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Sennheiser HD600 Review (Headphone)

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That's quite a good idea, especially point #1, but it may be a bit too much to ask for subjective listening differences when swapping cans given the relatively long length of time between swapping....certainly measurements would show the difference though. It could be argued that there are enough other measurements out there that we know that there are subtle differences between HD600 & HD650 (Crinacle / Oratory / Solderdude)....do we need another data point to confirm that.....I wouldn't say no, but personally I'm convinced of the subtle & measurable difference between HD600 & HD650 as all those 3 sources I mentioned show consistent differences between the two headphones.
Well, as it was suggested before, this would not be necessary if an addition was added to the review that the results exclusively applied to the two specimens tested. Very clean....and objective...and it would be out of the firing line.
 
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amirm

amirm

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@amirm: Would you please repeat your measurements and listening impressions with the following changes:
My son took it home already. I am also so far behind other reviews that I can't turn these tests into projects....
 
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amirm

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@amirm Could you repeat the test doing a one-legged cartwheel? Better after a good glass of Bourbon.
If it's not too much to ask.
Finally a reasonable request. It may be a long time coming though as I never learned to do a cartwheel!
 

jhaider

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Interesting review. HD580s came out in 1993. I’ve got an old pair of HD580s that have stood the test of time. Never could find an “upgrade” in the Senn line for my ears, and I‘ve tried several times. :)

Equalized HD800 is arguably better. It generates image effects that 580/650 cannot (don’t mention 600 because I don’t own it and the one time I tried one the clamping force was excessive, or 800S because o have not heard it). Without EQ, it’s not a contest IMO - the older and cheaper ones have much better tonal balance.

also I think I read 660S does not scale as well as 600/650 with better amps..

You can safely and completely discount the opinion of anyone who speaks or writes in nonsense word salad phrases such as “scale…with better [sic] amps.”
 
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mkawa

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for those who are new to the site or just not aware, amir literally has an attic full of testing backlog. you can either purchase your own test equipment or wait for him to get to the item you're interested in, and unless there is a serious error in testing, he doesn't have time to retest items over and over and over again.
 

mkawa

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You can safely and completely discount the opinion of anyone who speaks or writes in nonsense word salad phrases such as “scale…with better [sic] amps.”
agree. that's nonsense. either the amplifier can drive the headphone to the appropriate volume level with inaudible distortion or it can't. the 660, 650, 600 are all comparable amplifier loads.
 

vkvedam

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It's too bad that Sennheiser does not include the 1m, 4 pole, 3.5mm, with inline microphone cable with the HD open back headphones. I used my HD 598SR on the cel tel and they sounded wonderful and went loud.
I use the cable that's included with my PXC 550 mk1, it fitted perfectly with 2.5mm connector albeit without the twist and lock mechanism which is not required as the connection is quite robust.
 

WickedInsignia

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It's funny. Twenty years ago I felt that HD600 was overly bassy and veiled. Harsh? No way with the "velvety fog" sound of the HD600. Now, with a new pair of HD600s I occasionally wonder if the rumoured changes in sound signature (black vs white elements etc) were actually true. Perhaps my perception of sound has also changed over time.
Auditory tricks in modern headphones need to be acknowledged. Many seem to have excessive treble energy and "loudness" applied to sound impressive, and I get the feeling "premium" brands deliberately pursue this to sound the clearest of the bunch. The HD600 treble could very well be realistic but we've become conditioned to something else.

Personally I think I prefer it. If I sit down and listen it does sound slightly recessed, but if I'm being honest with myself any more than that would probably get quite grating and music doesn't suffer any real loss as it is.
If I had to name a better treble that still sounds natural/Harman it would be the Audeze LCD-1. An excellent implementation of highly articulate, "airy" and resolving treble without being over-the-top.
 

KxDx

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Thanks for the review, Amir! By the way, would Karman happen to be a portmanteau of “Harman Kardon”?

You know you’ve had too much ASR when real people’s names appear to be combinations of audio brands. …
I also thought to ask, but didn't. :p
 

frogmeat69

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As the 650 and 600 come with different cables, that must be the difference that everyone can hear. ;)
darth-vader-noooo.gif
lol
 
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vlad335

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I have never heard the 600/650 headphones. Recently got on a headphone obsession and have tried numerous models lately. Some of these, like the highly touted k371 and Dt770 80ohm, I didn't like at all.

I bought the 58x used a couple months ago after reading that it compares to the more expensive Sennheisers but its just OK. Blah... To get the bass and sub bass where I like it with EQ its bloated and distorted. I tried a couple different mods and while they changed the sound, it wasn't necessarily for the better.
Is the 58x not in the same league as the 600/650?
 

WickedInsignia

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I have never heard the 600/650 headphones. Recently got on a headphone obsession and have tried numerous models lately. Some of these, like the highly touted k371 and Dt770 80ohm, I didn't like at all.
Well the DT770 has pretty horrid tonality so no surprises there. The K371 though is a different story, and I would indeed suggest you're an outlier if you didn't find it to sound at least pretty good.

Also, where is "good" being defined for you? You said you got onto a headphone obsession only recently so you may be accustomed to how music sounds on bass-focused consumer headphones or some truly wonky tuning. Music is widely mixed and mastered on headphones like the K371, HD580 and HD600. These tonalities are objectively excellent as defined by wide-scale preference research over a couple of decades, so you may have some acclimation ahead of you.

I was also disappointed in the Harman response when I began my audio journey....where was the midbass hump? Why was there less energy and raw excitement?
However after years of experience with many different headphones it became clear that it was the definition of great tonality. Everything I wanted...rumbling subbass, slamming midbass, realistic midrange, non-fatiguing but articulate treble...could only be found at its best in headphones that respected this target.

You can find more articulate treble, more slamming bass and more energy elsewhere, but there will be sacrifices. That energy will be at the cost of fatiguing highs, and that slamming bass will override the mix. Harman tuned headphones represent the best possible balance.
 

617

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These clowns really have been making the same headphone for 24 years. At least it's a good one. Putting aside the slight tonal variations there are resonances in exactly the same places and the treble matches remarkably well.

One a certain level you have to admire the consistency. Some headphone manufacturers can't get the left and right to match, and Sennheiser can match headphones made two decades apart.
 

mightygrey

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Thank you for destroying another audio myth :). I hope the PROVEN similarity of HD 600 and 650 will make all the subjectivist owners think about the perceived differences, which they wrote about in forums for years.....
They sound clearly different. Sure, the squiggly lines might look the same, but they have an audibly different tone that I can pick every time.
 
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