Sennheiser HD600 (New Version) Headphone Review

[@maxwellwallace8553]

Wow I never understood why people chose tube amps for these cans, but your explanation was perfect. I wish more reviewers were more knowledgeable about what is actually happening inside the cans, like you. Well explained, and great review / video!

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

yeah dont

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

only for hd600, rests go ahead

[@drewmorg.]

Literally watched hundreds of hours of KZbin, read hundreds of threads... and finally within this random HD 600 video I get a real explanation of what it takes to drive headphones. THANK YOU!

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

its important to listen to good sound as soon ap, whether youll upgrade or not its up to you

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

bcs audio 'experience' really took long time and trials

[@soulfulfool]

those headphones obviously are not the best at everything but from time to time they remind you what great midrange sounds like so we all are keeping them in our collection :)

[@dennisvdmeer6780]

the HD 600 also goes very well with the Ifi Diablo, should really give it a try. great review by the way👌

[@spektrograf]

Solid review, well articulated, and well covered! Definitely captures a lot of my own experience with the HD580/HD600's over the years-having now owned them for a couple of decades.

[@zindahoon]

Honestly , one of the best way to put things together .. excellent review .. I normally don’t comment on any video but your efforts and simplifying complicated things should be addressed.. once again great content and a big Thank you for .. subscribed

[@simonzinc-trumpetharris852]

The amount of detail these cans pick up is staggering.

[@Tripokaridos22]

HD6 Line is the End Game for Stereo music for me , Hard to choose one of them but i will go with 660s. Other than That I still kept a Hifiman Sundara for Movies and Games they have that WOW factor .

[@sammencia7945]

6XX and Sundara make for terrific pair to appreciate all aspects of music at a mid-fi price.

[@Tripokaridos22]

@@sammencia7945 True , I'm love them but now I use 660s2 most of.the time to me more High-fi

[@capomover]

Radical me. Have used OG HD600 since 1995. Modded by SAA to remove grills and remove foam inserts over drivers and chemically treat and realign. Removal of pads was my final radical move. Clarity is great and if bass is too low in amplitude for you without pads, judicious use of eq should take care of that. For a real treat, pick up a pair of HD700 and have SAA mod them for you. True joy.

[@kato2395]

13:35 I started listening to your review in around the end of 2022 so this came out before I even know this channel existed but I always love this kind of explanation about how the things work and what you based your opinion on. I learned a lot as usual! I am also glad that I invested on the Lake People G111 MK2 as recommended by you, as it turns out to drives most headphones out there very well including this HD600, so in case I am getting this headphone I wont be having problem driving it to near or to its full potential. None of the reviewers cover this amazing amp and I glad you did! My friends were blown out when they compare the G111 amp with their other solid state amp like topping and FiiO!

[@sammencia7945]

HD 6nn family have magic midrange, rolled off high and sub bass. Close soundstage as though 2 steps from band, diffuse imaging. Superb with vocals, jazz, classical. Cymbals are incredibly realistic, sound like actual brass being hit by a wooden stick. Not the most detailed but essential as part of a stable of cans.

[@dmarcus1260]

I kind of miss the HD600. A couple of years ago I sold it to help fund the purchase of the Sennheiser HD660S. You're becoming one of my favorite headphone reviewers. Keep up the great work.

[@vaneast411]

really enjoyed your description of how these phones respond to voltage and impedance... thanks!

[@PartySpock]

The cable is perfect in comparison with the focal trash for instance. Not stiff at all.Perfect. Thank you

[@JTB--]

Depending on the amp pairing... you can actually get some surprisingly decent Bass out of the HD 600. Got mine new for just about $300 on sale. Worth it. The HD 600 really shines on a Tube Amp. Especially something like the Bottlehead Crack

[@wavetheorysound]

BHC has a "fun" tuning with a bit of extra bass presence and slam added in. Agreed, good pairing.

