[zbuddah]

I'm extremely new to Hi-FI headphones, but I have been lurking around the forums trying to soak in all the information.

I've had my ears set on some new heaphones, mainly the Sennheiser HD 600. I mainly listen to some punk rock, trance, techno, electronica, a little pop. Vocals are important to me, and so is bass definiton. i want to hear every single insturment in the track.

I was wondering if the HD 600 had enough bass definiton. For example would I be able to hear the pluck and vibration of a bass guitar. I want to hear bass clarity not something muddy and boomy but something tight and clear. So do you think the Sennheiser HD 600 can deliver that for me? i'm not really asking for bass eaggeration, just super clarity.

I was able to make it to the only hi-fi store I know of in San Jose, Magnolia Hi-Fi. I got to demo the Hd 590 but the only cds availible for demoing were just classical music. I searched around for something deep music but i didn't seem to find or "hear" any. I wasn't quite blown away by the HD 590's but i was impressed by its clarity of music. I did try to listen for details in the orchestral music, but i don't think I was in the perfect listening enviroment to do so.

But I did get to see the HD 600 in real life (I'm deprived) and all I can say was wow. The thing was huge and crying out high quality. It scared me... I was going to ask the salesman to see if I could try and demo it, but... I don't know... I think the HD 600 intimidated me

. The price was also intimidating too especailly at 400 USD. I never did try it. (felt bad cuz I had no intention of buying it from them).

Now if I get the HD 600's I intend to get an amp first probably a portable and higher end amp later on if I can afford it.

do you guys/gals think that the HD 600 is overated?

but really I'm looking for tight detailed bass CLARITY, beautiful vocals (that can make you tingle), and realistic highs. just beautiful music.

thanks ppl

 

[Audio-Me]

Overrated? What idiot gave you that idea?

 

[gaineso]

The 600's are every bit as good as they're cracked up to be.

HOWEVER, what you hear is to some extent dependent on a decent amp. My "OLD Total Airhead" sounds awesome with rock, (Joplin, Steppenwolf, Doors) Blues (Kristoferson, Stevie Ray, Johnny Lang) and Jazz (Brubeck, Davis, Coltrane).

Just samples. I listen mostly through a Harmon Kardon FL8300 CDP, Line out, with fresh rechargeables in the TA. Portable use sounds very good from Kenwood pcdp or Aiwa Cassette.

I'm just not sure you're going to hear the SLAM of the bass that comes from big speakers with your type of music. You'll hear good, honest and reasonably accurate bass, probably more than any 'phone near it's price.

Tight and clear you'll get. Slam and boom, Nahhh. Also be very careful about volume levels. It's real easy to damage your ears with 'phones.

Welcome and our sympathies to your wallet.

 

[carlo]

zbuddah,

i wouldn't call the hd600s "overrated" either, although my listening experience with them is relatively limited.

as far as it's baby brother the hd580 is concerned however, that puppy is picky as hell with the equipment it's paired with. and i'm not just talking about amps - i'm saying ics, headphone cables, source, everything. the hd600 are the same, but even more transparent. while i certainly don't have the "best" equipment here, i didn't really enjoy listening to the sennheisers untill the addition of a)a clou jaspis red headphone cable (extended perceived bass, added definition to tracks) b)an arcam alpha 9 cd player (my other cd player, a slightly modded njoe tjoeb 4000, sounded dull with it), c) an mg head dt (sounded like different headphones), and d)tara master generation interconnects (lacks the slight glare i get with most other ics). that's around $2.5k worth of equipment. any other combination of my gear (save for vinyl as the source) has a detrimental effect on the sound. the only reason i haven't rolled the tubes on the mg head dt yet is because, quite honestly, i'm tired of tweaking the system.

so, the answer to:

Quote:

I mainly listen to some punk rock, trance, techno, electronica, a little pop. Vocals are important to me, and so is bass definiton. i want to hear every single insturment in the track... For example would I be able to hear the pluck and vibration of a bass guitar. I want to hear bass clarity not something muddy and boomy but something tight and clear. So do you think the Sennheiser HD 600 can deliver that for me?

is yes, but the rest of your equipment has to be up to par.

yes, it did get more involving as i upgraded, but it's also the type of component that demands excellent associated equipment to sound it's best. i'm at the point with it now where i feel i can hear recordings stripped down to their core: tons of detail and extension... trip-hop (tricky, massive attack), rap (mos def, mystik), and electronica (air, ian pouley) all sound breathtakingly good.

as far as punk goes, don't expect to enjoy the recording quality. i'm not a fan of the current stuff out there, but i'm a huge (HUGE) fan of the stuff from the late 60's and early 70's when punk kind of became punk (stooges, the underground, buzzcocks, new york dolls) as well as some later stuff (thee headcoats, the lyres) and i'll tell you right now: the sennheisers are way too *ahem* honest for it.

for what it's worth,
carlo.

