[bikerboy94]

  I've just ordered them (new) for 289 EUR including VAT and shipping costs (that's 209.247 GBP or 306.466 USD). They will arrive tomorrow.

Great price. Your in for a real treat.

 

[jocau]

 

 good price and I am sure you will love them!!

 

 
Great price. Your in for a real treat.

 
Thanks. I currently own the HD 590 (almost 12 years old now, but replaced the foam headband pad and earpads a few days ago) and the HD 598. I still love my HD 590, but I've never really loved my HD 598. In the 3 years I've had them, I have maybe used them for about 100-200 hours. Somehow they never touched me the way my HD 590 did.
 
The HD 590 was the first decent headphone I've bought and back then I was already charmed by the HD 600 (but I couldn't justify its price at that time). Now I'm waiting for my Audio-GD NFB-11 to arrive and I wanted to buy the (legendary) HD 600 before it's discontinued.
 
I got lucky by the way. I wanted to order them yesterday, when they were still 10 EUR more expensive (299 EUR instead of 289 EUR).

 

[EternalShadow]

Been listening to Yiruma with my recently acquired Schiit stack.  Unreal separation of notes and decay.  Can't seem to take the headphones off my head.  

 

[414353]

This might be the right place to ask:
I had a chance to demo the HD600s at CanJam which were on my list of possible upgrade from the HD518s. I demoed them with the Sennheiser HDVD800 and the source was a laptop. I don't know if the files were lossless or not, but most likely they were.
Anyway, I was very surprised by what I heard. They sounded thin and the staging was really narrow. I was not expecting that. There was no detail in bass and the highs sounded somewhat distant. Its almost as if there was a phasing issue...maybe.
Do you guys think the problem was with the amp or source material or with the phones themselves?
Is this typical of the HD600s? (I would not think so, but I could be wrong).
 
I'd like to know so I may give them another try if I ever find any again.

 

[kman1211]

  This might be the right place to ask:
I had a chance to demo the HD600s at CanJam which were on my list of possible upgrade from the HD518s. I demoed them with the Sennheiser HDVD800 and the source was a laptop. I don't know if the files were lossless or not, but most likely they were.
Anyway, I was very surprised by what I heard. They sounded thin and the staging was really narrow. I was not expecting that. There was no detail in bass and the highs sounded somewhat distant. Its almost as if there was a phasing issue...maybe.
Do you guys think the problem was with the amp or source material or with the phones themselves?
Is this typical of the HD600s? (I would not think so, but I could be wrong).
 
I'd like to know so I may give them another try if I ever find any again.

That's very different than how the HD 600 on my system, they sound rich and warm with plenty of texture on my system. I do find the soundstage of the HD 600 a little on the narrow side focusing a bit more on soundstage depth and height, but it shouldn't be overly narrow. Sounds like bad synergy to me(likely the source), I have heard the HD 600 sound like that before on certain systems.

 

[bikerboy94]

I would think source. Who know what you were listening to. All I can say is mine sound just fine with only low end LG phone playing 320mp3. Or they could just not be for you everyone different. I would give another listen with know source for sure.

 

[scorpeeon]

  I've just ordered them (new) for 289 EUR including VAT and shipping costs (that's 209.247 GBP or 306.466 USD). They will arrive tomorrow.

Looks like a pretty decent deal, where did you get them from?

 

[jocau]

Looks like a pretty decent deal, where did you get them from?

From a local store in my country (Belgium).

 

[414353]

  That's very different than how the HD 600 on my system, they sound rich and warm with plenty of texture on my system. I do find the soundstage of the HD 600 a little on the narrow side focusing a bit more on soundstage depth and height, but it shouldn't be overly narrow. Sounds like bad synergy to me(likely the source), I have heard the HD 600 sound like that before on certain systems.

Yes, that's the same thing a rep ad Headroom told me. with that and the fact that I was not expecting them to sound bad is why I asked here.
I'm going to try to find a way to give them another try with a different set up someplace.

 

[Midgetguy]

  Yes, that's the same thing a rep ad Headroom told me. with that and the fact that I was not expecting them to sound bad is why I asked here.
I'm going to try to find a way to give them another try with a different set up someplace.

