Sennheiser HD 560S

Let's just come out and say it: I sadly don't enjoy this headphone. From the moment I took them out of the box, played Got The Life by Korn and the drums kicked in, I knew these weren't right for me. The snares and cymbals have far too much high frequency energy. These headphones attack my ears with shouty upper midrange and treble, even after I threw on an EQ at 4khz. The whole experience of the sound is nervy and uncomfortable. After a while I wondered if I could be fooling myself. Sometimes we convince ourselves of silly things that aren't true and we have to always consider that possibility. Maybe the recording is much worse than I remember, maybe my ears are fried today. So I went back to my trusty Fidelio X1's with the same music and sure enough: sounds epic. Put on the same section of Got The Life with the 58X Jubilees: yeah that's nice, exactly as I remember it. Vibrant and powerful sounding. Excellent midrange. The issue isn't with my ears, it's with the 560S. No matter how much I turn down the volume to look for some equilibrium, I'm not able to find it. Only after I equalize the 4k and 8k ranges even more do I finally arrive at something listenable.

Soundstaging is great. Bass is well extended and has impact, on that note I'm very much on board with the modern trend where we're getting great bass response from new releases. However, the 560S suffers from not having enough lower midrange and too much reservation in its midbass response. There's no grunt to the sound, it doesn't move me at all. I'm listening to Angel by Massive Attack and a key difference between the 560S and headphones like the DT770 is mainly that. Without it, the music is missing something critical. Yes there's more clarity, but at the heavy cost of what my ears think sounds right. I've tried a variety of genres with this headphone and I'm not being hyperbolic when I say nothing really worked for me with these. And there's also the marketing thing. Sennheiser has branded the HD560S as a detail monster, but honestly it isn't. Some things will stand out more because you're most likely coming from a different tuning, but overall these are on the same level as a great number of headphones in this price class. You can say well, maybe those headphones are also great at retrieving detail? Well yeah! That's exactly right, at this price bracket a headphone should do well at giving us insight into the music. The 560S is definitely on par, which is good, but not special. Its bright nature shouldn't be mistaken for a quality; it is a characteristic more than anything. And another thing I've read is where people say, yeah it's a bit bright, but it's not as bright as the DT990[or whatever headphone]! I mean, why does that matter. The DT990 is an entirely different animal. It isn't a valid defense to say that something else has issues.

These headphones have made me wonder... So you have a headphone that does really well in all technical areas. You have your bass extension, you have your soundstage and separation, lots of detail, a real attempt to make everything sound balanced. You listen to your music and you conclude that yes, this is in fact the flawless presentation you had dreamed about. Try as you might, you can't identify a flaw. On paper it's all there, but... Is it actually fun to listen to? Maybe the lesson with the Sennheiser HD560S is that the whole is not the same as all of its parts.


update 13 nov 2023: modified some of the wording a bit, because my initial disappointment made me come off more strongly than I intended. My opinion remains unchanged however. Also shortened the review.

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.

Introduction

The most popular headphone since 2020, has been reviewed a lot and has sold a a ton of units. Sennheiser released an amazing product but most people don't seem to understand to real purpose of these headphones. Still, is an amazing performer and possibly the best value around 200 dollars.

Packaging and accesories

• Is just a regular box, Sennheiser has been reducing packaging quality in the last couple of years including the HD 600 family.
• It includes a 3 meter 2.5 to 6.3 mm cable, good for studios
• 6.3 to 3.5 adapter for regular users

Comfort

• Traditional HD 500 line comfort (almost perfect)
• Great earpads, but they may need a replacement after 2-3 years though.
• Clamping force is a bit stronger than other HD 500 line headphones, but not as big as HD 600 family

Bass

• Very well extended, subass is present but has a noticeable roll off after 60 hertz
• A little dry to my taste, not very warm
• Control, speed and detail is amazing for the price
• Slam is pretty decent

Midrange

• Great detail
• High midrange is more prominent than HD 600s, can be to hot for some
• Transparency is top notch

Treble

• Low treble is accentuated to a point it becomes piercing with bad amplification/DAC performance
• Extension is awesome
• Low quality recording can sound terrible, possibly making you hate your music

Soundstage and imaging

• Better than HD 600 family
• Just perfect for the price, no complaints here

Final take
It's just the best headphone in the HD 500 line, outperforming every headphone in almost any categorie. Comfort is great, but pads may look weird after a few weeks. Matching is a bit difficult to have a decent experience with low quality recordings (iFi products are a perfect match). Technical performance is perfect for gaming. In the end, this are headphones for profesionals. My main concern is that the HD 560s doesn't provide a good experience with all my albums, so It's not a headphone for me in particular.

