Sennheiser HD560S Review (Headphone)

[metal1500]

EQing per song sounds a bit like the problem is not the headphone tuning, but the mix and master differences of your music

metal is like that, theres the amazing sound disk that i can listen even without EQ (dcc gold or audio fidelity disc, toshiba cp32);
theres the poorly mastered album - compressed sound (megadeth rust in peace DR 6!), iron maiden piece of mind or metallica and justice for all - there's no bass.
and the ear bleeding ones - manowar Into Glory Ride - lol

 

[iGmole]

metal is like that, theres the amazing sound disk that i can listen even without EQ (dcc gold or audio fidelity disc, toshiba cp32);
theres the poorly mastered album - compressed sound (megadeth rust in peace DR 6!), iron maiden piece of mind or metallica and justice for all - there's no bass.
and the ear bleeding ones - manowar Into Glory Ride - lol

Yeah, metal and hard rock used to be pretty wild sonically It still can be, but modern technology and somewhat established recording techniques - after a couple of decades of ear piercing treble peaks - help a lot

 

[Robbo99999]

Good morning everyone!

I am a new user of this forum and a new and happy owner of these headphones.

Headphones that I only use late in the evening to play PS5 games and watch movies. I do not have an experienced ear, but I am already very very satisfied (I am coming from Beyerdynamic 770 Pro).

Granted that I connect them to the headphone output of my Denon x3800h receiver, which has a graphic equalizer to set, can you recommend the best ones to apply for these headphones?

The settings allow me to make changes to the following values:
63 Hz / 125 Hz / 250 Hz / 500 Hz / 1 kHz / 2 kHz / 4 kHz / 8 kHz / 16 kHz

I hope you can help me, thank you!

Hi, are you sure you haven't got a 31Hz filter too, I reckon you do? Also, did you buy the headphone new recently or did you buy a used one, I ask because if you bought it new recently then you have the New Version HD560s? If you answer yes to the previous two questions then try the following EQ I just did which is basically HD560s New Version EQ'd to Harman Curve using a standard 10 band Graphic Equaliser:

The EQ can't totally sort out all the peaks and troughs because the bands aren't located in the perfect places, but it does allow you to get the range from 30-3500Hz pretty much spot on Harman Curve, whilst also bringing 6000-8000Hz a little closer. I dialed in just a tiny tad more bass than Harman (less than 1dB more) just because we can't EQ down that 5kHz peak so I figured it might help balance it a tad, but that tiny increased bass above Harman is hardly worth mentioning.

 

[metal1500]

why equalizer apo gives a clipping warning (RED) if gain is only negative. should i add a preamp? with oratory settings the peak is 0dB but it's not red (with oratory preamp).

 

[iGmole]

why equalizer apo gives a clipping warning (RED) if gain is only negative. should i add a preamp? with oratory settings the peak is 0dB but it's not red (with oratory preamp).

View attachment 441978

Maybe the peak gain is in the positive by less than 0.05dB and rounded down to 0.0dB. I am not an expert on EQ artefacts but that is my guess. Maybe give it like 0.1dB of negative gain (somewhere in the software).

 

[staticV3]

why equalizer apo gives a clipping warning (RED) if gain is only negative. should i add a preamp? with oratory settings the peak is 0dB but it's not red (with oratory preamp).

View attachment 441978

Adding a preamp is always recommended to avoid triggering CAudioLimiter:

Ending the Windows Audio Quality Debate

A debate has been long raging in the audio community that Windows isn't fit for use in a high resolution audio system. Sceptics counterargued that bits are bits and Windows audio degradations are a figment of an over-active audiophile imagination. I decided to investigate this as I kept...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I think EQApo marking 0.0dB Peak gain as red in your case may not actually indicate clipping. Is it still red when you disable the Peaking filter?

In any case, you can check for actual clipping using REW and Audacity Wasapi Loopback.

