Sennheiser HD560S Review (Headphone)

[SMJH]

If you're gonna be using the headphones with EQ, which is what you said in a previous post then there's not all that much point trying them at stock in a shop or wherever - you'd try them with EQ to your target curve of choice. But anyway, I don't know why you're even typing about your HD400 Pro listening experience when you previously said you know you can't wear them due to comfort issues, so there's a bit of a mismatch of logic going on here in some of your posts which is a bit strange.

It all makes sense once you realize I've never tried open backs before. Sorry for the confusion. Yes indeed the 400 Pros were annoying, but the point of going out to try them again was to experience open backs with my own music. I'm not sure if EQ would have altered the soundstage that much. I thought it'd be much closer to "speakers in a room", but ultimately that did not happen. The extra depth was not worth the drawback to me, being no noise isolation, and so what I got out of it was I should just stick to closed back headphones. I hope this clears it up.

 

[Robbo99999]

It all makes sense once you realize I've never tried open backs before. Sorry for the confusion. Yes indeed the 400 Pros were annoying, but the point of going out to try them again was to experience open backs with my own music. I'm not sure if EQ would have altered the soundstage that much. I thought it'd be much closer to "speakers in a room", but ultimately that did not happen. The extra depth was not worth the drawback to me, being no noise isolation, and so what I got out of it was I should just stick to closed back headphones. I hope this clears it up.

EQ does change the soundstage, but it doesn't seem to be the only effect, I think it's also related to the design of the headphone albeit I wouldn't be able to pinpoint what exactly. But anyway, let's just finish up this conversation because you've already chosen that you want a closed back headphone and this is the review thread for the open back HD560s.

 

[SMJH]

EQ does change the soundstage, but it doesn't seem to be the only effect, I think it's also related to the design of the headphone albeit I wouldn't be able to pinpoint what exactly. But anyway, let's just finish up this conversation because you've already chosen that you want a closed back headphone and this is the review thread for the open back HD560s.

Yup, was completely lost for while there. Thanks again for your inputs.

 

[MarineSolder]

Greetings ASR comrades!

An year has passed since I purchased the Sennheiser HD560S (2024). This decision was influenced mostly by this forum and measurements, which guided my choice. I bought them blind, as I didn't have the opportunity to audit them beforehand. After over 500 hours of listening with these headphones, I’d like to share my impressions, as well as my custom EQ settings that I developed over a 30-day-calibration period.

It’s nothing special straight out of the box, I wasn’t particularly impressed, just OK headphones. However, after extensive tuning and matching them with a suitable DAC+AMP, I came at the following conclusions.

These headphones have moderate sensitivity- they don’t require massive amplifier power, but a dedicated headphone amp is still necessary to unlock their full potential. I experimented with several DACs and found that they sound best with the iFi Zen DAC (V3 and Air). Other DACs, including some SMSL units, didn’t satisfy me musically, as they imparted a somewhat harsh, slightly edgier character to the sound. I found the Zen DAC Air + Zen CAN Air combination to be a well-balanced, perfectly matched within this price range of headphones.

Regarding comfort: these are open-back Sennheisers, like many others open-backs, fit comfortably on the head and offer a pleasant, somewhat comfort sound with pretty good soundstage - ideal for home listening and movies. However, there are notable drawbacks. For example, the dynamic driver is relatively underpowered for an open-back design, and it struggles to produce a proper bass response, resulting in significant distortion when attempting EQ to the headphones. This is primarily due to the low-power nature of the driver. Another feature of these drivers exhibit a specific impulse response characteristic that gives Sennheiser’s their “velvet” sound signature (my friends called em “home slippers”).

However proper matching with a suitable DAC and AMP can make these headphones a worthwhile option for home audio at their price point. As for whether these headphones are suitable for mixing and production: that’s a complex question. The straightforward answer is likely “no”- they’re not ideal as a primary tool for professional work due to their limitations. However, they can serve well as a secondary control headphones.

Below, I’ve included my custom EQ curve settings for Peace Equalizer, developed after 500 hours of listening and about 30-days of calibration. Before I tested all available presets in Auto-EQ, but I found none of them satisfactory. The Harman curve, in particular, does not reflect the sound signature that suits me. Since I prefer a “big-sound” speakers - favoring comfort timbre and wide soundstage - I use the classic Sweep Audio Test for calibration to that sound signature. I was using only “peak” filters (none of low/high shelfs) as I found them always works best for me.

