Sennheiser HD620S

[Mr Swing King]

My initial disappointment has veered off. Looking at this with fresh peepers, it actually looks like a fairly competent candidate for a closedback. I dig the upgraded build quality and the sound looks good too.
Furthermore Solderdude’s tastes tend to mirror my own, so I am actually beginning to look forward to getting my hands on a pair. I have certainly picked up a fair few cans based off reviews of his (HD58X and DT900 instantly spring to mind).

Maybe this is the closedback I am going to keep. Never had a pair I loved enough to not let go…simply because 95% of all my listening is over open headphones. Those last 5% consist of (awful) live gigs during the summer months, performed right down from my apartment. Closed windows isn’t enough and I yearn for a closedback.

 

[markanini]

There's something visceral about the bass of closed back that I haven't heard in a open-back yet, even with EQ. It's harder to find a closed back with clean mids and highs though. I want to be excited about HD620 but if the graphs are to be taken literally it's a bit relaxed in the mids and highs, maybe the spatial qualities wont come through that well compared to a few closed backs I've tried. I want to demo it and be surprised because it looks like a comfortable set.

 

[Oldson]

was very close to taking a punt on a Kennerton Magni or JM XTC-c, will wait now to try the 620 1st.
might actually save me some money.
lately i have been using an MDR-Z7m2 as my "closed" option, although , with the amount of ports they have in the cups i class them more as semi-open

 

[paudio]

I don't have any modern closed Sennheiser cans. These look interesting. Wonder how bad the clamp is. Looks like they've got some bass.

 

[Alchemist_]

I was able to tame the 560 clamp, I think in this case it will also help)

 

[Cammy]

Quick graph and some thoughts.

Limp pillowy bass, slightly boxy in the mids, terrible metalic and papery treble.

 

[paudio]

Quick graph and some thoughts.

Limp pillowy bass, slightly boxy in the mids, terrible metalic and papery treble.

View attachment 373579

Rough description.

 

[solderdude]

Quick graph and some thoughts.

Limp pillowy bass, slightly boxy in the mids, terrible metalic and papery treble.

View attachment 373579

Yep, this plot is what you get with a bit of seal leakage.

The prototype had even more of this seal leakage problem and Sennheiser improved that (made changes to the pads)
The 'papery treble', weird enough, can be fixed with ... wait for it ... toilet paper.
Do you see the narrow 13kHz peak... that's the cause. You can still see a bit of that on the Kemar plot but look carefully at the target.. there is a dip in that range which masks it a little.
When your ears have a 'dip' at the same frequency you don't hear it that well others might be troubled. Also the height of the peak (and 3kHz presence) is highly position sensitive along with ear-geometry.

A good seal is very important with these headphones (so is the fit) otherwise bass looses its good quality.

 

[holdingpants01]

I'm a DCA Aeon 2 Noire user, very happy with the sound quality but mostly after the EQ, which sometimes is hard to do when not working on my computer. Also they are rather fragile and somewhat expensive, so I'm looking for a cheaper closed dynamic set that could be used without EQ, roughly matching harman target, especially in the bass. I had 560s but they were open and lacking in the low end, no amount of EQ could help with the lightness of the bass, I could hear it but it was like looking at graph, not actually experiencing it. These however seems like they check all the boxes, closed, enough low end, not expensive, SQ should be good, comfort was fine in all Sennheisers I tried so I don't expect any surprise here. I think I'll buy them, worst case scenario clients will have something other to wear other than DT770

 

[solderdude]

I suggest to audition them before buying. Bass, in practice, is not much different from HD560S.
The HD560S is not seal dependent but the HD620S is and when seal isn't perfect the 'boost' below 70Hz may not be there (and may even become a small hump at 120Hz)

There is more clarity in the HD620S vs the AEON closed (and HD560S).

I quite like how it sounds (after ensuring I have a good seal). Bass is not as 'fat' as DT770 though.

 

[holdingpants01]

I suggest to audition them before buying. Bass, in practice, is not much different from HD560S.
The HD560S is not seal dependent but the HD620S is and when seal isn't perfect the 'boost' below 70Hz may not be there (and may even become a small hump at 120Hz)

There is more clarity in the HD620S vs the AEON closed (and HD560S).

I quite like how it sounds (after ensuring I have a good seal). Bass is not as 'fat' as DT770 though.

Roughly 5dB more and closed back should be enough to me and since my face is smooth like a baby's bottom (no beard, no glasses, almost no hair) I never had problems with seal. They're available in my goto store, they should have a demo unit, however any time I go there I listen to DCA Stealth for comparison and I'm sad when I leave, but I'll do it next week anyway, thanks

 

[Dfdnd]

Just ordered one pair. Hope they are not as bright as HD560s while keeping the spatial quality. Has someone already compared both?