[@spektrograf]

Agreed on this. The HD600's can sound pretty crappy to my ears (like out of a laptop headphone jack)-but scales exceptionally well with more power (voltage). On the higher end of things, any of Craig's Eddie Current OTL amps work brilliantly with the HD600's, as does Headamp's GSX mini or mk2. With those amps, hearing differences in DAC's becomes pretty transparent. With the GSX amps, the HD600's have tight, fast bass control with excellent treble extension (up to their design limit, of course). Upside-they scale incredibly well to reveal details that the upstream equipment are capable of. Downside-they require that level of gear to be their best-as opposed to something like Focal's or Meze's which tend to sound like themselves no matter what they're plugged into.

[@JTB--]

@@spektrograf I have been researching the GSX Mini and I'm interested in it... but It's a little out of the price range for me right now. Does the GSX Mini have a warm sound with some dynamics? How would you describe its sound? I'm looking at a used FLUX Lab Acoustics FA-10 PRO for my HE6se V2 because it has tons of power to drive them.

[@spektrograf]

@@JTB-- TBH, it's really hard to say whether it's "warm" or not. I find the GSX (I have the mk2) with the HD600's are "transparent" to the source. DAC's that I rotated through that combo swung the sound characteristic between what would be considered "warm" or "neutral". Timbre also swung substantially through different DAC's. If you read through enough of the head-fi threads on the GSX's, you might notice some head-fi'ers consider the design a bit bright. I experienced that only with particular DAC's, so YMMV depending on what's upstream from the amp. With respect to Flux Labs…I had the FA-12S for a while, and incidentally sold it to Mid-fi Guy. He reviewed it against the FA-10 and the Monolith Liquid amps. I find his observations of the Flux Lab amps pretty spot on with my experience. Flux Lab amps are incredibly powerful and articulate, but I found them missing a bit of midrange character and a bit bright (V-shaped)-but never so bright to be irritating, just clearly "bright". They also express more of their own character to the music and the upstream content than the GSX's-i.e. upstream source differences weren't as apparent with the FA-12S as with the GSX's. I'd say if you could wait and save up a bit more, the GSX's won't have you searching for another amp anytime soon, whereas, you'll still be hunting gear with the Flux Labs amps. Mini's seem to be going for around $1.2k on Head-fi, so if you keep an eye out, I bet you can score one good one for a decent price.

[@JTB--]

@@spektrograf Hey thanks for all the great insight and advice. I'm basically looking for a cheap option on an amp for a second audio setup that would drive the HE6se V2 decently. I recently got the Burson Flagship Conductor 3X GT and it drives the HE6 really well. But I'm not looking to spend that much on a secondary setup that's hooked up to an entertainment center via TV for some gaming action and watching movies along with some music. I already tried the cheaper amp route with the Jot 2 but I didn't like the pairing at all so I returned it. My secondary setup is the Bifrost 2 to the LYR3 Hybrid Tube amp with the Lokius in between. Surprisingly the LYR3 drives the HE6se V2 very respectably. But I still want a SS Amp in the mix to go back and forth with. I'll have to start saving for an amp above the 1K price range like a GSX and find something I'll be happy with on the first try. I could always get a Soloist 3XP... but I want something other than a Burson SS for my secondary setup to have many different sound signatures to choose from. Thanks Again for all your Sage Advice!!

[@FabsterClapster]

have them. Tested them against the HD650 for mixing and mastering. Mixes translate better with the 600. The 650 sound warmer and more low end, but this doesn't help placing the low-end in the mix. Very happy with the 600s

[@PJ-dx2qo]

Excellent review, thank you! I learned a lot from it. You really know your stuff

[@Dustybook]

The best review of HD 600, thank you.

[@chungang7037]

Regarding the price, I recently went down the rabbithole trying to find a headphone that could outperform the midrange on the HD600. It quickly seemed that I would have to spend 1500 usd+ to do so! Reviews and suggestions online said go for the Focal Clear, a clear upgrade to the HD600 on midrange. But those at the time were going for 1600USd where I lived, after demoing them I was not impressed enough to buy them. There are the ZMF Auteurs, but splurging on them adds 30% tariff tax where I live so again wasn't interested in taking the dive. It seems strange to me that nothing exists in the 500-900 dollar range to outperform them. Any suggestions welcome.

