Sennheiser HD-600

What? Nobody wrote a review of this gorgeous headphone yet? Maybe it´s because many people already own it and don´t talk about it - because once you do you won´t need another headphone. I use the HD-600 everyday and I did the same the six years before. I´ve never heard such a balanced headphone since and I think I never will. I´ve heard a HD-650 a few  months ago but it didn´t make me happy, it sounded too dark and too warm. I missed the easy precision and crispness of my HD-600. Which is exactly what still baffles me: how was Sennheiser able to produce a headphone that is both detailed and laid back at the same time? It´s brilliant, but not too brilliant. It´s warm but not too warm. No, it´s a perfectly balanced headphone. Everything is there but nothing is too much. The soundstage is very natural, wide and deep.

I do a lot of private remastering and the HD-600 never failed me, they are analytical. I can hear errors easily and can correct them. Still, it´s not an overtly honest headphone. If it could talk it would say: "Observe these errors here and there, I´ll present them to you very pleasantly and neutral." That pretty much sums it up.

There are some minor obstacles: deep bass is a bit muted (from 20-70 Hz), depending on the source it may have some problems with differentiation. Another valid criticism is that it is not very fast - with the HD-600 you won´t exactly marvel at the punch, directness or dynamic of Punk or Hard Rock music. While this sounds a bit boring it isn´t - it just seems to present music as it is.  They are more like passive "spectators", presenting music with a bit of distance. Another little downside is that it requires a good headphone amp, it needs a lot of power to sound good. If you don´t own something like that you´ll get an exaggerated upper bass - there goes your balanced sound.

If you think the sound to be a bit harsh you can buy the replacement cable that originally is intended for the HD-650 - with that you can add warmth at the cost of resolution. That depends on your taste of course.

All in all, I would buy it again anytime. But I won´t need to because it still sounds and looks wonderful. This headphone is the reason that I fell in love with Sennheiser, a love that is still growing.

Note: The price paid is used from Amazon Marketplace.  Also, I've duplicated my review from the other product listing here on Head-Fi.  If it is possible, the two HD 600 pages ought to be merged.

The first thing about these the HD 600 is the excellent tonal balance - it's never harsh, but the highs are still there and very detailed.  Sometimes the finest details may get lost in very complex music thanks to being overshadowed by other parts of the music, but the resulting detailed smoothness is a very good thing.

The mids - ahh, they're to die for!  They're the highlight of the headphones.  They're detailed and lifelike, similar to the highs.  But they're so realistic sounding - even so more than the HD 800 and Beyer T1 I've auditioned.  As far as I'm concerned, the HD 800 (haven't heard the HD 650) still falls short here in comparison.  Guitars, brass, saxes, vocals, and more sound so much more realistic (and and have more visceral impact) than anything else I've heard (my new Alessandro MS1is come close, but not as much with the low mids).

Bass is fairly tight and at just about the right level for all types of music.  You'll never make anyone happy with any given quantity of bass, but I think these are as close to a neutral level as you'll get.  Very low bass can be a little loose, and rapid bass notes aren't as distinct as the HD 800, Beyer T1 or DT 880, but it's still excellent overall (and especially compared to lesser headphones).

Their soundstaging is very good - but there are, of course, far superior headphones for this.  Depth is good, width is good, and precision of placement is good - again, a very balanced sound.  The sense of spaciousness (a function of all three factors) falls a little short of the AKG K701, and of course the HD 800 and Beyer T1 - but of course is far more evident than the close-in Grado sound.  The "It sounds like they're playing in the room with me!" sensation never really happens to the same level that my speakers (Infinity Renaissance 90) can provide.

The build quality is very good - the headband and frames are supposedly made of carbon fiber, but after inspecting them (and seeing photos of cracked headbands) I believe it is probably a carbon fiber reinforced plastic instead.  Less impressive to your friends, perhaps, but an excellent material nonetheless.  They do of course feel slightly plasticky as a result (but it never feels like cheap plastic).

They're quite lightweight, and the padding is excellent - the velour earpads and headband are very comfy.  I know some complain about them being too tight - I can't really comment, since I bought mine used.  I never found them to be too tight myself.

They stand up to abuse admirably well - mine have lived in my backpack for four months straight and only have superficial damage to the grills (they get dented when sharing the backpack with my Nikon) to show for it.  They haven't been babied at all - just no abuse like trying to bend the headband over on itself...  Anyway, since everything is modular, you can easily replace any part that has broken.  I just got new pads and a cable to replace the worn originals.

The marbled finish does wear off a little over time, but it has yet to become detrimental to their appearance so far.  Oh, and by the way, the finish looks a whole lot cooler in person than in photos of the headphones.

I've found amp'ing them not to be as difficult as some seem to think.  A/B'ing my uDAC (my main source and amp) against a Beyerdynamic A1 amp, I really couldn't consistently tell any difference between them other than ultimate power output.  The Sansa Clip+ actually does an admirable job running them up to moderately loud levels (not short-term ear blasting, of course), and never clips with them when playing music.  It does, however, sound slightly (yet noticeably) less dynamic and with a narrower, less well defined soundstage in comparison to the uDAC. I forgot that I have a crossfeed plugin (HeadPlug MKII) running on Winamp, so I have to retract those opinions for now - although it does stand for now that I can't get a crossfeed with the Clip (without using an amp with one).

So, the verdict?  These are amazing headphones, deserving of their place as one of the best dynamic headphones available to this day (15 years after their first introduction!).  Their smooth, slightly warm (not dark!), but very realistic and - yes - exciting yet neutral sound is near-perfect in balance.  Soundstaging is perhaps the area I would like to see the most improvement, but it is good in this respect already.

You'll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands.

I made a review of Nufore Icon HDP, but it was removed, because I gave it a honest review. Nuforce Icon HDP is an overpriced piece of crap, barely worth 100$! Now let's see if Head-fi removes this review because I am being honest. 

HD600 is a decent phone though.

These were the best audiophile purchase I have made. I've used them nearly everyday for 5 years, and I have little desire to purchase another set of open over-ear cans.

Sound:

The sound signature is neutral. Some have criticized the treble for being rolled off. While the treble lacks a certain energy (stemming from a lower quantity) one might find on Grados, I find that it still replicates high frequency instruments very well, and that the "laid back" nature makes listening non-fatiguing. They also have a great airy sound to them, which makes them sound more like speakers (which is a good thing).

The bass response is perfect, not too little, not too much. They can "slam" as much as the music allows. Using a decent amp helps in this area. In my experience, I can not tell the difference between my cmoy, Aria Headfive, EMU 0404 usb headphone out, and from my Onkyo receiver headphone out. These are all considered to have/be good headphone amps. You don't need anything super expensive.

The mids are very rich and full. It's got just the perfect amount of warmth in the mids.

Comfort:

The padding is velour, and is extremely comfortable.

I have longish hair, and sometimes the headband pulls  on or rips out my hair. Once you know how it happens, it's not hard to avoid.

Conclusion:

I just don't see how anyone could be disappointed with these. They just do so many things right. They also aren't that expensive nowadays.