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Sennheiser HD560s Owner's Thread.

Doodski

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Is this an upgrade over the 599? Is it worth to have both?

i have the 599 but sometimes i miss more air and clarity
I have used the HD598 for a couple of years and I would not consider the HD560 as a upgrade. Something more expensive is required.
 

Doodski

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why do you think that?

thanks for the reply, btw
I think it's not a upgrade because I think it's more of a side-grade. Not enough of a change to make it a proper upgrade. The 560 is a closed design so it has that if you need a closed headphone. Are you on a budget and that's why you are looking at the 560 as a upgrade?
 

dante21

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I think it's not a upgrade because I think it's more of a side-grade. Not enough of a change to make it a proper upgrade. The 560 is a closed design so it has that if you need a closed headphone. Are you on a budget and that's why you are looking at the 560 as a upgrade?

Closed-back? Are we talking about the same 560s?

i want an upgrade in clarity (less mid-bass bump) and a bit wider-deeper sound-stage
 

Doodski

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Closed-back? Are we talking about the same 560s?
I had a brain misfire. OoPs sorry about that. Yes, I see now that the 560S is open back. All along I thought the 560 is a closed back. ..and. But, being a open back I think it is even more of a side-grade from the 598.

Do you have to buy a Sennheiser? What about some of the other brands? There are peeps here that have heard many of the competing offerings in the $300 to $400 range and they know what is what. It might be beneficial to open a new thread detailing that you want to upgrade from your 599 to something better and give a price range to work with. I think you will get more results if you open a dedicated thread.
 
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dante21

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I had a brain misfire. OoPs sorry about that. Yes, I see now that the 560S is open back. All along I thought the 560 is a closed back. ..and. But, being a open back I think it is even more of a side-grade from the 598.

Do you have to buy a Sennheiser? What about some of the other brands? There are peeps here that have heard many of the competing offerings in the $300 to $400 range and they know what is what. It might be beneficial to open a new thread detailing that you want to upgrade from your 598 to something better and give a price range to work with. I think you will get more results if you open a dedicated thread.

yes, i've looked into the the Hifiman 400i, 400se, Deva, AKG 700 series

the problem is...comfort. I hate round pads, as they touch my ears, so i'm pretty much limited to Sennheiser
 

Doodski

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yes, i've looked into the the Hifiman 400i, 400se, Deva, AKG 700 series

the problem is...comfort. I hate round pads, as they touch my ears, so i'm pretty much limited to Sennheiser
Yes, Sennheiser does have great pads. That's the main reason I bought them too and mine are holding up wonderfully after nearly 3 years of daily use. I bought them for the comfort and am I pleased with the result. Well then I think you need to step up to a 650 or a 660 if you want a appreciable improvement.
 

Robbo99999

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I had a brain misfire. OoPs sorry about that. Yes, I see now that the 560S is open back. All along I thought the 560 is a closed back. ..and. But, being a open back I think it is even more of a side-grade from the 598.

Do you have to buy a Sennheiser? What about some of the other brands? There are peeps here that have heard many of the competing offerings in the $300 to $400 range and they know what is what. It might be beneficial to open a new thread detailing that you want to upgrade from your 599 to something better and give a price range to work with. I think you will get more results if you open a dedicated thread.
C'mon man you can't start talking about "fine points" such as side grade or whatever when you're talking about a headphone that for starters you don't even know is open or closed back, or let alone own. You can have some opinions based on the measurements and that's it.
 

usern

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Is this an upgrade over the 599? Is it worth to have both?

i have the 599 but sometimes i miss more air and clarity
If 599 has similar THD performance to 598 then yes you can play 560S louder or with more bass EQ without distortion:
index.php

index.php
 

dante21

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C'mon man you can't start talking about "fine points" such as side grade or whatever when you're talking about a headphone that for starters you don't even know is open or closed back, or let alone own. You can have some opinions based on the measurements and that's it.
funny that you also have the K702

i have them as well, but can't stand their comfort. their pads are just too stiff, and like i said, i dont like round pads

with that i mind, is the 560s anything like the k702 in terms of sound? I love the sound of the K702 in terms of clarity, detail, and not to mention the big soundstage
 

