Sennheiser HD600 Review (Headphone)

[Angsty]

My point is that everything we hear has a correlated suite of measures - sonic, physiologic and psycho-acoustic.

What is far harder to measure is how what we hear makes us feel. Often, we conflate sonic terms with experiential ones. “Character” can mean one thing in acoustic terms but something else altogether in experiential terms.

For example: I like some Klipsch speakers because they remind me of the experience of live music. Their measurements point to specific things in terms of directivity, sensitivity, room reflections and frequency response that might evoke that remembrance.

It’s entirely clear when one set of speakers has those characteristics and one set does not. It’s measurable.

 

[LuckyNat]

For those wondering about the differences between HD600 and HD650, I listened to a podcast interview with the designer of both last week and the difference is down to the acoustic impedance of the paper on the driver - the HD650 driver has more damping from the air behind the diaphragm, by changing this material.

It was considered an upgrade by the designer himself .. and says the usual measurements don't always reveal the differences , but SolderDude's waterfall plots do seem to, as do the distortion plots. We rarely see waterfall plots for headphones .

The transients are effected and the designer felt that the HD650 was closer to the behaviour of a natural sound (I guess he means in transient behaviour).

 

[LuckyNat]

I have measured hundreds of earphone frequency response graphs...it is valuable, but it tells us absolutely nothing about timbre, soundstage, dynamics etc. But this is a zombie discussion...

I am leaving this discussion now as the opinionated crazies appear to take over.

They *do* .

But what you appear to be expressing is that you can't personally relate to lines in graphs and numbers in charts to the subjective human experiences you have.

I think that is fair, understandable and common. Nothing to ever feel critisized for or opinion unappreciated.

Subjective response to a headphone has so many variables, from the personal physical fit, to the emotional state of the individual at a point in time and of course including biases and expectations of an individual, especially if they read a lot about headphones before listening .. and ideas of how sound "should be" (often guided by what musical experiences they have more of, be that through hifi, or rear auditorium seats, front seats, studio experience, or mostly live playing themselves .. ).

Those variable factors have differing strengths and impacts on the final subjective experience of every individual e.g. how people's perceptions are changed by biological states, let alone the variance of those biological states a person experiences. People are discovering that the microbes in your gut can completely change the brain chemicals a person produces, for example ! Your diet will change your emotional response! So crazily intertwined, so variable between individuals - we are not all the same.

However, once you get that all out the way, the measurements pretty much tell you how the average person is generally going to subjectively perceive sound from those headphones, all being now equal !

Yep, that last bit "all being equal" is the important bit .. especially if one already has an audio equipment ideology, a narrative they hold dear as part of their passion..

 

[RickS]

Some minor cleansing has been applied to handle off topic posts.

Unlocking for now while we do some internal review of how best to handle related content in a review thread.

 

[LuckyNat]

As pads get older they compress a bit more resulting in a bit more lows (in HD600/650). A HD600 with somewhat worn pads thus shifts a bit towards the HD650 with new pads.
As long as the headphone is still comfortable and the pads don't look dirty (some folks hand-wash them) you could just use them.

Newer pads also have a bit more 'warmth' and are thicker and will feel a bit firmer. They just don't seem to last as long.

I have used very similar looking ali-express pads that measure the same but have a little less room for the ears (smaller hole) and the feel of the velour differs a bit.

Out of interest , do you know if 650 pads fit the 600?

I would like to try some HD650s so will purchase some secondhand soon.

However, I have a marbled 600 headband I found in our local e-waste , much prefer it aesthetically and wanted to transfer everything over .. wondering if the pads actually fit, no extra clips on different places (or however they connect) ? I know the drivers fit .

I'm not too interested in perfect performance after the change, as I have other headphones, just for fun .

 

[solderdude]

Out of interest , do you know if 650 pads fit the 600?

Yes, same pads.

 

[RickS]

Amir has approved treating review threads much like any other technical thread.

This is a departure from previous moderation and until now, I had operated under that prior guidance too. Members may still see guidance as I recently did here when related discussion may be deserving of its own thread.

 

[SorenTyson]

Currently on sale on Amazon US, 300 USD

I am interested in these and diligently read through all pages. It was hard, some good information but infested with lots of noise too.