Of course, I reviewed the frequency response (FR) charts from various sources to understand the typical behavior of these headphones, but due to differences in measurement methodologies, equipment, and head/ear sizes, the actual response perceived by the end user may differ from what’s shown by measurement devices. Therefore, my EQ curve is not strictly based on measurements but primarily on my listening impressions. I rely more on my ears, using different listening methodologies, than on raw measurement data. So, please note that my EQ setup is a matter of personal taste and not a technically precise correction. Thanks for your reading - if you find it appealing, I’d be grateful.

I called my preset Natural Smooth.

Overall, I would rate the headphones raw performance as a solid 6.5/10.
Applying suitable DAC+AMP combo (could be any) with addition of EQ correction – 7.5/10.

Edit: Added another version of preset. Initially, I doubted whether to include it or not, as there are 14 correction points, which might be inconvenient and excessive for most users. I took different approach - adds settings for v1.1 that features a standard 10-point EQ (due to limitations in some software), while v2 offers a more precise EQ with 14 points. The sound signature of both equalizers is quite similar.

 

[Chagall]

Greetings ASR comrades!

An year has passed since I purchased the Sennheiser HD560S (2024). This decision was influenced mostly by this forum and measurements, which guided my choice. I bought them blind, as I didn't have the opportunity to audit them beforehand. After over 500 hours of listening with these headphones, I’d like to share my impressions, as well as my custom EQ settings that I developed over a 30-day-calibration period.

It’s nothing special straight out of the box, I wasn’t particularly impressed, just OK headphones. However, after extensive tuning and matching them with a suitable DAC+AMP, I came at the following conclusions.

These headphones have moderate sensitivity- they don’t require massive amplifier power, but a dedicated headphone amp is still necessary to unlock their full potential. I experimented with several DACs and found that they sound best with the iFi Zen DAC (V3 and Air). Other DACs, including some SMSL units, didn’t satisfy me musically, as they imparted a somewhat harsh, slightly edgier character to the sound.

I found the Zen DAC Air + Zen CAN Air combination to be a well-balanced, perfectly matched within this price range of headphones.

Regarding comfort: these open-back Sennheisers, like many open headphones, fit comfortably on the head and offer a pleasant, somewhat comfort sound with a tolerable soundstage - ideal for home listening and movies. However, there are notable drawbacks. For example, the dynamic driver is relatively underpowered for an open-back design, and it struggles to produce a proper bass response, resulting in significant distortion when attempting EQ to the headphones. This is primarily due to the low-power nature of the driver.

Despite their potential, these drivers exhibit a specific impulse response characteristic that gives Sennheiser’s their “velvet” sound signature (my friends called em “home slippers”). However proper matching with a suitable DAC and AMP can make these headphones a worthwhile option for home audio at their price point.

As for whether these headphones are suitable for mixing and production: that’s a complex question. The straightforward answer is likely “no”- they’re not ideal as a primary tool for professional work due to their limitations. However, they can serve well as a secondary control headphones.

Below, I’ve included my custom EQ curve settings for Peace Equalizer, developed after 500 hours of listening and about 30-days of calibration. Before I tested all available presets in Auto-EQ, but I found none of them satisfactory. The Harman curve, in particular, does not reflect the sound signature that suits me. Since I prefer a “big-sound” speakers - favoring comfort timbre and wide soundstage - I use the classic Sweep Audio Test for calibration to that sound signature. I was using only “peak” filters (none of low/high shelfs) as I found them always works best for me.

Of course, I reviewed the frequency response (FR) charts from various sources to understand the typical behavior of these headphones, but due to differences in measurement methodologies, equipment, and head/ear sizes, the actual response perceived by the end user may differ from what’s shown by measurement devices. Therefore, my EQ curve is not strictly based on measurements but primarily on my listening impressions. I rely more on my ears, using different listening methodologies, than on raw measurement data. So, Please note that my EQ setup is a matter of personal taste and not a technically precise correction. Thanks for your reading - if you find it appealing, I’d be grateful.

I called my preset Natural Smooth.

Overall, I would rate the headphones raw performance as a solid 6.5/10.
Applying suitable DAC+AMP combo with addition of EQ correction – 7.5/10.

View attachment 468141

Man, you hyped your EQ so much it makes me sad I can’t use it… I’m not on the Zen DAC/AMP chain, so I guess it’d sound completely off on my setup.

Edit: Also, what different listening methodologies are you referring to?

 

[MarineSolder]

Man, you hyped your EQ so much it makes me sad I can’t use it… I’m not on the Zen DAC/AMP chain, so I guess it’d sound completely off on my setup.

Edit: Also, what different listening methodologies are you referring to?

There are at least different types of Sweep Test - e.x. Linear/Logarithmic, Straightforward/Backforward, Auto/Manual control. And some other custom techniques that created by sound engeeners all over the world...

