[Satellite_6]

I guess you're like most people here - you want really bright sound. 

 

[ubitwarr]

The HD-600's are considered a bit laid back as some others have said. I would probably recommend something with a more forward treble.

 

[rymd]

I'm not sure how you easily you can make a judgement if you have no basis to compare to, but as a first headphone, the HD600 should sound amazing (relatively speaking) coming out of anything. Is this seriously your first headphone, ever? Have you heard any in ear phones or earbuds, or high end speakers? Coming from stock earbuds, most people are wowed with even $30 headphone upgrades. And the HD600 is much, much beyond a $30 headphone. There are a few possibilities to why you are unhappy, including that you may have a different preferred sound signature (think there's a lack of bass?)... actually, I'm not even sure what you're unhappy about. Care to be more specific? The improvement from onboard laptop soundcard to a dedicated source/amp such as the E7+E9 should be quite vast. If you're not hearing it, you're probably too inexperienced in listening to headphones to tell a definitive difference. Like others have suggested, give it more time. Listen to your HD600 for at least a week or two, on both your laptop onboard sound and your dedicated FiiO, and see if you hear any differences. 
 
Btw, am I the only one who thinks the HD600 is TOO bright? hum...
 

 

[aroldan]

Detailed is not the same as bright. Sennheisers are really detailed (resolving) but are smooth. If you are looking for bright headphones, Sennheisers HD6xx are not for you.
 
Quote:

Hmm, it's just that I see so many comments from people saying how detailed the sennheisers are but to me they are somewhat muffled. I will try out some Beyerdynamics though. Thank you for the suggestion
 

 

 

[Zombie_X]

Ah! You are experiencing the Sennheiser "veil" as they call it. The HD600 is known to have a more subdued treble response and can sound muffled on some recordings and material. You can make them brighter by removing the foam over the driver magnet but this is risky and I would not advise it. I would give your ears more time to adjust and if you still don't enjoy them you can go to another alternative such as the HD595 (which is not as good but brighter and clearer sounding) or a DT880.
 
Quote:

Perhaps I should better explain my situation with them. I find myself using the HD-600's all day and night. They are ultra comfortable. But what I am complaining about is sound quality. It just doesn't sound that sharp. It sounds quite muffled sometimes.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

...or a DT880.

That's my recommendation right there. You really cannot go wrong with that.
 

 

[VuongPham117]

Quote:

That's my recommendation right there. You really cannot go wrong with that.
 

Since we are on the topic of it anyways, what is the difference between the DT 880s and DT 990s?
 

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Since we are on the topic of it anyways, what is the difference between the DT 880s and DT 990s?
 

Check my review in my signature. Careful, I'm a but ruthless against the DT990. I'm more aware of personal tastes now.

 

 

[scottiebabie]

i had a HD600 & currently own a HD650 so yes they can be veiled & boring....if they're underamped. i see u already change your cable to a HD650 cable which is much better than the stock HD600 cable IMO. not having owned nor heard any of the Fiio stuff, i cant really comment on them.
 
alls i can say is im driving my 650s via a mod MF V-DAC to a vintage Pioneer SA-7500 amp. while i cant say its world class, i can certainly say its neither boring nor veiled per se. its actually fairly bright&detailed with aggressive mids & i even find it a tad bass 'lite' - an uncommon moniker for the 650 as they are known to be dark & syrupy which they are...if underamped.
 
so go with one of the recommended synergistic amps on the HD600 appreciation thread or try a vintage amp. for way under $100, i highly recco a mid end vintage Pioneer SX silver series receivers or the SA series IA. u can always resell for very little loss if they dont float your boat but at the very least, u have a better idea of what a chameleon the HD6x0 are with (im)proper amplification.

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

I guess you're like most people here - you want really bright sound. 

What do you consider neutral then?
 


Quote:

Since we are on the topic of it anyways, what is the difference between the DT 880s and DT 990s?
 

From the looks of the your other thread, you just wanted the Sennheiser HD6XX smooth sound but with a better balance of midrange to make vocals clearer. It still sounds like you would like the HD598, unless you prefer detail over frequency balance. I don't remember much of the Beyers, but with reports of recessed midrange wouldn't it be the opposite of what you were trying to attain?
However, the HD598 wouldn't have the low end extension of the HD6XX or the Beyers.

 

[VuongPham117]

Quote:

 

What do you consider neutral then?
 



From the looks of the your other thread, you just wanted the Sennheiser HD6XX smooth sound but with a better balance of midrange to make vocals clearer. It still sounds like you would like the HD598, unless you prefer detail over frequency balance. I don't remember much of the Beyers, but with reports of recessed midrange wouldn't it be the opposite of what you were trying to attain?
However, the HD598 wouldn't have the low end extension of the HD6XX or the Beyers.

Thank you for your thoughts Wind 016, I really appreciate it.
 
I shall try to get my hands on and test both the 598s and some beyers.
 

 

[Graphicism]

I also found the HD600 a little boring, the DT880 is much more engaging yet still remains neutral. In addition the E7/E9 toy is no setup for the HD600, I can only see them working with a colored, bass heavy headphone.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

Ah! You are experiencing the Sennheiser "veil" as they call it. The HD600 is known to have a more subdued treble response and can sound muffled on some recordings and material. You can make them brighter by removing the foam over the driver magnet but this is risky and I would not advise it. I would give your ears more time to adjust and if you still don't enjoy them you can go to another alternative such as the HD595 (which is not as good but brighter and clearer sounding) or a DT880.
 

Known to have subdued treble?  Compared to what?  The HD600 IME is known to be a very neutral headphone in terms of FR.  I also find them to sound muffled, but I don't think it's a frequency response issue. 
 
But the OP ought to mention more about what he dislikes and likes about the HD600 otherwise he will just get all kinds of random recommendations. 

 

[holden4th]

Hello Voung
 
Do you want to sell them to me?

 

[shamrock134]

I had a similar issue with them, the HD600 signature is probably just not for you. I had them amped with a GS Solo SRGII and they just didn't do anything for me. That's when I got the D7000 and sold the HD600.