Sennheiser HD569 Headphone Review

[KxDx]

I own a pair and wear them to listen to podcasts when I go walking. They aren't as good as my former HD600's but they isolate noise better and they're comfy. And cheap. And have a microphone cable so I can take phone calls.

 

[solderdude]

And that is exactly what they are for.
Not high quality sound reproduction.
Sensitive enough (118dB/V) to be driven directly from a phone.

 

[SwampYankee]

From my own experience with these two headphones, at $80 price point, the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x is a much better choice in nearly any aspect, the tonality's more neutral, sounds clearer, detachable one-side cable with carrying pouch, quite durable yet foldable design, you basically can't go wrong with this.

I also prefer the M40x in this price range. The Sennheisers are more comfortable and provide better sound isolation (for me), but the ATs sound better in most circumstances. The M40x is also little leaner in the bass than the "step up" M50x and sound better balanced for less $$$.

 

[sam_adams]

Most folks can't read Portugese so here it is translated in Icelandic, which most people also cannot read :

Ég átti einn slíkan hérna, svo um leið og ég gat prófað hann skilaði ég honum. Ég hataði þetta heyrnartól.

It's better in Esperanto:

Mi havis unu el ĉi tiuj ĉi tie, do tuj kiam mi povis testi ĝin, mi resendis ĝin. Mi malamis ĉi tiun kapaŭskultilon.

 

[3125b]

Most folks can't read Portugese so here it is translated in Icelandic, which most people also cannot read :

Great, as long as nobody knows what's going one we're on the same page

I have the HD 569 and think it's one of the better closed-back headphones under 100€. Sure, it needs a bit of EQ to sound really good, but it is actually capable of producing something like a sound stage, it's reasonably durable and comfortable. Frankly, I don't know any similarly priced closed-back HPs that can meet those basic goals.

 

[Robbo99999]

@amirm, where did you get these headphones, the pads look so misshapen? Was it newly bought, or did someone send them to you, what's the story of this unit? They've got some weird grooves in them at the top & bottom for some reason (in the pads).

Surprisingly low distortion. Sensitivity to mounting is not surprising though due to angled drivers. I experience same thing with 560S. 100€ price is huge advantage. These might be my office headphones. Added to shopping cart.

The angling of these "EAR technology" Sennheisers shouldn't cause a big issue in headphone measurement reliability, I measured my HD560s and it's very consistent between roughly centrally placed reseats on my miniDSP EARS (that's 10 measurements & reseats of both left & right channel):

They are also super consistent in how this headphone sounds to me between reseats when I wear them & from listening session to listening session. I really don't see any seating/placement issues & sensitivity re the HD560s. I think Amir's sample of headphone was erratic due to the strange pad deformations - you can see the grooves in his pads, don't know what on earth that is about.

EDIT: just realised the HD569 is a closed back headphone, well that will make it more sensitive to placement and perhaps also magnified by the strange deformities seen in the pads of Amir's sample......but it would be wrong to say the HD560s is inconsistent between reseats in my experience & measurements (and the HD560s is open backed).

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Probably would be useful as gaming headphones.

 

[usern]

I measured my HD560s and it's very consistent between roughly centrally placed reseats on my miniDSP EARS

That's on a fixture where you can visually correct the position, but do you put your headphones on using a mirror? My experience is when I adjust for a more comfortable position, the sound changes. Not by huge amount, but it is noticable.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Most folks can't read Portugese so here it is translated in Icelandic, which most people also cannot read :

Ég átti einn slíkan hérna, svo um leið og ég gat prófað hann skilaði ég honum. Ég hataði þetta heyrnartól.

Dang. You got me on this!

 

[DonR]

Never met a Sennheiser that didn't appreciate some EQ.

 

[Steve Dallas]

@amirm, where did you get these headphones, the pads look so misshapen? Was it newly bought, or did someone send them to you, what's the story of this unit? They've got some weird grooves in them at the top & bottom for some reason (in the pads).

I sent them in to be measured.

These, along with a Monolith USB DAC, make up my work headphone setup. I need closed back cans to keep from disturbing people around me (and to block the noise created by those people).

I purchased the headphones new, and they were about 3 months old when I shipped them to Amir. The pads were not misshapen when they left here. I suspect I must have stuck a cable between the pads when I packed them for shipping or something like that. It has been several months, so I do not remember exactly, unfortunately.

My thoughts on the sound are in line with Amir's: very clean, but dull sounding cans. They are fine for background music at work, but I do not use them for critical listening.

 

[solderdude]

keep in mind that HD569 pads are VERY different from say HD559/HD560S pads so they might look more deformed than they are.

 

[GaryH]

Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life

www.dropbox.com

 

[Mario Sanchez]

Funny how most of sennheiser's HDxxx closed backs seem to veer off what is understood as "neutral" tonality, when so many of their open-back counterparts nail this part with relative ease... Do they have a different target for closed-back models, or do the word "Sennheiser" just not rhyme with "closed-back"?

 

[markanini]

This brand is so mediocre in the mid range.

 

[Robbo99999]

That's on a fixture where you can visually correct the position, but do you put your headphones on using a mirror? My experience is when I adjust for a more comfortable position, the sound changes. Not by huge amount, but it is noticable.

When I put the headphones on the fixture I don't strive for the same position every time, they are adjusted to the same central headband height position so that variable remains the same, but it can vary a bit in front & back position (and to a lesser extent in up/down position if you don't put the top of the headband exactly on the middle of the "top support" of the measurement device). When I wear my headphones I do the same thing, I adjusted the headband length to be for a central position on my ears, so depth is pretty much always correct (you only need to do this once and then if you like you can count the notches so that you can remember the adjustment for next time if they move away from the optimum adjustment), then when I put them on my head I just adjust them so the back of my ears touch the inside of the earcups and then shift the headphones backwards by a tiny amount so that my ears are no longer touching - it's very consistent and easy to do, doesn't require half as much thought & time as explaining it, ha!

I sent them in to be measured.

These, along with a Monolith USB DAC, make up my work headphone setup. I need closed back cans to keep from disturbing people around me (and to block the noise created by those people).

I purchased the headphones new, and they were about 3 months old when I shipped them to Amir. The pads were not misshapen when they left here. I suspect I must have stuck a cable between the pads when I packed them for shipping or something like that. It has been several months, so I do not remember exactly, unfortunately.

My thoughts on the sound are in line with Amir's: very clean, but dull sounding cans. They are fine for background music at work, but I do not use them for critical listening.

Congrats on sending them in, it's always good when people bother to do that! Yes, the number of months with the cable deforming the pads would explain the deformation of the pads. Quite possible this has affected the measurements in some way, especially as they are closed back.

 

[DonR]

This brand is so mediocre in the mid range.

I would consider this the low end.

 

[usern]

I would consider this the low end.

Beats many expensive headphones in distortino

Spoiler: HD569

Spoiler: Clear

Spoiler: E-MU Teak

Spoiler: Abyss

Spoiler: HD600

Spoiler: ATH-ADX5000

 

[MediumRare]

@amirm, instead of all the boosting in the EQ, what about shelf reduction across the low-mid? Would that get the same result and be easier on the amp and avoid the possibility of digital clipping in processing?

 

[usern]

@amirm, instead of all the boosting in the EQ, what about shelf reduction across the low-mid? Would that get the same result and be easier on the amp and avoid the possibility of digital clipping in processing?

Negative preamp is applied to counter boosting to avoid clipping.