Introduction

I got the 560s on a B-stock sale. I have wanted to try them, so jumped at the opportunity. My main aim was to hear what the great tuning I read in reviews was all about, and possibly acquire a “reference” headphone as the rest in my collection have a colored tuning.

The 560s are fantastic value for money for $200, let alone on sale. The 560s are a fun listen, get the basics right, and an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a starter headphone or just an additional one (like me!). Let’s dive in.

Comfort

I wear glasses and have a large head - finding headphones that provide good comfort is a challenge. The 560s have comfortable pads, are lightweight, and large cups that easily sit around the ears. The biggest issue for me was the clamp force, which is quite strong. I had to remove my glasses to listen to them, which would not be an acceptable long-term solution as I like to listen to headphones also while working or reading. The band is plastic, so it cannot be easily stretched. It can be stretched over time though, using yoga bricks or similar, and it is very effective. I left them there for a couple days, and they are now very comfortable and OK to wear with glasses!

Sound

One premise: I listen at moderate volume (60s db on average), so keep that in mind as you read my impressions.

I find these headphones just sound “right” and very balanced. Bass is present, quick and controlled. It doesn’t rumble, nor goes very deep, but it gets the job done well in all but the most bass-focused songs (I wouldn’t pick the 560s for EDM). Vocals are clear and engaging. The treble was a tricky spot for me, as it sounded a bit piercing and fatiguing. I read this in some reviews as well. I tried switching to a hybrid tube amplifier (Schiit Vali 2+), and that completely fixed the issue for me, so suggest trying it if you experienced something similar.

Soundstage is good. There is separation between the instruments, you get a good feel for the size of the environment where the track was recorded. Overall, I find the soundstage to not get in the way by appearing overly intimate or overly dispersed. For context, I returned the 6xx because of the very narrow soundstage. I own the 8xx, and the 560s soundstage is not that big, but frankly I find limited incremental return on the 8xx soundstage outside of orchestral music.

Conclusion

I found the 560s to be an impressive well-rounded performer. I really enjoy listening to music on the 560s. I believe that for those of us who approach hifi as having enough quality in the reproduction system to enjoy music the way it was meant to sound, the 560s could reasonably be the only headphone we ever need.

And for those of us, like me, who like music but also find joy in exploring how different gear influences the reproduction of beloved songs, the 560s provide a baseline of solid competence, against which alternatives can be measured, and true excellence appreciated.

Before buying this HD560S, I was wondering which one to choose between this and HD600. If one is to look only at subjective reviews, it seems the HD600 is the winner by far, however things start to get confusing when one looks at the measurements and specifications.

1. The HD600 has significantly more distorsion in the bass region, while also having less bass to begin with. This means one thing: if you will listen to bass heavy songs, you are more likely to need EQ compared to the 560S, which will render the bass distorsion even higher.
Since I do listen to bass heavy songs (and also listen loud), this was a red flag for me. If you only listen at low to medium volumes it's not a concern.
2. Many people say the HD600 has a much narrower soundstage, creating the feeling that music is at the center of your head. To my ears, this seems to be the case.
Another red flag, as being open back I do expect a large soundstage. For many it's probably not a deal breaker, but there is a noticeable difference between the 2.
3. The HD600 uses yet another custom cable, meaning if you already have aftermarket cables for the 5xx series, they won't work on the 6xx series. I also prefer the cable to connect only to one of the cups, not to both (as it the case in HD600). This is not a big deal, but if you sum it up, it starts to become yet another minus.
Of course owning both pairs is the best thing to do at the end of day, the above aspects being mentioned for those who want to choose one or the other.
4. The HD600 is a lot harder to drive at 300Ω, really requiring an amplifier and possibly a custom balanced cable. While the HD560S is relatively hard to drive at 120Ω, the difference is significant between the two.

The biggest pro about this pair is the frequency response which is very close to neutral (Harman curve), except in the bass region and above 5kHz. This means you can use them without any EQ and still obtain very good results. After all, bass response is very good above 100Hz (and decent between 50 and 100Hz) and the tad higher brightness given by elevated treble is not really that big of a problem in practice unless you listen really loud.
This is an important aspect in my opinion, hence many Senheiser headphones have way more coloured sound.
I have not used EQ on this headphones and use it on a regular basis.

