Headphone Heights

Vintage Stax vs. Sennheiser HD600,650

74.217.89.182

I've done quite a bit of reading on the internet about these headphones, trying to get a general feel for the differences, and have been unable to get an overall impression.
Some posters say they're about pretty much equal or even sound very similar, and some posters say that the Stax are in a much higher league from the Sennheisers.
Would love to get some opinions from Asylum inmates. Thanks.

Follow Ups:

"Vintage Stax" is too broad to ask for specific comparison.(nt). - orpheus 10:42:21 04/27/13 (0)
.
RE: Vintage Stax vs. Sennheiser HD600,650 - Chuck Y 09:34:05 04/11/13 (0)
FWIW I bought some of the high end Stax Phones in the mid 70's, can't remember the model # but they were SOTA at the time and sounded fabulous. Except they fit on the ears and were not too comfortable so they didn't get a lot of use and I stopped using headphones for a long time.

A few years ago I go some Sennheiser 650's and a Woo W3 amp. Every thing that the Stax were (as I remember them) and they were not only comfortable 'around the ear' but they are slightly warmer. Great combo I think.
How vintage on the Stax? - olddude55 10:29:09 04/10/13 (0)
I use Stax SR-5 phones, old cans with the cloth-insulated cord.
I've also got Sennheiser HD-600, bought them back in 2002. I generally use the Senns with a DB Systems DB9 headphone amp, the Stax with a Stax control box.
The Sennheisers are a lot more comfortable which is an issue with any headphone, but to my ears the Stax are more open-sounding and more accurate. The Sennheisers seem punched up in the mid-bass and top end, while the Stax (again, to my ears) have a flatter sound with no emphasis anywhere in the frequency range.
I should also point out that the HD-600 is much more forgiving of bad set-up or electronics. If you've got overly bright gear, the Stax will give you a ear ache, but the Sennheisers won't.
Both sets of cans are keepers but if you put a gun to my head and forced me to put one set up for sale, it would be the Sennheisers.
___
The little old ladies wait in wild anticipation for the meetings of the Double-A-C-ASSN...

Edits: 04/10/13

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Signature Sound

[ Signature Sound Lounge ]