Definitely worth investigating. Cuz mine sounds fantastic to me too out of my Topping TP30/D20 stack, my reference set of cans for music enjoyment. Enjoyment and flat response: two different things, though make no mistake the HD600s are quite good in the neutrality department as well. I would agree though that the soundstage can seem a little more closed than one would expect, though it's by no means small and intimate. I recently got Fidelio X1s, for example, and I think the soundstage on those is bigger than the HD600, but curiously vocals sound more intimate though the instruments give a far larger sense of size. With the HD600s, it's all on even footing, though giving a smaller sense of space. Both great headphones though, one could have a lotta fun with electronic or hip-hop using the X1s, but the HD600s can just so competently play literally everything you could possibly have in your library. Love these headphones!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  This might be the right place to ask:
I had a chance to demo the HD600s at CanJam which were on my list of possible upgrade from the HD518s. I demoed them with the Sennheiser HDVD800 and the source was a laptop. I don't know if the files were lossless or not, but most likely they were.
Anyway, I was very surprised by what I heard. They sounded thin and the staging was really narrow. I was not expecting that. There was no detail in bass and the highs sounded somewhat distant. Its almost as if there was a phasing issue...maybe.
Do you guys think the problem was with the amp or source material or with the phones themselves?
Is this typical of the HD600s? (I would not think so, but I could be wrong).
 
I'd like to know so I may give them another try if I ever find any again.

 

First off, I would think that phasing issues would be very difficult to happen on a headphone since both ends of the cable are terminated already. The plug goes in one way into the earcups, and then the plug at the other end just goes in. If there were phasing issues, one of the headphone drivers would have been wired incorrectly to the terminals for the cable socket; or the cable.

 

Second, given that was CanJam and you got to use the HDVD800, was that Sennheiser's booth? Were the earpads stiff? If it was, then I think (no sure way for me to tell since one man's "thin" is another man's "accurate," while one man's "warm" is one man's "dark, borerline nasal") I know what the "problem" is - the fit is just right on your head if not too loose or at minimum the drivers are far from your ears. Whenever I put in new earpads on my HD600 it sounds a lot like the HD800 with a less 3D image. When I wear out my earpads, it sounds like what most people think they know about the HD600. After wearing out one pair I read somewhere in this thread that the headband frame can be bent in the opposite direction, so I did. Now they won't fit in the packaging box, which I assume is the default shape so they can keep the size small, and hence reduce shipping costs (they can cram more into each crate). What you're basically hearing is what I consider the real sound of the HD600 - the in-box shape is out of convenience for them plus for many the fit can be too tight at the top and still tight at the bottom of the earpads; loosening the headband slider just relaxes the top a bit more than the bottom.

With due credit to the relativistic reality ("warm" vs "dark, nasal" and "lean" vs "accurate") it's not really thin-sounding on its own, it' just not what everyone says about them especially when what you're reading is about the HD6x0 with a tube amplifier at a meet, sometimes people would use older pads to be worn out by other people so the owner can enjoy his neweer $50 earpads more, where its "lush, warm, seductive, (insert very colorful descriptions here)" sound was helped along not just by the tube amp but also by the earpad wear put on it by everyone else who've used it before that person whose feedback you're reading. Add to that the flipside to the earpad condition that they "need break-in," plus confirmation bias, and you get what you expected of them based on what you've read. My pair has a good hit on the bass drum when the recording has it, but it doesn't feel like it's coming from in front of the vocalist (despite that upper bass plateau on the response graph) but fades out quickly enough; the rest of the percussion has that "bite" on the attack of the note; the highs aren't "distant" in the sense that on a higher gain recording (which is pretty much any guitar music nowadays) the cymbals can sound like they're up front with the vocalist at high volume settings, but by contrast on worn out, squished earpads the highs are imaged (and also in terms of loudness) as they would be on most Grados - like they're just outside the ear canals; guitars are warm but not exaggerated, as I find on some amps along with how EQ is applied by some that there is too much of the back ground bass tone hanging along with the "gnarl" of an electric guitar.

 

Sounds to me like you might want to give the DT880 a try first - I don't remember it as well since it's been years since I tried one but as best as I do, it should be an option. 

 

[jocau]

Well, my first sample is probably going back (free shipping costs from the local post office to the store) and I've already ordered a new sample which will arrive tomorrow. Reason? The black plug is really stiff when trying to remove it from the headphone while the red one is pretty smooth. You have to apply a lot of force to remove it. Same behaviour is seen after unplugging it 10-20 times. Going to compare it to the new sample tomorrow.