Soundstage is wide, certainly better than the lower end models (like HD559) and even HD600.
With these you will get an experience closer to when listening to speakers and a more holographic sound.

Another very big pro (which is shared by all 5xx and 6xx models) is comfort: the velour pads and large oval shaped cups make them sit around your ear, instead of touching the ear lobe. The velour material lets your ear breathe so they won't get hot even after hours of listening.
At this aspect they beat even Beyerdynamic headphones, which despite having velour pads as well, they have smaller cups, higher clamping force and the cups don't swivel as much as Senheisers.

Build quality is good for the price, only issue is headband will likely need to be re-glued at some point (I used gel-type super glue).
Construction is all plastic, but it doesn't creak and for the price quality is within expectations.
It is light weight, clamping force is higher than others but not what I would consider an issue. You will definetely feel it on your head, they're not feather light.

Another aspect to be mentioned is how it is to drive it. Contrary to what other reviews say, these headphones are relatively hard to drive,
which is to be expected given the 120Ω impedance.
It is also to be noted the impedance peaks at 244Ω around 60Hz, so not having enough power can give the impression the bass doesn't have enough impact.
Using a balanced cable on these is useful and they can be found on Aliexpress (Earmax ones).

It's important to note amp's power will drop with high impedance loads.
At the end of day, most DAPs or DAC/amps should be able to drive these fine, although on some you may need to crank the volume close the the max to obtain a loud SPL.
So do keep this in mind, as some phones/dongles may only drive it at medium levels.

Next, let me describe you the cable that comes in the box: while the cable itself is good quality, it's not good for everyday use because of 2 aspects: it's too long (3 meters) and it has a 6.3mm jack (it does come with 3.5mm adapter but it's too bulky for any practical use). For studio use or if you want to plug it into your HiFi system and listen while lying down in bed it's very good for that as it's long. For normal use however, I use the cables from Aliexpress: both 3.5mm and 4.4mm ones because they are significantly shorter (1.2-1.5meters) and also have the connectors that I use the most. You can see in the attachment below 2 of the cables I use.

EDIT: Seems Senheiser has updated the included cable to be an 1.8m with 3.5mm jack and a screw-on 6.3mm adapter which is much better for normal use.
However do note that most retailers still sell old stocks, so if you want the new version you must check your local retailer or buy directly from Senheiser.

A very nice headphone overall and one of the best Senheisers in this price bracket.
For me the biggest downside is distorsion at high SPL but that is typical to many dynamic drivers, especially when the driver itself is small.
While this is not going to be an issue in most usage scenarios, there is definetely a difference between the 560S and other headphones that is the main point.
For the money, it's one of the most budget friendly reference headphone and a pair definetely worth buying.

Sennheiser’s 500-series of headphones have always been overshadowed by their immensely popular 600-series brethren. The HD 598 and later the HD 599 have both been above average in their performance, but never quite gained the same cult following.

The HD 560S aim to change all that with a reference tuning aimed towards studio use and those who seek neutrality. Let’s see if they managed to hit that lofty goal, while being different enough to stand out from the much lauded 600-series.

This review was originally published on Headphonesty.

Sources used: Questyle CMA-400i, iFi xDSD Gryphon

Click to expand...

Packaging and Accessories​

Packaging is a plain cardboard box and nothing much to write home about. In the box you get:

• Sennheiser HD 560S headphones
• 3m 6.35mm terminated cable
• 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter cable

Build​

The HD 560S have fully plastic build. Fret not though, the plastic is high quality and robust enough to take daily abuse. The headband adjustment clicks, so you know which level you are at.

There is only one cable entry located on the left ear cup. The connector on the headphone side is 3.5mm but has a proprietary “twist and lock” mechanism. This makes sourcing aftermarket cables challenging.

The yokes have limited sidewise movement. However, the ear cups rotate front-to-back by about 15 degrees, so I think most people won’t have issues getting a good seal. There is also a rubber nub that stops the cup from hitting the yoke. The ear pads have a velour-like material. They did not feel scratchy to me but your mileage may vary.

Comfort and isolation​

Clamp force is alright on the sides but pressure can build-up on top of the head. I wish the headband had softer padding. The clamp pressure reportedly becomes weaker over time, but I advise against trying to bend the headband by force since it is plastic and not as malleable as a metal headband. Comfort overall is above average but falls behind the likes of the Philips SHP9600.

Isolation is almost non-existent due to the open-back design.

Internals​

The Sennheiser HD 560S use completely redesigned 40mm drivers despite using a previous-generation housing.

Click to expand...

