Sennheiser HD600 Review (Headphone)

[Chris Kelly]

Everyone claims the HD 600 are weak below 100Hz. Without EQ and at a comfortable listening level, I get some nice resonance when generating a sinesweep in Audacity from 20Hz-100Hz. Yet I don't hear any bumps from the bass to the low-mids which would negatively affect speech and singing. This makes them good for listening to recordings of acoustic instruments used in music such as Classical and Jazz. I think bass-dependent music with electric instruments such as "Thriller" and "Uptown Funk" sound awesome. Movies and shows come to life as much as when reading a book because of the intimacy headphones provide, as well as the quality of the HD 600. If I want anything below 20Hz, I'd need to raise the volume to levels which could cause post-listening ringing in my ears. But besides the neutrality/transparency on these, I think the bass is better than what everyone claims it to be. Best $350 I ever spent!

 

[DeckEQMaybe?]

I just want to say THANK YOU TO AMIR! @amirm Your Eq for the HD650 that you said I can use for HD600 in your review is absolutely beautiful. Using it with my Modius and SA-1 amp. In high gain. This is absolutely incredible. I've decided to go with products that both Amir and the subjective crowds like (even if subjective is all bs). I can't believe how good this sounds. I love your approach to EQ, you really sold me on it when I watched your YouTube video going over headphone measurements. Everyone in the community should watch that video. Thank you so much for your work there and your detailed reviews. Incredible work!! I didn't know headphones could sound this good.

 

[Chris Kelly]

I just want to say THANK YOU TO AMIR! @amirm Your Eq for the HD650 that you said I can use for HD600 in your review is absolutely beautiful. Using it with my Modius and SA-1 amp. In high gain. This is absolutely incredible. I've decided to go with products that both Amir and the subjective crowds like (even if subjective is all bs). I can't believe how good this sounds. I love your approach to EQ, you really sold me on it when I watched your YouTube video going over headphone measurements. Everyone in the community should watch that video. Thank you so much for your work there and your detailed reviews. Incredible work!! I didn't know headphones could sound this good.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I read amirm's original HD 600 post correctly, he EQed it without testing it. The reason I chose the HD 600 over the HD 650 is because the HD 650 has a roll-off at 1KHz or 2KHz for a warmer sound. The HD 600 has a more neutral response between 100Hz and 4KHz. I appreciate its fully open-back design, as opposed to the near semi-open-back design of the HD 5## series to insure I hear my surroundings and the sound of my playback source going beyond my head, making the HD 600 the most neutral fully open-back headphones.

 

[DeckEQMaybe?]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I read amirm's original HD 600 post correctly, he EQed it without testing it. The reason I chose the HD 600 over the HD 650 is because the HD 650 has a roll-off at 1KHz or 2KHz for a warmer sound. The HD 600 has a more neutral response between 100Hz and 4KHz. I appreciate its fully open-back design, as opposed to the near semi-open-back design of the HD 5## series to insure I hear my surroundings and the sound of my playback source going beyond my head, making the HD 600 the most neutral fully open-back headphones.

I just read the review again. Looks like he did measurements on HD600. The only thing he is assuming is some differences on distortion might be due to different wear/use on the headphones he was testing. He see's the frequency response as basically being the same for both headphones even though headphone testing is an inexact science.

So basically he see's the HD650 and HD600 as similar/same in regards to testing. He also said if you use his HD650 EQ on the HD600 - it was better with EQ , but very listenable without it. I think the same.

Edit: if anyone is curious what preamp or global gain setting to use with Amir's HD650 EQ: looks like -8.0 preamp software setting gets the bass dB to 0 (or close enough if it isn't exact). Everything else is well below 0 dB with preamp at -8.0. I'm glad Amir recommends balanced headphone setup as power is important in EQ scenarios.

 

[Chris Kelly]

I just read the review again. Looks like he did measurements on HD600. The only thing he is assuming is some differences on distortion might be due to different wear/use on the headphones he was testing. He see's the frequency response as basically being the same for both headphones even though headphone testing is an inexact science.

