Customer Reviews

Sennheiser HD 600 Open Dynamic Hi-Fi Professional Stereo Headphones (Black)

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the best dynamic headphone in the world, and is rivalved only by the Grado RS-1 headphone. Many studio engineers and audiophile's use these as their REFERENCE headphone...they are a steal for such a high quality headphone. The Grado RS-1 [costs more], and is definately less comfortable than the Sennheisers. These headphones have an extremely detailed, open, airy sound, that nears electrostatic sound. They are also unique in that they suit all types of music very well, they have great punch for rock music, but can perform clasical pieces with all the fullness and detail they were designed.

It should be noted these headphone have an impedance of 300 ohms. Most headphone are 16-32 ohms. What this means is to get the full potential out of them you will need some type of amplifier. Headphone.com offers a couple inexpensive sollutions to this problem, as does audioadvisor.com. Althought they are not true audiophile components, they will greatly enhance your experience with these headphones. If you are planning on travelling with them, you can almost bet you won't be content with their sound when powered only by a portable CD player. I use a Audio Valve RKV Mark II Headphone Amplifier at home, and the headphone.com Airhead on the road. Buy these headphones if you are looking for true audiophile sound, or just the best dynamic headphone, but be aware of their limitations without am amplifier.

How can four hundred dollar headphones be a good value?

Consider it this way: Let's call a CD 10 dollars. Let's say you get a certain amount of pleasure from a new CD: new sounds, new music, a new experience to last you a few weeks before it gradually inches its way into the dusty corners of your collection.

Now, let's say you have about 100 CDs.

These headphones are now worth about ... because you have never heard any of those CDs before. These are headphones that revolutionize all the music YOU ALREADY OWN!

But be warned: remember how when CDs first came out there were all those pretentious warnings about how the superior quality of the recording may expose flaws in the master that you could never make out before? I always thought there might be some audiophile somewhere who could hear some "flaw".

But with these headphones you can hear a good studio from a cheap one. I can hear the buzz of unshielded electronics in the second rate studio on some indy cds. Some of my beautiful old classical music suddenly sounds muffled and dead, flattened by an unflattering production job that my speakers could not convey.

The clarity is unreal. Guitar strings are made of gold and they ring clear as crystal; layers of techno pile atop each other in multicolor, multidimensional textures that knock you breathless; the exotic reverberant groan of a cello solo that you have heard a thousand times will bring tears to your cheeks.

And all of this at a fraction of the volume you might play music on your speakers with: these headphones are brilliant and clear and perfect at low volumes. Given their open air construction these things may well preserve your hearing for an additional decade.

I cannot recommend these highly enough.

One of the opuses in the stable of Senheisser's line of headphones was their Orpheus electrostatic headphones that came with an out-of-this-world partnering tube driven amplifier/energiser with an onboard D/A convertor. It came with a nice asking price as well and quantities were limited to say the least. The good news for those who crave the transparency and response of the forementioned electostats, you can. Well almost, with the new HD600s from Sennheiser which was introduced as an improved version of HD580s. Wrong, the HD600s are not just an improvement, they represent a massive leap over the HD580s. This is not to say the HD580s are bad. They're not. But compared to them, the HD600s outdo the former in every department. The upper frequencies have even more air and energy. Large scale orchestras are presented with greater delicacy and precision. Long term wear with the Senheissers are a pleasure. There's non of the usual hot ear syndrome and the headphones can be worn for extended periods of time. There is very little that that the HD600s will miss in the program material presented. If anything can be faulted about the HD600 is that it may actually reveal the inadequecies of the recorded material. Especially if it is a vintage or historical recording. The HD600 also requires a high quality headphone amp if you're to exploit it to the fullest. Better if you can obtain a dedicated headphone amplifier. If you're in the market for a pair of high quality dynamic headphones you can't really go wrong with the HD600s.

Plenty of superlatives have been heaped upon the HD-600s - and for good reason. They almost hint at perfection, and even while that outworldly ideal will always prove elusive, the HD-600s are an livable earth-bound solution. Their most remarkable sonic characteristics are balanced, natural tonality and the presence of remarkable detail and transparency. The sounds coming from these 'phones are of such natural rightness, you sometimes forget you are listening to a reproduced event. Of course, since the HD-600s are so transparent, you'll hear source tape flaws you never noticed before and these can ruin the magical illusion. But don't blame the Sennheisers for revealing the truth.