The drivers are mounted at an angle from the ear, allowing better pinna interaction. The damping scheme has also been improved, resulting in better driver control.

Sennheiser HD 560S Sound​

The HD 560S are neutrally-tuned without any coloration in the mids or bass. There is some lower-treble emphasis though which can veer towards bright at times.

The HD 560S deliver well-extended bass for an open-back even though sub frequencies are rolled-off and lack rumble. Certain sub-bass notes, or the dense understrokes of grand piano, etc., are often missing or lacking in body.

The mid-bass could do with a bit more body to compensate. There is also some loss of texture in the mid-bass, with bass notes of different instruments often sounding the same. Bass decay is somewhat slow and attack is blunted. Given their open-back nature, these sorts of issues (e.g. lack of rumble) are expected at this price.

The upper-mids can sound strident at times. Part of this is due to the linear bass response that doesn’t mask the upper-mid shout at all. This is good for monitoring but can be an issue when listening to poorly mastered tracks.

Lower-mids are excellently tuned, however. The lack of coloration in the midrange makes the HD 560S especially suitable for studio monitoring and mixing.

The aforementioned lower-treble peak can be tiring for treble-sensitive people. I have experienced fatigue when listening to poorly mastered tracks. Certain rock and metal songs are susceptible here, e.g. Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s Californication.

Fortunately the upper-treble is well-extended and Sennheiser did not try to exaggerate the air frequencies. Instead, they put some emphasis near 15KHz and kept the rest of it well under control. Cymbals and triangles resonate naturally as a result, with precise attack and decay.

Overall detail and resolution is good but the HD 560S are not giant-killers in these regards.

Soundstage is average for an open-back and these don’t sound as claustrophobic as the 600-series headphones. Imaging is precise with accurate instrument placement. One negative is the center-imaging which suffers in busy tracks.

Macrodynamic punch is lacking due to the lack of sub-bass rumble and mid-bass body. Microdynamics (gradual shifts in volume) are above average but not class leading.

Comparisons​

Vs Sennheiser HD 650​

Sennheiser’s HD 650 are legendary in their own right and are massively popular even 20 years after launch. The HD 560S manage to bring some meaningful improvement over their older brethren.

The most noticeable improvement is in staging and imaging, with the HD 560S outperforming the HD 650 in both aspects. Bass extension is also better on the HD 560S even though the HD 650 sound bassier due to their mid-bass emphasis.

Sadly, this is where the HD 560S end their dominance. The HD 650 are noticeably more resolving and transparent in the midrange with better vocal articulation. The treble is also smoother yet just-as-detailed on the HD 650. Despite the mid-bass emphasis, bass on the HD 650 never bleeds into the mids and the mid-bass texture is superior.

Separation is also a marked improvement on the 600 series headphones. Given that the HD 6XX (Drop version of the HD 650) are just USD $40 extra over the HD 560S, I am reluctant to recommend the HD 560S over the older model.

One caveat of the 600 series headphones are their amp requirements, though nowadays you can get a capable-enough amp for the HD 650s without denting your wallet too much.

Conclusion​

Sennheiser made a near perfect pair of studio monitors with the HD 560S. Flat bass response? Check. Neutral and uncolored midrange? Check. Extended treble with a bit of lower-treble emphasis to highlight mastering flaws? Check. Fairly easy to drive? Check. Good soundstage and imaging? Check, and check.

The Sennheiser HD 560S are good headphones. It’s just a that the HD 650 are often better. To their credit, the HD 560S strike a happy “medium” between the HD 600 and HD 650 sound signature. Those who find the HD 600 lacking in bass and the HD 650 having too much bass will probably find the HD 560S more adhering to their preferences.

There is a place for the HD 560S after all, even though they are unlikely to be as popular as the eternal classics.

I'm quite surprised how good these sound. The sound signature is similar to my Arya headphones - for one eighth the cost. It's close to the Harman curve, but without the bass shelf - again, similar to the Arya. Sure, they aren't as detailed and open as the Arya, but for $200, I can't imagine finding another pair of headphones that comes close.

And finally, a Sennheiser with bass extension! Using a tone generator to test, there seems to be little or no roll-off to 20 Hz and beyond. I'm 60, so cannot comment on treble extension, but, for my old ears, the couple extra decibels in the presence and sibilance range is welcome. The Aryas have the same slight emphasis in presence and sibilance. And, the mid and upper bass is not over-emphasized! As a result, they are not muddy or overly warm. They are accurate in this regard.

