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Originally Posted by userlander /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The HD6xx are overrated as some kind of ultimate "reference" audiophile phone, imo. They're actually just like any other headphone in the sense that whether they are going to work for you comes down to personal preference. I think too many people force themselves to try to like senns just because "everyone else" says they are so great, but that is a wrong way to look at it, imo. In the end it's really about whether you like their sound or not. Some people just don't.
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I disagree. And I'd like to point out that I've come full circle with Sennheisers.
The HD-650 was my first "good" headphone, not counting the e3c and MDR-V6 I had (and loved) for years before the HD-650 caught my eye. When the HD-650 showed up, it was the best thing I had ever heard, save for the homemade ribbons. It was so good, I went online to see if anyone else liked hi-fi headphones.
That led here and I quickly started picking up other cans. I fell hard for AKGs, Grados and Beyers. I didn't much listen to the Senns and they were in the closet.
But a few things happened. Along the way, I went from poor amplification to great amplification, and I also accumulated a lot of listening hours. Gear that seems really impressive at first listen tends to lose its excitement in the long term.
I still love the RS-1, but it's just not as much of a kick as it used to be. I
know its gimmicks and that gets in the way of the music after a time. Same with lots and lots of other headphones I've heard.
The thing about the HD-600 is that while it isn't perfect, it isn't gimmicky and doesn't have that immediate "wow" factor that other gear has. The HD-600 doesn't put it's tricks between you and the music. It just delivers the music as well as it can. Despite a few flaws, it does that very well.
The trick here is that you have to listen to a lot of gear before the realization comes that most gear is nothing but a gimmick. The gimmick is there to grab your ears and make you buy during a test listen. Then you'll get used to it in several months and then you'll move on to buying the next piece of gear that uses a gimmick to grab your ears.
The only way off that perpetual "upgrade" cycle is to pick the non-gimmicky gear and stick with it. No, you don't get the immediate excitement of exaggerated (but fun sounding) bass or treble peaks that help the human voice. But you're left with gear that gets out of the way between the music and you. Also, keep in mind that you
will get tired of the gimmick in a few months, now matter how hard you fall for it initially. Further, that you
will continually buy more gear to chase that gimmick dragon.
Buying non-gimmicky gear is the only way to stop listening to the gear and start listening to the music. It also stops the continual buying and lets you focus on building and
enjoying a music collection. At least that's how I see it. And it took a few years and several thousand spent on gear to have that realization.
While the HD-600 might not grab you like other headphones do, it gets out of the way and lets you just listen to music. That's why the HD-600 is something of a "holy grail" to me. Same with my very much loved AKG K-1000, Beyerdynamic DT48 and Quad ESL-63s. All of those sound "boring" at first listen, but over time, you realize how "right" they sound. There are no gimmicks to drive sales and whip the fanboys, and no gimmicks to get bored with six months down the line. You just get the music, with (of course) a few flaws, but nothing that really distracts you from the music.