[@wavetheorysound]

It is true there is still nothing else quite like the HD600 out there right now. If you look at it from that perspective, 400USD is reasonable. My objection was more in relation to the fact that a sibling model (HD6XX) with essentially the same build quality and technical ability with slightly different tuning is close to half that price. It puzzles me a bit that a 30yo model is still going for $400 when there is a slightly different version out there closer to $200. I think the Beyerdynamic DTXX0 series is another data point. The DT770/880/990 lines were $4-500 when they were released in the '80s-'90s, remain mostly the same here in the 2020s, but are regularly sold around $200 now. It's a case of one of these things is not like the other.

[@chungang7037]

@@wavetheorysound Yea good point, it should be cheaper. Not to mention that we need a powerful amp to drive them, or a tube amp which are a kind of a fringe product outside of audiophile circles.

[@Tripokaridos22]

I have and love all HD 6 line , HD 660s are the most technically best of them , The speed The imaging the energy of HD 660s are way better from them all , Vocals also . What HD 600 is doing better is clarity on highs and what HD650 is doing better is Smoothness on highs , Thats it .

[@Tripokaridos22]

If i can Help i had the FOcal Clear Not the MG . ANd they was amazing headphones when i hear them i got the WOW factor but after months of listening there was a Big problem they dont sound Natural like HD 6 line , yes they have bass , clarity, soundstage , etch etch but they sound strange almost metalic compare to HD 6 line. Also i had 3 major Problems , the Weight of them - the Cable and most of all the Position of the ear caps when i wear them had a huge role on the sound signature .... even a small movement of them up down or front rear could change the sound a lot . So i sell them and now i use 600 for clarity , 650 for old recordings and 660s for modern music and games , Sundara for Movies and i stop there . My journey has end selling all of my expensive headphones . By the way i kept my Koss 30i these are great to sleep at night with :)

[@chungang7037]

@@Tripokaridos22 Yea I demoed the clear mg and the clear and neither impressed me much. For detail, I got an x65 from austrian audio, for 1/4 the price of a clear, and it sounds like my hd600 but with way more detail, which is ok sometimes. Weird thing for me is that I find the sennheizer line rather uncomfortable after coming back to them. I can't wear them for more than 30 minutes, I think I need to stretch out the headband and loosen the clamp. The curse of a big head.

[@carminedesanto6746]

Great video, thank you 👍 I run my Sen’s 650’s in balanced on the Xduoo 604 tube amps …and for solid state fun the ‘789 ..again all in balanced mode. That being said my IEM’s kick it’s ass in the frequency extremes. Thanks again 😋

[@aspjake123]

Yikes those new edition cables look so cheap! Thanks for your review, think I will keep my OG 600's

[@FabioKasper]

Paid 250 for mine on early 2020 (lightning deal from Amazon). I remember being very happy about it. Still like it a lot.

[@VeeHausen]

Anyone interested....Custom Cans has a copper mod for the 600/650 which looks very interesting!

[@misutatomasu]

I got mine in 2 cushioned headband version too and it scared the living sh*t out of me. Thought I got fakes. Your video saved me.

[@maciejgeming8555]

Good point here about the soundstage - most reviewers claimed that with 600s you'll get smaller soundstage than in 6XX's. I also hear it same as You, that the soundstage is bigger in 600s. Why is that? I'm writing form the memory, and have no chance to check it directry, but the thing is that about 2 years ago I've tried old version of 600s and loved it's timbre, but the soundstage was so narrow that I refused buying it. I had a feeling that for example on the first Sabbath record I heard huge Ozzy's voice in front, but the rest of the band was somwhere around squeezed like in tiny elevator. Mayby something was wrong with the amplification - I don't know - but that's how I heard it back then. When I got the new version I noticed improvment on the soundstage but i bit lacking in the timbre neturalness. So what I think is that most reviewers based their opinions and older genration o the 600s. What's the reason of differences beetwen older and newer 600s? I have no idea becouse, as I've heard, a lot of people (distributors, Sonova representatives) says that the drives is the same as in the old version. So - mayby its about the pads and new design? Maybe the production proces has changed? Theese are just my presumptions. I'm still trying to fing a way to keep this soundstage and get the natural timbre back, mayby the ZMF pads will help. If You'll have a chance to compere old 600s to the currents ones I'll be really thankul for such a video. Thanks for great content.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

All designs are compromises . Sennheisers 600 makes the right compromises for me. That said, I also have a pair of Audioquest Nighthawks that make strange compromises- maybe just wrong, and I absolutely love them. I could live with either happily.