So basically he see's the HD650 and HD600 as similar/same in regards to testing. He also said if you use his HD650 EQ on the HD600 - it was better with EQ , but very listenable without it. I think the same.

As long as you, the user, are happy. If I missunderstood amirm's wording, my bad. But I thought he EQed it without doing his usual testing first, which could yield results which might not be as suitable for this model.

 

[DeckEQMaybe?]

As long as you, the user, are happy. If I missunderstood amirm's wording, my bad. But I thought he EQed it without doing his usual testing first, which could yield results which might not be as suitable for this model.

I'm not just saying I like it...I'm saying everyone should try this. I now know why Amir was amazed every time he puts on the HD650's. My HD600's sound incredible once I got the preamp and everything working. See my post above. THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!

I also have a modius and SA-1 using balanced in/out. I also agree with Amir about the importance of balanced for headphone setups, especially if you're using EQ. The high gain on my SA-1 with the completely balanced setup gives me the power needed to blow me away. But I have to thank Amir overall as I have great products and great settings too, and I'm NOW a huge believer in what he has to offer. If I never watched his YouTube video on headphone measurements, I might have never got it. His approach is stellar.

Edit: one change. I forgot to read the additional posts on the HD650 review. The preamp/global gain setting should be set to -8.5 and not -8.0. Not sure if anyone would be able to hear the difference, but want to make sure I'm accurate.

 

[AnalogSteph]

At long last, I treated myself to a brank spanking new pair of current generation HD600s for xmas this year. So new, in fact, that the company name on the manual leaflet dated 03/22 is given as Sonova Consumer Hearing.

Compared to my 20-year-old HD580s, there are some notable differences in this 2019 relaunch: The marble finish (which I always thought of as fugly) has given way to a solid, sort of gunmetal grey, and the plastic itself may well be different. The three dots to identify the left earpiece for blind users (Braille: letter L) have moved from the side next to the label to the front at about the same height and are more pronounced, making them near unmissable. The cable has a weird rubbery texture and terminates in a 3.5 mm plug with threads for a screw-on 1/4" adapter, Beyerdynamic style. (Not sure about that yet but I could swap them over if in doubt. The new one is similar in thickness but seems more microphonic.) The earpads presumably are the current ones with wedge-shaped foam, and the headband padding is HD650 style. As typical for new Senns, they still are quite clampy.

Sound wise, I plugged these into my FiiO M3K with Meier crossfeed (courtesy of Rockbox) but no other sound processing and they sounded Just Right. I've been messing about with (nearfield) speaker measurement and EQ a fair bit this year, so I'd say I have a pretty decent idea of what things should be sounding like, and the HD600 (2019) does pretty much that. I mean, the air frequencies towards 10k may be just a tiny bit too hot and I'm not sure whether I'd vouch for <50 Hz or so, but overall it's a very well-balanced sound with an appropriate amount of heft on the bottom end. In comparison, my old HD580 (complete with rather old pads and acoustic cloth replacing its foam inlays) is similar in the midrange but substantially brighter up top, with little in terms of real bass <100 Hz. Those may be a better fit for classic high-impedance outputs as common on hi-fi equipment back in the day. Sensitivity is much the same for both. As expected, isolation is quite minimal.

I can't tell you much about level handling given that my listening levels have always been far removed from - say - Amir's (), but I assume it'll be fine within the limits of good dynamic driver cans like this. There's still planars if you need punishing levels of deep bass.

In sum, if you need a pair of cans that sound like a good pair of speakers straight out of a low-impedance output, I reckon these are a pretty good bet. At 300 ohms and 102 dB SPL @ 1 Vrms, you shouldn't need anything outlandishly powerful (or low-noise) to drive them either. Any audio interface that manages 21 mW into 300 ohms (that's 2.5 Vrms) with an output impedance in the 30s of ohms or less should be plenty even for louder listeners, and basically anything has lower output noise than 82 dB below 1 Vrms anyway.

