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Topic: Sennheiser HD600 (Read 10187 times) previous topic - next topic
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Sennheiser HD600

I was looking at getting some decent headphones for listening to music, i have never really done any proper listening with headphone before, but since i moved rooms, the acoustics are not good.

At first i was looking at some of the cheaper headphones, in particular, Sennheiser, like the HD575 for £49 but then started browsing the audio section here and it got me thinking wether this would be a good move or if i should just go for the best that i can get.

I found the HD580 for £79, HD590 for £89 and i could probably just stretch to £110 for the HD600.



WOuld it really be noticible or worthwile for someone who hasn't used headphone before to go for the higher priced one? I just don't wanna sit hear in a month and with i'd spent the extra, but then again if there is not much of a difference, then i'd rather save the cash.

What are your opinion's. I saw Garf had some 580's, how are they for you?


Your thoughts are grately appreiated,

Kristian

/EDIT
Also if u know of cheaper UK prices (NEW) let me know!! 

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #1 –
HD580 and HD600 are almost same phones. HD590 is different, but I think that 580 or 600 are better than 590. But you need good headphone amp to drive 580/600 they have so high impedance that they don't sound good from standard sound card.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #2 –
Quote
I was looking at getting some decent headphones for listening to music, i have never really done any proper listening with headphone before, but since i moved rooms, the acoustics are not good.

At first i was looking at some of the cheaper headphones, in particular, Sennheiser, like the HD575 for £49 but then started browsing the audio section here and it got me thinking wether this would be a good move or if i should just go for the best that i can get.

I found the HD580 for £79, HD590 for £89 and i could probably just stretch to £110 for the HD600.



WOuld it really be noticible or worthwile for someone who hasn't used headphone before to go for the higher priced one? I just don't wanna sit hear in a month and with i'd spent the extra, but then again if there is not much of a difference, then i'd rather save the cash.

What are your opinion's. I saw Garf had some 580's, how are they for you?


Your thoughts are grately appreiated,

Kristian

/EDIT
Also if u know of cheaper UK prices (NEW) let me know!! 

Sennheiser HD570, HD575 and HD590 I do strongly unrecommend. They are much too bright, even when
listening to classic music.

Sennheiser HD580 and HD600 are older and are "biwired", but they sound more neutral and they
are much more usable to listen to music in a relaxed way.

The HD580 is more warm, the HD600 is a little bit more neutral.
Both are nice headphones, sound like and also very comfortable.
--  Frank Klemm

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #3 –
I have a pair of 580s and I love them.  I use a Headroom amplifier (Cosmic) for a clean signal and some headphone signal processing.  I highly recommend you check out the Headroom site for info on headphones and headphone only amplifiers from inexpensive to really expensive.  You said "the best that i can get" was one option.  I don't think you need to spend more than $1,000 on a headphone setup to get very good sound, but the Sennheisers are comfortable and sound really good.  Other high end headphones people like are Grado and Stax (I've heard the older models and they were very good).  Shure makes some fantastic in-ear monitors (ER5) used by musicians.

Headroom can be found at:
Headroom

Stax headphone info can be found at:
Stax Electrostatic Equipment

Happy listening.
Was that a 1 or a 0?

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #4 –
I have only listened to these at the dealer showroom. Observations: I couldn't really tell the difference between HD580 and HD600. They're both very accurate, yet actually I liked neither. For some reason, my ears felt tired after only listening to them a couple of minutes. I've tried on several occasions, and it happened every time.
So, make sure when you test-listen them, not just to judge the sound quality, but also see if you're comfortable.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #5 –
If by bad acoustic you mean noise (usual for me in a work environment is air vents and computer fan noise) then consider noise cancelling models.  You get a little hiss when the NC is turned on.

In extreme cases (lawn mower, airless spray gun) I have used industrial ear protectors with bud
earphones inside them.

On a pure audio basis, lots of folks love Grado phones, but some find they squeeze too hard
on your head.  I find the Sony V6's are pretty comfortable and sound good if not perfect.  I
don't know if that model is still made.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #6 –
Check out:
http://www.headwize.com
http://www.head-fi.com

And yes, Sony V6's are still being made, you can get them at http://www.djmart.com.

I personally recommend you try listening to Grados as well as the Sennheisers. Keep in mind you will need an amp for the Sennheisers. But you should get an amp anyway if you are going for high-end headphones anyway. You can build yourself a decent amp for as little as $50, check out the projects on HeadWize.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #7 –
Buy what sounds best to you regardless of what anyone says.  Having said that, I am very fond of my Etymotic earphones I have had for about 10 years.  Bass to shake your bones.  But, they are weird.  Check them out if you do not mind straying from the path. B)
Nov schmoz kapop.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #8 –
Quote
@ £120 worth it


Worth EVERY single penny (cent)! Unfortunately I can be biased since I had a chance only to listen to most SONY (except F1  ), GRADO and Sennheiser headphones. HD600 sound as natural and pleasant as a sound can be. They are extremely comfortable. They are the best piece of audio hardware I have. My Audigy 2 Platinum and SONY S7700 DVD player both can drive them nicely, however I would like to try them with a good headphone-amp somewhere to see if makes any difference (since they are already very loud for me @ max power Audigy 2 provides).
However, I know that some people actually preffered certain models of closed Beyer Dynamics and AKG headphones over HD600 since they liked the way they sound more than HD600. Unfortunately I can't judge those brands before I listen to them.
My endian is bigger than yours.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #9 –
I've used a few pairs of headphones (HD580, HD280, HD570, MDR-7506, MDR-D66, ATH-A900).  The best of those for overall sound quality is definitely the Audio-Technica ATH-A900.  They're closed but don't sound like it.  The presentation is very clear and natural and is noticeably more detailed than the HD580.  The bass is also very nice.  It's not coloured or even that powerful, just very accurate and detailed.  They're also more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.  I got mine used from Japan for cheap.  audiocubes.com sells them but they are a little pricy.  They are very similar in sound to the more expensive ATH-A1000 and ATH-W1000 since they all use pretty much the same driver, I think.  The A500 and A700 are cheaper but differ much more.  The A900s also look really cool, not that that matters too much.  They're not very practical for portable use since they're quite massive.  The highs can also be a little on the abrasive side before breaking them in.  Other than that, they're excellent.
Home: M-Audio Revolution 7.1 > Gilmore V2 > Beyerdynamic DT880

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #10 –
120 Pounds Sterling sounds like a very good deal. I paid $279 for mine and I thought that was a great deal (original retail was $449).

I've spent many hours listening to both the HD580 and the HD600. On a sighted, subjective comparison I thought the HD600 has slightly less "haze" but I was probably suffering from the placebo effect. The HD580 and HD600 are extremely similar in tonal quality. Supposedly they are essentially the same but the HD600 has matched drivers to a smaller tolerance.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #11 –
WOW, that was quite a response from just going to bed and waking up in the morning!!!


By poor acoustics in my  room, i mean a lot of reverb and echo as my room is a crazy L shape and quite large so i won't need noise cancelling headphones.

I do have an Auddiolab 8000A amp which is a high quality stero amp that has had some great reviews, it states in the manual it can drive headphone up to 2000 Ohm, is this goning to be hype, i don't think it is, will this be just as suitable as a seperate headphone amp.


Well, with regards to choices, i have never come across any of the mentioned hadphone in UK shop's so im gonna have to check around, if nayone knows of any good shops, can you let me know.

Thanks for the response on the HD575, i heard some of the models had "higher trebles" and i don't want that, so i'll try and check out the HD600 and HD580 as well as some of the other mentioned pieces.

I may just but the HD580 and 600 and return one if i can't find anywhere to test them.

Thanks for all the input, your comments are much appreciated. Off to work now!

Cheers,

Kristian

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #12 –
Just wondering if anyone has purchased anything from here- http://www.zzounds.com/love.music?p=b.SEN&...z=1621851318190
This is the Sennheiser page (I hope). Seems like they are always having a sale going on. I have an old pair of 580's and still love the sound quality- and (unfortunately) I have very good hearing; which can be painful in today's noisy world! Anyway- hope this helps a little.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #13 –
Quote
The HD580 is more warm, the HD600 is a little bit more neutral.
Both are nice headphones, sound like and also very comfortable.

Frank,

Do you  have any comments in regards to the differences in frequency response between the two, as illustrated in graphs found over at Headphone?

The dip at around 8 kHz appears to be smaller on the HD580. Would you still consider the HD600 more neutral/balanced, and hence more suitable for tasks such as music production or audio mixing?

Any other headphones you have found to be more appropriate for those applications?

Thanks,
Uosdwis

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #14 –
Quote
Quote
The HD580 is more warm, the HD600 is a little bit more neutral.
Both are nice headphones, sound like and also very comfortable.

Frank,

Do you  have any comments in regards to the differences in frequency response between the two, as illustrated in graphs found over at Headphone?

The dip at around 8 kHz appears to be smaller on the HD580. Would you still consider the HD600 more neutral/balanced, and hence more suitable for tasks such as music production or audio mixing?

Any other headphones you have found to be more appropriate for those applications?

Thanks,
Uosdwis

Listening to loudspeakers generates a lot of dips and peaks above 5...7 kHz.
Reason is some diffraction on the pinnae. These dips and peaks
are different for every human.

So I can't say which high frequency response matches your HRTF
best. For person A may be the 580 is better, for B the 600 and for
C the 501.

Bass treble balance is another topic. But here the best result may
be depend on the bass treble balance of the recording you listening.
Dire Straits is mixed a little bit bright, so the 580 may be match
best, Patricia Kass sounds a little bit bloomy, so the 501 sound better.

Current XMMS Musepack plugin contains some code to emulate
other headphones. But the GUI for this feature is pure crap.
--  Frank Klemm

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #15 –
Quote
frequency response between the two, as illustrated in graphs found over at Headphone?

The dip at around 8 kHz appears to be smaller on the HD580.

These are not the frequency response of the headphones, read here : http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=121

A graph looking more neutral in this site is not necessarily more neutral. These are subjective graphs ! They are the difference with the average graph of their top headphones.

They don't provide the true graphs.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #16 –
After all you´ve to think about how you want to use your headphones
and where you will plug it.

I own a AKG 240 and a HD 590 and everywhere i plug them in they sound
different in relation

Best is you test it with the device you use it with.

Wombat
Is troll-adiposity coming from feederism?
With 24bit music you can listen to silence much louder!

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #17 –
Is the HD25 recommendable? Since they are somewhat small they will be good for portable use... any experience with that headphone, someone? How is the quality compared to other Sennheiser products?

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #18 –
Quote
A graph looking more neutral in this site is not necessarily more neutral. These are subjective graphs ! They are the difference with the average graph of their top headphones.

They don't provide the true graphs.

You're right, I didn't read that page as thoroughly as I should have. But even so, the differences between the two remain, if only in those graphs, which is what made me ask.

Of course, it's possible this is Fritz's "hearing" coming in to play, and that my head and ears are shaped differently. I know our noses don't look anything alike. 

I've been using HD580 for a couple of years now, and I really like them and have become familiar with their sound. For £120 (a friggin' steal!) I think I'll try the HD600 with my own equipment, as Wombat points out, and see what I come up with.

Thanks for your replies, guys.

Uosdwis

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #19 –
I bought the HD-580s about a month ago and I love them.  After speaking to a lot of people and reading several reviews I decided that the difference between the 600s and 580s was too small to be worth it.

I use the 580s with my Videologic amp that is part of my Sirocco Crossfire set, they sound good but not nearly as good with my receiver (Marantz SR7300 about to change for a Pioneer D2011, 45tx in the US).  They really do need a good amp to sound their best, I would think that yours would do a good job.

Where did you find them at those prices?  I found the 580s at Unbeatable for £83 but after 3 weeks I got tired waiting for them and ordered them for £95 from Peter Tyson.  I found the 600s at a supplier i'd never heard of for £120.

The long cable length is very useful BTW, 3m.  I tried the Grado SR60s and SR80s last week to see if I had made the right decision (I bought blind), to me the 580s were far better than the Grados, much smoother and more balanced sound.  It is a little surprising though as I have B&W 600 series speakers for my home cinema system which are more like the Grados than the Sennheisers in terms of sound.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #20 –
Use Pricerunner to find good deals. The place that I'm going to order from is ASK Electronics. Shipping is free, and you have seven days to return them if you don't like what you hear.

-- Uosdwis

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #21 –
Yes, as Uosdwis R. Dewoh said i found my prices from pricerunner,  it sometimes finds good deals, sometimes not . Looks like it did in this case, shame ASK doesn't sell the 580, i think thats what im gonna go for from unbeatable.

Cheers everyone,
Kristian

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #22 –
well,

i got my 580's on friday the 7th and have just had the chance to do some extesive listening with them and all i can say is, wow   

As i said i hadn't really had any experience with high quality headphones but i wasn't expecting the difference between my "high quality" stero system and headphones to be so great.

The extra clarity that can be heard on well know tracks is phenominal. I am now able to hear Gavin Rosdale from Bush on Bonedriven, actually breating through his nos before he starts to sing.
On other tracks too a lot more quiter sounds are becoming evident.

Also the stereo image is great , as to be expected, and the frequency range is fantastic, great lows, highs and mid range.

These are probably gonna be glued to my head in my free time over the next few weeks, they are certainly comfortable enough!


I tried driving them through my audiolab but there was a large amount of hiss, fromthe amp itself, which i wasn't expecting, because of it's quiality and price, but trough my computer there is none evident and my souncard seems capable of driving them up to high enough volumes.

The card im usingis an onboard Relatek ACL650 on an ABit IT7 max2. I heard bad things about this souncard, such as hiss and interefernce, i cannot spot any problems though. ANyone have experince, faults with this card.


In the next few weeks, im gonna build my own amp for them, but i don't see the point for listening on my computer, will it be worth it, for other sources though, it will be of great benefit.

Just had to share my excitment and pleasure with you all, im a happy chap   

Now no one can convince me it's been a wate of money!

Cheers,

Kristian

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #23 –
Keep in mind that the sound will improve as you "burn in" the drivers. You made a great choice, I have 580's as well and I absolutely love them.

Sennheiser HD600

Reply #24 –
I've tried both..

The sound difference is very suttle.

I found the 600's more confortable. from a purely ergonomical POV.
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you."