Sennheiser HD 600 Audiophile Quality, Open Hi-Fi stereo Headphones

These headphones made me cry. More on that later.They come in a sturdy wood-ish type box - not posh polished wood, but sturdy enough and covered with dark brown lining. The phones are nestled in protective grey foam, cut to the shape of the phones to keep them safe during transit. A manual accompanies them, although I just dived in and started listening.I love the sound of a piano so I had plenty of classical themed music to run through these 600s.First up was an old Naxos 1980s Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 CD. Hmm. The sound was dull across the entire range. The playing is fantastic though and led me to buy the sheet music, which I never could play. To be fair it never sounded great through any headphones, but I was expecting some kind of magic.Let's try something recorded more recently. Second up was Yundi Li's "The Art of Yundi" (a fantastic collection of piano pieces - many new to me a few months ago). Flipping heck! What a difference a good recording/sound engineer makes! I heard nuances in individual notes I'd not heard before. I even heard accidentals/accent notes I'd not noticed before. The clarity from top to bottom was simply outstanding. Sparkling brilliance in the upper registers and warm dark sonorous tones lower down.My love of piano music led me to buy an electric piano, 15+ years ago now. It went "pop" a year or so ago and died on me. I was sad but kept it as it's handy for my home theater speakers. When I've saved up I'll buy another.Back to Yundi. Liszt's Rigoletto was one of the pieces that was new to me. I must have played it 100 times on the train to work, using my mobile + headphones. It's an addictive piece and I know it quite well now. Again there were notes/timbres/nuances that sprang into life, as though rescued from the cracks that lesser headphones would leave behind. It was like listening to a completely new recording. Rigoletto draws you in slowly, then makes you addicted with its clever ever complicating recapitulation, then exits the stadium with magnificent massive virtuoso chords crashing down the keyboard. And then silence. But there isn't. For a few seconds through these headphones you can hear the soundboard and frame of the piano ring and undulate as the brilliance of Liszt, through Yundis fingers, evapourates into the ether. That little piece of magic made me cry. It made me look at my beloved piano, now senza voce, and want to play it. But I could not, ever again. It made me remember all the good times, the bad times, the frustrations, the rare accomplishments but most of all my love of sound itself. Welcome back, my friend.Let's not get too emotive - it's just a pair of headphones after all. However, music makes us emotional.Third up was Bachs Toccata & Fugue in D Minor. These phones pick up everything, including quirks of an old air powered Church organ. You could almost hear the beast breathing through its nostrils. At full pelt in the "fff" passages with every single bank of notes from foot to teeth being tormented these phones did struggle. The music got lost as if overwhelmed. To be fair it's a cruel test as none of my headphones ever succeeded either. You have a huge Church organ pumping gallons of air to make those fat boy pipes play and expect a little piece of tech to replicate that? We need to be realistic in our expectations. However, the different registers/instruments the organ sounded were simply sublime through these. Really sweet.Fourth up was a new addiction of mine. Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies. Played by the brilliant George Cziffra. Recorded in the early 1970s I didn't expect much from this CD. In fact I was worried these 'phones might highlight the fact microphones were not as sensitive then, tape noise, that kind of thing. Oh my - what a blast! Yet again I'm hearing those accidental notes (not really accidental - they are very brief deliberate embellishments and fiendishly difficult to play without whacking). Yet again I feel like my ears have been cleansed or I'm listening to a new digitally remastered release. Brilliant.These 'phones give your ears exactly what's on the plate. If it's a poor recording then they won't make it better. If it's a good one then your ears, brain, body and soul will be overjoyed. Yep that's the word. The music I have gave me joy. Now it's joy++. Overjoyed.These initially feel tight to wear, but soon you realise you've gotten used to slack ill fitting headgear. They encompass the ear (unless you are Vulcan) and fit nicely against the head, instead of pressing into parts of the ear. I find them very comfortable. After a few minutes you forget you are wearing them.My first pair of "opens". Highly recommended. Closed gives me that "sea shell" experience of hearing my own bloodstream or something. Plus my ears now remain cool, they weigh less and I feel part of the environment rather than in some sensory deprivation chamber. A huge plus when it comes to listening to a concerto where you want to be in the audience, not isolated.Having listened to much piano tonight I noticed sound engineers don't follow any particular rule regarding left/right; some make you the listener - you are facing the piano being played so high notes come through the left ear and low notes through the right. Very disconcerting if you are a player. As the player you hear low through left and high through right. I'm not a player, but have tried and like to be "in the seat" when I'm doing air piano.Others seem to give a cross-fade which is even more disconcerting.For the wrong-way-round listener experience I found a fantastic tweak you can do to these HD 600s. If you absolutely want the player experience where low=down and high=up then make the following adjustments to these cans. Yes I know these are very expensive, but the modification is reversible:1. Take them off2. Put them on the wrong way roundImmediately you are transported from audience to player. As these phones are symmetrically flexible they feel just as comfortable either way around.Worth the money? If you're going to do something, do it once and do it properly.With a frequency response of 12Hz-40500Hz it should cover most needs. Oh nearly forgot! So many questions out there about impedance. 32/80/300/600 Ohms. Will my X phones work in a Y thing? There's lots of "info" about needing to buy a specialist headphone amp if > 32 ohms.These HD 600s are 300 ohms. I have them plugged into my Denon 4300 AVR. My CD is a Panasonic Blue Ray player. They are more than loud enough at 5/10. 3/10 would be my listening preference.These just tell it like it is to be fair. No magic. No pseudo science. Simple transparent acoustic honesty.No regrets at all.