 

[Audio-Me]

Am I the only one who believes HD600 is a versatile headphone? They can sound good out of a sound blaster for crying out loud. I believe I'm the only one @ head-fi apparently nutty enough to use them for portable use.

Honestly, I think they are great out of anything. But, you're seriously holding them back unless you compliment it with a good source, amp, and cables. What good is a Ferrari if you use ****ty tires, low octane fuel, and suck at driving it (besides picking up hotties)?

Think of it this way, if you get the HD600 (can be had for $220 from meier audio) and like the sound, it won't be the headphones you'll be getting/upgrading next.

Bass definition? Feed it good bass and it will output even better bass.

 

[Flumpus]

HD600s aren't overrated, but compared to other headphones (especially etys...sorry, don't wanna turn this into another ety thread, but I gotta say it) I never thought "bass definition" as you put it was their strong point. They have strong bass, but I thought at times it could get muddy. Out of the Melos it was better than the MG Head, and it was good out of the Max, but still just good. Not great, IMO of course. Others will disagree, and maybe clou cables, stefan audio art cables, or the cardas cables will help, but stock with a portable amp (cmoy or TA) might get muddy to some people. However, upgrade the cables and a Cosmic, and you may never have that problem.

 

[carlo]

a&m,

Quote:

Am I the only one who believes HD600 is a versatile headphone? They can sound good out of a sound blaster for crying out loud. I believe I'm the only one @ head-fi apparently nutty enough to use them for portable use. Honestly, I think they are great out of anything.

well, you ARE part of team sennheiser

Quote:

if you get the HD600... and like the sound, it won't be the headphones you'll be getting/upgrading next.

i agree, and in my experience a product that does justice to much more expensive associated equipment is a rarity.

best,
carlo.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

The only amp that I have heard that is truly fast, and not so bright I couldn't listen to it for more than 5 minutes with the HD 600s is the Headroom Max.
If you want a cheaper alternative that is less demanding electronically check out the Grado SR225s, or SR325. I think their bass is pretty fast without the super expensive power amps.

 

[zbuddah]

wow thanks for all the info. Yeah i'm thinking of sticking with sennheiser's rather than grado's and i probably won't be getting ety's also cuz i'm not fond with in-ear phones. i have big ears so the grado's don't really work for me. plus i think sennheiser somehow engrained the word "sennheiser" in my brain.

but i can say this that the Hd 590's were as comfy as i can imagine, plus i like the open air design i can hear people talk to me.

ok so the quality of the audio is up to my equipment and my audio source right? i would most likely need a portable amp. Is a portable amp capable of bringing out the clarity of the bass for the sennheiser Hd 600. (something atleast better than the stock jack out of a portable cd player right?)

now about this fresh charge of batteries... Quote:

I listen mostly through a Harmon Kardon FL8300 CDP, Line out, with fresh rechargeables in the TA. Portable use sounds very good from Kenwood pcdp or Aiwa Cassette.

does all of the portable amps run thier best with fresh set of batteries?

now i know i won't be able to amass Quote:

that's around $2.5k worth of equipment

in anytime soon. so i probably wouldn't be getting the same bass like yours would, but with say a JMT portable or a TA would i get some detailed bass? I'm not really looking for a big thump on my head or anything but more like the details you would hear in the Highs but except you can hear details like that in the Lows.

Quote:

Welcome and our sympathies to your wallet.

thanks hoping to learn alot and appreciate music a whole new way.
man i love music but i pray i don't fall into the loop off endless upgrades and new euqipment.

who was that one who kept on buying headphones? darkcloud or darklord or someone... ehehhe. makes me realize i need a constistent job.

well thanks for reassuring me that the HD 600's are really good phones.

is the Hd 600's from Jan 240$ or 220$ shipped?

hey Audio&Me have you gotten looks from other people when you walk around? like any suspicious looks form someone who seemed like they would steal em? hey another thought ... has anyone had thier headphoes stolen from them?

thanks ppl

 

[Audio-Me]

A JMT amp is leaps beyond straight out of headphone jack of any portable cd player. A CMOY is probably better suited for the HD600, but I got a customized CHA-47 for portability. You can read my thoughts on it here.

