[JackRabbitSlims]

Finally getting some decent time with the 600's.
 
3 albums in....X3II - FiiOK5 - HD600's
 
Very impressed with them so far.....it's taking me a bit of time to get used to Over Ears again.....I've been with CIEM's since 2011. Before that was AKG 701's but my recollection of them is very vague nowadays......will have to dig them out of storage.
 
I've never demo'd these or heard them before....bought purely on reputation and reading pages of this thread - 

 
Gonna settle in for a few hours.

 

[Pahani]

  Not sure about the Utopia. I tried it at a meet and they were both owned by the same guy (I think). I figure that both the Elear and Utopia have had equal time with music going through them, but I dunno if that amount of time is low or high. Whatever it may be, the Elear sounded better for my tastes compared to the Utopia at that point in time.
 
What really would be a statement product these days is a high-performing headphone that costs $600, maybe $700. I see plenty of brands come out with "here's our newest incredible-sounding headphone, it costs $1,700+" and I go "meh, alright, whatever, probably not gonna get a chance to listen to one anyway cuz it's so expensive I can't get my hands on one" whereas if something lower in price came out with stellar performance, I'd be more likely to wonder how it sounds with the added bonus of possibly being able to get my hands one.
 
These days, my long-term headphones are going to be the HD600 and TH-X00. I can see myself trying others if I can get my hands on them out of interest, but I'm a bit doubtful I'll replace that duo.

For me, my Stax 2170 was a clear and direct upgrade from HD600. Though discontinued, as of a few weeks ago when I looked, you can find it for around $550 US (the 2170 system includes both the headphones, and the required amp). Hopefully still can. Without having ever seen a FR graph, my ears tell me they're a W-shaped HD600, with a roughly 2dB gain across the board.
 
Soundstage is not wide on the Stax. And the faster the music or individual notes or effects, the better they sound. If your genre is Classical or slower stuff, you may not like them as much as I do.In virtually every other area, the Stax was a clear upgrade to the HD600 to my ears.
 
I still own and love my HD 600's I'm IN love with my Stax! The HD600 is worthy of it's acclaim, and if you're happy then don't look further. But if you're looking for an upgrade that doesn't need you to go beg your boss for a raise, consider the baby Stax, IMO.
 
My long-term pair is my Stax and my X00 Purplehearts I am exceedingly happy with both.

 

[Tayyab Pirzada]

  For me, my Stax 2170 was a clear and direct upgrade from HD600. Though discontinued, as of a few weeks ago when I looked, you can find it for around $550 US (the 2170 system includes both the headphones, and the required amp). Hopefully still can. Without having ever seen a FR graph, my ears tell me they're a W-shaped HD600, with a roughly 2dB gain across the board.
 
Soundstage is not wide on the Stax. And the faster the music or individual notes or effects, the better they sound. If your genre is Classical or slower stuff, you may not like them as much as I do.In virtually every other area, the Stax was a clear upgrade to the HD600 to my ears.
 
I still own and love my HD 600's I'm IN love with my Stax! The HD600 is worthy of it's acclaim, and if you're happy then don't look further. But if you're looking for an upgrade that doesn't need you to go beg your boss for a raise, consider the baby Stax, IMO.
 
My long-term pair is my Stax and my X00 Purplehearts I am exceedingly happy with both.

they look so weird though Lol. and i can only find them for over a thousand online...

 

[Pahani]

  they look so weird though Lol. and i can only find them for over a thousand online...

PM sent with link, as not sure it would be appropriate here.
 
*edit* Also, I have not done business with that seller before, but seems legit.

 

[StanD]

  Ok I am thoroughly enjoying the HD600. Thought I can kind of get what people mean by the "Sennheiser veil". Treble seems slightly veiled. But maybe that's a good thing because it would be too sibilant or analytical otherwise.

No the veil is a myth. When the HD600 came to market most headphones had excess treble and some folks came up with that fable.

 

[Argyris]

  No the veil is a myth. When the HD600 came to market most headphones had excess treble and some folks came up with that fable.

 
I'd heard so much about the veil, it kept me from trying the HD 600 for years. Those are years of enjoyment I can never get back. Curses!
 
Seriously, though, I guess it's a frame of reference issue. The first half an hour or so I had the HD 600 I noticed that it had less treble than my other headphones. Even at the time I wouldn't have called it veiled, though, as it has proper treble extension. It's just that the overall level of the treble is lower than for a lot of other headphones. All the detail and texture and everything extended treble brings is still there, it's just not a focal point. I'm actually struggling to think of adjectives to describe the treble, since it doesn't call any attention to itself or stand out from the sound. It's just sort of there, integrated into the presentation as a whole.

 

[DavidA]

  Ok I am thoroughly enjoying the HD600. Thought I can kind of get what people mean by the "Sennheiser veil". Treble seems slightly veiled. But maybe that's a good thing because it would be too sibilant or analytical otherwise.

The "sennheiser veil" was directed at the HD-650, not the HD-600 and this was at the original HD-650 before they were revised in 2009 IIRC.

 

[madwolfa]

  The "sennheiser veil" was directed at the HD-650, not the HD-600 and this was at the original HD-650 before they were revised in 2009 IIRC.

 
Gradofans have been bitching about Sennheiser veil since the times of HD-580.

 

[trellus]

   
Gradofans were bitching about Sennheiser veil since the times of HD-580.