 

[solderdude]

Different kind of 'brightness' and depends on the definition of what one finds 'bright'.
The HD560S is 'bright' in the 5-6kHz area where the HD620S is a bit more 'forward' sounding (clarity which is in the 1-3kHz range) while having less brightness (4-6kHz range) and is a bit more 'airy' in the cymbals.
It also depends a bit one's HRTF as well as in how much ear gain one has and at which frequency bands.

I slightly prefer the stock HD620S over the stock HD560S but not by much, others may have a different preference/opinion.
Chances are that when you like the HD560S you might also like the HD620S.

Of all the closed Sennheiser headphones this is the best sounding one to me, but here too... opinions differ and user circumstances differ.

 

[Dfdnd]

Different kind of 'brightness' and depends on the definition of what one finds 'bright'.
The HD560S is 'bright' in the 5-6kHz area where the HD620S is a bit more 'forward' sounding (clarity) while having less brightness (4-6kHz range) and is a bit more 'airy' in the cymbals.

I slightly prefer the stock HD620S over the stock HD560S but not by much, others may have a different preference/opinion.
Chances are that when you like the HD560S you might also like the HD620S.

Of all the closed Sennheiser headphones this is the best sounding one to me, but here too... opinions differ and user circumstances differ.

I don’t have my HD560s anymore as I prefer my HD650 much more and kept them. HD560s sound bright to me as they have less body in the mids. Same female singer in the same song sounds younger from HD560s. Tried the oratory EQ and it didn’t help.

 

[bodhi]

I'm a DCA Aeon 2 Noire user, very happy with the sound quality but mostly after the EQ, which sometimes is hard to do when not working on my computer. Also they are rather fragile and somewhat expensive, so I'm looking for a cheaper closed dynamic set that could be used without EQ, roughly matching harman target, especially in the bass.

I have the Noire as well and have ran some quick comparisons. All in all, they are closer than one would think based on price at least. Biggest difference to me is that while 620 has cosiderably more "slam" in the bass the Noires sound more "detailed" there, like the slamming masks some finer points of drums for example?

...and now when we have thrown that kind of useless subjectivity away, I'd think the Senn wouldn't be a bad alternative. You still need to listen to it yourself to confirm how minor or major you hear the difference in bass presentation.

 

[solderdude]

HD560s sound bright to me as they have less body in the mids.

'Body' in the sound is in the 80-200Hz range. HD620S is lower in amplitude there than HD560S and much lower than HD650.
A small 'dip' in the 150Hz region after a higher level below 100Hz prevents bass from becoming 'muddy' but lowers 'punch'. Too much of a dip there makes the bass sound 'disattached' from the other instruments (DT770).
In the HD620S this is 'tastefully' done (to my ears) where the dip is there but not too deep. Bass/warmth of HD650/660(S) differs from HD620S.
Bass/lows is more like the HD600 with a separate subwoofer than HD650/speaker.

 

[Dfdnd]

So, just got my pair. Here are some of my impressions:
- the material used is much better than HD560s as well as haptic (headband adjustment feels much sturdier). I think the build quality is on par with HD650, but feels less premium. It’s probably due to the glossy finish of HD650.
- it took some time to get a good seal on my head, but the earpads were still new and cold. Once it’s there, they sit very well and feel comfortable. Clamp force is on higher side, but not as bad as, for example, DT1990 Pro. I can definitely wear them for hours without getting uncomfortable.
- tuning is well balanced to me with much more punch as on HD650, which is expected. I don’t hear “papery” treble (whatever it means) nor the peak at 13k. The treble is well extended without being piercing. Nowhere as bright as HD560s, actually they don’t sound bright at all.
- Soundstage is very good. It wider than HD650 and feels more open. Not quite as airy as HD560s, though. I can easily locate the instruments and, with the right songs, even get some surrounding effects.

Beware that these are only my initial impressions and highly subjective, especially about soundstage, I may have imagined all of those spatial effects.
Overall I like the tuning and soundstage and will probably keep them to replace my K371.

Here are some of headphones I have/had for reference:
Drop x DCA AEON X open
DCA AEON 2 Noire
AKG K371
HD560s
HD650
Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro

 

[holdingpants01]

Here are some of headphones I have/had for reference:
Drop x DCA AEON X open
DCA AEON 2 Noire
AKG K371
HD560s
HD650
Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro

Cool! Do you prefer any of those or HD620S are on top?

 

[Dfdnd]

Cool! Do you prefer any of those or HD620S are on top?

I would still grab my open cans in a quiet room for more relaxed listening. But the HD620s sounds at least as good as the Noire in my memory and definitely overall much better than K371. I have yet to compare them with HD650 extensively, cannot decide which pair I like more.

 

[sacguy231]

Can anyone comment on the depth of the pads? I had a pair of 560S some time ago but returned them since my ears touched (barely) the little plastic protrusion in the earcup. My 660S2 and my 800S are very comfortable for me, so I am hoping this 620 might be as well. Thx