EDIT: And then I plugged them into the computer and played a Podcastage video...
Oh. Now that's a fair bit of sibilance after all. The 6-10 kHz region must be hotter than I first realized. Seems to be less of an issue for music vs. speech.

 

[Ninjamokama 3]

EQing my HD 25's to these headphones and they just sound amazing!

 

[Chris Kelly]

At long last, I treated myself to a brank spanking new pair of current generation HD600s for xmas this year. So new, in fact, that the company name on the manual leaflet dated 03/22 is given as Sonova Consumer Hearing.

Compared to my 20-year-old HD580s, there are some notable differences in this 2019 relaunch: The marble finish (which I always thought of as fugly) has given way to a solid, sort of gunmetal grey, and the plastic itself may well be different. The three dots to identify the left earpiece for blind users (Braille: letter L) have moved from the side next to the label to the front at about the same height and are more pronounced, making them near unmissable. The cable has a weird rubbery texture and terminates in a 3.5 mm plug with threads for a screw-on 1/4" adapter, Beyerdynamic style. (Not sure about that yet but I could swap them over if in doubt. The new one is similar in thickness but seems more microphonic.) The earpads presumably are the current ones with wedge-shaped foam, and the headband padding is HD650 style. As typical for new Senns, they still are quite clampy.

Sound wise, I plugged these into my FiiO M3K with Meier crossfeed (courtesy of Rockbox) but no other sound processing and they sounded Just Right. I've been messing about with (nearfield) speaker measurement and EQ a fair bit this year, so I'd say I have a pretty decent idea of what things should be sounding like, and the HD600 (2019) does pretty much that. I mean, the air frequencies towards 10k may be just a tiny bit too hot and I'm not sure whether I'd vouch for <50 Hz or so, but overall it's a very well-balanced sound with an appropriate amount of heft on the bottom end. In comparison, my old HD580 (complete with rather old pads and acoustic cloth replacing its foam inlays) is similar in the midrange but substantially brighter up top, with little in terms of real bass <100 Hz. Those may be a better fit for classic high-impedance outputs as common on hi-fi equipment back in the day. Sensitivity is much the same for both. As expected, isolation is quite minimal.

I can't tell you much about level handling given that my listening levels have always been far removed from - say - Amir's (), but I assume it'll be fine within the limits of good dynamic driver cans like this. There's still planars if you need punishing levels of deep bass.

In sum, if you need a pair of cans that sound like a good pair of speakers straight out of a low-impedance output, I reckon these are a pretty good bet. At 300 ohms and 102 dB SPL @ 1 Vrms, you shouldn't need anything outlandishly powerful (or low-noise) to drive them either. Any audio interface that manages 21 mW into 300 ohms (that's 2.5 Vrms) with an output impedance in the 30s of ohms or less should be plenty even for louder listeners, and basically anything has lower output noise than 82 dB below 1 Vrms anyway.

EDIT: And then I plugged them into the computer and played a Podcastage video...
Oh. Now that's a fair bit of sibilance after all. The 6-10 kHz region must be hotter than I first realized. Seems to be less of an issue for music vs. speech.

If 10KHz being hot results in sibilance, then this would confirm what I was hearing. That and weak low-bass are why I returned them to Amazon. I do miss the fully open backs and the soft, foam, flat earpads. However, I went with the HD 560 S strictly because of their sound. Nothing to do with cosmetics, comfort, or saving money. In the end, the combination of audio performance and being able to hear my realworld surroundings are most important to me.

 

[Robbo99999]

EQing my HD 25's to these headphones and they just sound amazing!

I'm just curious, how do you mean? How do you mean "EQing my HD 25's to these headphones", what did you do?

