Sennheiser HD600 Review (Headphone)

[Emlin]

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.

If you'd done it blind, I might believe you. As it is...

 

[mightygrey]

If you'd done it blind, I might believe you. As it is...

Double-blind, volume-matched.

 

[Emlin]

Double-blind, volume-matched.

And how did you do the volume matching?

 

[xarkkon]

thanks for this! i have to confess that i struggled a lot with trying to differentiate between the 2 when auditioning them for my bottlehead crack.

back then, after much to-and-fro-ing, i thought i heard just a smidge more bass in the 650, which seems to be reflected in some of the measurements in the thread (or could really just be variations across samples, or even -gasp- my imagination). in the end, i didn't think that smidge more warranted that big an increase in price and went with the 600. it always felt like i was missing out on something by going with the 600, turns out it was really just a whole bunch of marketing for very little improvement!

 

[WickedInsignia]

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.

Although I agree with this, it is a difficult argument to truly resolve. I should also mention I have not used the 650 but seen enough comparisons (both subjective and in measurements) to conclude this is most likely the case.
Both headphones suffer major sonic changes with pad wear. According to Crinacle’s measurements, the 650 appears to actually suffer a more major change than the 600. I don’t know what’s responsible for this, but it could help explain why the 650 generally sounds warmer to some people.

In stock form they are most likely very similar, but there is indeed a slight difference as shown in solderdude’s measurements.
Regardless, I think a final resolution may be beyond the capabilities of ASR.

 

[WickedInsignia]

Double-blind, volume-matched.

You would need perfectly new pads on both and absolutely no way to feel a weight/tactile difference between the headphones for this to work properly.

 

[mightygrey]

You would need perfectly new pads on both and absolutely no way to feel a weight/tactile difference between the headphones for this to work properly.

I own a pair of both which are the same age, and approximate wear. They are practically identical in sensitivity and impedance, and feel identical when placed on my ears. I plug them both into the 6.3mm outputs of my CMA600i, and my other half places them on my head (while I'm not looking).

I know it's not perfect conditions, but the tonal differences are audible to untrained ears.

 

[Emlin]

I own a pair of both which are the same age, and approximate wear. They are practically identical in sensitivity and impedance, and feel identical when placed on my ears. I plug them both into the 6.3mm outputs of my CMA600i, and my other half places them on my head (while I'm not looking).

I know it's not perfect conditions, but the tonal differences are audible to untrained ears.

It's funny, then, that the differences are inaudible to trained ears.

 

[soundwave76]

The HD650s sound warmer and smoother, overall, compared to the HD600. While not a drastic difference, it is noticeable. I've owned both models for years (still have 2 versions of HD600) and have compared them to other samples of said models. This difference between the two models seems consistent regardless of vintage.

Totally same experience here. Anybody could tell the difference between the ones I owned some years ago. Quite a puzzle to me how they measured so close to each other...

 

[Emlin]

Totally same experience here. Anybody could tell the difference between the ones I owned some years ago. Quite a puzzle to me how they measured so close to each other...

Different model numbers, different expectation bias...

 

[soundwave76]

^ Yep, could be all of those

 

[WickedInsignia]

One thing I'd like to know though: Does anyone who owns both the HD650 and HD600 right now think they sound identical?

 

[mightygrey]

One thing I'd like to know though: Does anyone who owns both the HD650 and HD600 right now think they sound identical?

If they did, I would have gladly sold one of them long ago!

 

[antdroid]

This is from Crinacle's graph tool. HD600 and HD650 with fresh pads, latest revision with the dark solid color headbands. The HD650 is normalized to the 600 measurement, meaning the 600 is a flat line, and deviations from it are shown for the 650.

 

[amirm]

One thing I'd like to know though: Does anyone who owns both the HD650 and HD600 right now think they sound identical?

??? I do. Didn't you read the review?

 

[amirm]

This is from Crinacle's graph tool. HD600 and HD650 with fresh pads, latest revision with the dark solid color headbands. The HD650 is normalized to the 600 measurement, meaning the 600 is a flat line, and deviations from it are shown for the 650.

It says those are averaged readings so who knows what they represent. No measurement or listening test is accurate enough to show these headphones to be different. Just look at the two channels in each one of my measurements. Surely those two cups are more different than these two headphones!

This is like arguing if the temperature in your house is 76.25 or 76.16 both by feel and your standard thermometer. You can't go there from here.

I don't understand how headphone users have gotten so married to measurements to these levels. Or hell, with their listening experiences.

 

[buz]

The adapter is attached to the cable when new. It looks like in the video below.

No adapter. Indeed, mine came with additional 6.3 to 3.5

 

[magicscreen]

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.

Good for you! You have a good hearing. Be happy.

 

[Leporello]

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.

That probably has happened to me too. For the last four years I have listened mostly to Sony MDR100ABN noise canceling headphones which seem to have a "fun" sound signature (though normally I use Iphone's Spotify eq to turn the bass down a bit).

 

[solderdude]

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.

Sennheiser could not maintain the quality of the HD650 around end of 2018 but HD600 remained constant

I could hear differences between HD650's

black screen HD650 (2008) with fresh pads, HD650 (2017) fresh pads, 2014 HD650 (looks a lot like the HD650 from end 2018)

here's another piece of the puzzle

HD650 (black driver so same time period as the tested HD600) with original pads which feel soft but not deflated like Beyer pads vs. the exact same headphone but with new pads fitted.

We don't know the pad condition of Amir's HD650 nor from the HD600. There's a 2dB difference below 1kHz. This is audible and makes both the HD600 and HD650, very slowly, darker sounding over the years. Some mistake this for burn-in and think the driver 'mellows out'.
What if.... the HD600 Amir measured has older and more compressed pads than the HD650 then they could well be in the same 'tonal balance ballpark'.

Owned the HD650 and late HD580 at the same time (for a few years) and could hear differences between them. The late 'normal' HD580 (=early HD600) sounded less 'full/warm' than the HD650 (black driver, old pads) but the HD580 did have fresh pads.

The last few pages have only been about Amir's 'mistake' of claiming they sound identical. Look at the measurements in this post and take the info in consideration.
A HD600 with older pads is well within the range of tonal balance of a HD650 with 'newer' pads.