Sennheiser HD560S Review (Headphone)

[ishouldbeking]

Glad to see these measure as expected (and as widely reported through the community). The one thing to keep in mind if you order a set is that there were quite a few anecdotal reports of channel imbalance, and a lot of those initial purchases wound up as returns (and may still be in circulation since we know vendors like Amazon will simply repackage and sell onward for a mild discount). It's possible this was resolved in later production runs but something to keep an eye on. Build quality seems lightweight but generally fine, in line with the rest of the plasticky 500-series Sennheisers. Fortunately, the 500 series is known for being extremely comfortable despite the cheap build. And as someone alluded to above, by Sennheiser's own admission, these are functionally identical to the newer and more expensive HD400 Pro model, which have an extra cable and a few minor cosmetic tweaks. The 400 Pro has (to my eye) a slightly better visual aesthetic but it's not worth the extra $80 or so.

 

[_thelaughingman]

Glad to see these measure as expected (and as widely reported through the community). The one thing to keep in mind if you order a set is that there were quite a few anecdotal reports of channel imbalance, and a lot of those initial purchases wound up as returns (and may still be in circulation since we know vendors like Amazon will simply repackage and sell onward for a mild discount). It's possible this was resolved in later production runs but something to keep an eye on. Build quality seems lightweight but generally fine, in line with the rest of the plasticky 500-series Sennheisers. Fortunately, the 500 series is known for being extremely comfortable despite the cheap build. And as someone alluded to above, by Sennheiser's own admission, these are functionally identical to the newer and more expensive HD400 Pro model, which have an extra cable and a few minor cosmetic tweaks. The 400 Pro has (to my eye) a slightly better visual aesthetic but it's not worth the extra $80 or so.

I had a pair of HD555 for more than a decade before I finally bought the HD560s. They may be cheap and plasticky but they're hella durable and comfortable.

 

[KxDx]

Amazon will simply repackage and sell onward for a mild discount

Ha! Seems to be my luck that they sell and ship it as "new" at full price!

 

[temps]

These are my pair that were sent in, and I am glad to see that these don't have channel mismatch, as some other users have reported with their HD560s. Certainly a decent pair of headphones to use for daily listening without the need to EQ, though EQ brings out a bit of balance to them.

Have a like for the awesome name & sig ... I'm just re-watching now for the first time in almost 10 years. Forgot how great this show was.

 

[Andrej]

It appears that many headphones have a poor match with the "target" response in the low bass frequencies, and my (faulty) memory tells me it is predominantly low in magnitude. Given our hearing, and my understanding that the curve was obtained by listeners preferences' evaluations, the target curve is intimately tied to the loudness of the material used for evaluations. The matching to the target curve should be done at the same level in order to evaluate the differences. This is no more about accuracy, as the accuracy will only be valid at one listening level, and if that is not matched, the differences can become misleading, at least at the perceptual level.
Is my understanding flawed? Can something be done to make sure the levels are matched? Is it already done?

 

[Pdxwayne]

I got one since Thanksgiving time. I like strong and clean low bass. Many songs I like have strong ~30hz bass. Once I am used to Akg 371's bass, the hd560s simply not adequate for me. Seeing how much more distortions in the bass region for 560s and based on Amir's listening experience, it would mean I can't really eq up the bass either.

I plan to return my 560s soon....

 

[_thelaughingman]

Have a like for the awesome name & sig ... I'm just re-watching now for the first time in almost 10 years. Forgot how great this show was.

Thanks. One of my all time Fave anime series and characters.

 

[_thelaughingman]

I got one since Thanksgiving time. I like strong and clean low bass. Many songs I like have strong ~30hz bass. Once I am used to Akg 371's bass, the hd560s simply not adequate for me. Seeing how much more distortions in the bass region for 560s and based on Amir's listening experience, it would mean I can't really eq up the bass either.

I plan to return my 560s soon....

I feel ya on the bass thing, I’ve gotten used to the planar bass and find it difficult to get that feel with the HD560S.

 

[tomtrp]

I don't think this is necessarily a Sennheiser thing, I think it has more to do with them being open backed. If you look at Amir's headphone measurements closed backs pretty much always outperform open backs in the low bass region.

