Sennheiser HD 560S

The HD 560s has a lightweight and a bit utilitarian design. It's primarily made of plastic, but the build quality feels solid and durable. It comes with a 1.8m cable which terminates to 3.5mm and there's a 6.35mm adapter included. The included cable is acceptable but somewhat stiff, retaining its shape, which can make it less convenient to manage. The HD560s has an impedance rating of 120ohms with sensitivity of 110 dB. As such they are easy to drive and don’t require a particularly powerful amplifier.

The headphones are generally comfortable for long listening sessions thanks to the soft velour ear pads. However, the clamp force is quite strong, which can cause pressure around the jaw after extended wear. Additionally, there’s a bump inside the ear cups that may touch your ears, depending on their size and shape, which could be a point of discomfort.

Sound-wise, the HD560s leans towards a neutral, monitor-like tuning. The bass is present and well extended but not especially punchy or emphasized. It’s tight and controlled, providing just enough depth. The mids are slightly forward, giving a clear and natural presentation to vocals and instruments. The forwardness of the mids makes the balance between bass and mids lean toward neutral. Personally I found adding a small 3-5db bass boost (below 120Hz) helped to give the headphones a more enjoyable tuning for wider range of music. Treble is extended and detailed, though it can occasionally exhibit a hint of graininess on certain recordings. The soundstage is fairly spacious. The separation and perceived detail of the headphone is good for the price.

Pairing the HD560s with a tube hybrid amplifier brings out a bit wider and fuller sound, adding warmth and depth to the listening experience. Most noticeable is the slight diffusion of mids that add to the spaciousness effect. On a solid-state amplifier, the sound becomes more focused and precise.

In summary, the Sennheiser HD 560s offers a neutral and balanced listening experience with great clarity in the mids and treble. While its design is functional and the ear pads are comfortable, the clamp force and potential ear cup bump might detract from comfort for some. However, the sound quality—especially when paired with the right amplifier—makes it an excellent choice for those looking for accurate, detailed headphones at a reasonable price.

I'll be mainly comparing the 560S to the DT770. I think it's a good comparison for two reasons, first being they both cost about the same and aim for an analytical, balanced sound. The HD560S seems designed from the start to compete with Beyerdynamic's offerings like the DT770 and DT990, which operate in the same price bracket with a similar purpose as the 560S. The second reason is that I think the DT770 remains one of the absolute best headphones out there period. Sennheiser has always had pretty good offerings in its 5xx series, but never did they try to place a sophisticated analytical product in that range to go head to head with Beyerdynamic. Did they manage to pull it off?

So let's start with the midrange. I think the DT770 as an analytical headphone is a bit better than the 560S. I feel that I can hear more into the recording with the DT770. This midrange for me is as close to perfection as I've heard on any headphone. Smooth from start to finish, they give a highly faithful rendering of the recording. On the other hand I think that the actual sound of the 560S is inherently a bit more "pretty", and the mids on the 560S are beautiful. Vocals are a bit warmer and more forward on the 560S, but I'm not convinced it's more truthful than on the DT770. A big thing for me is that snare hits come off very strongly on the 560S, whereas on the DT770 they are laid back.

Then there's the bass. The HD560S has great bass. They seem a bit light because of the excessive treble, but once the treble is reduced a bit or the recording isn't bright, you'll really notice how good the bass is. The bass on the DT770 brings a heaviness to the sound that I love that the 560S can't quite match, but listening to "Safe From Harm" by Massive Attack both these headphones do a great job of giving the bassline all the presence and power it needs. You can hear the individual bass notes more clearly on the 560S, but the depth of the bass - the resonance and heft you get from the 770 on the other hand is hard to resist. As a semi-basshead I'd be very happy with either of these headphones, which is the first time I've ever been able to say that about a Sennheiser. Looking at the unassuming plastic 5xx chassis you wouldn't expect these to be capable of this kind of bass, but wow. Very good indeed.

Treble goes to the 560S. It's just a bit more refined and clean sounding. The 770 has good treble but I've found it obvious that the 560S consistently outdoes it. The 560 has a very nice and even treble, no complaints.

Soundstage goes to the Beyers. It seems evenly spread out and precise with an excellent sense of distance, whereas the 560S can be in your face and a bit shouty at times, which is probably my biggest gripe with them. The 560S is a spacious sounding headphone though, and it's a big step up from the 58x or HD650, but I find presentation on the DT770 exceptional. It's one of the key things that mark the DT770 as a true high end headphone for me.