 

[metal1500]

Is it still red when you disable the Peaking filter?

if i disable the filter it's not red

Maybe the peak gain is in the positive by less than 0.05dB and rounded down to 0.0dB. I am not an expert on EQ artefacts but that is my guess. Maybe give it like 0.1dB of negative gain (somewhere in the software).

with -0.1dB of preamp it's not red too

 

[Punkcouple]

Hi, are you sure you haven't got a 31Hz filter too, I reckon you do? Also, did you buy the headphone new recently or did you buy a used one, I ask because if you bought it new recently then you have the New Version HD560s? If you answer yes to the previous two questions then try the following EQ I just did which is basically HD560s New Version EQ'd to Harman Curve using a standard 10 band Graphic Equaliser:
View attachment 441939

The EQ can't totally sort out all the peaks and troughs because the bands aren't located in the perfect places, but it does allow you to get the range from 30-3500Hz pretty much spot on Harman Curve, whilst also bringing 6000-8000Hz a little closer. I dialed in just a tiny tad more bass than Harman (less than 1dB more) just because we can't EQ down that 5kHz peak so I figured it might help balance it a tad, but that tiny increased bass above Harman is hardly worth mentioning.

Hello! As you can see from the attached photo, you can only edit 9 bands. The headphones were bought new on Amazon 4 days ago. So can you confirm that I need to use the settings you forwarded to me above? Thank you!

 

[brydon10]

Hello! As you can see from the attached photo, you can only edit 9 bands. The headphones were bought new on Amazon 4 days ago. So can you confirm that I need to use the settings you forwarded to me above? Thank you!

I’d be more concerned about the output impedance of your receiver than EQing the headphone. It’s probably very high and is likely giving you some mid-bass bloat.

 

[Robbo99999]

Hello! As you can see from the attached photo, you can only edit 9 bands. The headphones were bought new on Amazon 4 days ago. So can you confirm that I need to use the settings you forwarded to me above? Thank you!

Ah, you really do only have the 9 bands then. In that case try the following EQ which is just using your 9 bands, and I increased the 60Hz area a bit more above Harman bass level because now we can't boost 30Hz and we still have that peak at 5kHz that we can't do anything about, so I just eyeballed that increased bass level for better tonal balance.

I’d be more concerned about the output impedance of your receiver than EQing the headphone. It’s probably very high and is likely giving you some mid-bass bloat.

From @solderdude's website he's showing that the green line in following graph is 120ohm output impedance. @Punkcouple what's your output impedance of your Denon?

Following is link to solderdude's website where this graph comes from:

HD560S

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

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

 

[Punkcouple]

RAh, you really do only have the 9 bands then. In that case try the following EQ which is just using your 9 bands, and I increased the 60Hz area a bit more above Harman bass level because now we can't boost 30Hz and we still have that peak at 5kHz that we can't do anything about, so I just eyeballed that increased bass level for better tonal balance.
View attachment 442104

From @solderdude's website he's showing that the green line in following graph is 120ohm output impedance. @Punkcouple what's your output impedance of your Denon?
View attachment 442105
Following is link to solderdude's website where this graph comes from:

HD560S

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

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

@Robbo99999 Is this data okay?

 

[solderdude]

Unfortunately Amir did not measured the headphone out on it.
Usually the headphone out is an afterthought on this kind of devices.
Either it is low power and near 0 ohm or they use the speaker-out of the main channels through some resistors.
In the latter case the output resistance could be anything between 50ohm and 300ohm.
Only measurements can tell.

Worst case scenario you simply dial down the bass a couple of dB. Bass should be adjusted to taste anyway so I would not worry about this too much.
Exact EQ based on a measurement is a bit silly anyway as your HD560S will differ a bit from the one that was tested (production spread) and your head/ears will differ from the test fixture anyway.

 

[Robbo99999]

@Robbo99999 Is this data okay?