[@Viewer13128]

18:13 It's strange to hear that most Toppings don't handle the HD600 very well since I read amirm from audiosciencereview write the following regarding the Topping DX7 Pro (which is an amp/dac combo): "Next up was the Sennheiser HD-650 which the DX7 Pro drove with fantastic dynamic range, detail and performance. You just listen for a few seconds to know that the amp is both transparent and the boss." Do you think amirm is missing something here? I'm pretty sure the HD650 has same/similar specs to the HD600. Regarding portable DAP to drive the HD6-series, do you think any of them can do that? E.g., the iBasso DX320 has 7.1vrms in balanced output. Which brings us to the last question: If Sennheiser gives us single ended cables, we don't even get access to the full power of all these amps/DAPs. Is single-ended enough?

[@dc99yt]

This youtuber doesn’t;t know what he’s talking about 😂 Tube amps have tones of harmonic distortions, a entry level L30 or JDS lab has enough power to drive these cans without distortion, They are powered by a 16VAC transformer, and internally regulated to 18VDC. There is a lot of headroom for the HD600, can swing the voltage very quickly, and they sound fantastic.

[@Assimilator702]

Amazon just had the HD600 for $259. I grabbed a pair. Now they’re $300.

[@ssaini343]

very well explained! thanks a lot

[@Micouniverse]

Thanks a lot for your video. 🍀

[@bigsly3332]

Incredible and informative review. Much appreciated and subscribed! Would you consider the Fiio K7 substantial enough to fully do these justice? Thanks again!

[@jacobclare58]

best review I've heard yet...subbed

[@giovannirizzotti3923]

Hi, this is what I call a review! Very informative e comprehensive. You told that almost every Topping won't handle well those HD600. Do you think that the Topping A70 PRO will be a good match?

[@charlesurias]

I had that amp, but eventually returned it, as I wanted a class a amp. I thought the A70 Pro was great, and somewhat regret returning it. But Wave Theory here is part of the reason I returned it. It was the voltage swing stuff. I did the calculations using Toppings listed specs, and the A70 Pro wasn’t that great at voltage swings, which is what Wave Theory says is necessary to “wake the HD600 up”.

[@CardinalsFanever]

As for old HD 600 and new version of HD600, they sound totally different. Old one is better, more rich, better soundstage. Old one is simply foiled copy. Unfortunately. I own both versions.

[@wavetheorysound]

Gotta get my hands on an OG...

[@rauldon4596]

they're all the same! u r delusional if u think one hd 600 can be audibly different from another bcuz of a cosmetic change.

[@rockpapersniper5105]

These came out the year I was born

[@anothersong1448]

wow cool how would this pair with a Topping DX3 Pro+ you think ?

[@lucasferreira4554]

Hey man, do you think the topping a50iii with the balance input should drive the 600s well?

[@ivanogiordano1319]

Do you think that my pro-ject Head box DS would match well with The HD600? These are The specs. Line-level input/output: 1 pair RCA/phono sockets each D/A-converter: Cirrus Logic CS4344, 24Bit/192kHz Delta Sigma Supported audio format: PCM (LPCM). No support for multi channel formats like Dolby® AC-3 or DTSTM Sampling rates USB 2.0 (B) input: 44,1kHz, 48kHz, 88,2kHz, 96kHz, 176,4kHz 192kHz Coaxial input: 44,1kHz, 48kHz, 88,2kHz, 96kHz, 176,4kHz 192kHz Optical input: 44,1kHz, 48kHz, 88,2kHz 96kHz Power output: 350mW/30 ohms, 60mW/300 ohms Headphone connection: > 30 ohms Signal-to-noise: 112dB (A weighted) at full output Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHz/-0,5dB THD: 0,0014% Gain: 9dB Headphone jack: 3-pole 1/4 ‘‘ (6,3mm Ø)

[@tf2kishi826]

any advice in whether a Universal Audio Volt 2 would be a good experience for this headphone?