 

[Ninjamokama 3]

I used the autoeq github to get the csv of oratory1990's measurements for the hd25 (with perfect seal) and hd600. then i uploaded them to a fr database, with hd25 as the fr and hd600 as the target response and used autoeq

 

[Robbo99999]

I used the autoeq github to get the csv of oratory1990's measurements for the hd25 (with perfect seal) and hd600. then i uploaded them to a fr database, with hd25 as the fr and hd600 as the target response and used autoeq

Ah, I see what you mean now! You can't be sure that your HD25 sounds like an HD600 though, due to unit to unit variation combined with the fact that it's closed back headphone vs open backed headphone, and of a very different earcup design......but it's bound to get you closer to what the HD600 sounds like than if you were using your HD25 without EQ. Just know that it's unlikely to be the same experience.

 

[spigot]

I think the capsules for the HD580, HD600, HD650 and HD660(?) are all interchangeable. So if you want to try the latest iteration or a different flavour it's much cheaper to just buy the capsules.

I've also tried the velvet Dekoni earpads. Might provide more bass by suppressing upper frequencies slightly so you can listen louder (which results in more bass). Very marginal, but also comfortable and more durable.

 

[Mr. Widget]

personally i find the old colour ugly so there is also that

I bought my pair around 2000. I was not and am still not a headphone guy. I bought them based on reputation. I had never seen a pair and when they arrived (mail order purchase) I was horrified by the hideous speckled paint finish. Initially I wondered if I had been ripped off by the mail order firm. A few moths later I was at a trade show and saw that the Sennheiser demo had a similar pair. I asked if there were alternative finishes and was greeted with a look of surprise.

I guess in Germany around 2000, that speckled look was considered cool. Mine have mostly lived in a drawer and rarely come out to play. It isn't because they are ugly or sound bad, I just rarely need a pair of cans. When I do wear them the good news I can't see them and they sound pretty good.

 

[sharock]

These are on sale at Sennheiser UK.

EDIT: Aaaand they're gone! Out of stock.

 

[carsknivesbeer]

Has anyone here measured or had any experience with Custom Cans modifications to the HD600 series? This one in particular:

HD600 / HD650 CNC Copper Mass loading mod DIY kit – Custom Cans Shop

jfunk.org

or is the same thing essentially just an EQ setting?

 

[solderdude]

Well. The 'massloading' copper thingy does nothing for the sound but is needed to house the replacement foamies.
The foam replacement lowers the midbass lift.
You can tune a HD650 to be warmer an colder sounding using the foams. The 'massloading' thingy just acts as a holder for the different foamies.
You can tune a HD600 (and old HD580) to have a bit more 'warmth' (turn it into HD650, kind of) to having even less bass.

Almost the same effect can be achieved with EQ. When EQ is not possible and one is bothered by the HD650 midbass hump the kit could be a solution.
Also using the new Sennheiser pads lowers the warmth a bit.

I would warn people not to remove the plastic parts around the driver (SBAF mod).

I think the capsules for the HD580, HD600, HD650 and HD660(?) are all interchangeable. So if you want to try the latest iteration or a different flavour it's much cheaper to just buy the capsules.

HD580, HD600 and HD650 drivers are mechanically interchangeable. They are not the same drivers though. Also drivers have changed a bit over the years.

The HD660S has very different drivers but are mechanically interchangeable with HD700 and HD58X as well as HD5** series but again, despite the similarity in looks (magnet assembly) the drivers differ.

 

[carsknivesbeer]

So the copper is essentially creating a longer port for tuning could you get the same effect printing an end cap and not having so much weight?

 

[solderdude]

It is creating a way to put the foam plugs in and there are people that believe the extra weight gives better sound.
In reality it just provides a way to hold the thick foam pieces and looks 'technical'.

 

[IXOYE]

I have replaced my HD660s with HD600, I have to say that I am very surprised that HD600 sound so much better than the HD660s, the midrange and timbre are sublime and the treble smooth as silk, but what surprised me the most was that the bass was significantly cleaner with more slam than my HD660s, I drive them with RME ADI FS, and I love them so far.