Hi all,
For those that prefer the short questions... will I be disappointed if I buy a pair of HD600s to replace my HD575s ? How will they differ in sound ?
 
For those that have time to kill.. you're invited to read on  
 
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I joined the Head-Fi forums waay back in 2004, and I found much good advice from reading here. I've returned to seek the wisdom of those that I know are more knowledgeable and experienced than myself ! And based on what I've seen here of late, I expect I may even hang around a bit more, especially in the search for new music to audition.
 
I've really, really enjoyed my Sennheiser HD575s. I certainly got my money's worth from them. And as anyone that has made a mistake, or had an accident, whilst tending to one of your beloved sets of headphones may be able to relate, I'm quite distressed that mine have had their service life cut short (8 or so years ain't a bad run, I suppose).
 
I know a lot can happen in 8 years with tech development, and so I consider myself a newbie once again when it comes to headphones.
 
I've considered myself an audiophile for the past 25 yrs, albeit one on a very low budget. Another admission that might cause some folks to spit with derision is that over the past decade or so, I've become one of these people that, in a way, turns their back on the music they might really love, and pursues recordings that simply sound better on your equipment, using it to the best of it's ability, whatever that equipment is. Sure, call me a "hardware whore" if you must, but I expect I'm not the first to be lured away from the pedestrian, glue-sniffing habits of mass-market pop/rock fans, only to find one's self amidst the hard-core coke cutters and shady back alley dealers of audiophile-quality recording artists (I still can't believe there's now some jazz music in my collection).
 
Seriously, how many of you wouldn't be happy to get your hands on audiophile quality recordings of the favourite music from your past if, for the most part, all that's been available to you so far has been relatively mediocre offerings.. some might say "regrettable mistakes" that were made many decades ago ? (Jeff Lynne and cohorts, I'm especially thinking of you !) How prevalent is this issue ? Very common, I'd submit. For those that grew up in the 70s and 80s, for example, as I did, with the various flavours of rock, pop and electronica becoming mainstream, well.. perhaps I didn't benefit from a wider variety of exposure as others may have, so to me, there simply isn't a massive list of choices when it comes to really impressive sounding recordings. I desperately hope I'm shown to be wrong and ignorant, and invite the guidance of those who know better. It's always exciting to be introduced to more artists and great recordings, and so now I relish the hunt.
 
As for the music I grew up with ? ELO, Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music, Toto, Bowie, Foreigner, Sting/The Police, Knopfler/Dire Straits, Ultravox, Nik Kershaw, Peter Gabriel, The Smiths, Kate Bush, Queen, Supertramp, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Redgum, Divinyls, GANGgajang, Chisel, Oils, INXS, etc. Countless mainstream artists from late 70's/early 80's.
 
Artists I've really grown to love since ? Eels, Cake, Faithless. Partial to a bit of Danny Elfman/Oingo, Tom Waits, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. There's a bunch of quirky other additions I could include in this list, but many are for individual pieces of music, not their entire catalogues... too many to mention.
 
Music I enjoy as a result of becoming an audiophile in my early 20's, and all the good recordings I've been exposed to thanks to various online audiophile communities ever since ? Modern classical (especially movie music) and some older classical; Telarc/Cincinatti Pops Orchestra/Kunzel, a few bits of jazz (eg Patricia Barber, Sara K, Martin Breeze Quartet), Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, a smidge of Mannheim Steamroller or Al DiMeola... generally anything that's well recorded/engineered/mastered (too much isn't).
 
So back to the headphones, and what they'll be used for. I've also been an online gamer for many years, and ended up using my 575s for that as well. I might require advice as to whether I should use the HD600s for FPS gaming purposes as well as music listening, or if it be detrimental to their longevity. My PC currently only uses on-board sound (which seemed reasonable driving the HD575s), but I may be persuaded to invest in a dedicated amp/DAC if it's deemed necessary for the 600s.
 
Hardware-wise, for my critical music listening, they'll be amped by either my NAD 3240PE integrated amp, or my Yamaha RX-V659 receiver.
 
Unfortunately, there's few retailers near where I live where I can audition better quality headphones, and so this time I'm taking two risks.. buying from overseas, and buying audio gear without having heard it. I'm trusting the plethora of reviews and videos that seem to agree that the HD600 truly are a classic benchmark set of cans.
 
I am very curious, however, to hear from folks who know or own the HD575s, as to how the HD600s will compare. Beyond that, if you've got any constructive comments or recommendations, please feel free to join the thread.
 
Thanks for indulging me, and for your advice in advance.
 
TassieDevil

Have never heard the HD 575.  The closest can I have to them may be the HD 580.
 
In any case, the HD 600 needs an amp and will not work with on board audio.  If you are still interested you can read more about it in this excellent piece that also covers many of the top cans today:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_HD600

It depends. Last week I tried to use an HD800 with my laptop on-board, expecting laughs at how bad it would sound... much too my surprise, it sounded actually good. 30%-40% volume was more than enough and it had almost the same quality as an o2+odac. So I learned to not dismiss on-board audio; altough you will not hear the headphones at "full potential", nowadays they can be pretty decent.

IMO, you cannot beat the HD600 in the "bang for your buck" category!  I love them.

fabiobueno said:

  It depends. Last week I tried to use an HD800 with my laptop on-board, expecting laughs at how bad it would sound... much too my surprise, it sounded actually good. 30%-40% volume was more than enough and it had almost the same quality as an o2+odac. So I learned to not dismiss on-board audio; altough you will not hear the headphones at "full potential", nowadays they can be pretty decent.