Prior to owning the HD-600s, I used the fantastic HD-580s for about one year. One thing that surprises me (well, actually, it doesn't) is how quickly audiophiles pronounce the HD-600s leagues better than the HD-580s. I listened to each set profusely under careful conditions and came to the realization that the HD-580s offer about 95% of the performance of the HD-600s. The most notable difference is that the HD-600s remove a very thin veil of "sonic haze" from the music. But they both share the same character and personality and I would expect them to generate very similar test lab results. In my experience, many audiophiles will consider that extra 5% "a tremendous improvement". As to avoid being hypocritical, I did enjoy the HD-600s more and decided to keep them over the HD-580s, but take all superlatives and Grand Statements with a grain of salt, as you should in audiophiledom. If the HD-600s are priced out of your league, the discontinued and discounted HD-580s are a can't miss baragin.

But even at [price], the HD-600s are a surprising value. A pedestrian pair of bookshelf loudspeakers will set you back [price] and they don't even come close to producing the heavenly sounds of the Sennheisers. And if you aren't a headphone person, time spent with these Sennheisers might change your mind. They did with me!

I also connect my Sennheisers directly to my Panasonic portable on the go. Sure, an outboard amp would be nice, but who wants all that bulk and weight? Aside from more limited volume, most portables I've used are more than capable of driving the HD-600s with clarity, neutrality and practically no distortion. So don't worry about getting an amp right away...you might find the extra equipment unnecessary.

The Sennheisers are my favorite piece of audio equipment. Their sonic performance and portability allow musical contentment late at night, at work, outside, wherever. They are the best [price] I've ever spent on audio.

I just bought the Sennheiser HD600's and was able to compare it directly with the Sennheiser HD580's and an old pair of Sony MDR-V6's.

One of the best CDs to use in listening is the Buena Vista Social Club CD. Ry Cooder, et al. did an excellent job miking and mastering, capturing the natural sounds of voices and instruments.

The Sennheiser HD580s were rated as a "B" component by Stereophile Magazine, and the HD600s receive their top "A" rating. The HD580s (discontinued) sounded wonderful -- very spacious and detailed; however, the higher frequencies seemed a bit too high, making cymbals sound a bit harsh. Since the HD580s use basically the same components as the HD600s, I was expecting the two headphones to sound very similar. But when I put on the HD600s, I was floored. The headphones seemed to disappear and I was listening to the instruments directly. The HD600s had all of the spacial qualities of the HD580, but the sound was warmer, closer, and more realistic. For example, the piano on Track 4: Pueblo Nuevo sounded pretty darned good on the HD580s, but it seemed like I was really in the same room as Ruben Gonzales when I listened with the HD600s. The HD600's presentation of the piano timber was spot on. Track 12: Murmullo was incredible -- you can hear every detail, every nuance, every whisper, of Ibrahim Ferrer's voice. Once in a great moon, a new product will bring a smile to my face...the HD600s did that.

After listening to the Sennheisers, I wanted to throw away the Sonys. You will also be tempted to throw out all of your CDs that aren't recorded and mastered well, because you'll hear all of the imperfections. If you don't have enough money for the HD600s, then do a little overtime to earn the bucks...the delayed gratification will be worth it, guaranteed.

I have been building and listening to audiophile sound systems for more than 20 years. Having listened through Sennheiser HD580s for several years and finding them excellent, I feel comfortable saying that the HD600s are a very significant improvement in clarity and overall sound quality. The main differences between the HD580 and HD600 appear to be in better reasonance control throughout the entire mechanical system and evolutionary driver improvements. The HD600s do indeed approach perfection. Their sound quality is not easily surpassed by $10,000 loudspeakers.

However, several caveats are in order. Like loudspeakers, these headphones do require several days of playing time to break in and open up, particularly in the lower frequencies. The reason for this is simple physics: when new the suspensions are stiff and need some work to loosen up and allow larger, low frequency excursions to happen more easily. The may sound a little cool at first, but will warm up after many hours of playing time. They will also sound clearer. When breaking them in, don't play them louder than you would normally listen.

Second, these headphones are extremely revealing of the electronics feeding them. An audiophile-quality headphone amplifier, such as those made by headphone.com, is necessary to get the best sound of of them. The source electronics are also clearly audible. It would be appropriate to use these with multi-thousand dollar D/A converters or CD/SACD/DVD/vinyl rigs. Used with cheap or inferior source electronics, the sound will be severely limited. It's a bit like putting ketchup on a $20 steak.

Third, these headphones are extremely revealing of the quality of recordings. Unfortunately very few recordings, especially mainstream commercial ones, have really good sound quality. A few audiophile labels have consistently good sound such as Reference Recordings, a few jazz labels, etc. Occasionally a large record company may have a recording or a track with good sound, but they seem very rare and almost due to random chance. That's not a fault of the headphones, but of the source material. It's proof that the quality and resolution of these headphones is extremely high that they can help reveal those differences to the attuned ear.

Other highlights: very comfortable for most people, relatively light weight, free-space equalization, meaning the frequency balance is designed to be like natural sound in an open area. The latter is part of the reason these headphones "don't sound like headphones" and instead sound like real music, along with the mechanical resonance reduction practiced throughout.

