Rating: Summary: Sennheiser HD600 Review: I bought these Headphones just yesterday, have been using them for Multiplayer gaming and Music on my PC. The quality of sound is outstanding, highly recommend these. The price leaves a bit of a hole in your pocket though!
Rating: Summary: A quantum leap in listening pleasure Review: I have been a Sennheiser fan for many years and still have the Sennheiser 414s from the 70s (and they still sound great). I wanted a good headphone to go with my Rotel RX-1050 receiver/amplifier because it reproduces sound so beautifully. In the Sennheiser 600s I got what I wanted and then some. They are a sheer listening pleasure. As other reviewers have mentioned, they do not work well with a portable CD player and would need an amp to perform properly. They are execellent with a good home stereo but they do let you hear exactly what is on your source, so with lower quality equipment, they will sound only as good as your stuff (garbage in, garbage out -- don't blame the 600s). These earphones are the best I have ever listened to. They are a joy to use. They fit reasonably comfortably but could get warm with prolonged use. Overall they are an excellent addition to any audiophile's equipment. My only (minor) gripe is the rather flimsy cable that comes standard. I am thinking of purchasing the Equinox cable (which has gotten excellent reviews) or making my own custom cable to further enchance the sound of these wonderful cans.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding headphones Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: Best headphones I have owned Review: I initially bought AKG 501s for Classical Music listening. Having tried them out for the past year I was convinced that they lacked the low end range needed to represent the music stage. They are good for vocals and single instruments i.e. harpsichord, violin, guitar but again to restate, the sound stage is lacking. Now, having read multiple reviews of the Sens 600, I recently bought them especially for the reason above - I wanted to feel imersed in the music, both wanting to hear the instruments and the deep lows making the stage. These headphones give me all that. The individual instruments are heard as well as the AKGs but now the deeper cello and base are heard and felt. The drums come alive. I feel the soundstage as I could not with the AKGs. My setup is somewhat portable. I use a phillips portable CD player connected to a total airhead amp.
Rating: Summary: You will start smiling! Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: Warm and Accurate Musical Reproduction Review: I listen to classical music and jazz. I use my Sennheiser HD600 headphones and a tube headphone amplifier made by Antique Sound Labs. The HD600s are very revealing of inner depth, detail and the ambience of the recording environment (hall or studio, microphone placement, etc.). With the HD600s you can hear subtleties that you never noticed before, like the decay of musical notes, vibrato, the pedal action of harpsichords, the occasional page turn, cough or instrument key.
These headphones are well balanced over the frequency spectrum so that bass is not blown out of proportion or highs too bright. They are very accurate and I look forward to an opportunity to listen to my favorite music with them.
Rating: Summary: A very nice, clear set of headphones. Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: Creme de la Creme of Headphones Review: I purcased these and was simply blown away with the outstanding detail, exeptionally comfort, and surprising bass quality. I hooked these up, and cranked up some "Rush" and when normal headphones (and speakers) fizzle out on too much sound, these heaphones maintained every note while the music played at high volumes. These headphones make you feel like you are standing next to the recording artists. I am still astounded by the amazing accuacy and quality these headphones produce. A++!! I give these 11 out of 10.
Rating: Summary: Creme de la Creme of Headphones Review: I purcased these and was simply blown away with the outstanding detail, exeptionally comfort, and surprising bass quality. I hooked these up, and cranked up some "Rush" and when normal headphones (and speakers) fizzle out on too much sound, these heaphones maintained every note while the music played at high volumes. These headphones make you feel like you are standing next to the recording artists. I am still astounded by the amazing accuacy and quality these headphones produce. A++!! I give these 11 out of 10.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding Detail and Airiness Review: I recently came across a great deal on Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. These little beauties list for something like... but can be found for a whole lot less if you shop around. When I finally came across a set in my price range (a way whole lot less) I jumped at the chance. My first impression was quality. The HD 600s come in a well constructed and cushioned jewel box of a case suitable for daily storage. The headphones themselves are attractive and of carbon fiber construction. Like all great headphones the HD 600s are of an open design. That means that outside noise will get in and enough sound will escape to possibly disturb those around you. The upside is that an open design prevents resonance distortion from within the headphones themselves. The HD 600s are also a delight to wear. They are light and comfortable enough to wear for hours and even forget that you're wearing them. Let me be clear, HD 600 is dead-on accurate and precise with outstanding detail and airiness. In my opinion there isn't anything better (for under...anyway) for listening to all flavors of good music - from a well made recording. The HD 600's will bring out every nuance and detail, and in all probability you'll hear stuff that you'd never known was there. On the other hand a bad recording will be unmasked and sound horrible. Every flaw will become glaringly apparent. Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire III (my favorite test) came to life with a musical quality and airiness, and a solid yet undistorted punch on the drum beats you rarely get from headphones. I've been listening to this album for twenty years and I've heard things with the HD 600's that I hadn't heard since I moved from high quality vinyl to CDs. Equally important AC/DC's Highway to Hell had vigor and life, and Jewel's incredible voice sounded, well - incredible. Two other old favorites, Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water, and Ted Nugent's Stranglehold, displayed way too many flaws to really enjoy. Although the HD 600 is fully capable of deep bass, music that depend primarily on a driving bass just really doesn't cut it on headphones. That's my opinion anyway. If you're looking for something for your portable or to listen to low quality MP3s keep looking. The HD 600 is way too inefficient to be powered off of a portable (try the HD 497 or Grado S60) even with most readily available portable headphone amplifiers, and way too accurate to listen comfortably to a crappy low bit rate MP3. On the other hand high bit rate MP3s sound pretty good, at least to my ear. Another word about the source. While the HD 600s sounds wonderful from my mid-range receiver, I can't help but think that they will sound even better driven from a specialized audiophile grade headphone amplifier. I would classify the HD 600's as a great general purpose and classical/new age headphone that can also deliver on rock and roll. I've read that the similarly priced Grados might be slightly better at rock - bottom line I haven't tested the Grados, but I am impressed with the Sennheisers. The Sennheiser HD 600s come standard with a two year warranty, that Sennheiser currently extends at no cost to five if you've purchased them through an authorized dealer.
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