[@shanedaniel7]

Does this voltage swing requirement also apply to the AKG K702? I have a JDS Labs Atom w/no DAC and am wondering if the K702 are even worth buying when using this amp. Thank you!

[@estebandavilajr7632]

I use a mojo on my hd600 and it sounds great !!!!!

[@DJaquithFL]

Ahh the new, new, new, new, .... "NEW" Sennheiser 600 series headset. Got it! 😮😂

[@DJaquithFL]

... Meanwhile I'd buy the $200 HD 6XX all day over this $400 HD 600. ✌️😎

[@crosstime06]

Hi is FiiO m11 Plus will drive this headphones in his potential?

[@DjorMil.CineMusic]

Great review! Very professional. Do you think that hd600 are good to ho with some steinberg external soundcard or its better to go for tube amp? I compose cinematic music, but when it comes to epic music, i am not sure hd600 provides all the details in the low end :( i always struggle with that on hd600

[@wavetheorysound]

Hmmm, for pro audio work where you need better bass response I'd look into an Audeze LCD-X. The 2021 edition is really good (I have a review). Tube amps can do funky things in the time domain - changing attack and decay timings - that can be amazing for listening but may not translate out well for mixing/mastering.

[@DjorMil.CineMusic]

@@wavetheorysound Thx for the reply. Yeah i tried Auedeze once, thats totally different price league. Maybe one day :). Also i really didnt like Audeze sound and headphones are heavy they can break your neck :))) I think you can not mix/master on headphones alone, but HD600 do very decent job. Its just if you dont hear the bass on Hd600 you can easily overdo it. I feel like blind in that area bellow 100hz. Sonarworks perhaps…

[@wavetheorysound]

@@DjorMil.CineMusic Gotcha. How about Beyerdynamic? A little more bass response there but more V-shaped. Should make a good bass checking companion to HD600

[@zamedoeswtever5267]

Hope you would test the R70X one day, and compare that to these Sennheisers

[@carlhil2]

The Zen Can Amp also opens these up...

[@ivanogiordano1319]

Do you think that my pro-ject Head box DS would match well with The HD600?

[@elzycollins]

Will an Audient id14 preamp interface be sufficient enough to power these? :)

[@britebay]

Accurate review!

[@ayushbhaumik7980]

Do you think HD600 does better mid range than sundara? is there any genre where HD600 would sound better than sundara?

[@wavetheorysound]

Yes. You gotta spend big big $$$ to meaningfully better the HD600 series' mid timbre.

[@kato2395]

Also remember that there is qualitu control and build quality issue with HiFiMan. With Sundara you might have great sound for 3 months to 3 years at max but with sennheiser, you're going to have great sound for almost a lifetime.

[@milankotevski1663]

17:28 here you mentioned Topping L30 not being an adequate amp for HD600. How about Topping L30 ii with it's improved specs!? That's the amp I own btw., but I don't own Sennheiser yet :=0.

[@kato2395]

Topping is rarely worth it man, I had the L50 E50 stack and it sounds sharp and boring, very bad separation with bloaty midbass. It is so apparent even my non audiophile friend told me so after switching from his cheap behringer audio interface. In fact he choose his behringer because it sounds clearer than the topping.

[@Fckisnotrealnatowefc_nts]

🤦Ofc l30 is not adequate, and topping rarely worth it, and everything else he says. He's an audiophile that knows his stuff, you better believe it

[@MrAnome]

Does switching gain affect voltage swings ? if so, positively or negatively ?

[@wavetheorysound]

Usually, yes. Switching to high gain usually increases the total output level, which can mean more voltage and/or current, depending on how the amp is made. Often, that comes with an increased noise floor. It depends on the individual equipment as to whether that increased noise floor is audible. For most amps, the HD600 will likely benefit from high gain (for those amps that have gain stages) because of its hi-Z load.

