Sennheiser - HD 600

Already have hd599.Decided to upgrade and go for hifiman xs.but after going through so many reviews bought this hd600.used only for few days but already addicted to hd600.the sound stage is immersive.the mids and lows are clear.bass is not over the top.the headband feels a little stiff but usage will reduce that.needs a amp to get it going.i use topping dx3pro+ which does the job.overall satisfied with the product

Yeah I just posted the stock photo, because I am busy listening to my songs on the set.

I mostly use IEM's and I also own a Sundara. I have listened to a lot of headphones mostly in the headphone connects, courtesy of Headphonezone.

If you put a gun to my head and ask me to prepare a ranking list for the top 5 it will go like this

1. Warwick Acoustics Bravura
2. Sennheiser HD600 (very close 2nd and in some songs I prefer this over Bravura)
3. Softears Enygma
4. Xenns Top Pro and Monarch Mk 3
5. Elysian Pilgrim

These are great and a very natural listen. Contrary to popular belief they don't need a nuclear plant to get loud, I can easily play them out of my Laptop or the Hiby r4.

Only con is the soundstage but honestly the way the instruments are reproduced in the music you won't miss it.

EQ suggestion - just do a low shelf at 30hz +7dB gain and a Q of 0.6 and you are all set.

If you are planning to purchase any personal gear at this price point, just get these, you won't regret it. And just a point, None of the Hifimans hold a candle to the HD600 if you are in the search of a natural/neutral and a vocal centric sound. Even my mother approves, she is a Arijit Singh fan :3

Update (after upgrading the DAC/AMP from Fiio K11 to Topping Dx5 ii) :
The topping DAC really suits the tonality of HD 600. It has sort of unveiled the 600. Using a balanced cable has enhanced the control on sound frequencies. Since the balanced power of dx5 ii is immense, it seems as if its DAC was the missing portion of 600's tonality and its AMP as the missing power source. Definitely, dx5 ii costs almost 2.5 times than k11, the cost is justified. Especially the feature to save up to 5 PEQ on device, has made me free from the worry of the previous limitation of pre amp till -10 dB. Now I have saved all of them on device, so it can be switched between them irrespective of the input device. The dependence on Peace Equalizer has reduced. I mostly use the pre saved "Warm" PEQ on dx5 ii.
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I am no audiophile, just an amateur who understands sound little better than an average listener.
My thoughts :
1. Certainly it does not have enough sub bass. You will miss it when you look for it. But, I believe its creators intentionally made the Midrange so accurate, that it really feels like “Never heard it before” moment, especially because of the clear separation of the midrange from the lower frequency response (as transitioning from near dead sub bass to somewhat fine mid bass to impeccable midrange really makes you appreciate it more, as it clearly stands out).
2. The Vocals, how do i put it, it sounds like the direct feed form the singer’s mike in the studio is coming directly to your ears. Sometimes you hear the singer taking a quick breath between the lines.
3. I use it with Fiio K11, with high gain, Filter 6, with updated driver from its forum website.
4. I use the parametric EQ on Peace Equalizer on windows. It sounds great with a tat of sub bass and other frequencies adjusted accordingly with enough Preamp value (you know, you cannot produce thumping bass if the drivers are not made for it. So, please do not go aggressive with it. It may end up degrading its driver over time). Many a times, I do use it without EQ and when I think any genre needs sub bass, then i switch. And I did not find any viable EQ software for Android (the limitation of pre amp up to -10dB ruins the experience), so I use it on no EQ in there when I do not want to switch on the computer and listen instantly.
5. The 600 and I are of the same age. There is a reason why it has withstood the test of time. Sennheiser has goodwill for a great after sale service (at least for the 2 years warranty). Sennheisers last long if taken care of. So, I look foreward to its good health till and after the time, in coming 3-4 years, when I upgrade to HD 800s or its contemporary at that time.
Watching movies with it turns up the immersiveness to a whole another level, do try it. The open back changes the very perception of audio.
For the price of 18,000 INR, it is a no brainer. Why would you want to keep yourself away from such an Elite audio experience.

So I bought this in July. And my initial reaction to this, it just could'nt impress me. I own Sennheiser Momentum 4 and that is kindoff tuned to HD 600. The bass simply rolls off, simply not good
What I found is that, just reduce the treble... and that's it. Don't change anything else, let its tonality remains as it is. And then only I could find it enjoyable on some songs.

This is my first Hi Fi open back Headphones. Amazed at the details the i could hear through this.

Very balanced sound, got at great discount.

This is my 2nd Pair of HD600's (Lost the first one few days back). The reason I keep coming back to them despite using other headphones is their sheer brilliance in sound reproduction. Crisp Vocals with natural sound presentation make it a pleasure to listen to even for extended hours without any fatigue.