Overall, the HD-560S headphones are smooth, with no annoying peaks or valleys, and have good bass extension. They are just plain pleasant to listen to. My only complaint would have to be that included, ridiculous cable. I ordered a 1.2 meter cable off eBay when I ordered the headphones. And, I ordered them directly from Sennheiser over the weekend, and received them on Wednesday. That's really good service, which I appreciate.

I just don't understand the complaints I hear about these headphones. I think they would be a reasonable purchase at almost twice the price.

I pre-ordered these based on the DMS review. I do not share the analysis of the sound. I don't find them neutral. They seem slightly mid forward and lower to mid treble forward, yet upper treble recessed. The soundstage is rather small. The imaging is pretty good. The bass is fast and well textured. Overall these offer no refined treble, it is a little rough, and does not have enough presence beyond 7khz.

I really love some Sennheiser classics like the HD25.

I'm not a good photographer so I won't be filling this with many pictures.

Let's get comfort and build quickly behind us because they are pretty quick to assess:

build: No creakiness at all, solidly build, you clearly notice it's from the 5XX range, yet more elegant than all the other family members.

Comfort: at first I thought it has the clamp of death when I pulled both cups away to fit it on my head but that notion disappeared very quickly. I didn't notice this headphone in the many hours I had with it and it reminded me of the PC360.

Gear:

HD 560S
HD 600

Violectric V590 Pro -> Custom Pass Labs HPA-1
Violectric V590 Pro -> Cavali Liquid Crimson with a Philips Amperex E88CC tube.

the short version:

overall rather neutral aside from the treble fr, no bass boost.
great extension to both sides, keeps down low rather neutral but can still thump and kick pretty good
is more punchy than the slammy type but can still rumble
good detail and texture relative to its price range
cohorent imaging, no 3 blob type stage that envelops and renders around you very sharply and consistent when used with VSTs.

relative to the HD 600:

finds its master with the HD 600 but beats it in bass quality/clarity
HD 560S seems clearer but not without "tricks" so nothing reallly worth praising a lot, still admirable
brighter, overall less refined than the HD 600
does not render detail as good, just says: LOOK HERE vs. HD 600's: oh, how delicate!
Mids slightly etched, edgy
proner to sibilance
Wider staging than the HD 600

its brightness relative to other contenders:

While the treble is my biggest gripe with this headphone as you might notice, its brightness is not up to the level of headphones like the DT770, DT990 or an Ultrasone Pro 900. Relative to them it's better or far better behaved. Don't worry about any Mt.Beyers or Burj Ultrasone.


the long version:

Hanne Boel - How can you mend a broken heart https://tidal.com/browse/track/25558098

What a lovely song. If there are hearts that are going to be broken, it's the hearts of those who followed youtube hypers and other strange fellows and thought Sennheiser would come to destroy the 6xx class with 5xx looks. Now I am not against that idea at all but was anyone outside the influencer bubble really believing for something like this to happen?

Now about broken hearts:

Hanne Boel's voice is accentuated by the 560S's slight proneness to sibilance compared to the HD 600, There's generally always a slight edgyness to vocals which is absent from the HD 600 who renders them more natural and yet more defined, finely shaped.

A bit more perceived clarity surely is a welcome bonus in this game but in this case it's not as natural as the 600 but "exciting" in the way that the Sennheiser engineers surely intended to. It does not come off cheap like some famous other brands where adding excitement to the treble makes for a good wincing game. Good at exposing flaws in the corresponding peak but unnatural and annyoing in the end.

Here's it's more like turning the overall brightness higher on your TV and watch the whole color balance degrade. Also add a slightly uneven brightness boost.
Still, it seems to be a very popular tonal balance so they too designed around it. Brightness of this type can also batter a bit through muffled onboard sound and cheap external usb soundcards. I am just guessing though.

I personally find it unnecessary but I understand it having the same FR like a HD 600 but with more bass would not make for a fine new addition to the portfolio but come off as a knockoff attempt. And it would probably expose it's flaws even more.

https://tidal.com/browse/track/111253 Original
https://tidal.com/browse/track/76201187 Remastered

Is this Love? No, not quite there. Where the 560S still gives me a hard time is the accentuated (lower) treble. It's always present, especially in famous remastered approaches of classics. Thank god Tidal gives us a choice so I went around and found the best version of this song. The Remastered is hard to listen to, especially during the refrain where everything and everyone involved is trying to poke and stab while screaming and shouting at me. Now you might ask my bloody perforated self why I bother with such examples when they themselves are inherently not ideal.