Click to expand...

What was the format and type of music that you used?  What laptop?

 
Has anyone ever reported fake HD600s ? I'm thinking of buying these from eGlobal in Hong Kong, as there's a considerable price difference between those and Aussie retailers (about $130 difference when accounting for freight). I expect it means Sennheiser Aus won't honour the 2yr warranty, but I figure that if they're the genuine article, the chances of there being an issue requiring a warranty claim should be significantly reduced due to their being a better quality product.

kg jag said:

  Have never heard the HD 575.  The closest can I have to them may be the HD 580.
 
In any case, the HD 600 needs an amp and will not work with on board audio.  If you are still interested you can read more about it in this excellent piece that also covers many of the top cans today:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_HD600

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Thanks for your reply.
 
"...will not work.." Really ? At all, as in dead silence ? I hope you mean "won't work as well as when they're plugged into decent amplification". The 575s were more than adequate for gaming.. impressive even. They weren't too shabby when listening to music, either. I don't recall their impedance rating. Regardless, if I want to listen critically, I'd rarely (if ever) do it on the PC (it's a quiet PC, but there's still fan noise).
 
Regarding the link you provided.. yes, I'd already read that article.. quite a massive comparative review ! Regrettably, it didn't contain a review of the 575s (I'd be surprised if it did, given the purpose of the article), and so doesn't help with the issue of how the 600s will sound compared to what I've had for so many years.

tassiedevil said:

 

kg jag said:

  Have never heard the HD 575.  The closest can I have to them may be the HD 580.
 
In any case, the HD 600 needs an amp and will not work with on board audio.  If you are still interested you can read more about it in this excellent piece that also covers many of the top cans today:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13#user_HD600

Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply.
 
"...will not work.." Really ? At all, as in dead silence ? I hope you mean "won't work as well as when they're plugged into decent amplification". The 575s were more than adequate for gaming.. impressive even. They weren't too shabby when listening to music, either. I don't recall their impedance rating. Regardless, if I want to listen critically, I'd rarely (if ever) do it on the PC (it's a quiet PC, but there's still fan noise).
 
Regarding the link you provided.. yes, I'd already read that article.. quite a massive comparative review ! Regrettably, it didn't contain a review of the 575s (I'd be surprised if it did, given the purpose of the article), and so doesn't help with the issue of how the 600s will sound compared to what I've had for so many years.

Click to expand...

I mean that you would be wasting your money if you paired the two.  The more efficient HD 598 will serve you much better--and for much less money.
 
Of course you could buy a decent amp or an external sound card that includes adequate amplification.
 
The HD 575 is a 120 Ohm can with a sensitivity rating of 101 dB, while the HD 600 is a 300 Ohm can with a sensitivity rating of 97 dB.

kg jag said:

 
I mean that you would be wasting your money if you paired the two.  The more efficient HD 598 will serve you much better--and for much less money.
 
Of course you could buy a decent amp or an external sound card that includes adequate amplification.
 
The HD 575 is a 120 Ohm can with a sensitivity rating of 101 dB, while the HD 600 is a 300 Ohm can with a sensitivity rating of 97 dB.

Click to expand...

Are you suggesting I should buy HD598s for critical listening purposes over the HD600s ? I'd hope that my first post would indicate that that job, critical listening, always has, and always will be, the primary focus for me buying these headphones. It's not the sole reason, but it is the most important one.
 
Unless someone here advises that I absolutely should not use the 600s for gaming or casual music listening with a PC with onboard audio, at risk of causing some kind of damage to them, or reducing their longevity, then I see no reason why I shouldn't plan to use them for that secondary purpose, with an understanding that they probably won't perform to the same level as they do through an audiophile-quality amplifier in my loungeroom hi-fi/HT setup. And, as I intimated earlier, if people here suggest there would be a significant benefit in acquiring a headphone amp or some such, I'll likely seriously consider at some point in the near future buying one for use with the PC, although the benefit would need to be notable.
 
I can certainly look into the audio capabilities of my motherboard, and specifically the headphone facility.

Just to test it out, I just plugged my 600's into my ASUS notebook, and iTunes sounded just fine to me. Don't know what card is in my laptop, but it is supposed to be geared towards gaming (which I don't do).  Maybe it doesn't play at a volume that will knock your socks off, if you like it loud, but the 600's played at an enjoyable level for me. I use a Ray Samuels blackbird portable when listening to my Senn's, but in IMO, the 600's would still be a fine investment, as they scale up well if and when you decide to upgrade to a dedicated amplifier.  Companies like Razordog have good prices and a 30 day return policy (although there is a 10% restocking fee), so all would not be lost if you absolutely didn't like them.  Having said all this, the 598's have always been very popular, and are easier to drive. Highs are slightly grainier, and overall maybe not as refined as the 600, but still a great phone.
 
BTW, I have not personally heard of any fake HD600's on the market.

kg jag said:

 
What was the format and type of music that you used?  What laptop?

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Laptop is Alienware m15x... Lots of variety in music - from j-pop and heavy metal (some flac, some 256-320kbps mp3) to 24/96 jazz and classical stuff from audiophile labels like Chesky.
 
(On a note, with the Shure SE535, which is highly sensitive, the on-board sound is unbearable due to noise. But with all my other headphones it's perfectly fine)
 
I know that onboard audio can vary a lot between different computers, but considering the PC will be a secondary use, IMO the OP should just go for the HD600. Don't worry, you will not damage them by using with onboard audio. And you can buy a dac and amp later if you feel the need.