I've never gotten such looks, if someone attempted to mug my headphones, they'd end up in the emergency room. I have gotten snotty and ignorant looks though. Dirty looks from ******** thinking "what a geek", well I am a geek and damn proud of it you arrogant suckers.

Or snickering looks from kids thinking "haha, he's got some huge ass German headphone, doesn't he know about Sony?". ROFL!

They can keep their cheapoinsertsadungcanintoearcanal headphones.

I replace the batteries on my CHA-47 every ten to twelve hours (hint, use NiMH rechargeables)

 

[zbuddah]

heheheh wish i knew some self defense

hey Audio&Me thanks for the tips

i need to know more about amps heeheh

i'm a little confused about his amps. he makes the altiod amp and the CHA - 47 and the CMOY? is there a place where i can see pictures of these amps. i tried reading about it at headwize but i just got lost in the technical wording and mumbo jumbo...

man just reading about the amps made me want it even more cuz when i demoed the HD 590's i couldn't figure out what the soundstage was. One of the reasons i wasn't that blown away by it.

thanks ppl

 

[AdamP88]

I must admit I'm a bit confused as to why you're using your HD600s as portable phones, Audio&Me. I would think that simply the noise level outside would be enough that the overall benefits of the HD600 would be lost unless you turned them up really loud, at which point they're leaking sound like crazy. I've got a pair of HD565 that I love to death, but I wouldn't dream of taking them outside - it's annoying enough when someone is talking in the living room when I've got my headphones on, I'd hate to have to contend with all the noise congestion outside. I would think the adverse effects of external noise would interfere with most of the things that make the Senns such great cans in normal listening conditions. Using such open (and top notch) cans outdoors just seems like overkill and the wrong application, not to mention they are a pretty big pair of headphones that admittedly look just a little odd when I see myself in the mirror wearing them.

But hey, if you like it, I guess that's what matters. *Sticks in some slang for the Head-Fiers* Whatever floats yer boat!

But why not just get a decent pair of closed cans (Senn 280 for example)?

*My answer to the above question would be: "simple - money!"*

 

[MacDEF]

zbuddah:

The HD600 are very good headphones, but I don't think you'll be satisfied with them without a very good amp, given your demands. With a Max and some Clou cables, the bass is some of the best I've heard. But directly out of a component, or even a low-end headphone amp, it can be muddy. In addition, the detail is pretty good, but not great without a good amp. IMO, the HD600 is an amazing headphone when paired with good equipment. But if you don't have a good source and a good amp, your money may be better spent elsewhere.

You may be happier with the HD590, since they have more "detail" (read: they're brighter), and can be powered adequately without a dedicated amp.

 

[Tomcat]

zbuddah,
I am one of those few who are very critical of the HD 600's bass performance and who feel that the HD600 is overrated in general. I have always felt it wasn't all that deep, tight and accurate. Even when driven with my Earmax Pro headphone amp, that many believe is ideally suited for the HD600.

Three headphones I like a lot better, in terms of bass performance and in terms of general musicality, are (in that order): Audio-Technica ATH-W100, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro. All of them convey instruments with more body and weight, and have bass response that is more slamming and tighter. With them you'll definitely hear "the pluck and vibration of a bass guitar".

Monitoring headphones like the Sennheiser HD280 or the Beyerdynamic DT250 have lower impedance than the two other Beyer phones I mentioned and are a little easier to drive without an amp. But their soundstage is somewhat small.

If bass extension, slam and tightness are important criteria for you, there are other options than the HD600, especially if you don't have a powerful amp to take control of their nasty and broad impedance peak around 100 Hz.

 

[gaineso]

I use Panasonic 1600 milliamp hour NiMH rechargeables that I got at Costco. That's about the cheapest place to get them. Radio Shack also has 1600 mah's and Thomas Distributing does too.

http://thomas-distributing.com

I use a Radio Shack fast charger / condotioner which has (supposed to) sensing control to prevent overcharge.

I replace the batteries every 6 to 8 hours. They'll run for 15 to 20, but there is a noticeable difference in the sound after about 10 hours.

As the batteries run down, the sound quality slowly degrades, but you really don't notice it. However, when you put the fresh ones in, you can hear it.

Whatever amp you get, get rechargeable batteries. There are several threads you can search for on rechargeables.