Well: overall genre/catalogue compatibility. Not every recording is worthy of the good song it carries and some genres are simply generally harder to match with headphones as most headphones struggle with treble. This means you will not always have luck with a good recording and some songs that are great only exist in one version.

While the original is good to listen to with the 560S the remastered clearly steps over the line while being easier on the HD 600.
No the 560S is not more detailed or more "revealing" (a famous euphemism for overly bright headphones), it's simply unrefined and "overachieving" in the treble relative to the HD 600.

Take this one for instance:

https://tidal.com/browse/track/131334630

A beautiful dreamy song, not a particularly good recording, strongly processed to achieve it's dreamy timbre. There is no other version, no way out.
Very hard to listen to on the 560S, much easier on the HD 600. None of it is wince inducing even though it's flamboyantly dancing on the threshold.
Sure, you can skip a song like this because it does not strike your mood, but then

https://tidal.com/browse/track/151908455

Here the 560S shows off it's rather potent and clearer bass alongside the (quite talkative) voice's ever so slightly sibilance. The HD 600 is more murky here down low, less separating. Looks like more distortion creeping up. While it doesn't share the same sibilance, neither does it share the same fun though. The beat is the star of the show here and favors the 560.

Now my impressions might sound rather negative.

If the 560S had a similar FR in the treble and at least a slightly more refined quality there it would be clearly be a 5 star candidate. What it gains over the HD 600 in bass cleanliness down low or in overall claritiy it "balances" out with worse treble.

https://tidal.com/browse/track/9602093

A recording made for headphones and a lovely song too. 560S immediately impresses with more clarity and a cleaner bass. Yet the HD 600 brings out the finer nuances, the reverb of the room, the textures. The 560S is polished here and adds its sharpening filter, the overall image is a bit in hypermode without the same details and textures, yet it's still exciting and somewhat engaging. 560S is very playful here, I think a lot of people will like it.

https://tidal.com/browse/track/9602094

The next song on the same album. Listen to the claps at the beginning. The 560S has no problems rendering all the cues and the reverb. It's nuances again, I wouldn't say the HD 600 claps better, it's when the music starts you will notice the timbre superiority again, the tiniest differences of volumes between and within the various instruments.
The 560S employs its old tricks: clarity and excitement.

Now to some ambient beats:

https://tidal.com/browse/track/93952877

The 560S outlines the (especially kick)bass part better, there's always a bit more bloom on the 600 making it less clear overall, removing a bit from the sense of depth where the beat emanates from. This is one of the tracks where the 560S outshines the 600.

https://tidal.com/browse/track/77390854

Another beautiful song where the 560's negatives don't show at all. No more details here, just want you to listen to it and enjoy!


Gaming:

I played a few hours of Division 2 with the Dolby Atmos for headphones plugin.

The implementation in this game is pretty good. You can hear your drone buzzzing around your head, over you, below you if have a higher position etc.
A turret shooting at a place over you (to have a better fov and enemy reach) clearly sounds above your head.
Thunder, storm and lightning rumble, growl, explode over you with menacing power and deep sub bass. High calibered Sniper shots blast through smoke filled streets piercing the air around my head like Yang Wu-lang's spear in 8 diagrams. When the rain falls you can clearly hear finest nuances of drops plopping on different material when finally landing on the ground washing away all the blood and crap. It's always a spectacle, gotta admit I'm sometimes longing for that experience and thus hope for bad weather. At least in games.

I know most people who game will probably not bother about stuff like this and clearly focus on their gear, skill, multiplayer experience, chatting with friends. I myself clearly prefer single player experiences and the immersion, storylines they bring so I focus on a lot on how everything sounds and immerses me. It's a huge part of the experience for me.

Strong rain in this game sounds a bit more like hail with the 560S. It's no showstopper at all, you could see it as an artistic filter but it's the way it is. The impressions naturally continue on every other segment or purpose you use that headphone, there's no magic barrier between music and gaming except you be more picky with music.

Still it does gaming very good and I would pick it over all other candidates in its class. It has a cohorent way of rendering the space around you in conjunction with various VST's and has no trouble keeping its composition when facing multitudes of ambient cues and placing them around you.

Conclusion:

Sennheisers' HD 560S is a strong horse in the sub 200€ race and its moderate amping requirements, high comfort and rather neutral, detailed nature that supports its good staging/imaging capabilities ticks a lot of boxes for those who want a headphone for all purposes, be it movies, gaming or music. Now Sennheiser only needs to release a cable with added microphone and you got yourself a superb headset too.