That doesn't tell us what we need to know re the headphone jack. I would say try the latest EQ I posted to you, and see what you think to it. If the bass is too much then reduce both the 63Hz filter and 125Hz filter by the same amount, so if bass is too much then lower them both by 1dB and try again. I mention the 125Hz filter because both the 63Hz and 125Hz filter cover off the main influence of increased bass through higher impedance as seen in solderdude's graph that I posted up, so theoretically if it's too bassy because of your output impedance then lowering both the 63Hz and 125Hz filter by the same amount could offset that as well as just generally tune the bass level to your own preference. If you're finding you're needing to lower the bass a lot then you're probably not a fan of Harman Curve bass in which case you should stop focussing on the 125Hz filter and lower the 63Hz filter more than the 125Hz filter. But lowering the 63Hz filter and 125Hz filter together by the same amount would roughly counteract any issue associated with higher output impedance. A 120ohm output impedance looks like it only increases those filters by about 2dB but I don't know what a 300ohm output impedance would do in terms of higher bass levels. I guess overall to keep it simple you can just try the EQ and adjust the bass to taste if you don't like how it is with the EQ.

 

[Robbo99999]

Only £99 at Amazon UK right now, they've not been lower on Amazon I don't think!

Amazon.co.uk

 

[Ufasas]

Only £99 at Amazon UK right now, they've not been lower on Amazon I don't think!

Amazon.co.uk

sad, paid 145.- 3 years ago, lol, i would be so happy to have paid 99

 

[Robbo99999]

sad, paid 145.- 3 years ago, lol, i would be so happy to have paid 99

Ha, I know you don't mean that because you've already had 3yrs of HD560s enjoyment!

 

[3alfa3]

Coming from DT770Pro 80 Ohm (10 Years old, but with new earpads every 2-3 Years - last time replaced a Month ago) and Topping DX1 as DAC/Amp I bought a Month ago, i wanted open Headphone.

Recently started to use EqualizerAPO/Peace with Oratory1990 profile for DT770Pro, it took a very short time to adapt to his Target - it was strange first few Minutes, but after an Hour i disabled EQ and that was worse, so for a week or two i use EQ with DT770Pro.

Bought HD560S few days ago (126€). Manufactured 08/2024 per serial Number.

No complaints, no percieveble Channel imbalance, cable lenght (1.8m) just right for my use, Headband clamp not an issue for me (well, maybe after 2-3 Hours a 10min break do make a difference, but nothing serious and not different in that regard to DT770Pro). My Head is L size in Motorcycle Helmets with 59.3cm circumference if that helps to others, adjusted Headband to 4 clicks from max extended to have good fit with HD560S.

Without EQ, 1-2 kHz range (closer to 1 kHz) is whats bothers me (too much and i can't fully accommodate to that even after a while), highs are OK, bass is lacking but not much.

Tried Oratory1990 profile and immediately felt relief in 1-2 kHz range. Since im 52, after a while, decided to turn off HSF (-1db @ 10 kHz) and that is better for me. Then, felt there is a little too much bass, not in ammount, but in clarity, thought it can be clearer. From 5.5 to 4.5db solved that for me. So after a while, blindly sweeped 105Hz LSF and after a 10 or so attempts, always landed between 4.5 and 5db instead of 5.5db. Adjusted to 4,8 just because I can .

Great Headphone, so is DT770Pro with EQ when closed Headphone is needed.

 

[3alfa3]

Also, I noticed that the HD560s sounds best - for me - when I extend the headband so that the cups are as low as I can set them without sacrificing comfort. It is slightly darker that way.

Did not noticed that (to be precise, not that i can tell), but i do clearly notice if i move them horizontally (front/rear) - is it because of angled drivers?
Definitely more sensitive to position than DT 770 Pro on my Head.

 

[3alfa3]

I’d be more concerned about the output impedance of your receiver than EQing the headphone. It’s probably very high and is likely giving you some mid-bass bloat.

Tried that just for fun on my old Yamaha RX-V630RDS receiver with indicated 560 Ohm output impedance for Headphone - totally different sound.

 

[iGmole]

Did not noticed that (to be precise, not that i can tell), but i do clearly notice if i move them horizontally (front/rear) - is it because of angled drivers?
Definitely more sensitive to position than DT 770 Pro on my Head.

Not sure why it happens, probably for the same reason speakers sound different at angles and in different parts of the room (the airspace between the ear and driver being the room here).

Every headshape is unique I guess, I have a narrow jaw so when I pull the phones down, the bottom side of the cups move closer to each other and the angle changes.