[Midgetguy]

  I could only see someone calling the HD600 "slow" or "not hi-fi" if they're coming from something like an HD800 or SR009. Those descriptors are best applied in a relative sense of course
 
But even when going back and forth between my HD800/HD600 it's not what I would call a massacre. Sure the HD800 wins in most technical aspects. You could call it more "hi-fi". The HD600 has a certain bloominess/fatness/muddiness in the bass that is readily apparent when you compare it to something cleaner in the bass. And yes soundstage isn't as wide/deep, imaging isn't as realistic. But the HD600 holds its own. You can compare the HD600 to more than a few "high-end" headphones and it'll utterly destroy them.

There's a reason these babies have been on the market for 2 decades and haven't really lost any of its value; it's just that good

 

[mikek200]

   
I've got a SilverRay cable for my (APS-modded) HD580.  The cable isn't silver-plated copper, but it appears to be a cocktail of sorts.. primarily 7N-grade silver, with a gold-plated copper & a gold/silver alloy.
 
Regardless of ingredients, I like how it sounds (more) with this silver cable than the HD650 cable.  Make no mistake, they sounded fantastic with the HD650 cable, but I felt there was a certain degree of grain to the sound & midbass was a loose & boomy.  With the silver cable, resolution is definitely better (the fuzz/grain vanished), everything sounds cleaner & clearer.. and bass noticeably tightens up.  With the silver cable, the HD580 sounds extremely well balanced, as clear as I've ever heard it.. and maintains that signature 'Senn' smoothness.
 
Note, the changes aren't drastic, night/day.. but they're noticeable, nonetheless (I don't have 'golden ears' either).  I felt the improvements were certainly worth the (excellent) price.  tdock, I think a silver cable will be beneficial to you.

 
Hi Flysweep,
Can you give me the web address for this Silver Ray cables?
 
Thanks,
Mike

 

[BobG55]

 

 You can compare the HD600 to more than a few "high-end" headphones and it'll utterly destroy them.

There's a reason these babies have been on the market for 2 decades and haven't really lost any of its value; it's just that good

+1 Midgetguy & +1 OJneg.  The HD600 is the 1st serious set of HPs I bought, way back in 2002 & I had those until a year ago & sold them only because I wanted a new pair which I still have.  Basically I've had the HD600 for 12-13 years & still use them regularly.  Now let's see, in the past 5 years or so I've owned & sold, the HD800 (2x), HD700, HD598, LCD2 rev2, Tesla t1, Grado Rs1i, DT990/600, the AKG K702 (2x), K702 65s, K712, Shure SRH940.  But all through that I've always enjoyed the HD600 more (also have the HD650 for about 5 years now) & still do.  I like to use the boxing metaphor pound for pound they're just about unbeatable.

 

[Ophiel]

   
Hi Flysweep,
Can you give me the web address for this Silver Ray cables?
 
Thanks,
Mike

Wow, that's like a post from 2 years ago. It's made by Chris_himself, but his old site is no longer in use. His new site name is HPL Audio, and the Silver Ray cables no longer exist (at least the name) . I'm not sure which is the equivalent now, but you can ask him directly. 

 

[mikek200]

  Wow, that's like a post from 2 years ago. It's made by Chris_himself, but his old site is no longer in use. His new site name is HPL Audio, and the Silver Ray cables no longer exist (at least the name) . I'm not sure which is the equivalent now, but you can ask him directly. 

Hi Ophiel,
Yes,I just joined the HD600 family,so,I thought I'd start to learn about them ,from the beginning.
Sorry about that,I have a lot of reading to do
Just got my HD600's a week or so ago
 
Tnx,
Mike

 

[Sorrodje]

Back in the family for the third time. After two HD580. I've purchased a used HD600 . My HD800 will travel to Colorware during a few days so I need a headphone to replace it. I couldn't thought to a better "downgrade" . Maybe I'll keep it when the HD800 will be back. I consider the HD600 as a reference headphone of the whole market  for both absolute quality and even more for the VFM.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

I just received the Sennheiser HD600 as a Christmas gift a few days ago and I had the chance to try them a little early. Just like I had experienced several months back, I am consistently floored by them. In another thread, I mentioned how I had the chance to demo the Sennheiser HD600 alongside the Sennheiser HD800, HD650, AKG K812, and Shure SRH1540 at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, Indiana this summer. It is also worth noting that I have previously owned the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro, DT860, DT990 Pro, DT990 Premium 600-ohm; AKG Q701; Shure SRH940; Audio Technica ATH-m50; Sennheiser HD595 and HD201. I have also thoroughly evaluated the entire Grado line, the Sennheiser Momentum line and PSB M4U 2. Among all these headphones, no other headphone offers better overall enjoyment and accuracy for me than the HD600. Here is a review.