 
I love my Grado's (SR325e) but I've never noticed a veil in the HD-600; to me, they're just less aggressive than the Grado's, but I've never considered the Grado's to be "normal," but I like their abnormality.
 
Now, when I go back and listen to my HD-558, I swear I can see how those 'phones might play into that narrative about the "Sennheiser veil," and while I've never heard the HD-650, maybe there's something more similar there...?

 

[Sonic Defender]

  The "sennheiser veil" was directed at the HD-650, not the HD-600 and this was at the original HD-650 before they were revised in 2009 IIRC.

+1. Did you grab an Elise yet? You know you're going to!

 

[StanD]

   
I'd heard so much about the veil, it kept me from trying the HD 600 for years. Those are years of enjoyment I can never get back. Curses!
 
Seriously, though, I guess it's a frame of reference issue. The first half an hour or so I had the HD 600 I noticed that it had less treble than my other headphones. Even at the time I wouldn't have called it veiled, though, as it has proper treble extension. It's just that the overall level of the treble is lower than for a lot of other headphones. All the detail and texture and everything extended treble brings is still there, it's just not a focal point. I'm actually struggling to think of adjectives to describe the treble, since it doesn't call any attention to itself or stand out from the sound. It's just sort of there, integrated into the presentation as a whole.

I'd say it's neutral and delivers great sound.

 

[DavidA]

  +1. Did you grab an Elise yet? You know you're going to!

Going to wait on the Elise until I have a chance to play with the Liquid Glass in Oct when my friend from Japan drops it off.  I got a chance to use a Chord Hugo last night when a fellow Head-fier stopped by, its pretty close to the Hugo TT for less than half the price so it another piece of gear that I will consider.  He also had his Ether C which I liked if I ever need a closed headphone but it was better sounding driven with the Ember to all 3 of us.  The Hugo worked really great with the HD-800 and HE-560 but I still like the BH Crack for the HD-650/600.  My friend who bought my old HD-600 was also over and she still said that the ypsilon driver in the wood cups is still her favorite, even over the HD-800 and HE-560 driven with the Hugo.  Even the Ether C owner liked them so much he asked for info on how to build one.
 
If I ever build a second ypsilon driver HP I'll send over the first so you can hear it.

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
 
If I ever build a second ypsilon driver HP I'll send over the first so you can hear it.

As Kramer from Seinfeld would say, giddy-up! Thanks mate, that would be epic. I think you had mentioned why you were waiting on the Elise. So I was close to getting ready to pull the trigger on an Ether C, but by all accounts as good as they are, they are rather bass light for a closed headphone. I am less comfortable adding to a closed design with an EQ than I am with an open design, so I just never felt comfortable taking the plunge. Ironically I have the HD800S almost here which is also likely to be bass-light, but hopefully bass-tight.

 

[DavidA]

@Sonic Defender, i think you will find the HD-800S to have more bass than the HD-600. I wouldn't call the Ether C bass lite, it has the chops when called for, kinda like the difference between HD-600 and HD-650 in the bass department if going from Ether C to HD-800S.

 

[Midgetguy]

  For me, my Stax 2170 was a clear and direct upgrade from HD600. Though discontinued, as of a few weeks ago when I looked, you can find it for around $550 US (the 2170 system includes both the headphones, and the required amp). Hopefully still can. Without having ever seen a FR graph, my ears tell me they're a W-shaped HD600, with a roughly 2dB gain across the board.
 
Soundstage is not wide on the Stax. And the faster the music or individual notes or effects, the better they sound. If your genre is Classical or slower stuff, you may not like them as much as I do.In virtually every other area, the Stax was a clear upgrade to the HD600 to my ears.
 
I still own and love my HD 600's I'm IN love with my Stax! The HD600 is worthy of it's acclaim, and if you're happy then don't look further. But if you're looking for an upgrade that doesn't need you to go beg your boss for a raise, consider the baby Stax, IMO.
 
My long-term pair is my Stax and my X00 Purplehearts I am exceedingly happy with both.

Sound stage was never super big on the HD600 anyway, not for an open-back at least in my opinion. Doesn't mean it doesn't do a good job, but wasn't something that impressed. I wished Stax would make something more aesthetically appealing though. Some would say that the HD600's styling is a bit old and doesn't quite flow the same way as the newer styling of some manufacturers, but what would those people say upon seeing just about every Stax system?

 

   
I'd heard so much about the veil, it kept me from trying the HD 600 for years. Those are years of enjoyment I can never get back. Curses!
 
Seriously, though, I guess it's a frame of reference issue. The first half an hour or so I had the HD 600 I noticed that it had less treble than my other headphones. Even at the time I wouldn't have called it veiled, though, as it has proper treble extension. It's just that the overall level of the treble is lower than for a lot of other headphones. All the detail and texture and everything extended treble brings is still there, it's just not a focal point. I'm actually struggling to think of adjectives to describe the treble, since it doesn't call any attention to itself or stand out from the sound. It's just sort of there, integrated into the presentation as a whole.

The HD600 unobtrusively does what should be done with treble. What's that phrase some people say about things in life? Something about how if it's done right, you'll never notice it? That's the HD600 in a nutshell essentially. We always look for some sort of standout strong point or deficiencies when thinking about a headphone, but the HD600 doesn't do either of those. It just presents music so when you just stop looking for something it does well or some sort of problem, all you're left with are beautiful sounds you can sit back and relax to. That's how the HD600 is still around after all these years: whether compared to something old or something new, it's always just there playing back sweet sweet music.