I am a long term ASR member, but imagine someone landing here through a review search and reading the crap and accusations.

 

[LuckyNat]

Yes, same pads.

Thanks for that!

 

[LuckyNat]

Currently on sale on Amazon US, 300 USD

I am interested in these and diligently read through all pages. It was hard, some good information but infested with lots of noise too.

I am a long term ASR member, but imagine someone landing here through a review search and reading the crap and accusations.

That's cheaper than many people ask on eBay for their used pairs ...

 

[Curupira]

Currently on sale on Amazon US, 300 USD

I am interested in these and diligently read through all pages. It was hard, some good information but infested with lots of noise too.

I am a long term ASR member, but imagine someone landing here through a review search and reading the crap and accusations.

Tl;dr would be that these are a staple neutral set with very good measurements to back their performance.

Living in the US, though, I'd gravitate towards the HD 6XX as they have almost the same sound signature and cost significantly less: the whole HD 650 vs. 600 debacle is blown out of proportion today, as the two models have converged through silent revisions in assembly and parts throughout the decades. When that debate started, with the launch of the HD 650, it made sense because they had a more subdued 3khz peak and more midbass. Today, they're almost the same, even in construction.

 

[Audiodidact]

I far prefer the 600s to 6XX personally. IMHO a must own.

I’m also a big fan of the 620s closed back btw.

 

[Herschel_Krustofski]

The 6xx is simply muffled and unpleasant to listen to, with terrible bass and everything as if hidden behind a veil! Without foam on either side of the driver, it starts to become more enjoyable, with a noticeably wider soundstage and a much cleaner sound! Paired with the Copper Mass Loading Mod Kit Custom Cans, these are a new, better pair of headphones!

 

[LuckyNat]

Tl;dr would be that these are a staple neutral set with very good measurements to back their performance.

Living in the US, though, I'd gravitate towards the HD 6XX as they have almost the same sound signature and cost significantly less: the whole HD 650 vs. 600 debacle is blown out of proportion today, as the two models have converged through silent revisions in assembly and parts throughout the decades. When that debate started, with the launch of the HD 650, it made sense because they had a more subdued 3khz peak and more midbass. Today, they're almost the same, even in construction.

View attachment 468941

The waterfall plot is probablyore significant (solderdude posted some up earlier) as the main difference in the driver's is the paper material used - the HD650 used paper with a higher acoustic impedance, meaning more damping from the air trapped between it and the driver over a certain frequency (assuming the higher impedance, does just that, changes the frequency at which the air can go through it ?) .

 

[olds1959special]

The longer single ended stock cable for my hd650s sounds better than the aftermarket balanced cable I found on Amazon, which is only 5 feet. And, it’s less microphonic.

 

[AyeYoYoYO]

Still love the OG Speckle HD600, and its perennial gold medal 1k-3.5k climb.

Treble/air too shy, anemic sub roll off. But what an exemplary, gorgeous midrange, and a soft/smooth overal temperament, that betrays its original mission, but makes it such a comfy cloud for sustained listening.

Staying relevant. Seemingly forever.

 

[Robbo99999]

Still love the OG Speckle HD600, and its perennial gold medal 1k-3.5k climb.

Treble/air too shy, anemic sub roll off. But what an exemplary, gorgeous midrange, and a soft/smooth overal temperament, that betrays its original mission, but makes it such a comfy cloud for sustained listening.

Staying relevant. Seemingly forever.

Ha, ok, and that's pretty accurate way of putting it. Did you use AI in your post though?

 

[AyeYoYoYO]

Ha, ok, and that's pretty accurate way of putting it. Did you use AI in your post though?

I have yet to utilize AI for anything. On some vague “don’t feed Skynet when it’s an infant” type hesitancy lol

 

[Robbo99999]

I have yet to utilize AI for anything. On some vague “don’t feed Skynet when it’s an infant” type hesitancy lol

I see, ok, it just sounded a bit AI like, I use it quite a lot past 6 months say, but I don't use it for writing posts here.
EDIT: tell a lie - I used it for some calculations that I used in a post!