Robbo99999

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funny that you also have the K702

i have them as well, but can't stand their comfort. their pads are just too stiff, and like i said, i dont like round pads

with that i mind, is the 560s anything like the k702 in terms of sound? I love the sound of the K702 in terms of clarity, detail, and not to mention the big soundstage
Hehe, why are you asking me if the K702 sounds anything like the HD560s if you also own both, ha! Naa, but no, they're not remotely similar at stock without EQ, but of course they're more similar if both are EQ'd to the same Target Curve (say Harman Curve). There's still differences though, even if you've had your individual K702 unit & HD560s unit measured by Oratory (I have) which is then taking out the variable of unit to unit variation in terms of how accurately they've been EQ'd to the Harman Curve.....yes so even then they don't sound exactly the same. The K702 is a more expansive soundstage than the HD560s, but I find the HD560s to image with greater positional clarity within that stage even though it's a smaller overall stage. The HD560s also does bass with greater clarity/definition than the K702.

I've recently bought a miniDSP EARS headphone measuring device which is enabling me to explore/EQ the 3 units of K702 that I own with greater accuracy, and also the 3 units of HD560s I own, so the jury is a little bit still out for me on which I prefer the most.....it had been the HD560s, but work with the miniDSP EARS is potentially changing that.....I haven't done enough investigation yet to finally nail it down, but I'll say the HD560s for now as my overall favourite, it's certainly a better buy as the unit to unit variation is less, so it's a lot more solid buying option for people out there without measuring devices (basically EVERYONE then!).....it's also a more reliable headphone in terms of failure, the K702 fails on the solder eventually, at which point you have to solder the wires back on - if you solder them on properly they won't fail, but they don't solder them on optimally at the K702 factory.
 

dante21

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Hehe, why are you asking me if the K702 sounds anything like the HD560s if you also own both, ha! Naa, but no, they're not remotely similar at stock without EQ, but of course they're more similar if both are EQ'd to the same Target Curve (say Harman Curve). There's still differences though, even if you've had your individual K702 unit & HD560s unit measured by Oratory (I have) which is then taking out the variable of unit to unit variation in terms of how accurately they've been EQ'd to the Harman Curve.....yes so even then they don't sound exactly the same. The K702 is a more expansive soundstage than the HD560s, but I find the HD560s to image with greater positional clarity within that stage even though it's a smaller overall stage. The HD560s also does bass with greater clarity/definition than the K702.

I've recently bought a miniDSP EARS headphone measuring device which is enabling me to explore/EQ the 3 units of K702 that I own with greater accuracy, and also the 3 units of HD560s I own, so the jury is a little bit still out for me on which I prefer the most.....it had been the HD560s, but work with the miniDSP EARS is potentially changing that.....I haven't done enough investigation yet to finally nail it down, but I'll say the HD560s for now as my overall favourite, it's certainly a better buy as the unit to unit variation is less, so it's a lot more solid buying option for people out there without measuring devices (basically EVERYONE then!).....it's also a more reliable headphone in terms of failure, the K702 fails on the solder eventually, at which point you have to solder the wires back on - if you solder them on properly they won't fail, but they don't solder them on optimally at the K702 factory.
oh no, you got me wrong

i have the 599 and the K702

that's why i wonder i the 560s is more like the K702 than the 599, and if it's worth buying
 

Robbo99999

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oh no, you got me wrong

i have the 599 and the K702

that's why i wonder i the 560s is more like the K702 than the 599, and if it's worth buying
Ah, I see what you mean now then. I have zero experience with the 599, I haven't listened to it. All I know of the 599 is:
Oratory's measurment & EQ:
Pics & description of HD599:
I think it's the same housing design and it does have the same "“Ergonomic acoustic refinement” (E.A.R.) design" which is their way of saying that the drivers are angled. So there's a lot of crossover in design. My judgement is that they're the same casings/shapes, but with different drivers and maybe some different "inside cup" design that is not easily viewed in pics......so those would be the differences between HD560s & HD599, drivers and "invisible" inside earcup design.....broadly/visually they're very similar.