 

[Chagall]

There are at least different types of Sweep Test - e.x. Linear/Logarithmic, Straightforward/Backforward, Auto/Manual control. And some other custom techniques that created by sound engeeners all over the world...

Are any of those equal-loudness sweeps? If not, how exactly did you tune it by ear?

Don’t get me wrong - you should definitely fine-tune EQ by ear. I just think a better approach is to start with the Harman curve EQ, and then fine-tune by ear while listening to music. Sure, our ears differ from measurement rigs, but that doesn’t mean there’s no correlation.

 

[Robbo99999]

Greetings ASR comrades!

An year has passed since I purchased the Sennheiser HD560S (2024). This decision was influenced mostly by this forum and measurements, which guided my choice. I bought them blind, as I didn't have the opportunity to audit them beforehand. After over 500 hours of listening with these headphones, I’d like to share my impressions, as well as my custom EQ settings that I developed over a 30-day-calibration period.

It’s nothing special straight out of the box, I wasn’t particularly impressed, just OK headphones. However, after extensive tuning and matching them with a suitable DAC+AMP, I came at the following conclusions.

These headphones have moderate sensitivity- they don’t require massive amplifier power, but a dedicated headphone amp is still necessary to unlock their full potential. I experimented with several DACs and found that they sound best with the iFi Zen DAC (V3 and Air). Other DACs, including some SMSL units, didn’t satisfy me musically, as they imparted a somewhat harsh, slightly edgier character to the sound. I found the Zen DAC Air + Zen CAN Air combination to be a well-balanced, perfectly matched within this price range of headphones.

Regarding comfort: these are open-back Sennheisers, like many others open-backs, fit comfortably on the head and offer a pleasant, somewhat comfort sound with pretty good soundstage - ideal for home listening and movies. However, there are notable drawbacks. For example, the dynamic driver is relatively underpowered for an open-back design, and it struggles to produce a proper bass response, resulting in significant distortion when attempting EQ to the headphones. This is primarily due to the low-power nature of the driver. Another feature of these drivers exhibit a specific impulse response characteristic that gives Sennheiser’s their “velvet” sound signature (my friends called em “home slippers”).

However proper matching with a suitable DAC and AMP can make these headphones a worthwhile option for home audio at their price point. As for whether these headphones are suitable for mixing and production: that’s a complex question. The straightforward answer is likely “no”- they’re not ideal as a primary tool for professional work due to their limitations. However, they can serve well as a secondary control headphones.

Below, I’ve included my custom EQ curve settings for Peace Equalizer, developed after 500 hours of listening and about 30-days of calibration. Before I tested all available presets in Auto-EQ, but I found none of them satisfactory. The Harman curve, in particular, does not reflect the sound signature that suits me. Since I prefer a “big-sound” speakers - favoring comfort timbre and wide soundstage - I use the classic Sweep Audio Test for calibration to that sound signature. I was using only “peak” filters (none of low/high shelfs) as I found them always works best for me.

Of course, I reviewed the frequency response (FR) charts from various sources to understand the typical behavior of these headphones, but due to differences in measurement methodologies, equipment, and head/ear sizes, the actual response perceived by the end user may differ from what’s shown by measurement devices. Therefore, my EQ curve is not strictly based on measurements but primarily on my listening impressions. I rely more on my ears, using different listening methodologies, than on raw measurement data. So, please note that my EQ setup is a matter of personal taste and not a technically precise correction. Thanks for your reading - if you find it appealing, I’d be grateful.

I called my preset Natural Smooth.

Overall, I would rate the headphones raw performance as a solid 6.5/10.
Applying suitable DAC+AMP combo (could be any) with addition of EQ correction – 7.5/10.

Edit: Added another version of preset. Initially, I doubted whether to include it or not, as there are 14 correction points, which might be inconvenient and excessive for most users. I took different approach - adds settings for v1.1 that features a standard 10-point EQ (due to limitations in some software), while v2 offers a more precise EQ with 14 points. The sound signature of both equalizers is quite similar.

View attachment 468141

Just gonna quickly respond to some of this as I don't agree with some of it:

1. Doesn't really matter what DAC/amp combo you use with this headphone as long as it doesn't colour the sound, ie it should measure fairly well if you choose one that's been measured here on ASR.
2. The headphones are pretty good out of the box, as in pretty neutral.
3. These headphones should be a pretty solid choice for mixing & production (see point #2).
4. These headphones are capable of good detailed bass for open back headphones, especially after EQ.
5. I'm not convinced by your EQ, to me it's moving it in the wrong direction vs how the headphones measure - I don't think you want to further supress 2-5kHz on New Version HD560s. But you should use whichever EQ suits you best, just I don't agree with it as a likely good sounding EQ for the majority of people.