Indeed, being open back, the same driver has to produce much more subbass than being used in closed-back deisgn to achieve the same loudness perceived by human ear because subbass frequencies are omni-directional and emit a lot in open back design.

 

[Zensō]

It's great to see these measurements (thanks @amirm ). These may be as good as it gets in this price range, though I'd be curious to compare them side-by-side with the HD58X.

 

[ninetylol]

It's great to see these measurements (thanks @amirm ). These may be as good as it gets in this price range, though I'd be curious to compare them side-by-side with the HD58X.

You could check @solderdude review.

HD560S

back to Sennheiser back to measurements home published: Sep-24-2020, updated: Mar-07-2024 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

 

[pavuol]

HD400PRO=HD560S.

interesting.. almost:

 

[OfficialChill]

Sennheiser 560s vs. Hifiman HE400SE though?

To me HE400SE are quite a bit better than 560S, mainly due to their superior performance when a track gets complex. Sure, 560S might be a bit wider but to me they become a mush with more complex music. HD 560S are a small upgrade in sound quality compared to $20 Koss KSC75, and I absolutely do not think 560S are worth 8-10x the cost of Koss

 

[OfficialChill]

So for comfort reasons the 560s would be better, but if I was listening to faster music like rock/metal/dnb the planar magnetic tech would play out its strength I guess?

Thanks for the impressions!

HE400SE are more comfortable due to a less tight clamp

 

[3125b]

In the EU the 560S goes on sale in the Sennheiser outlet for 99€ from time to time. I got tempted a couple times already

 

[NDRQ]

To me HE400SE are quite a bit better than 560S, mainly due to their superior performance when a track gets complex. Sure, 560S might be a bit wider but to me they become a mush with more complex music. HD 560S are a small upgrade in sound quality compared to $20 Koss KSC75, and I absolutely do not think 560S are worth 8-10x the cost of Koss

I think the HE400SE are not even close. I used them for a 1-2 month and sold them. It was better than the other 400 series stuff, but still not that good. Even with EQ, the bass is not better than an average dynamic, the mid and highs are artificial sounding, the timbre is very unnatural.
But the worst thing is, that the lack of clarity and detail, it was unable to reproduce any nuanced, low level information, the sound was blurred. In my opinion, the quality sound with Hifiman starts with the Sundara, everything below that is really mediocre.

 

[ninetylol]

I think the HE400SE are not even close. I used them for a 1-2 month and sold them. It was better than the other 400 series stuff, but still not that good. Even with EQ, the bass is not better than an average dynamic, the mid and highs are artificial sounding, the timbre is very unnatural.
But the worst thing is, that the lack of clarity and detail, it was unable to reproduce any nuanced, low level information, the sound was blurred. In my opinion, the quality sound with Hifiman starts with the Sundara, everything below that is really mediocre.

Sounds like the exact opposite from what Ive read in several reviews.

 

[NDRQ]

Sounds like the exact opposite from what Ive read in several reviews.

I've also read many hyped review, but the real listening is a different story. Many customer dont have too much experience so they praise basically everything that not terrible and they are also biased toward their stuff. Big audio sites and youtubers are usually sponsored by audio companies, even a forum like Headfi is full with paid "user reviews".

Btw i forgot to mention, that the HE400se cable are just one of the worst garbage ever produced, it is so microphonic, that literally ruins every music, even if u just slightly moving your head. Thats another thing that noone mentions. Some guy mentioning that the cable is mediocre, but that is really far from the horroristic reality.

 

[Zensō]

To me HE400SE are quite a bit better than 560S, mainly due to their superior performance when a track gets complex. Sure, 560S might be a bit wider but to me they become a mush with more complex music. HD 560S are a small upgrade in sound quality compared to $20 Koss KSC75, and I absolutely do not think 560S are worth 8-10x the cost of Koss

Every set of Hifiman headphones I purchased had manufacturing flaws and had to be returned. Conversely, I’ve never had to return a Sennheiser at any price point. That alone would cause me to always recommend Sennheiser over Hifiman.

 

[staticV3]

One thing I notice is that Sennheiser rates these at 120 Ohm and the graph shows them peaking at 224 Ohm right where you would need most power?

Impedance and sensitivity are almost always rated at 1kHz.