Tonight, I decided to take the Senns out of the bedroom system and give them a spin on the desktop system. I have them hooked up to the TA-20 tube hybrid. I put an OCC copper braid on it, and I am enjoying them very much!
I have always liked these cans. They may not be as ādynamicā as some of my other sets, but these are sweet. They are very light, comfortable, they are not noisy at all, And the build is good.
Sonically, I think they are really good! The detail is incredible. Overall presentation is super solid with great separation. And then I add a little EQ flava, and itās really good! I think itās very cool how well these take to EQ. With a finely tuned Peace profile you can tune out any shortcomings.
The finished product is this emersive and fun sound field that is providing a really good listening experience. Glad they are part of the collection.
Nice video. Iām wondering if I can trade up my 660S for the new 660S2. I would be interested in doing that, I think. I really like my 660S but this new model seems to address any concerns I had with the original.
The bad news here is that I suspect the value on the secondary market for used 660S is plummeting, so if I tried to sell mineā¦
I am really curious about these new cans. Why? I really, really like the 660S. Why?
The negative reviews are all based on either the view that they represented a poor value when sold at the original MSRP of $600 (which is true, it was a poor value at that price), or disappointment that they didnāt sound like HD650s. It is clear that those in the HD600 camp like the HD660S better, for it has the strengths of the 600 + more bass.
Indeed, it does everything I liked about the 600ā¦but with more base and a bit more sound stage. I didnāt not like the HD650.
Wonderful tone.
Extraordinary comfort. I often have these things on my head all day.
I have been tossing the trade-up for the 660S2 idea around for weeks now. I was just kinda ramping up to move forward, when I read or saw something about ZMF pads on the 6XX family. And this little noise went off in my head! This might be worth a shot. SO, I got the ZMF Perforated Lambskin pads and am just listening to them for the first time tonight.
They are for real. First off, they are very nicely built. I really like the velour stock pads, but I honestly think these look a little nicer. And they snap into the ear cup pretty easily. I struggled at first but that was operator error. I was being too gentle on them. Once I figured shit out, they went on pretty easily.
The sound is truly impressive. I underestimate how much difference pads can make. These make a really good seal around your ear without affecting the overall comfort. The stock pads are a bit more comfortable, but these are new. They will most likely get better. The thing that jumps out at you is the improved bass response. There is more but itās a nicely refined more. A more resonant more. A tighter more.
There is a slightly wider stage as well. This is really cool. I really liked these before, but this is a very nice upgrade. I have them hooked up to the TA-20 so I can hear them on the new tubes. This is really good! Fuck it. Iām keeping these! Padsā¦ Who knew. Bravo, Zack at ZMF. You smacked that one right out of the park.
Yea I had added the suede perforated pads to my HD 660s. It improved the mids. The change to the bass I didnāt really notice it being worse than what I graphed, but shows it loses a few db in the lower frequencies. Cooled down some of the treble peaks such as the 8k peak. Also improved the sound stage just a bit more too.
Here is the graph that I took with my poor manās MiniDSP rig just to show the differences in the pads on the 660s:
Interesting. I am definitely getting better bass response with the Lambskin Perfs. And itās not so much that itās a lot punchier - there is maybe a bit more hit - but itās just a better-quality bass. Iām hearing the extension better and right into the mids. I guess the solid lambskin delivers even a little more. I like these.
Forgot to mention that I have them on a different chain today. SA-1 pre out to the SP200. I have come to really like this combination and the 660 is sounding much better than I remember on it. Bonus!
Final thoughts on this pad upgrade: 100% worth it. The 660S are keepers. I have spent much of the day wearing them to listen to music as well as training videos. Very comfortable all day. Remarkable how well they reproduce the human voice. The 660S is now THE go-to in the fleet for TV and movies. Iām anxious to get them back on the bedroom system.
Here we are, a few months later. Since March I added a new headband cushion, and today I have added an Audiophile Ninja cable, which has made a significant positive impact. Of course, the largest factor has been the addition of the Liquid Platinum and how well these two things synergize. Collectively, these cans have elevated to a place I never thought they could reach. Honestly, they sound nothing like they did when I took them out of the box a year ago. And they were very good out of the box. Itās kinda freaky! Needless to say, Iām very happy. It sort of feels like I got a new set. They now occupy a solid spot on the desktop system.
Still having big fun with this set. Tonight, I got thinking about it and realized that I have never connected the 660S to the SH-9. I just made some lame assumption that the two would not pair well. Guess what? Not the case! You gotta EQ it, but I have hit on a great tune tonight and this combo is really sounding good. Itās a fun and engaging experience. I have this going as a reference, and itās fantastic!
You have to get much deeper into the gain on the SH-9 to drive the 660, and the result is surprising. The amp is doing things I have not heard it do before. A shocking discovery!
I have the opportunity right now to buy an HD 6X0 series headphone, and with as much as itās talked about in the audiophile community, I almost feel like I should own one, if only for comparison purposes. The thing is, I own an HD560S and while I can understand why itās well liked, it doesnāt float my boat (a little less technically capable than Iād like, and I just donāt hear the separation that I do on some of my other headphones). That fact has put me off purchasing anything in the 600 series, probably unfairly.
Iām wondering how close something like the Fiio FT3 (my current daily driver, if I can call any headphone that) is to the sound of the 6X0 series? Is a HD 600/650/6XX/660S/S2 a must own? (I know itās all opinion, because thereās no such thing as āmustā own, but those are the opinions Iām looking forā¦)
thatās why we startedā¦
Needless to say, Iām very happy. It sort of feels like I got a new set. They now occupy a solid spot on the desktop system.
