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Old 01-22-2022, 11:15 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Default Massdrop 6XXX headphones

Around Christmas Massdrop lowered the price on their Sennheiser 6XX headphones from $220 to $179. So I bought a pair and absolutely love them. In fact, I am astounded at how good they are.

Jim1960 recommended these headphones here in the RECORD sub-forum of the AGF some time ago -- maybe two years ago, I'm not sure. I balked at the $220 price and couldn't make myself spend that much money on headphones at the time. But now that I have them in hand and can really hear the difference, I am super impressed. I'm almost tempted to buy a 2nd pair for my studio. I'm using these new headphones in my house so I have access to really good sound when I am listening to music. But yesterday I came down to get these headphones to use in my studio to double check the mix on a recording I've been working on. They are so detailed that I was able to hear the need for a little correction on timing on one part of the recording, a problem I had not heard before using these headphones.

I have some Neumann KH120 speakers in my studio, so I know what really accurate speakers sound like. And these headphones sound like those KH120 speakers.

I am hardly an expert at all the headphone choices out there today, but I thought I would let folks on the RECORD sub-forum know how good these Massdrop 6XX headphones are, especially for the price. Elsewhere the Sennheiser 650 headphones, basically the same product, sell for about $400. If I had known had good these headphones were when Jim first recommended them, I would have spent the $220 right away.

Note that these are open-back headphones, not good for overdubbing in the studio where a microphone will pick up the sound from the headphones. For multi-track recording closed back headphones are the better choice.

- Glenn
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Last edited by Glennwillow; 01-22-2022 at 11:21 AM.
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Old 01-22-2022, 11:36 AM
strangersfaces strangersfaces is offline
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I took advantage of the same deal and agree these are great headphones for checking mixes...
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Old 01-22-2022, 01:00 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glennwillow View Post
Around Christmas Massdrop lowered the price on their Sennheiser 6XX headphones from $220 to $179. So I bought a pair and absolutely love them. In fact, I am astounded at how good they are.

Jim1960 recommended these headphones here in the RECORD sub-forum of the AGF some time ago -- maybe two years ago, I'm not sure. I balked at the $220 price and couldn't make myself spend that much money on headphones at the time. But now that I have them in hand and can really hear the difference, I am super impressed....
I love spending other people's money but I love it more when my recommendations work out really well and people feel they've spent that money wisely. The MassDrop 6xx is really hard to beat at its price point. Glenn, I'm glad you're happy with them.
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Old 01-22-2022, 03:24 PM
johnnydobbers johnnydobbers is offline
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Have had these for a year, and yes, they are quite amazing for the price.
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Old 01-22-2022, 03:27 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
I love spending other people's money but I love it more when my recommendations work out really well and people feel they've spent that money wisely. The MassDrop 6xx is really hard to beat at its price point. Glenn, I'm glad you're happy with them.
Hi Jim,

Thanks for your thoughts.

Truth is, you didn't spend any of my money -- I did -- but I appreciate very much your recommendation of these headphones!

It's hard to put a price on really good clarity and definition when listening critically to music, especially when listening to fairly dense mixes in a studio setting, which is what I am working on now. Obviously, there is a price point or I wouldn't have hesitated for a couple of years, but now that I actually know what I have been missing, I have advanced my headphone knowledge another notch higher.

So, thanks again Jim! Not all recommendations on the AGF are worth taking to the bank, but this one was for sure!

- Glenn
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Old 01-22-2022, 03:56 PM
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Doug Young Doug Young is offline
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I also got these about a year ago. I'm not a big headphone fan, but these are very nice.
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Old 01-23-2022, 09:20 AM
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Glenn that's a pretty good deal. I have the much older version the HD600 and yes I paid on sale just over $300

For HP mixing they are pretty good option.
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Old 01-23-2022, 12:00 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Originally Posted by KevWind View Post
Glenn that's a pretty good deal. I have the much older version the HD600 and yes I paid on sale just over $300

For HP mixing they are pretty good option.
Hi Kev,

I do most of my mixing using my Neumann KH120 monitor speakers, but knowing that many people listen to my YouTube recordings with headphones, I have learned to check my mixes with headphones to make sure things sound right. They don't really sound the same -- headphones vs speakers -- and I hear vocals less well with headphones than I do through speakers, I'm not really sure why.

However, the new Drop 6XX headphones sound so much clearer than what I have been using (Shure closed-back SRH840) that they are a whole lot closer to what my speakers sound like.

I was surprised that I could hear the need for some subtle adjustments with the Drop 6XX headphones that I never heard out in the room through my speakers.

So they provide another useful tool in the studio.

- Glenn
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Old 01-23-2022, 12:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glennwillow View Post
Hi Kev,

I do most of my mixing using my Neumann KH120 monitor speakers, but knowing that many people listen to my YouTube recordings with headphones, I have learned to check my mixes with headphones to make sure things sound right.

I was surprised that I could hear the need for some subtle adjustments with the Drop 6XX headphones that I never heard out in the room through my speakers.

So they provide another useful tool in the studio.

- Glenn
Yes having mixing HP's not only give you an idea of what the balance will sound like in ear buds etc.
But good ones can offer some subtle elements (particularly front to back balances ) that may not be heard as well from the speakers .
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Old 01-23-2022, 03:54 PM
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I haven't tried the Drop 6XX headphones, but from what I've read they are very similar to the Senn HD650. I have a pair of Senn HD600 and really like them, got them on sale for $300 a few years ago. I believe there's good reason this series of headphones has been around for so many years.
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Old 01-23-2022, 05:34 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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I haven't tried the Drop 6XX headphones, but from what I've read they are very similar to the Senn HD650.
Not very similar, they're sonically identical. They're made by Sennheiser and were originally made to be part of a short term group buy on the Massdrop website. The group buy proved to be so successful that they've continued production.

The differences are explained on the product page...
Crafted with the modern audiophile in mind, the HD 6XX replaces the HD 650’s gray colorway with something darker and more dramatic: a deep midnight blue. The silver nameplates have been swapped for black plates with contrasting silver text—and the Massdrop logo is silk-screened on the inside of the headband, just above the right cup, with the serial number located just above the left cup. Based on feedback from the community, this iteration has also been updated with a detachable 6-foot cable (compared to the original’s 10-foot cable) and a ⅛-inch plug, which is more versatile for everyday laptop, phone, and DAP use than the standard ¼-inch plug. Of course, the HD 6XX comes with a ¼-inch adapter for those who want it.

None of those changes would alter how the headphones sound. The product page goes on to say...
Good news for fans of the HD 650: In this revision, the driver structure and sound signature haven’t changed a bit. You’ll get the same smooth, laid-back presentation, with a balanced midrange and natural-sounding bass.

The Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6xx isn't a clone of the Senn HD650; they are the Senn HD650 with packaging and branding changes.
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2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi
2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood
2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar
2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce
2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce
1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce

along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos.

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