Very accurate sounding headphones. Very comfortable and extremely well built. I have heard the HD800 and thought about saving up for them, but these scale more and sound way more accurate. I listen to classical music with huge dynamic range via Apple Music and my personal hi-res library, and can safely say that these sound perhaps the most accurate. The hd600 is as detailed as hd800 but less resolving due to a tamer and more realistic treble. The soundstage is larger on the hd800 but less engaging than these. These sound more matured and realistic. I run them with the fiio K7 balanced and they sound excellent. I also have the Etymotic Er3se and these sound like those in headphone form but a touch brighter.

Absolute bliss…got at a great discount too thanks headphone zone

I have the Sennheiser HD 599 and I was looking for an upgrade in sound quality. I have the Truthear hexa and I like it. That's how I know that I like a Clean/Neutral sound signature. But my preferred sound signature is a mild V-shape, like on the ie200. The HD600 is very clear, a bit too clear.

Compared to the 599, the soundstage depth is a downgrade, width is better on the 600. The comfort is similar but slightly better on the 599. Imaging is much better in the 600. Bass is better controlled in 600. The sound is more detailed in 600. But it can be fatiguing for longer listening. I don't use headphones for monitoring, but I'd see perfectly why these are monitoring headphones. They are so revealing.

Expect a jump like going from Truthear zero to ie200 in terms of resolution.

Warm and smooth are not the words I'd use to describe these before the burn in period. They are Neutral and "tingy". The "ting-ting" noise is prominent with instruments like cymbals. I won't call them sibiliant, but they are on the edge and go over the edge for me. Neutral doesn't always mean natural. It's not very extended in both sub-bass and upper highs and focuses on the midrange, This might be the best midrange I've heard on headphones till now. The lower treble presence can be a bit much at times and sound shouty (before burn in).

I did not like them before burn-in. It seems to have smoothed out a little. I did experience burn-in before with iems, but never has it made me change my likeability of a product before. This was the first time after burn-in, that the sound changed quite significantly and it drove me from not liking them to liking them.

BURN THESE IN.

In games, like Forza Horizon, the car sound overwhelms all the atmospheric noises like birds trees, etc. Only when driving an electric car there is a slightly better sense of the atmosphere. The 599 in comparison does sound a little boxy but brings out more of the background details in the games at the expense of worse location accuracy. Everything sounds a little more pleasing with the 599, the 600 is in your face. It's almost like you are in the car with 600 and the 599 just presents everything just mellowed out. It's also a preference thing here. The 600 might be better for shooters where location awareness is better.

These are amazing to know how a recording sounds. These are showing their age in terms of how much music enjoyment it can give especially with modern recordings. Given that most recordings at that time did not have much sub-bass and top-end details, and the tuning hasn't changed much. Going for iems at a lower price or speakers if you are willing to chip in a bit more is better if only sound quality is a factor. ex: iem - ie200, speakers - JBL 306P MK 2.

Update - Over a few weeks the sound mellowed out further, now they sound more like warm and smooth sound signature. The treble isn't as piercing anymore. They sound like I expected them to sound like now, also I think my ears have adjusted for the sound. Updated my rating to a 4.75. EDM isn't fun but not completely boring. It's very clean in the low end. Would still not recommend for electronic and EDM music listeners. The vocals are divine on them. Sub-bass is the only weakness.

When googling it shows 7-day returns which is a bit misleading to the customer. I don't know if this is something Headphone Zone can control or not but since they are advertising on Google it should be addressed. I don't think it's just Headphone Zone but other sites as well.

To Headphone Zone's credit, The product arrived super fast. It's a good thing I didn't blind buy the HD800S. Hope the Headphone Zone event comes to Kolkata soon.

P.S. I am driving these from a Fiio K7 DAC. Tried both High and Low gain. Preferred low gain with a higher volume.

My son is an audio engineer, and I am a retired professional flutist who worked for 35 years in the music industry. You can find more about me on my YouTube channel, @Udaydeyoffical. Although the audience here is mostly audiophiles, we are two sides of the same coin. Without good ears, neither side can be chosen.

Anyway, the HD600 is such a headphone that rivals tones of more than $3000 headsets out there. I had no problem using it with the MOTU Ultralite MK4 (ESS Saber) / Presonus Studio 26 (AKM) interface. My son confirmed that any 300-ohm powered DAC/Soundcard would do. The headset plays a crucial part in correcting correlation errors in a mix, and the musical tone feels like I am listening to a pair of EVE speakers next to me. I love it.

What is a correlation error? Let’s put it like this: you build a very nice-looking furniture table, but the drawers won’t fit. No matter the fit and finish, there is a size problem. And that from outside, you won’t notice unless an audiophile or a mixing engineer listens to it.

