Originally Posted by Michgelsen /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Let me start by saying that both headphones are similar in presentation: fast, detailed, open and with a somewhat bright nature.
The most important difference for me is that the HE60 sounds more real and thus more engaging. Especially voices touch me more when I'm using the HE60. It's the timbre that feels/sounds natural to me. Not only voices, but instruments too. Its PRaT is also better, probably due to the fast and tight bass. Overall I describe the HE60 as very fast, catchy, bouncy while at the same time very real, engaging and intimate.
The Lambda Signature has a little bit different of a presentation of voices and instruments. In comparison it feels as if the Lambda Signature has a little dip somewhere in the midrange. Maybe it actually is the more neutral of the two and the HE60 has a boost, who knows. Furthermore, it sounds a bit 'hollow' in comparison. Voices are a bit farther away. I have no clue where this comes from, but that in combination with the dip in the midrange makes it the less engaging 'phone of the two, although it still does very well in that aspect. It's all relative.
It does have more bass (but still quite precise and controlled) than the HE60, with the result that the music sounds fuller. For some genres this is very important. Blues for instance, is better represented by the Lambda Signature, because it needs a solid bassline. I never listen to jazz, but I suspect it's the same. For classical it can be a great thing as well, although the HE60 still wins here because of the better timbre of the wind and the strings.
Both have a good soundstage, albeit different from each other. The HE60 has an airy, transparent quality to it, but the total soundstage of the Lambda Signature is larger and more convincing.
Their highs are in both cases prominent. I think the HE60 has a greater emphasis in the highs that the Lambda Signature, but the Signature can sting more. This is probably what is generally referred to as the 'etch'. The HE60 can have this too, but higher up I think. Right now I'm at my parents' so I don't have my CDP nor my SRM-T1/Lambda Signature here, only the HEV70/HE60. I'm using the PC, with an M-Audio Delta 2496 and crappy wire. Interestingly, there is no sting in the highs whatsoever while the smoothness remains, and the bass seems somewhat fuller. That shows what a difference the source can make.
Now, which one do I find more fun? The HE60, absolutely. It has more PRaT and a more engaging midrange, which does it for me. It sounds so divinely precise! The funny thing is, I actually think that a big part of this is the light, but fast and tight bass. At first you think you will miss some of the bass you're used to from the Lambda Signature, but you won't, you adapt quickly. For me, this does not work the other way around when it comes to the midrange. Conclusion: I use the HE60 way more, but the Lambda Signature is a great second/backup 'phone.
You said something about one being better from a technical point of view. Well, I do feel that Staxen are more reliable for sure. Stax stuff feels solid and acts solid too. Both my HEV70 and my HE60 have been back to Sennheiser because of problems: the first time because the HEV70 developed a nasty hum and something was loose on the inside of the HE60. The second time (very recently) the HE60 had a slight channel imbalance that luckily was easily fixed (no new drivers or something necessary). Apparently something was loose again. The best part of the story is that everything was fixed under warranty, else it would have been pretty expensive. It also gave me a chance to listen to the Lambda Signature for a few weeks on its own.
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I noticed that there was no foam behind or in front of the drivers. Does this matter? Will it make much of a difference to the sound?
