You’re welcome!
I was a headphone fan first, and after 8 years on Head-Fi, Sennheiser picked me because they liked the way I wrote
You never know how your passions will pay off!
There are a couple schools of thought on picking an “all-rounder.” An argument that could be made in favor of the HD 560S is that by being linear, balanced, and not emphasizing a particular frequency or trait, would be that it only provides the music/movie audio producer’s emphasis and none (or very little) of its own. Very little is emphasized or recessed. There is also little chance that a producer’s choice of emphasis won’t be magnified by the headphone’s coloration, and break past limits and cause distortion. In the case of the HD 560S, it’s worth also keeping in mind that just because the bass and treble aren’t emphasized, they’re also not weak and de-emphasized... in fact, the more linear extension into deep sub bass is pretty unusual in an open-backed headphone. A headphone that is cold and clinical usually has more emphasis on upper mids and treble, with a de-emphasis on bass.
An argument for something with a bit more of a “designer” sound with intentional colorations, like the HD 559 or HD 599, could be that the user simply prefers more bass or more of an “exciting” v-shape, no matter what they’re listening to. Sort of like adding more salt to food, the moderate V-shape of the HD 599’s pitch emphasis might add excitement to a movie’s action scene or add a richness to an otherwise muted “talking heads” scene, but sometimes a soft, tender moment might seem too energetic. Hyperacusis is also a thing, and maybe someone might need the sensitivity of upper mid or treble ranges reduced to keep from irritating their ears (for example, some people are extra sensitive to “ess” sibilant sounds in the 6 kHz to 7 kHz range), or they need to listen for a long time.
Honestly, I used to “seek the grail” and only keep one headphone at a time while I climbed looking for the most reference, transparent sounding headphone (which, for me, culminated in an HD 800 about a year before I started doing contract work for Sennheiser), but these days I’ve spread out and collected a wide breadth of signatures. As the name implies, a “reference” headphone makes for a good reference and it makes sense that everyone should have or at least try one... but at the same time, audio is an art, and the objective for most consumers is to listen for entertainment, so whatever makes you happy
When it comes to what earpad material a headphone is “wearing,” I’ve definitely found it to be the case that not all velour is make equal. Sometimes the toothy “bristles” are longer and stiffer, like a bunch of tiny needles poking at your skin, but Sennheiser’s velour is one of the better ones with shorter pile and a good amount of give.
For me, I have a bit of sensitive skin (rosacea), and the pads don’t quite reach the level of “forget I’m wearing them.” Sennheiser headphones also tend to have a “snug” amount of clamp. However, the velour is about as comfortable as a new hoodie sweater, the snug fit keeps the headphone secure from sliding around or feeling like it will fall off while not creating pressure points (My hair-thinning head is particularly relieved that there is a divot at the center of the headband to eliminate pressure there), and combine that with the exceptionally low weight, the HD 560S and many Sennheiser headphones have a lot going for them when it comes to comfort. I’m not kidding when I say I’ve worn my PC37X and HD 660S for eight or ten hours straight on several occasions, and I’m looking forward to getting familiar with my HD 560S. I think I’ll put up a video on my Evshrug YouTube channel (and post it on Head-Fi) describing how it fits into the Sennheiser lineup.
and i found it lacking some bass compared to the amp which I found interesting because yamaha amps are usually on the bright side.
I unfortunately only have until January 31st to decide if I want to return the Fidelio X2HR and trade it out for something else, so things are coming down to the wire when it comes to trying to find something that doesn't have earpads I find itchy and which I like the sound of at least as much. But I understand that the demand has been so high that you haven't been able to get and keep these in stock as much as you thought you would, and you can't control that.
Just chiming in and doing what I can. Happy holidays!