 

[414353]

   

First off, I would think that phasing issues would be very difficult to happen on a headphone since both ends of the cable are terminated already. The plug goes in one way into the earcups, and then the plug at the other end just goes in. If there were phasing issues, one of the headphone drivers would have been wired incorrectly to the terminals for the cable socket; or the cable.

 

Second, given that was CanJam and you got to use the HDVD800, was that Sennheiser's booth? Were the earpads stiff? If it was, then I think (no sure way for me to tell since one man's "thin" is another man's "accurate," while one man's "warm" is one man's "dark, borerline nasal") I know what the "problem" is - the fit is just right on your head if not too loose or at minimum the drivers are far from your ears. Whenever I put in new earpads on my HD600 it sounds a lot like the HD800 with a less 3D image. When I wear out my earpads, it sounds like what most people think they know about the HD600. After wearing out one pair I read somewhere in this thread that the headband frame can be bent in the opposite direction, so I did. Now they won't fit in the packaging box, which I assume is the default shape so they can keep the size small, and hence reduce shipping costs (they can cram more into each crate). What you're basically hearing is what I consider the real sound of the HD600 - the in-box shape is out of convenience for them plus for many the fit can be too tight at the top and still tight at the bottom of the earpads; loosening the headband slider just relaxes the top a bit more than the bottom.

With due credit to the relativistic reality ("warm" vs "dark, nasal" and "lean" vs "accurate") it's not really thin-sounding on its own, it' just not what everyone says about them especially when what you're reading is about the HD6x0 with a tube amplifier at a meet, sometimes people would use older pads to be worn out by other people so the owner can enjoy his neweer $50 earpads more, where its "lush, warm, seductive, (insert very colorful descriptions here)" sound was helped along not just by the tube amp but also by the earpad wear put on it by everyone else who've used it before that person whose feedback you're reading. Add to that the flipside to the earpad condition that they "need break-in," plus confirmation bias, and you get what you expected of them based on what you've read. My pair has a good hit on the bass drum when the recording has it, but it doesn't feel like it's coming from in front of the vocalist (despite that upper bass plateau on the response graph) but fades out quickly enough; the rest of the percussion has that "bite" on the attack of the note; the highs aren't "distant" in the sense that on a higher gain recording (which is pretty much any guitar music nowadays) the cymbals can sound like they're up front with the vocalist at high volume settings, but by contrast on worn out, squished earpads the highs are imaged (and also in terms of loudness) as they would be on most Grados - like they're just outside the ear canals; guitars are warm but not exaggerated, as I find on some amps along with how EQ is applied by some that there is too much of the back ground bass tone hanging along with the "gnarl" of an electric guitar.

 

Sounds to me like you might want to give the DT880 a try first - I don't remember it as well since it's been years since I tried one but as best as I do, it should be an option. 

Ok, I understand about 20% of what you said. I need it a bit simpler as I know very little about headphones and don't really need to know a lot about them. I know the sound I'm looking for though and it doesn't have to be perfect, because perfect does not exist, especially in audio
Yes, I tried them at the Sennheiser booth. They did not look spanking new to me, but not wrecked and already broken in as they say. I'm thinking perhaps it was the wrong amp for those phones or the source was bad perhaps.
You have kind got me questioning the HD600s, but if I get a chance again, I will try them again anyway.
As for the DT880, I'd like to try those, but they are only available through Amazon, so I can't try them. I am not into purchasing a bunch of cans only to return all of them or all but one incurring double shipping cost and restock fees if returns are even allowed. In many cases with headphones they are not.
So I can only work with what I have, which is next to nothing. I might have a lead on demoing the HD600s again as well as the HD598s and maybe the AKG 701s or 702s, but it may fail.
 
I also tried the Phillips X2s at CanJam and thought they were ok, but the bass was a bit too loose for me. I'd love to try the AKG K7xx again, but that is not going to happen. If they ever come up for sale again and I have not already landed on another set, I may blindly purchase them.
Mind you I only had but a few minutes with each headphone I tried and most of the time it was just for fit and not sound since I had trouble with the sources at all but the Sennheiser table. I know nothing about digital players and tablets and smartphones and whatnot and I don't care for all that new fangled stuff. I'm old school and staying that way.