The Sound

Starting from the top: As a flute player, I am attuned to natural metallic resonance and high and extreme treble. To my surprise, the HD600's treble is sharper and more detailed in the high and extreme treble than the DT990, DT880, Q701, DT860 and SRH940 without having their treble peaks. In fact, it has the most believable cymbal purr and reverberation I have heard to date. Kudos to the air around female vocals that is not etched or overly sharp. Treble is dead neutral and clear as day--no veil at all. I am beginning to believe the veil controversy stems from the HD650. The HD650 I also heard had an audible -7 dB deficiency in the extreme treble compared to the HD600. Cymbals did not pop or ping, air around vocals was dead and metallic resonance was muffled. (What was Sennheiser thinking with the HD650? They sound way off from real Hi-Fi. If I want that, I will use an equalizer. Those are definitely not my cup of tea.)

The HD600's midrange is a clear winner. It was once remarked that its midrange rivals that of electrostatic and planar speakers. This is undeniable. There is a holographic realism to sounds, especially vocals and instruments, that makes them float and have a stable, visible image in the soundstage. Its associated soundstage is small in the sense that these headphones do not project further than the original microphone distance. Unlike other models, there is no attempt to have a diminished upper midrange or lower treble followed by a emphasized middle or upper treble to try to simulate a larger than natural listening field. Rather, tonality is crisp and clean with neither a touch too much warmth or extra coolness. The neutrality is simply exquisite.

The bass is the weakest area of the HD600 but it is by no means disappointing. It is fast and present when necessary and just a little shy in the lowest registers. The bass does rise very little in the upper bass. However, this rise is only 1 or 2 decibels. It is actually less than my previous Q701 and certainly not distracting like the DT990's upper bass. Its lowest bass is lacking a bit of punch and drive to give absolute perfect verve and life. However, there is no bass hole or irregularities. Meanwhile, the rest of the integrity throughout the rest of the spectrum keeps the sound flowing convincingly. There is just a gradual, smooth roll-off starting around 40 to 50 Hz. Surprisingly, the DT880 sounds worse from its bright treble peak and attenuated upper midrange and lower treble. Astoundingly, only the HD650, ATH-m50 and SRH1540 can reach lower and maintain intensity, while introducing many issues in tonality and neutrality in each case.

In the following graph, the orange line is approximately what I hear on the HD600. I derived it using charts from JaZZ's excellent thread "Some more frequency-response graphs" and my general listening impressions in conjunction with HeadRoom graphs of the HD600 and HD650 for comparison and for reference. The graph goes from 10 Hz to 40 KHz and it has a scale of approximately 5.9 dB according to JaZZ.



Recap

In short, the HD600 provides the most lifelike, convincing treble and midrange presentation of all dynamic headphones under $1000 with a decent bass performance. By all accounts, the HD600 truly has legendary neutrality and naturalness. Detail and sound remains constant and comfortable at all times at soft, medium and loud volumes. The HD600's are just so balanced and so authentic that they are a proverbial window to the music that lets the dynamics of the recording effortlessly pour through. Unless the HE560 or T90 can offer a more neutral or entertaining listen for me, I am finally at my end-game headphones. Now, back to the music!

 

[madwolfa]

  Recap
 
In short, the HD600 provides the most lifelike, convincing treble and midrange presentation of all dynamic headphones under $1000 with a decent bass performance. By all accounts, the HD600 truly has legendary neutrality and naturalness. Detail and sound remains constant and comfortable at all times at soft, medium and loud volumes. The HD600's are just so balanced and so authentic that they are a proverbial window to the music that lets the dynamics of the recording effortlessly pour through. Unless the HE560 or T90 can offer a more neutral or entertaining listen for me, I am finally at my end-game headphones. Now, back to the music!

 
Nice review!
What do you think about HD800 compared to HD600?

 

[Hifihedgehog]

   
Nice review!
What do you think about HD800 compared to HD600?

Certainly better but unjustifiable for me. Tyll at Innerfidelity said the HD800 is like a sonic microscope. I concur. HD800 tears recordings apart mercilessly. I could clearly and effortlessly tell the difference between individual sounds. Things like acoustic environment, including echo and position, and EQ'ing and processing differences between individual elements in the mix were readily apparent. It is almost too brutally revealing. As a bonus, its bass is much improved over the HD600 and has practically perfect impact.
 
I still prefer the midrange and tonality on the HD600 over that of the HD800. HD600 is also extremely detailed but without revealing everything. On the plus side, the HD600 is more detailed than the DT880, SRH940, and Q701 that introduce false detail or treble emphasis and the HD600 reaches higher in the upper treble than all of them. If you are independently wealthy or have a professional career in audio, the HD800 is a worthwhile investment. Otherwise, the HD600 is enough for most audiophile types.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
What do you think about HD800 compared to HD600?

 

Certainly better but unjustifiable for me. 

 
Just to add, the main advantages of the HD800 really is the chassis. It feels lighter on the head, doesn't rely on compression as much and as a result puts less wear on the earpads and the SQ is less affected by earpad wear as well. But for several hundred Dollars more? If one has the HD600/650 already and that kind of money isn't easy to get, might as well just get a spare pair of earpads and cycle them every few dozen hours to minimize wear and not rush saving up for the HD800 (or until you get a great deal on a used unit). It's not just the absolute number of hours that wears out the earpads, but how long at a time - I find mine taking a two week rest and use interval to not be that far behind brand new earpads save for how stiff (and personally, actually more comfortable) the brand new earpads are.

 

[BobG55]

  Back in the family for the third time. After two HD580. I've purchased a used HD600 . My HD800 will travel to Colorware during a few days so I need a headphone to replace it. I couldn't thought to a better "downgrade" . Maybe I'll keep it when the HD800 will be back. I consider the HD600 as a reference headphone of the whole market  for both absolute quality and even more for the VFM.

Un bon choix mon ami, je dirais meme je dirais plus, un très bon choix 

 

 

[62ohm]

   
 
Just to add, the main advantages of the HD800 really is the chassis. It feels lighter on the head, doesn't rely on compression as much and as a result puts less wear on the earpads and the SQ is less affected by earpad wear as well. But for several hundred Dollars more? If one has the HD600/650 already and that kind of money isn't easy to get, might as well just get a spare pair of earpads and cycle them every few dozen hours to minimize wear and not rush saving up for the HD800 (or until you get a great deal on a used unit). It's not just the absolute number of hours that wears out the earpads, but how long at a time - I find mine taking a two week rest and use interval to not be that far behind brand new earpads save for how stiff (and personally, actually more comfortable) the brand new earpads are.

 
My HD800's earpads begin to show signs of wear after about 8 months, and started to wore off after 10 months. It is almost 12 months of ownership now, and I'm not sure these earpads would survive another 12 months. This is a particularly bad news since the pads costs $100 from headroom ($180 NZD locally).

 

[BobG55]

 

  Wow, that's like a post from 2 years ago. It's made by Chris_himself, but his old site is no longer in use. His new site name is HPL Audio, and the Silver Ray cables no longer exist (at least the name) . I'm not sure which is the equivalent now, but you can ask him directly. 

Hi Ophiel,
Yes,I just joined the HD600 family,so,I thought I'd start to learn about them ,from the beginning.
Sorry about that,I have a lot of reading to do
Just got my HD600's a week or so ago
 
Tnx,
Mike

Mike, you may not find the time or willingness to read much; you'll be too busy enjoying the music coming from those babies. 

 

[madwolfa]

  My HD800's earpads begin to show signs of wear after about 8 months, and started to wore off after 10 months

 
I have replaced my HD600 earpads only after 10 years. And not like they really needed it...

 

[Cobaltius]

Ugh what sucks are the HD 600's grills scratch easily.. I don't treat my gear poorly so shut up