[marios_mar]

Lets see what people vote about the Senns HD580 and 600 suitability for rock. Are they good for rock or not.

 

[blessingx]

Just a recommendation that differentiating between "best", "very good", "fine/okay", etc. may be helpful.

 

[dd3mon]

I think it just depends how much money you wanna throw at a source and amp

-dd3mon

 

[lan]

Suitability is a matter of taste. For me, I think these headphones are quite amp dependant. If the bass and highs aren't controlled well, it's not really that good for rock music.

 

[KShaft]

Yeah, well with a cary 300 sei and cardas cable(or say a gilmore) they can sound pretty damn good for more upbeat music. But grados are pretty much king here. Some beyers arent bad either for this app.

k.s.

 

[Rizumu]

The HD580 is ok for rock, but not the best in the price range. I'm betting the SR225 would trounce them. I know the SR200 certainly does. I'm sitting here right now rummaging through some of my CDs I haven't listened to in awhile. One rock CD (by Bad Astronaut) in particular I've never really got to sound good on my system. I was listening to it a lot back when I had the HD580 and HFI-650, and I'll be damned if it sounds 10 times as good now with my Grados. Too muddy, veiled and laid-back on the HD580, too harsh and sibilant on the HFI-650, I didn't like it much with either.

The recording's still not the greatest, but at least I can really enjoy it now. The SR200 has a much better presentation for rock (on stage rather than quite a few rows back), deep and controlled bass, pleasant and detailed highs (not bright at all), a midrange that can make you just melt, and all the punch and kick you need.

I'd like to hear the HD600 w/ Equinox or Cardas on a really good system to hear what their true potential is. Whenever I make it to a meet I suppose because I really don't feel like bringing myself to shell out a lot of cash for a headphone so similar to one I quite disliked. I'm not quite convinced that with the correct cable/amp/source/whatever a headphone will sound completely different.

Ultimately I suppose then, how much you're willing to spend. Is it the best? Maybe if you build your whole system around the headphone to make it sound it's best. For the price though, and on most systems, I think Grados represent a much better deal.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

With a good amp they are good, but for the same or less money you can do better IMHO. I owned the 600's for more than two years and liked them a lot until I switched and found a couple of cans that cost less and sound better to my ears.

 

[OneMalt]

As much as I love my 600s, I only rock with my Grados.

 

[daycart1]

I think it depends a lot on the specific recording. Very roughly: recordings with big bloated bass like Grados, those with clear, boosted highs like the Senns.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

It depends on the source, amp, etc.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

On any given source or amp (remember, all of my comparisons are relative), I've found that the Sennheiser HD580 and HD600 are okay with rock music, but there are better choices. Even on ceedee, the mastering quality of most rock recordings are crappy to begin with: They mix those recordings for loudness first, fidelity second - and they roll off both the bass and the highs on those rock recordings, so most of what you'll hear are mids. The Sennheisers, being laid-back as they are in their sound presentation, just don't excite those rock recordings quite enough to bring their sound quality over the proverbial "crap recording" hump. Thus, even though they'll sound pretty good, it just feels as though something is missing.

On the other hand, some headphones that sound great on rock are utterly unlistenable on jazz or classical music

 

[richpjr]

Quote:

Originally posted by OneMalt As much as I love my 600s, I only rock with my Grados

Could not agree more.

 

[Beagle]

Remember, if a headphone is making rock music sound dull, it is also making every other kind of music sound dull, though you may not realize it as much. I mean, how could a headphone be selective about the music it chooses to give dynamics and dynamic contrasts to? It can't. Think about it...

 

[Eagle_Driver]

The HD 580 or HD 600 doesn't make music sound "dull", but rather they reveal just how poorly most rock recordings had been mixed and/or mastered (as I had pointed out earlier).

 

[radrd]

Quote:

The HD 580 or HD 600 doesn't make music sound "dull", but rather they reveal just how poorly most rock recordings had been mixed and/or mastered (as I had pointed out earlier).

Laid back = dull, not forward. Without the right system synergy, all of your music will be less forward with the HD600. However, a lot of music is meant to be played that way and sounds better. A good amp, source, etc. will lessen this laid-back characteristic to a great extent.

As to whether the HD600 is too revealing for rock. I doubt it, but I don't have enough listening time to say for sure. Considering people rock out with the HP-1 and R10, I highly doubt that the HD600 is too revealing.