 

[MarineSolder]

Just gonna quickly respond to some of this as I don't agree with some of it:

1. Doesn't really matter what DAC/amp combo you use with this headphone as long as it doesn't colour the sound, ie it should measure fairly well if you choose one that's been measured here on ASR.
2. The headphones are pretty good out of the box, as in pretty neutral.
3. These headphones should be a pretty solid choice for mixing & production (see point #2).
4. These headphones are capable of good detailed bass for open back headphones, especially after EQ.
5. I'm not convinced by your EQ, to me it's moving it in the wrong direction vs how the headphones measure - I don't think you want to further supress 2-5kHz on New Version HD560s. But you should use whichever EQ suits you best, just I don't agree with it as a likely good sounding EQ for the majority of people.

My tunning is definitely not for majority of people. Let say for whom that specifically sensible in 1-3kHz area. That's why Harman EQ doesn't match my taste and my experience with stand-floor speakers.
I made this EQ settings for comfort long-sessions, with an emphasis on resolution.

 

[SMJH]

That EQ could truly be a perfect match for your ears, but just be cautious, as it can be easy getting stuck in a feedback loop spiraling towards questionable tweaks and presets when working on your chains, without a reference point. I suggest you listen to your 560S with Oratory1990 preset (make minor 20~40Hz and 2~7Khz tweaks only to suite your ears), on a clean, linear system for a while since they're an excellent flat pair, then switch back to your EQ and see if you truly like it. Listen to other devices if possible as well, especially speakers. Listen to movies and speech on them as well, not just music. I've been guilty of this myself. I "think" I like the sound after countless hours of tweaking, then go to a pub, or listen to other gear. Suddenly it sounds comically way off, and I find flat-ish much more agreeable again for speakers, and Harman-ish for headphones.

 

[Chagall]

My tunning is definitely not for majority of people. Let say for whom that specifically sensible in 1-3kHz area. That's why Harman EQ doesn't match my taste and my experience with stand-floor speakers.
I made this EQ settings for comfort long-sessions, with an emphasis on resolution.

I might be wrong, but I have a feeling you tried to make all frequencies sound equally loud using sweeps. If that’s the case, it’s no surprise you ended up cutting 2–4 kHz so much and boosting highs. Doesn’t it sound like it’s lacking presence (female voices, guitars, piano...) when listening to music?

 

[MarineSolder]

That EQ could truly be a perfect match for your ears, but just be cautious, as it can be easy getting stuck in a feedback loop spiraling towards questionable tweaks and presets when working on your chains, without a reference point. I suggest you listen to your 560S with Oratory1990 preset (make minor 20~40Hz and 2~7Khz tweaks only to suite your ears), on a clean, linear system for a while since they're an excellent flat pair, then switch back to your EQ and see if you truly like it. Listen to other devices if possible as well, especially speakers. Listen to movies and speech on them as well, not just music. I've been guilty of this myself. I "think" I like the sound after countless hours of tweaking, then go to a pub, or listen to other gear. Suddenly it sounds comically way off, and I find flat-ish much more agreeable again for speakers, and Harman-ish for headphones.

Everything you've described, I experienced myself a long time ago, through working with these and other various headphones, if you understood that from my previous post. But I don't intend to prove anything or get into endless discussions. I simply shared what I find useful. I made this equalizer setting for myself, not for anyone else. It's just my personal experience that I'm sharing, and that's all. Whether someone likes it or not, I don't really want to prove anything. I even know that my preferences aren't to everyone's taste because among my friends, there are enthusiasts who prefer a bright sound, which I don't like. Others prefer a darker sound with more bass, and not just bass - when the mids are cut even more. I understand all of this well, it’s just that someone might find my setting useful, and that's enough. Maybe just one or two people will find it helpful, and that's fine.

I'm not new in the world of audio. Before sharing anything or drawing conclusions, I’ve spent a lot of time training my ears with various techniques. I also switch different headphones, listen to speakers, in different places, at different times of the day, and so on.

Thank you.

 

[MarineSolder]

I might be wrong, but I have a feeling you tried to make all frequencies sound equally loud using sweeps. If that’s the case, it’s no surprise you ended up cutting 2–4 kHz so much and boosting highs. Doesn’t it sound like it’s lacking presence (female voices, guitars, piano...) when listening to music?

View attachment 468358

Mostly, but it's not perfectly flat. Just give it a try and write down is it lack of presence or something. Its definitely could be dull for majority of people, cause of different perception of human.