The packaging, marketing, and delivery support were fantastic.

They have an ability to sound effortless, even while keeping a very balanced tone. I find the HD600 to be very close to neutral, with a coherence from the bass up to the treble.
There is a light, but still present midbass bump around 100 Hz followed by a progressive roll off below 80 Hz. Modern music that has been recorded with emphasis on the bass will sound fine with the HD600; however, on most other tracks they will definitely sound bass-light or at least slightly under average in terms of bass quality as compared to recent headphones.

The midrange is very engaging and slightly forward. Every time I switch to the HD600 after having spent time with another pair, I am immediately enamored by their character and tonality. However, with time I have started to less appreciate some genres with high density in the upper-mids region (and lower-treble) – around 3-5 kHz. The HD600 can be a bit piercing and too elevated in that region.

HD600 is what, Jeans & T-shirt is to fashion. Comfortable, inoffensive, subtle, required for every day. But it comes at some cost, and most of it is Amplification. Forget about portable use these headphones can sound bad (not up to the mark) even in $1000 Amplifiers.

This headphone needs quality amplification, not in terms of Current (mw@300ohms) but in terms of Voltage swing. So you have to cherry-pick your Amplifier to get the best out of it. This headphone is rated 300ohms at 1Khz and the lower or higher you go the more resistance it shows. The impedance curve is unbelievable for these transducers. These headphones sound dead in A90, most Schit & SMSL Amplifiers. To wake this thing up you need tubes. Not any tube, but OTL. You need a DAC that has the warmth of analog, not some Clinical Topping and SMSL would work. And when you pair this up with a Quality OTL and Analogue Sounding DAC this beauty wakes up and throws everything out of the window.

Sonic Impressions - This headphone is so correct sounding that it makes most players cry. Don't get me wrong Fancy stuff like Soundstage/Imaging/Bass Punch is not there by any means but it produces music unlike anything else. I don't think anybody should include this headphone if they are climbing the audiophile ladder. This is a kind of endgame for just one purpose, Originality. The tonality is so realistic it makes most audio equipment bad. You won't even notice it, but if you grew up with a Dad who built speakers, you can't admire it enough. They sound vintage, realistic, true to life, not big sounding like Planars, every part of the Frequency Range is correct.
The most surprising thing about them is their ability to produce details, I never thought they would produce textures this well being a 26-year-old set but to my surprise, they do extremely well while producing textures, not so much in micro details and microcontrasts.

Don't get this headphone if you don't like recorded music. EDM & modern POP songs don't sound exciting. Everything before 2000 sounds heavenly. Vocals recorded using Dynamic mic sounds good, condenser? not so much. Rock & Acoustic Music sounds phenomenal. The bass reduction is there for a reason and you will notice it if you pair this up with an OTL.

People often talk about lush vocals and I disagree HD650 is still better in that regard but if you want a be all-end music machine HD600 is hard to touch in that regard even being a 26-year-old headphone. But before investing in these headphones think twice.

Sound is super detailed with vocals emphasized. Need to EQ for bass. Burn in is in progress sound profile might change. For 20k, its an absolute steal. Works well with xDuoo x5-01, BTR7 and JDS Atom.
But, Sennheiser has to work on the clamp force of it. I have HD598 which disappeared on head right from day 1. This makes its presence felt and not in a good way. Not able to keep on head for more than 1 hour.

This is my first high-end audiophile headphone. And it is just incredible. I was confused between this and HD-650. I did a lot of studies and read many reviews, only to be even more confused as many people regarded the HD-600 as the best while others preferred the HD-650. The HD-600 is regarded as one of the best neutral reference, while the HD-650 is a bit warmer. Finally, I put my trust in Crinacle. In his headphone ranking list, he awarded the HD-600 with an A-, which is an extremely high rating if you know how Crinacle does his rating. While HD-650 got a B+. I also had Hifiman Sundara in mind, but it is a planar magnetic headphone, and I wanted to experience a high-quality dynamic driver.
The sound from the Sennheiser HD-600 is absolute bliss. Excellent tonal quality and high fidelity. People generally complain about its absence of bass, but for me, this neutral sound signature is what I seek. I listen to classic rock, alternative rock, metal, and Western classics, and the HD-600 shines in these genres and brings out everything in the music. I am using the headphones with Ifi Zen Dac V2 while connecting it to Apple Music to stream Hi-Res Lossless/Lossless music. As the Zen Dac has a lovely truebass button, it compensates for the lack of bass while listening to bass-heavy music. Moreover, wearing the headphones for an extended period is amazingly comfortable.
Thanks to Headphone Zone, I got this pair of headphones within 20k to make it even sweeter.