Remarkable. Not just at its price point, but with price entirely aside. This beats-out numerous USD $300-$1500 headphones. It exhibits no unflattering frequency response spikes or dips. It also delivers an impressive soundstage, without sounding unnatural (like the HD800S).
Sennheiser has seemingly-accidentally done something really special in the analytical listening headphone category. It's now my go-to daily driver, cannibalising the rest of Sennheiser's range, while embarrassing at least a few audiophile flagships... for just a couple hundred bucks.
Of course, there are downsides: the cable is plain, janky rubber (yet thankfully isn't microphonic), the aesthetics are poor, and the build quality is average plastic (yet thankfully that makes it light and comfortable). However, if you're simply after a sound signature that delivers a detailed, flat presentation, none of those criticisms really matter, because the HD 560S exhibit top-tier examples of those sonic traits (among others).
Alt rock, indie, electronic, jazz, blues and classical all shine with these. If you're after some monstrous bass for dance and modern R&B, look toward Fostex instead.
As a former semi-pro Counter-Striker, I will say they are also genuinely brilliant for competitive gaming due to their 'goldilocks zone' soundstage in combination with excellent imaging. Contrary to audiophile opinion about the HD800S for competitive gaming: the soundstage is just too vast to be consistently player-location coherent. Picking player distances wasn't always straightforward; the HD800S was a hindrance, not a help, in many competitive shooter contexts - even if it was wildly immersive for single player outings.
The value equation here is out-of-world. You don't get this level of refinement at this price point... until now.
Sennheiser has seemingly-accidentally done something really special in the analytical listening headphone category. It's now my go-to daily driver, cannibalising the rest of Sennheiser's range, while embarrassing at least a few audiophile flagships... for just a couple hundred bucks.
Of course, there are downsides: the cable is plain, janky rubber (yet thankfully isn't microphonic), the aesthetics are poor, and the build quality is average plastic (yet thankfully that makes it light and comfortable). However, if you're simply after a sound signature that delivers a detailed, flat presentation, none of those criticisms really matter, because the HD 560S exhibit top-tier examples of those sonic traits (among others).
Alt rock, indie, electronic, jazz, blues and classical all shine with these. If you're after some monstrous bass for dance and modern R&B, look toward Fostex instead.
As a former semi-pro Counter-Striker, I will say they are also genuinely brilliant for competitive gaming due to their 'goldilocks zone' soundstage in combination with excellent imaging. Contrary to audiophile opinion about the HD800S for competitive gaming: the soundstage is just too vast to be consistently player-location coherent. Picking player distances wasn't always straightforward; the HD800S was a hindrance, not a help, in many competitive shooter contexts - even if it was wildly immersive for single player outings.
The value equation here is out-of-world. You don't get this level of refinement at this price point... until now.
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