 

[MarineSolder]

And again - I analyzed about 6-7 different FR charts from different sources, and all of them are slightly different.

 

[Chagall]

Mostly, but it's not perfectly flat. Just give it a try and write down is it lack of presence or something. Its definitely could be dull for majority of people, cause of different perception of human.

Well, that's why I asked you how you tuned it using sweeps. Our ears are not equally sensitive to all frequencies (less sensitive to low and high frequencies), so a frequency sweep should sound uneven. EQing it flat is the opposite of what we would perceive as neutral.

 

[MarineSolder]

Well, that's why I asked you how you tuned it using sweeps. Our ears are not equally sensitive to all frequencies (less sensitive to low and high frequencies), so a frequency sweep should sound uneven. EQing it flat is the opposite of what we would perceive as neutral.

As I see you not really familiar with Sweep test. So just find out the information to completely understand what it is. Ask professional people about it. Its well known old-school method, i told you. Not perfect. But I knew some people who still using it to tune the sound. Not only sound engineers, even musicians to investigate their mixes. For me it always works better than any over pre-rendered EQ.

Edit: This principle is the same that used in automation FR measurement. But instead of microphones you are using your years. Not easy from very first try, but!

 

[SMJH]

Mostly, but it's not perfectly flat. Just give it a try and write down is it lack of presence or something. Its definitely could be dull for majority of people, cause of different perception of human.

I don't know if what I did is accurate, but since oratory's 560S preset works well on my HD 490 Pro with Mixing Pads, I am assuming I would get a tone close to how you dialed it for a 560S. The 490 Pro shares the same driver as the 560S, the biggest difference being acoustics. I am assuming it would behave similarly (ballpark) to boosts and cuts in FR. I only had to reduce your 2.5Khz cut from -7.5 to -3, and your boost at 5.8Khz from 6.5 to 4 in order to get an enjoyable response from that pair. Psycho-acoustically, the preset does indeed improve soundstage by removing the strong center in-your-head frequencies, at the expense of sounding a bit muffled. To counteract, you need more gain, at which point the highs start getting annoying, though I suspect a 560S would sound better there. That soundstage piqued my interest: My mind instantly fired towards HD 800S, and get this, your EQ'd 560S is somewhat close trend-wise to that pair indeed. The preset definitely looks worse than it sounds I'll give it that. It really does invite you to crank it loud. What an interesting curio, you even kept the 9~10K ear-shape dip intact... Thanks for sharing!

 

[usern]

It’s nothing special straight out of the box, I wasn’t particularly impressed, just OK headphones. However, after extensive tuning and matching them with a suitable DAC+AMP, I came at the following conclusions.

DAC + AMP matching outside having enough power for enough loudness is not really a thing. If electronic equipment sound different they either have different (not flat) EQ or high output impedance which can affect headphones with variable impedance which the 560S are.

Spoiler

Besides, the difference in tone between electronic equipment can be negated with an EQ.

 

[MarineSolder]

I don't know if what I did is accurate, but since oratory's 560S preset works well on my HD 490 Pro with Mixing Pads, I am assuming I would get a tone close to how you dialed it for a 560S. The 490 Pro shares the same driver as the 560S, the biggest difference being acoustics. I am assuming it would behave similarly (ballpark) to boosts and cuts in FR. I only had to reduce your 2.5Khz cut from -7.5 to -3, and your boost at 5.8Khz from 6.5 to 4 in order to get an enjoyable response from that pair. Psycho-acoustically, the preset does indeed improve soundstage by removing the strong center in-your-head frequencies, at the expense of sounding a bit muffled. To counteract, you need more gain, at which point the highs start getting annoying, though I suspect a 560S would sound better there. That soundstage piqued my interest: My mind instantly fired towards HD 800S, and get this, your EQ'd 560S is somewhat close trend-wise to that pair indeed. The preset definitely looks worse than it sounds I'll give it that. It really does invite you to crank it loud. What an interesting curio, you even kept the 9~10K ear-shape dip intact... Thanks for sharing!View attachment 468384

It's old one - i messed up while posting first preset, cause its hundreds of test preset on my PC. Use my preset V2.
Also I see that EQ curve of preset is bit different from what Peace showing me. I need investigate it...

I believe that HD490 Pro could produce different high freq response. So probably you don't need to amplify 11K+ region.

 

[MarineSolder]

I ve done some some research and figured out that some people might have not the best possible experience with Peace Equalizer.
Since I couldn't find a suitable thread on this forum for configuring Peace, I will write it here.
Although Peace uses WASAPI (shared), the Windows audio engine is still in use. Below, I have included instructions on how to improve your experience with the equalizer: