparisons. Iām still stuck on the Sendy (would get m570 though) vs the LCD1.
What matters is detail and soundstage to me the most. Zās sound demo for the Sendy told me a lot more than I expected of my cell phone speakers.
I like the shiny sound, but on one of the tracks he played the volume level for the mids seemed off for what I think was a sax. The vocals were great though, so maybe the mids were fine. The bass and treble soundedā¦ powerful. But this was all off my damn cell phone speakers. I think it was the obviously portrayal of detail that got me.
But anyways Iām going down a rabbit hole. Would love to see these two thoroughly compared though. 
So, the sendy drivers might have a more detailed treble, but I would say that the lcd1 has a more detailed midrange and a better timbre for midrange. I think the 570, b20, sendy are lacking in the midrange department, as imo they are a bit recessed and not as detailed in the midrange as other offerings. The sendy is going to be the brighter and v shaped sound. I think the bass is a fair bit better on the lcd1 imo, so if you value bass, the lcd1 will be up your alley. The sendy is more intimate then the lcd1 imo, but the sendy has a bit better imaging then the lcd1, but the lcd 1 has better layering with soundstage that I think makes up for the average imaging. Both donāt require a lot of power, but a better amp can improve them. I think the comfort and build is about equal (with the 570 at least). Personally I would say if you value more high end detail but at the expense of the midrange and some bass, the sendys are a good pick. Otherwise I think the lcd1 is a much more refined headphone that I would personally pick over the sendy for day to day listening
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Okay, there we go. You and metal571 have convinced me. Sounds like the benefits of the LCD 1 are worth the extra $150. Also I think they will do much better without an amp compared to almost anything.
Btw he said his first review pair of m570s didnāt even work. He also said that they suffer from the same ringing as the m1060. Makes me wonder if thatās because of the outside metal plate since thatās the commonality here.
I donāt think the m570 had any major ringing issues, that was mostly on the original m1060 imo. The m570 is not really like the m1060 imo.
Well the lcd1 is very effecient at 16 ohms and 90db sensitivity so it should be easy to drive and benefit from an amp later on, but it actually might put a straight on some amps that may not be able to handle lower impedance well lol