Very likely these headphones will not be the limiting factor of the sound quality for most systems they are used in. Electronics and recording sources are probably a larger factor, which is a sign that these are indeed audiophile goodies. Given the very high quality of engineering and quality control behind the HD600s, they are a tremendous bargain even at their price. However, their benefits will not be fully realized in less than excellent systems.

These are excellent audiophile headphones, no doubt about it. Their reproduction of sound is superior, and there is no attempt to render the sound excessively bass-y or to otherwise alter/distort whatever signal the source happens to deliver. This actually is a mixed blessing, since many contemporary listeners now seem to expect a exaggeratedly bass-heavy sound from their headphones.

These are gorgeously made, high quality 'phones, but they are not for everyone. The potential drawbacks to using these headphones are several. First, the HD600 does such a fine job of amplifying input that it will render all the clearer any flaws in the audio system to which it is hooked up. Consequently, using these with a very cheap overall sound system can actually backfire. Second, the impedance associated with these 'phones is very high, so they will not produce much volume when used directly with a portable cd or md player. You NEED to use a headphone amplifier with any portable or other low-output device. Third, the design of these headphones is of the "open" variety. This helps in their superior sound reproduction, but it also means that if you are in a crowded room listening to music, everyone around you will know just what you are listening to and may not be as pleased with the experience as you are. If you need isolation, you are better off buying either "closed" headphones or else, even better, some first-rate (ear) canal phones such as the Etymotic ER-4's.

Finally, as has already been pointed out, these headphones are quite luxuriant in their on-ear padding, but as a result they can become uncomfortably hot or itchy to wear.

With those caveats in mind, these are still among the best stereo headphones currently made, and if you understand beforehand just what to expect with the HD600's, you will surely enjoy them.

Well, if you're here, then you probably know what you're looking at. If not, let me explain.

The HD600 was introduced by Sennheiser as the replacement for their highly acclaimed HD580. It was essentially the HD580 Jubilee edition, but re-dressed and re-badged. As such, it shares nearly everything with the HD580 Jubilee, and shares it's drivers with the HD580. The HD600 has been on Stereophile's A list for ages, and hasn't budged despite passing years and many new models from competitors. It has also been the golden standard for neutrality and accuracy in recording studios worldwide.

What does the HD600 sound like? Quite simply, it sounds much like the components that you have upstream, but with more weight and body to the sound. The HD600 is uncolored enough that every change in your signal path results in a different sound signature. You hear exactly how your CD player sounds, how your amp sounds, how your cables sound (yes, I know this statement disqualifies me with the audio cynics... well, so be it). In my experience with hi-fi and more specifically headphone hi-fi, I've yet to find another headphone that sounds so neutral, so very "right" with everything that I throw at it.

It is detailed, but presents detail in a relaxed manner. It is very airy and open but doesn't sound thin. It has a strong bass but it's quite clear and well defined. It has a melodic midrange but it's clean and articulate. It has exactly the right tone and tembre on every instrument. And it does it all in a very coherent, integrated fashion. Everything is part of a greater sonic whole, and works together in a coherent fashion to recreate beautiful music. Most prominently, it has a sense of weight and solidity to every sound that is very much speaker-like. I have heard this kind of solidity in other headphones, but in many cases it has worked detrimentally to the music. In this case, it adds a sense of magical realism that's hard to find elsewhere.

You probably are aware that this headphone needs an amp. That's definitely true. Don't connect it to an mp3 player expecting it to sing, because it won't. A dedicated headphone amplifier is a must. I will also go further than that and say that a dedicated hi-fi source is a must, since this headphone does, once again, sound like it's upstream components.

Here's what I suggest for building a good headphone rig around the HD600:

Start with an inexpensive source with an optical line-out. A cheap Sony D-NE920 will do quite well, or any other PCDP with an optical line-out. Next, get a standalone DAC, either a portable battery powered model like a Headroom MicroDAC (amazing little product) or a full-size jitter-immune DAC like the Benchmark DAC1. Next, if you're going the portable route, get a good portable amp - I use the Ray Samuels Hornet currently, and it's a killer piece of amplification. If you're going with a stationary home DAC, then make sure that it has balanced outputs, and get a true balanced amplifier (Headamp GS-X is a good model, as is the Heardoom Max Balanced, or perhaps a cheaper but still excellent SFT-build balanced M^3). Finish it off with a decent set of IC's (Grover Ultimate Reference is a great inexpensive cable), and replace the dinky cable that came with your HD600's (I like the Moon Audio cables myself). You'll need an XLR-terminated cable for your balanced amp. You can throw in power conditioning if you believe in that sort of thing, but it's really up to you. Lastly, throw on your favorite recording, relax, and enjoy. For this is what the HD600 will do - relax and let the music flow.

