People who don't like the HD600

Neat idea to gather criticisms!

I can't say I dislike them, but I do have some criticisms:

- The headband plastic is prone to cracking.
- They can be a little bit clampy out of the box.
- They have a tendency to make everything sound "good" (what I mean is, they smooth over things a bit much imho).

They're good headphones overall, but they're not perfect (no pair is); if I had to pick a headphone over them, with no price consideration, the ESP/950 would be it, if I had to pick something in their price range, then I would look at Grado or the Sony open-back cans (like SA5000 or F1).

They are not exactly bass-light headphones but they probably won't satisfy the bassheads among us. Also, they are relatively difficult to drive and basically require a dedicated headphone amp. Finally, their soundstage is relatively small for a fully open headphone. None of these things would be a deal-breaker for me if I were in the market for an open headphone, although I would probably still go with a Beyerdynamic DT880 instead.

I don't think you will find many folks with negative opinions of the HD600. 

I like the HD650... I have some serious gear too and I still like it.

Had them together with HD650 and LCD2s and all driven balanced from a Phoenix.

They sound good on their own but compared to the other two, they lack the impact and authority.

They are certainly less coloured than the HD650 but I prefer the heavy lushness of the HD650 and Audeze,so I sold them....and I don't miss them at all!

Slightly too much mid-bass and not enough treble. If these issues were corrected, it'd sound closer to neutral. There's a mod where you can reduce the bass of the HD-600 without screwing up the rest of the signature.

I do however like the HD-580 a lot. It fixes these issues for me despite using the same driver.

The HD-580 also sounds clearer to my ears. Yep, all due to that grill.

 

I actually find the HD-600 TOO warm. Yeah, i'm weird..

Edited by tdockweiler - 9/8/12 at 6:28pm

for me- just isnt good for the music i listen too (house)

not enough bass 

plus they're open headphones, which some may not want

the only bad thing about them to me is they never really wowed me before and the clamping force is a bit tight.

I could not disagree with you more. The HD600s are very easy to drive and have a large sound stage. They scale very well with a dedicated amp, but they perform very well out of portable players.

Have you actually heard them? Compared to my DT880 (sold) and DT990 (still have), the HD600 has a larger sound stage.

 

The HD 600 and HD 650, at 300 Ohms nominal impedance, don't necessarily perform at their best with low-power, portable amps designed for headphones with 32-Ohm, 16-Ohm, or lower impedance.

 

Otherwise, I completely agree with you. The oft-repeated claims that they're hard to drive are dogma.

 

While I've tried many times to get myself to go for the HD-600, my HD-580s have been the ones that make me happy when it comes to Sennheiser.

The first time I heard a pair I wasn't impressed at all but it was a short listening session. A while later I bought a used pair and had them for for several months and they never sounded that good to me. For lack of a better way of explaining it, they sounded like the music, especially the highs, was being played through a flannel sheet. The bass was adequate, but it too was softened and I much prefer a solid thud vs a thhhhuuuddd. 

 

Of the headphones I've owned, I like AKG 701s except the have very little bass, the DT 880's had great highs and much better bass, and my current Beyerdynamic DT-1350s are the best all-around headphones I've owned and have no plans of getting anything else.

I find the soundstage to be larger on both the DT880 and DT990.

 

I share this opinion. The HD600 soundstage is small compared to my DT880s or AD900s. This seems like the result of the more forward mids.

 

 

I agree that they do tend to smooth over things at the expense of detail.

 

I also find them warm though less so than the HD650. I've also found that the HD600 responds well to quality ampage. =]  I realize that all headphones probably like good amps but the HD600s seem to scale better than a lot of my other headphones. I guess that could be seen as a strength and/or weakness. I know a lot of people get the chipped paint issue over time but so far mine are holding up really well.

 

Best Regards

 

Thread title reading comprehension FAIL.

 

HD600 doesn't have any noticeable flaws to me. I generally like everything about it and it's a great starting point for some serious high end audio.