[Arksun]

 
I've had a pair of HD600 for about 10 years now and whilst I could have just replaced the earpads, foam strip at the top or possibly even the drivers as well, I opted to get a fresh brand new pair instead. Always been a huge fan of the HD600 sound so the choice was simple for me, same again please!.
 
Box just arrived today, re-assuringly still with a made in Ireland sticker on it (if this had changed to made in china sticker I would have shuddered a bit).
 
Initial impression looks just the same, same carbon fibre marble pattern case, same black metal grill.
 
But hold up whats this, the membrane looks different :O
 
On the old one its like a smooth black surface, but on the new one its a more shiny metallic surface with a strip pattern on it.
 
Here's a photo I took to illustrate the point, new cans on left, old ones on right, zoom in to 100% to see the pattern
 
http://www.musicprogressive.com/images/HD600_comparison.jpg
 
I'm kinda tempted to fire off an email to Sennheisher to ask what made them change to a new type. I'm pretty sure this isn't counterfeit product, it all looks and feels very genuine, bought from dolphinmusic.com.
 
Anyways had a quick listen comparison between new and old. Obviously the new cans still need to be run in and the old ones have degraded squashed earpads so its not really a fair comparison at this early stage (I'm actually tempted now to get fresh pads for the old cans and compare).  But yes, initial impressions between the two are:
 
Old cans: More open soundstage, wider
New cans: More focused solid sound across entire freq range.
 
Once the new cans have had time for the drivers to loosen up I expect them to start sounding bit more open too.
 
But still interesting to see a difference in the membrane, so thought I would share with all here

 

[DaBomb77766]

I don't think that's the driver you're looking at here...probably some sort of damping material behind it.  The driver itself is actually pretty small, in the smaller circular part in the middle.  Last time I checked the driver looks more like it's made of transparent plastic with spirals in it...not too sure what exactly it's made of though.

 

[moodyrn]

No, that's not the driver. The driver hasn't been changed. They change the dampening material from black to white. There was debate as to whether this made a difference in sound. Sennheiser later confirmed by email to a few people that the only difference was the color and that the material had no effect on the sound. They said you could even remove it completely and it would not change the sound. There was a huge multi-page thread on this some time ago.

 

[Arksun]

Yes driver wasn't the right word really, but I thought that that part was the actual membrane/diaphragm being moved by the driver, stupid old me!.
 
Interesting that Sennheiser list it as just a colour change, cause on very close inspection the black one appears completely smooth but the new shiny white one has that indented striped pattern all along it. Perhaps helping diffuse the soundwaves or something?
 
Either way I'm pretty happy with the sound so far, and relieved that this is definitely NOT an issue of counterfeit/knockoff job
 
 

 

[[OverDrive]]

http://www.headfonia.com/sennheiser-hd-updated-drivers/
 
http://www.headfonia.com/sennheiser-hd650-600-and-580-updated-drivers/

 

[Arksun]

Just read those after posting last yup.
 
Interesting they claim the new metal grill gives a brighter sound with tighter bass. If anything my new HD600's sound darker (but much more focused top end, so all the better for it).  But then my old HD600's have been used a LOT the past 10 years so perhaps the drivers are a bit tired/lose in those....

 

[DaBomb77766]

I'd assume that drivers will wear out over time.  They are, after all, just mechanical devices like any other.  The materials they're made out of aren't anything exotic either, and they'll wear out over time.  It'd be interesting to see measurements of the differences though...

 

[moodyrn]

Again, this has been discussed. The only headphone in that series that actually have new drivers are the hd650s. The 580/600 still have the same drivers. The only thing changed is the silk screen which was changed from black to white. That article created a huge debate which later came to prove that that headfonia article isn't accurate. If it is then that means sennheiser is lying. I think I would take the word over the people who made them over an article in a review. Sennheiser even said that it's the same material, just a different color. I have owned both the black screen versions and the white screen version and they both sounded exactly the same to me. But I guess people are going to believe what they want. The only thing that matters is if you enjoy them or not. So happy listening!!
 
 

 

[Arksun]

Fair doos on the sound difference debate , but the new white one is definitely not the same silk material as the black one, I can clearly see with my own eyes its a more rigid shiny material with an indented stripe pattern (ie definitely not flat, more like a mesh), whereas the black silk is completely smooth flat texture, so if a Sennheiser representative made a claim that the new white material is the same flat silk just made white then he was incorrect. Looks pretty metallic to me.
 
Quote:

Again, this has been discussed. The only headphone in that series that actually have new drivers are the hd650s. The 580/600 still have the same drivers. The only thing changed is the silk screen which was changed from black to white. That article created a huge debate which later came to prove that that headfonia article isn't accurate. If it is then that means sennheiser is lying. I think I would take the word over the people who made them over an article in a review. Sennheiser even said that it's the same material, just a different color. I have owned both the black screen versions and the white screen version and they both sounded exactly the same to me. But I guess people are going to believe what they want. The only thing that matters is if you enjoy them or not. So happy listening!!
 
 

 

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

Fair doos on the sound difference debate , but the new white one is definitely not the same silk material as the black one, I can clearly see with my own eyes its a more rigid shiny material with an indented stripe pattern (ie definitely not flat, more like a mesh), whereas the black silk is completely smooth flat texture, so if a Sennheiser representative made a claim that the new white material is the same flat silk just made white then he was incorrect. Looks pretty metallic to me.
 


 

Hmm, could be that it's made of the same substance, just weaved differently and with a different dye.  They could still technically be correct.

 

[moodyrn]

That's my understanding. You can take the same material, give it a different color style, and weave; and make it look different. But still, to my ears, they sound the same. I even question the timing of it. My first pair of hd580s, I bought about 10 years ago. And they had the white screen surround. So for me, there's evidence that this isn't just a new thing. But it really doesn't matter to me, they still sound great. If it wasn't for the influx of new high end headphones the last couple of years, I would still own a pair of 650 and a pair of 600. Before then, those two headphones were king to me. But if anyone have a black screen version of either headphone, and can't live with it anymore, pm me. I'll give you my address where to ship them to, and I'll dispose of them for you lol.

 

[Moonwalker]

Hi!
 
For Sennheiser HD580, as well as for HD600, there has been different damper ovals, AND different drivers.
Old drivers are with brass ring around center magnet hole, new have no brass ring.
 
Moonwalker

 

[Arksun]

My first pair of HD600 are from 2001 so I guess they have the brass ring drivers. Anyways I've now decided to also get a fresh pair of earpads for the older headphones, which will allow a much fairer comparison between the sound of the 2.
 
Either way if the difference becomes minimal i'll have a spare set XD
 
I've never bothered to upgrade the cable, i'm not exactly a believer in high end cables and all that silver/carbon nonsense, but perhaps I should give that a try at some point....

 

[xaval]

I have an old HD600 (around 1998-2000) and have listened to a new one. There is just a slight difference in sound since the old velours are a bit thicker than the current 600/650. Didn't pay attention to the driver thingy

 

 

[moodyrn]

If you really want to hear a sound difference, replacing the earpads will yield a nice improvement. The bass is fuller and tighter, with an increased sound stage. If your pads have gone flat, a replacement will improve things sonically. It's just too bad they are so expensive.