I've heard some very serious phones - the Sennheiser Orpheus, Sony MDR-R10, Sony Qualia 010, together with countless less-expensive phones. Properly amped and properly driven, the HD600 can play with the best of them. It's a real steal at the price, but make sure to pair it with quality gear.

****

Let me address some previous reviews.

To the gentleman who claimed that this sounds muddy next to Stax headphones - I agree. Stax headphones really are unique in terms of clarity, but since they're electrostatic, this is to be expected. However, driven balanced, the HD600 can come close to this sort of clarity, and will be more realistic in terms of tembre and texture. I prefer it in some ways over the SR-007, and I own the SR-404 myself, so I'm no stranger to Stax.

To the reviewer below who claims that the A900 and MDR-V7506 are better phones: I suggest you get your facts straight. The HD600 is used nearly as much as the V7506 in the studio. I also happen to own the A900, and I honestly cannot say that it sounds just as natural as the HD600. It has an upper-midrange honky coloration that is distinctly artificial. Having played piano for 13 years, I know how the instrument is supposed to sound, and the HD600 is it. The A900 isn't. But, I will agree with you, to some extent, when it comes to the HD650. This latter phone is voiced rather differently from the HD600, and does sound colored to my ears.

I love these headphones. They're light, good looking, and sound great. I can wear them at work all day with no fatigue or stress.

My one complaint with them is one I have with all Sennheiser headphones; the jacks that connect the cable to the headphone eventually get loose, causing the earpieces to cut out. I use dielectric tune-up grease to keep the connection, but I wish Sennheiser would fix this problem.

Other than that, they're great headphones.

There have been so many reviews here I almost didnt write one but with the lack of reviews by producers I decided to add one more to the list.

If you're producing audio like myself you already know theres no replacement for a good set of monitors. That said there's a few reasons you may be mixing through a set of cans.
My reasons are that my studio is sometimes mobile and that I'm often mixing in my apartment (I've found that boxers and a t-shirt are a superior choice for studio apparel).
I'm running an Mbox2 with Pro-Tools 7 (sometimes switch to Nuendo... don't hate me... hush now Abelton users).
I also use these with my Ivory Keys VST and it sounds pretty nice, I think they add a bit of warmth when compared to a set of Mackies, could be the spatial difference, but I actually like it better through the Senns, a bit more personal I guess.

That said, I feel pretty happy with the sound from these cans.
I've been using them for almost a year now, extensively.
They're a bit lacking in the low-ends when I push them, but when you pair them up with an analyzer you can usually compensate pretty nicely with a combo of visual and audio reference.

They are open-ear, so dont expect your vocalists to be using them in the sound booth or you'll be recording the sound coming from the headphones along with the vox. For the producer, the only real place for these is in the mix down if you're trying to be quiet... or your one of those weirdos who uses cans for some bizarre voodoo mixing ritual.(I've heard of these guys but never met one)

They are definitely more comfortable than some of the other headsets I've tried, Grado's being the least comfortable, Sony's aren't bad.
Sometimes I seem to put them on wrong and my ears start hurting pretty quickly but if I slide them around on my head a bit so my ears are good and centered I can wear them for a few hours before I need to take em off.

I think the most important thing to note here is my experience with Sennheisers customer service.
Recently I snapped the headset in half, dunno if it was from cheap plastic construction or just lots of use. Regardless I contacted Senn and asked what I needed to do, assuming I'd have to send them in and wait a week to get them fixed. Instead Senn offered to just send me a new headband and I could replace it myself.
Because of the modular construction of these cans that will be pretty easy to do and lets me keep using them while I wait for my replacement.
Needless to say, that made me pretty happy.
The cords firmly snap in and out of the cans via 2 pronged plugs, nice for those who accidentaly step on the cord while they stand up.

On a consumer level note, if you are listening to MP3's or any compressed audio format in a portable device... or any device for that matter, dont buy these, you're wasting your money.
I'm not insulting you, I'm being serious.
There are cheaper alternatives for compressed audio.

If you like your music and can't blast your speakers for some reason or the other, then I'd say these are a pretty nice set. Not the best for sound but close enough that the price and comfort make up for the slight difference you may hear in a set of (very uncomfortable) Grado's.

For those of you who are worried about reproducing the "original sound" of a recording, you need to laugh at yourself for a minute and realize that we process those sounds pretty thoroughly before we even bounce them to a track. Compressors, EQ's, Verbs, etc., sometimes before the signal even hits the sound card it's gone through a pre-amp. Aside from that the difference between audio still in the DAW and a bounced track is pretty dramatic. You're just not going to hear what we hear in the studio. Go with what you like.
Some like it crispy, some like it warm.
If you can listen to your favorite track through the headphones before you decide to buy them, do that.
Leave em on your head for a while see how they fit.

I recommend trying them out if your searching for a set.
They work nicely for my purposes.