HD599:
1647789829116.png



HD 560s:
8182xOzfS2L._AC_SL1500_.jpg



In conclusion, I'd probably say that the HD599 & HD560s are gonna sound very similar if not identical when EQ'd to the Harman Curve - after taking out the unit to unit variation variable. So if you're using EQ then there's probably not much point getting the HD560s considering you have the HD599 - that is unless the HD599 might have some distortion or other types of problems that aren't seen in the frequency response graph.




EDIT: found a review on diyaudioheaven (solderdude's website) that actually compares HD599 & HD560s:
HD560s is more resistant in the bass to seal breach, so you're more likely to get consistent bass response when wearing the HD560s. HD560s also has less distortion than the HD599. HD560s is probably the better headphone.
 
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luxonator

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the problem is...comfort. I hate round pads, as they touch my ears, so i'm pretty much limited to Sennheiser
Coming from HD598 (which are quite close to HD599 as far as I know) and now owning HD560s and HE400se, I can say that from those three the 598 were easily the most comfortable. 560s clamp is still way too strong for my liking, but I'm hoping it will ease the more I use them. HE400se cups are definitely a step down for me from the Sennheisers and the overall weight of the headphones is way more noticeable compared to 598 and 560s

I cannot comment on the upgrade aspect much yet as I am still struggling to get my brains used to the high treble on the 560s. On the other hand the HE400se sound pleased me from the get go.
 

dante21

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Coming from HD598 (which are quite close to HD599 as far as I know) and now owning HD560s and HE400se, I can say that from those three the 598 were easily the most comfortable. 560s clamp is still way too strong for my liking, but I'm hoping it will ease the more I use them. HE400se cups are definitely a step down for me from the Sennheisers and the overall weight of the headphones is way more noticeable compared to 598 and 560s

I cannot comment on the upgrade aspect much yet as I am still struggling to get my brains used to the high treble on the 560s. On the other hand the HE400se sound pleased me from the get go.

keep me updated tho. What did you notice the most coming from 598 to 560s?

i want 599 comfort with more clarity. Sometimes it can be a bit muddy in the low mids, and even with vocals. What people call the "Sennheiser Veil"
 

luxonator

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What did you notice the most coming from 598 to 560s?
The clarity ang brightness was a definite step up for me but on the other hand the treble feels quite fatiguing and sometimes even piercing to my ears. Still need to give them some time and if that doesn't do the trick then start to mess with EQ to bring it more tolerable.

I still keep switching back to my HD598 for longer gaming sessions due to the comfort (the clamp on 560s starts to cause discomfort) and it feels like slipping back under a warm blanket (in a good way). I will try to remember to post some updates after few weeks of longer 560s usage.
 

Robbo99999

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Coming from HD598 (which are quite close to HD599 as far as I know) and now owning HD560s and HE400se, I can say that from those three the 598 were easily the most comfortable. 560s clamp is still way too strong for my liking, but I'm hoping it will ease the more I use them. HE400se cups are definitely a step down for me from the Sennheisers and the overall weight of the headphones is way more noticeable compared to 598 and 560s

I cannot comment on the upgrade aspect much yet as I am still struggling to get my brains used to the high treble on the 560s. On the other hand the HE400se sound pleased me from the get go.
(just use EQ if the stock treble is too much)
 

dante21

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The clarity ang brightness was a definite step up for me but on the other hand the treble feels quite fatiguing and sometimes even piercing to my ears. Still need to give them some time and if that doesn't do the trick then start to mess with EQ to bring it more tolerable.

I still keep switching back to my HD598 for longer gaming sessions due to the comfort (the clamp on 560s starts to cause discomfort) and it feels like slipping back under a warm blanket (in a good way). I will try to remember to post some updates after few weeks of longer 560s usage.
thank you a lot for your answers and detailed impressions
 

DarrylG

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It'll be a while before I have to replace my earpads, but I ran across a good price on some at Hifiheadphones UK. Even with shipping to the U.S., they were $22.83. They have a limited number left.

 
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Robbo99999

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It'll be a while before I have to replace my earpads, but I ran across a good price on some at Hifiheadphones UK. Even with shipping to the U.S., they were $22.83. They have a limited number left.

They seem to be the genuine pad too, from what they say, a casual look doesn't indicate they're not genuine.
 
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