[DavidA]

@bracko,
@MorrisL
There is another reason that both of you might be hearing differences, the PX-100ii are not very consistent in sound from one to another, those that build SennGrado's using the PX-100ii drivers have noticed that there is a large degree of difference from one to another.  I've built 3 so far but have gone thru 5 pairs of drivers, they all sound very different, best will better many $1000 headphones while a average one will do okay, almost getting to the HD-600 with the differences that bracko has noted.
 
As bracko noted the housing has a large influence in the sound, with the SennGrado the type of wood used along with the style of housing (RS or PS) has a noticeable affect.

 

[OrbitingCow]

For what it is worth my Denon 2112CI is pushing these very well. Was a little worried but no plenty of undistorted power it seems. Still breaking them in to some long play Miles Davis. One thing I can't do with these is play them at night hardly at all.... so back to the BD DT1350s for night time.

 

[puccipaolo]

Hi!
The cable! This is the matter.
I have a lot af cans and amplyfiers (sr80-sr325i-hd598-hd600-dt880(600)-dt990 pro, and a lot in ear and around ear......)
Ampli Lake people-m-stage- lehmanaudio(fake) little dot I+ audio Bravo ect.
I like the hd600. but was not so open and detailed like I'd like...
I try to change the original cable with a better one...no difference at all...
.............In my living room I have a chinese valve ampli with a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 601 and a few years ago I read and realized a pair of cross cable for that ones. Sound improved a lo al every level (detail, bass definition, scene...)
I realized by myself a 1,5mt cross cable with 2€ 4cable, A simply cable for intercom use ah ah .
My hd600 is another can and with m-stage matrix especilally sound wonderfully.
Has anybody tried something similar?
Cheers

 

[OrbitingCow]

Went to sleep and broke the HD600 in more to a bunch of Mike Oldfield records, sitting by itself of course on low volume.
 
Listening now to some Lateralus from Tool and these sound very smooth to me. Records are very easy listen to for longer periods of time. It's more like music. I've been playing with a small EQ to the 90Hz and down region. Talking like + .12 to .24 dB and so far I am pretty impressed.
 
I'm going to steadily ramp up until I see or can predict the limits of this Denon and HD combo. Right now I use a little higher volume cuz their 300 ohms but it seems I have a lot of room. Prolly too much for my ears.
 
Tool on The Grudge and Schism has a lot of warmth to it, Like a properly mastered CD should sound in fact. I like the guitar tones a lot. Adam Jones' guitar parts have a nice and clear tone to them that I have been missing previously with the DT1350. The bass for me is not bad at all and I am not a fan of low bass. After the small EQ adjustment I feel fine listening to some of the really heavy stuff. It's not in your face move your body live bass but it's still balanced and decent.
 
I have been listening for a too dark approach for the drums and percussion and so far this one seems only a little teeny weeny bit on the soft side. Danny Careys kit is pretty dynamic itself and I hear a mostly damn fine presentation of his prowess on the drums in Lateralus. Not really seeing much of a veil with these. Not really anything to even write about in a fashion as to downplay their sound anyway.
 
Overall they produce a very distinct and organic sound that is definitely layered and textured like a high-end headphone should be. This specific presentation also leads to less fatigue than other setups I have heard. And when you unleash the HD600 it seems to rev up and give you exactly what you need anyway from higher regions. In fact, it's a very dynamic piece of kit so far.
 
No way I would want this any darker though. Nope. This is about right for me. I could not have a more recessed midrange or top end. The DT1350s while small were perky and pretty accurate in themselves. The only major major problem with them was comfort and seal. For comfort and to save your head you kinda had to reduce the seal a bit. Which did take some bass with it. And the upper parts were a little meh at times. Still great for portables though. But outmatched by these at almost every angle except maybe sub bass with a good seal.
 
Velvet Underground and Nico really opened up on these open-backs from my previous headphones. You can just hear everything from a different angle and dimension or something. The crackles and placement are all different. Where before the sound was clear but small and delicate and kind of far away, you are basically put very close with these headphones. Getting closer to that CD mastered on the disc I guess. Spatially I'm pretty blown away coming from on ears.
 
Headphones often take us into a lot of places; a small room or a bigger theater-like presentation as two examples. These ones seem like they are in a decently sized but still small and intimate venue. Spatially I am sure they lack some in the 3D department of sound, but in fact only the most expensive headphones can realize a full band in distinction with max power and linearity as well. These still sound very unified to me. What I mean is that every instrument seems to coalesce in a way that is not offensive at all. The effect of a truly immersive headphone is being reached with these, but obviously it isn't perfect.
 
I have to tell myself that these headphones are only 250 dollars straight from Amazon. I want to compare these to more expensive home and car setups I have had. WAY more expensive lol. And that to me is a really good sign. I'd say for headphones they rank up there with what I want out of a perfect headphone. On my picky scale they would get a 8.4 right now. For 250 dollars I don't really see how you can possibly do better. I'm not even sure you could for 600 at this point but that debate rages on. For value I have to say these are a 10. I'm not sure there is a better value at this point.
 
I mean if you can imagine paying money for Beats headphones and then a pair of these, you really have to wonder how ridiculous the whole concept becomes; why on earth would you buy a ****ty pair of Beats for 200 bucks when could have these for 250. No sane person that values music in any way should ever be duped like that.
 