[@MrAnome]

@@wavetheorysound ok thank you, you are the first one that i know that actually explained why they benefit from tube amps

[@chungang7037]

@@wavetheorysound Interesting, I have an IFi Zen can kicking around that has gain options, I wonder if it might change the experience for me with my 600

[@towsifshahriarshovo]

Hifiman edition xs or these for bass response??

[@wavetheorysound]

Ed XS. The 2 are playing very different games in the low end.

[@sjqideez6626]

The XS has more sub bass quantity but the HD 600 hits harder in the mid bass

[@zzezzobike]

Cable doesn't look like much??? Same copy paste all the youtubers do to waste the actual time and essence of their review. Factory cable is designed to provide best transmission from the amp. Please skip comments otherwise.

[@uwemariansteinke972]

Please, what do you think is the best open and closed Headphone for heavy metal music?? Until 1800.Dollar LG Uwe

[@tatteredhope911]

I love metal...old metal, thrash metal, black metal, death metal, etc. I have a modded pair of HD 600s I use and a pair of Neumann NDH 30s I love for metal. The HD 600s I modded, I removed the foam behind the ear cup and sewed nylon to the ear pads and removed the foam behind the driver and put a copper weight that Custom Cans makes that let's them breathe better and doesnt add low end but allows more of it to come through, and got a balanced cable for them into an ifi Gryphon portable amp/DAC. So for less than $100 in mods to the HD 600s it opened them up sound stage wise (not a tremendous amount) some and added low end. The Neumann NDH 30s have a larger sound stage (but not huge) and a similar sound to my modded HD 600s but not quite as much highs (or perceived detail) but I still love the NDH 30s and they were $650 and $100 for a balanced cable. The NDH 30s are 120ohm but much easier to drive

[@tatteredhope911]

I also own the Neumann NDH 20s and they have way more low end than either (not a bassy headphone though), and are as clear as both but the sound stage is claustrophobic by comparison. They are 500 bucks and I love them and use all 3 sets for mixing/mastering music as well. I love the Hifiman HE 1000 V2 and Audeze MM 500s for metal too. Some people don't like the mids of the Audeze MM 500s because they are accentuated for mixing/mastering like studio monitors, I like them and use them for that. Audeze MM 500s are 1800 bucks the Hifiman HE 1000 V2 Stealths are 1400 bucks new. The Audezes are super easy to drive and the Hifimans aren't terrible to drive and the sound stage is much better on the Audezes and Hifimans. Lots of detail as well on both. The Audezes you could probably just plug them into a CD player, your phone, lap top/desk top, or whatever and not need an amp for them.

[@luigismilazzo]

It's simply not true. the measurements are absolutely the same either from a dongle and a thx 789. Fletcher Munson curve is something to read about

[@johnellison3173]

Love your reviews man but come on! Did you just say that changing the cable made them sound different? 😂

[@oinkooink]

Nothing sounds bad in the HD600's. Impossible to make them sound bad. So they are terrible for mixing. If you're into mixing.

[@soulfulfool]

they sound amazing with Class A amp's, balanced cable full power ☠☠🔥

[@makunouchiippo816]

Metal music sounds bad on them because it is often poorly mastered and the lack of bass is another reason.

[@doradoradoramen]

That's funny, my experience is opposite to what you say. For mixing and mastering I find they let you hear exactly how it is (once eq'd though) the HD600 takes EQ really well. Once EQ'd (With Sonarworks Sound I.D Reference for example) When EQ'd they become one of the most valuable tools an audio engineer could have.

[@obzillamills]

Congested cable… get out

[@JohnSmith-zl8rz]

Any change on sound on this is myth

[@Lucaat]

What would be a more airy open or closed alternative?

[@wavetheorysound]

Likely the Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm. It's a different signature but has a lot of openness and air for the price range.

[@Lucaat]

@@wavetheorysound Oh I own that one! Spaciousness is great. A little harsh mid-treble though, I found the Treble resolution in the air region better on the Sundara! But that was a tough grainy to me in the mids.

[@chungang7037]

@@Lucaat What did you use to drive them? I have had my eye on them for a long time but feel they need one of the amps made by beyer to drive them...

[@CardinalsFanever]

No

[@garth56]

Would the mojo 2 work???