Sennheiser HD 600 - Open Monitoring HeadphonesThe HD600 was originally introduced as a development of the very successful HD580. It was rated as one of the best headphones of its time and I think it is still very, very good.So how do they sound? Compared to cheaper headphones they impress with the added clarity and dynamics they reveal in the music. They are generally smooth and easy to listen to without the abrasive harshness you find in some competitors products. They have a well deserved reputation for being one of the most neutral sounding headphones you can buy in their price range. No particular frequency stands out as emphasized. The only slight criticism is that the soundstage is a little narrow. By this I mean the music is more in the middle of your head than some more expensive headphones.Over the years they have attracted much praise and a little criticism which I will briefly review.1) Firstly, they are said to roll off in the bass a little too early. To my ears this is true for really low bass frequencies but mostly they sound well balanced in the lower registers. A little more punch and impact would be nice but they could not really be called bass-light. Even so for those who like a strong authoritative bass you may want to look elsewhere.2) In the upper midrange/lower treble they have been criticized for having a slight rise in their response. I find this is only very mild and not objectionable. In fact the midrange quality is one of the best aspects of this headphone that reveals details you would not normally notice.3) Some think treble frequencies possess a veil that limits clarity. Compared to the best headphones I find the very extreme treble may roll off a touch, but this means they are less likely to induce listener fatigue. The treble is a good balance between sounding smooth and yet having enough attack and vibrancy. However, on poor recordings some may find the HD600s can sound a little bright (i.e. give an emphasis to treble sounds).Comfort is very good with large squashy earpads that cover the whole ear. Weight is very reasonable so they can be worn for long periods without feeling heavy. They do clamp your head a little tightly at first but are very comfortable once you get used to this. Resist any temptation to bend the headband! A few weeks of use and you will not notice the extra pressure.These are open-backed headphones which means air can pass through the back of the ear cup to the speaker element. This means there is no sealed enclosure and sound waves cannot cause distortions inside the headphones. The disadvantage is there is no isolation from external sounds. You will be able to hear everything happening in your environment just as if you never had them on. Similarly anyone sitting fairly close to you will hear what you are listening to. Therefore, apart from the large physical size, these are not suited to wearing whilst commuting!Quality of construction is more than adequate and spare parts are readily available. However, these are not the kind of headphones to abuse. The metal grilles will dent easily so treat them with some care. The cable is 3 metres long and is a bit thin, but it does have a very nifty built-in adapter to convert it to a 3.5mm socket. Although Sennheiser have improved this from the early examples, unplugging the cable from the headphones frequently can lead to the connectors becoming loose and making intermittent contact.By modern standards their impedance is high at 300 ohms. This means anything portable that is battery powered like a phone may struggle to drive them to a high enough volume. Most mains powered equipment will probably have enough power, but these headphones will either reveal poor quality or just not perform as well as expected if you partner them with mediocre equipment. If you listen to audio via a computer get a good sound card or a headphone amp or amp/DAC combined.It is worth noting that the condition of the earpads has a noticeable effect on these headphones, causing them to sound muffled and lacking in clarity. If they look a bit misshapen and lose their firmness, consider buying new ones. Choose original Sennheiser spare parts as some third-party products, although cheaper, typically do not sound or feel the same.The HD650 was introduced in 2003 and looks very similar. Gone is the marble effect finish which to many will be an improvement. The cable is thicker and has a separate adapter for 3.5mm sockets. This cable will also fit the HD600 and is certainly more durable. The headband cushioning is shaped slightly differently but the earpads are identical. From a comfort perspective they are indistinguishable. In 2020 the HD600 adopted the same headband as the HD650 and dispensed with the marble effect finish.The sound of the HD650 is similar to the HD600. The most notable difference is that the Sennheiser engineers have tilted the tonal balance to give more emphasis to bass frequencies and less to the treble. Very low bass is still slightly rolled off but mid bass (the area that gives music an added thump) is now more obvious. Many who appreciate bass will find this a positive attribute. To my ears the midrange is slightly less neutral, giving male voices, for example, a little extra body and warmth. Overall the midrange is still superb. Treble frequencies are smoother and more relaxed than the HD600, and although just as extended as the HD600, a little lower in level. This makes the HD650 relaxing to listen to and this can be useful if your favourite recording are a little harsh.Choosing between the HD600 and HD650 is down to personal taste. Technically the HD650 is the marginally better headphone, but the real difference is in the tonal balance. If you like a headphone that is easy to listen to, with fairly strong bass, and a smooth but slightly soft treble, the HD650 is the one for you. For those who prefer a more lively, neutral sound with more snap and attack, the HD600 may be the better choice. Whichever you choose you can't really go wrong. They are both excellent headphones.