 

[krismusic]

Try 'em with a source that you know.
If you are old School you should love the 600's.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Ok, I understand about 20% of what you said. I need it a bit simpler as I know very little about headphones and don't really need to know a lot about them. I know the sound I'm looking for though and it doesn't have to be perfect, because perfect does not exist, especially in audio

 

The tendency for many headphones including the HD600 is that the closer the drivers are to the ears, the louder the bass and maybe the treble. Things that can do that are a tight headband and squished, old earpads. Chances are most impressions of the HD600 are exactly with those conditions present, but the logic is to deem those as the preferable so "worn out" is interpreted by some as "broken in," among other factors like reviews from those who like the stereotypical tube amplifier (which, again, is not true for all tube amps), hence the popular opinion on the HD600s is that the sound is probably along the lines of what you were expecting instead of what you actually heard.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Yes, I tried them at the Sennheiser booth. They did not look spanking new to me, but not wrecked and already broken in as they say. I'm thinking perhaps it was the wrong amp for those phones or the source was bad perhaps.
 
Mind you I only had but a few minutes with each headphone I tried and most of the time it was just for fit and not sound since I had trouble with the sources at all but the Sennheiser table. I know nothing about digital players and tablets and smartphones and whatnot and I don't care for all that new fangled stuff. I'm old school and staying that way.

 
 

If it was the amp, that depends. If it was a cheap amp the manufacturer came up with it then maybe, although that kind of behavior with amps altering the sound and making it leaner is more common with a high impedance headphone output on a low impedance headphone. What's more likely if it was indeed the amp is that the amp is basically doing its job - amplifying the input signal as it is. There's a reason why it's called an "amplifier" instead of a "signal modifying warmifier," and that's because it's supposed to just make the signal stronger without altering it. Most Meier amplifiers for example have solid percussion hits but overall the sound isn't really "warm" by most people's standards, but crank it up and the signal just gets louder  (also the Objective2) where other amps get brighter (leaner sound, or more treble) or warmer (stronger bottom end, starting from the midrange), indicating audible distortion onset.

 

If it was the source, again there's the question of what kind of source - I tried the old Rega Apollo on my Cantate.2 and HD600 (with two sets of earpads alternating) and the treble was relatively dark compared to, say, the Cayin CDT23 (and the Rega is solid state, the CDT23 uses tubes) and the Arcam CD72. Alternately it might likely be the source material -  the stuff Sennheiser's marketing brought along aren't familiar to you but might have been recorded that way, and as it is you didn't get to try many tracks much less your own music.

 

Quote:

 
As for the DT880, I'd like to try those, but they are only available through Amazon, so I can't try them. I am not into purchasing a bunch of cans only to return all of them or all but one incurring double shipping cost and restock fees if returns are even allowed. In many cases with headphones they are not.
So I can only work with what I have, which is next to nothing. I might have a lead on demoing the HD600s again as well as the HD598s and maybe the AKG 701s or 702s, but it may fail.

 

Well restock and shipping aren't all that expensive compared to driving to another Head-Fi meet and paying for a hotel, it's just a matter of how many times will you blindly buy headphones and return. One guy got banned from Amazon for purchasing 20+ pairs and returning all of them - he could have at least narrowed it down to five or three as well as know what sort of amplifier he'll need so he'd actually get to listen without any distortion (as it is he took the advice of "get headphones first before the amp" a little too literally that he never got to try any of those 20+ headphones without audible distortion from anything he plugged them into). I mean 20xshipping+restocking means he basically could have purchased a $500 headphone.

 

In any case, what other headphones can you get, and from where? If you're looking at brick and mortar stores there's a problem - a lot of audio manufacturers, especially in headphone audio, do direct-selling so they can max their profits while keeping profit margins lower by cutting out the middleman. Sennheiser, AKG, AudioTechnica, and to a lesser extent Fostex are more accessible because of pro audio stores but over here I can't get a K701 or HD600 nor their earpads from the same store selling the microphones, although that store at least carries all Shure stuff.

 

In any case demoing gear at home with all your other gear for a few nights is a lot more telling than a crowded area with other people's set-ups; you just shouldn't go though, like, twenty headphones and narrow them down here first.