I'm going to be doing a lot more listening and some proper evaluations on classical and some of my favorite records soon. I'm giving these at least 50 hours of break-in before that though.

 

[DavidA]

  I mean if you can imagine paying money for Beats headphones and then a pair of these, you really have to wonder how ridiculous the whole concept becomes; why on earth would you buy a ****ty pair of Beats for 200 bucks when could have these for 250. No sane person that values music in any way should ever be duped like that.

Unfortunately there are many less informed persons out there and the marketing done is very different.  How often have you seen an ad for Sennheiser?  For Beats?  For Bose?

 

[bracko]

  I mean if you can imagine paying money for Beats headphones and then a pair of these, you really have to wonder how ridiculous the whole concept becomes; why on earth would you buy a ****ty pair of Beats for 200 bucks when could have these for 250. No sane person that values music in any way should ever be duped like that.
 

 
Actually, even a Sennheiser PX100-II ($40) mentioned earlier in this tread outperforms Beats Studio ($200) and even Beats Pro ($300). As David says, people are not informed enough or simply buying a brand. 

 

[ColtMrFire]

I went ahead and sprung for a pair of Audioquest Diamondback RCA cables.  I got them for a great price.  I figured the $6 RCA stock cables I had were the weak link in a system that greatly improved after the Bifrost/ERS paper upgrade.  
 
Not an earth shattering improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.  Soundstage is slightly bigger, with more air.  Low level detail has improved, and the sound is even more "realistic", with me being able to pinpoint instruments even better.  This part is a little harder to articulate, but the music has a bit more "character" and sounds more effortless and relaxed in its presentation.

 

[ColtMrFire]

 
I mean if you can imagine paying money for Beats headphones and then a pair of these, you really have to wonder how ridiculous the whole concept becomes; why on earth would you buy a ****ty pair of Beats for 200 bucks when could have these for 250. No sane person that values music in any way should ever be duped like that.

 
Before I bought my HD600 in 2012, my first pair of hi-fi cans, I had no idea they even existed.  My purchases of headphones were strictly limited to what I found at Best Buy.  I only became aware of them when I started researching hi-fi equipment and found this website.  Sennheiser (and most hifi brands) doesn't really advertise.  You have to seek them out.  I actually thought Bose was hifi!  Because they advertise.
 
Most people are blinded by mass marketing of consumer-grade garbage.  Crappy products made with shoddy materials so they will break in a year and you'll be forced to give them more of your money (I had so many Bose cans that broke).  Sennheiser (or Grado/Beyer/HifiMan, etc) does not fit into that kind of shady manufacturer culture... they probably don't have the marketing budget to compete, so they stick to their niche... making amazing headphones for people who actually care about quality.
 
Let the sheeple have their garbage cans and substandard speakers.  People get what they seek out.  If all you aspire to in life is mediocrity, that's exactly what you'll get.

 

[audiojun]

I had my Sennheiser HD600 for 3 years before selling it slightly lower than the price I bought it at. The Sennheisers are more durable and holds it value far better than popular consumer headphones. Some people here had the HD580 for over 20 years. If someone wanted value headphones I think HD600 is the ultimate value if you factor in durability and sound quality.

 

[ubs28]

Beats and bose are portable closed headphones with noise cancellation. Under their intended usage, they do their job better than a HD 600.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Beats and bose are portable closed headphones with noise cancellation. Under their intended usage, they do their job better than a HD 600.

 
Not all of those are noise cancelling.  I had some Bose that weren't and they were terrible in hindsight.

 

[Midgetguy]

Beats and bose are portable closed headphones with noise cancellation. Under their intended usage, they do their job better than a HD 600.

One could get a Sennheiser Momentum for a similar price with far better sound quality. And I personally find the "noise cancellation" to be a complete gimmick. If anything, it annoys me because it adds a buzz to EVERYTHING. And this is in relation to my experience with a set of Beats Studio with noise cancellation that I found in a lecture hall. It sounded okayish considering it literally cost me nothing, but there's no way I'd spend retail money to buy one. As far as I'm concerned, noise cancellation doesn't do a damn thing other than make my music sound worse and keep me annoyed the entire time.

 

[PinkyPowers]

You stole someone's Beats?

 

[Midgetguy]

You stole someone's Beats?

Nope, I profited off of someone being an idiot

. First of all, they bought Beats, and second, they just left it in a lecture hall to get rid of them instead of selling them. I left them there for 3 weeks to see if anyone would take them! Then I just decided to take them and posted them on craigslist. That's $120 kindly contributed from a moron to my nicer headphones

 

[DavidA]

  One could get a Sennheiser Momentum for a similar price with far better sound quality. And I personally find the "noise cancellation" to be a complete gimmick. If anything, it annoys me because it adds a buzz to EVERYTHING. And this is in relation to my experience with a set of Beats Studio with noise cancellation that I found in a lecture hall. It sounded okayish considering it literally cost me nothing, but there's no way I'd spend retail money to buy one. As far as I'm concerned, noise cancellation doesn't do a damn thing other than make my music sound worse and keep me annoyed the entire time.

I really like the Bose QC25 for plane rides, I didn't buy them since I don't need them much, just been borrowing from a friend who travels a lot.  Agree with @ubs28, they do their intended function quite well, HD-600 or any other open headphone is use less on planes.