So, which of these two wins? Both are built well, both are comfortable headphones. The 560S will get very loud from a computer, whereas the DT770 may require an additional amp. For my taste both headphones do need some equalization, since they have too much treble in their stock tuning. In my opinion the 560S is the most exciting, most enjoyable headphone Sennheiser have done, beating the HD600 series at half the price. But the DT770 is a beast of a headphone. I think I'd recommend the 560S over the DT770 on the basis that it requires less amping and the overall sound is a bit more inviting, but when it comes down to it the DT770 edges it out on pure performance, mainly owing to it being able to combine reference bass with an extremely accurate sound. But anyway, just to make it clear (since this is a review of the 560S after all): this headphone is a banger and one of the best that I've ever heard. Absolutely recommended.

TLDL:

If you want a slight bright neurtal tuning with good technicalities you can give it a try .
Again try to pair it up with warm sources or better amplification to get good result out of it .
Dont try compare it with sundara or other sennheiser6 seris they are on their own league.


PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

>>Sennheiser HD 560S headphones(ear pads are velourish material)
>>3 meter 6.35mm terminated cable
>>6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter cable




Technical Specifications


>>Form Factor: Open-backed, over-ear
>>Frequency Response (Hz): 6Hz ~38KHz
>>Drivers : Dynamic driver
>>Source Jack : 6.35mm /3.5mm
>>Sensitivity (dB) : 110 dB
>>Removable Cable : ✔
>>Impedance (Ohm) : 120 Ω
>>Headphone in Jack : 2.5mm
>>Removable Cable : ✔
>>Weight : 240 gram

Sound Impression :

source:
Dongle : >>xduoo link2 bal
desktop: >>(ifi zen dac v2+ ifi zen can ),
>>(smsl su-9 + cayin IHA-6)
Aftermarket cable : Faaeal balance cable






[BASS]

Not that much bass that will nod your head .
Good sub bass comparing mid bass but lacks slams and rumble .
If i need bass slams & rumble i just hit TRUEBASS on iFi Zen dac v2 and it just give me that deep thump with vibration .
Bass assault is muted, and decay is a little delayed.
There is hardly any audible middle bleed or masking of higher frequencies.
But with cayin IHA-6 i get a decent amount of bass, might be for that crazy amplification .


[MIDS]

Sennheiser is very famous for its mid centric tuning .
The upper mids can sound shrill.
This is partly because of the linear bass response, which completely exposes the upper mid yell.
However, the lower mids are quite well tuned.
Due to uncolored mid range it is very suitable for audio mixing .


[TREBLE]

Tuning is neutral brightish.
Lower treble is still harsh with warm ifi zen dac , it was very pleasant & enjoyable with IHA-6 though .
Upper treble is is natrural not overdone. But sometimes it felt sibilant even with zen stack but not on cayin .
Attack & decay of treble was good indeed .


Technicalities:

Stage , imaging was not that top of class but it is very good for open back & for its price .
separation is charming for its price , you might not find good separation within its price range .
I play CSGO competetive fps game , i can pick up every detail that is happening around me yet the footstep & directional sense was not top notch but it wasn't bad either.
Due to the absence of mid bass bulk and sub bass rumble, macrodynamic punch is weak. Although above average, microdynamics are not exceptional.


Comparisons

HD560s vs HD599se

I don't have many sennheiser headphone to compare with ,in future i'll try to gather other sennheiser to compare .
HD599se is very bass bloated where is it has bass quantity & on the other hand HD560s has less amount of bass .
HD599se has lush mid where HD560s has crisp sweet mid .
HD599se has its treble cut off where HD560s has little peek on treble.
Soundstage & imaging is slight better on HD599se (Nitpicking) where separation is better on HD560s .
For gaming and relaxing session HD599se is good if one dont want that much analytical sounding .




HD560s vs Edition xs

Sub bass rumble was seen on edition xs , mids might be little sweet on hd560s but that attack, resoulation and separation on edition xs was on another level .
Treble was very enjoying in edition xs . Technicalities was better on edition xs , dynamic speed cause it is a planar driver .
Edition is superior in every aspect , Edition xs swiping the floor with HD560s .
But despite being a dynamic driver hd560s wasn't that bad either but Edition xs win with ease .






Rating:

Bass: 3.8/5
Mids: 4.5/5
Treble: 3.8/5
Imaging/Separation: 4.0/5
Staging: 4.0/5
Dynamics/Speed: 3.9/5



Conclusion :

Good for monitoring & gaming .
Might feel boring , Needs time to grow on you .
Might need to eq to get more out off bass section.
Might be safe buy.