extremely clear mids/highs, open back (so no muffling takes place)

Right speaker has rattled when tight low frequencies come on. On my fourth pair, and ALL have done the same (one pair even had the rattle on the left speaker as well)

I initially purchases this on BestBuy.com's site. They got great reviews (here). When I got the 570's in the mail, i turned on many sorts of music, eventually coming to songs with a lot of bass. I started hearing this slight rattle in the right speaker, it got progressively more annoying, so i took them back, and ordered another pair of 570's. This new pair did the same exact thing, even in different songs. So I took that pair back as well. I got my money back, and went to The Good Guys, and bought the same set. Brought those home, and what happend was BOTH the right and left speaker rattled during low frequencies. By this time, i was fed up, so i took them back, and got the HD500's. Those, neither of the speakers rattled... but the mid/high frequencies weren't as sharp and crisp as the 570's. So, here i am, on my fifth pair within a week (fourth of the same make/model) and the right speaker is rattling during low frequencies. I doubt some of you will read on this far, but be ware, try something out before you purchase. I paid 150 bucks for these :(

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25$ Aiwa pair
35$ panasonic pair
35$ sony pair (don't remember names)

Comfort, Soundstaging, Classical music reproduction.

Bass, Treble, Mids...

Remember to take my review with a few large grains of salt. :-)

Well, I was in need of a new set of cans that were going to be easy to power without an extra headphone amp. I figured they were Senn's, they're $129, so they can't be terrible.

Sadly, they are. For anything asides from classical, that is.

These headphones represent a very good soundstage from ear to ear. I can't find any noticable gaps. They're comfortable as heck, and they reproduce classical music very well. At times they seem to have a dark representation, and at others, a bright representation. I'm equating this to what sounds like severe peaks and vallies in the upper responce.

As for the rest...

The bottom end seems to be more apparent then the midbass region. They seem to pick up responce after 70hz or so, whereas above the bass seems overly tight, and sometimes even boomy. What low bass there is, has a very slow and round sound to it that lacks any reguard to definition. The mids are recessed, which creates a "hollow" sounding representation of the music.

The treble can be ok at times, but lacks a lot of definition. Some crash cymbals sound like spray cans and hissing cats. They seem to have a sibilance issue, as well, so you get the lisping, or screetching affect on some recordings that utilize vocals with "sh" "ch" and "s" sounds at somewhat high decible levels on the recording. This can be really annoying.

If you're a classical music nut, these headphones may suit your needs perfectly, as I found they sound great with this style of music. I'm assuming this was their intended purpose anyway.

For rock and other styles, I'd look elsewhere.

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Grado SR60, Grado SR80, Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser HD580, Sony MDR-CD380

Bass at low volume, comfort

Noisy treble, bass that make a plastic sound, need an amp to be used correctly, price, left speaker is playing louder than the right one

I bought ma HD 455 3 years ago and its sound better than that s*** I bought today: the hd 570. The sound is horrible for the price you pay. I try it with mp3, audio cd, stereo system, games and movies....nothing to do, the sound is always giving headache..maybe in games its sounds good but...ill return this headphone to the store tomorrow, thats sure! Oh I forget a importat think that I dont understand from sennheiser...the left speaker is playing louder than the right one...! Now i have to find another headphone to replace my old broken hd 455, maybe buy a new cable but it cost 40$ btt :/

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HD 455

very clear sound

highs are a little harsh

My friend needed a place to stay, so I let him use the basement. Well I work late and when I come home I like to crank the stereo. To keep the peace, he let me use his headphones 570's. So I used them one day when I got home. I listened to every heavy metal song in my collection for nine straight hours. I could make out the words from songs that previously I could not discern from my loudspeakers, which are fairly good quality. As well, these sound the best when the stereo is set to dolby V mode. With the volume as loud as I could handle, my ears barely rang after. I found the bass to be very good, but the clarity of hearing vocals is what makes these headphones impressive. The highs are a little harsh, but then I have my treble set to full, so I have only myself to blame.
Now, when I come home late at night, I look forward to putting these phones on without worrying if I'm knocking the plaster off the neighbor's walls.
I listened to a wide variety of music and am not disappointed at all by the bass or treble response.
Since I haven't tried other headphones I'm only rating these a four, but they could very well be a five.

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none

Comfort, no fatigue, accurate, warm tone color

slightly under represented in the high end frequencies

First, these are very comfortable. The open construction allows them to breath well (no sweat) and the ear enclosure is large and roomy so they don't rub on your ears (mine are large). The pads are nice, they don't rustle when you move and they aren't annoyingly fussy or sticky. 3 meter cord is good although I still bought an extension for more mobility. Construction is solid and low weight.

Out of the box, I found them to be very lacking in the high end (female voice, cymbal, piano, etc.) sounding as if the top 3rd of the frequency range had been damped down. I was cross referencing with my home speakers (Paradigm Studio 20v2). I almost returned them immediately but decided to see if they could be burned in. So, I put on some punchy music, cranked the volume to about -15db, shoved them under a pillow, and let them sit for about 8 hours. This seemed to loosen them up considerably. They sounded much like my reference (both connected to a Yamaha RX-V800).

I still am amazed anyone could consider them "bright". I would say that they give an overall warm tone to music. I would generally prefer a brighter tone but a definite advantage to a warmer tone in headphones is that they are less fatiguing. I've listened to them at moderate volume (movies and music) for 6 hour stretches with no fatigue. I usually give out in about 2 hours.

At low volumes, I still think the highs are lost a bit, and at high volumes, I think they get a bit boomy. At moderate volumes they are pretty well balanced but with a distinctive warm coloration. They are fairly quick, accurate, and distortion free. I'll be happy with them for many years.

I think they are a little overpriced, but I think that about most things electronic (except my Paradigms) but it looks like most people in the forum found better deals. I tend to believe that the price paid is buying a little more greater comfort than buying terrific/accurate sound.

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sony digital (forgot model ~$80 in 1987, retired 2000)

Comfortable. Makes everything sound better. Never fatiguing. Faily neutral with a little bass emphasis. Removeable cord is a plus.

Open design lets in ambient noise

I bought these primarily for use in a recording studio. Recording engineers prefer neutral, accurate reproduction, and these certainly fill the bill, even though to be really neutral a little bass must be EQ-ed out.

I tried many, many headphones and liked none of them, including Sennheiser's high-end closed model for about $260 (a closed model is what I would have preferred). The 570's however sounded exceptionally good...nothing else I tried would rate better than a 2 or 3, including highly touted AKG's and Sonys. These have an open, airy sound that is very accurate and uncolored...just what the doctor ordered.

I find it amazing that one model headphone can sound this good and that the closest thing to it would be a distant, distant second, but that has been my experience. I can't remember ever being so satisfied with a product in my life, actually, or so amazed at how bad by comparison the competition is. I'm considering buying a second pair just to ensure having a pair if they ever stop making the 570's.

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I tested every $100-$500 headphones I could find

I tested these heaphones with Stravinski's "Rite of Spring" with Boulez and Puccini's "Tosca"with Sinopoli.Both are very good recordings with much treble and bass definition,so I choose them to test my new HD 570...well,I have to say that the sound quality was very near to a live performance,even if there was maybe a little too much bass.But going back to my old Sony headphones was like to hear music from a walkie talkie. :-)I haven't tested the hd 600 yet,but if you don't want to spend more than 300 $ I would still recommend you the HD 570.

The HD570s are the '99 replacement of the (in)famous 545s. Overall, the sound of the 570s is very bright - even to the point of being harsh when listening to rock-type music. This overemphasized treble seems to be the mechanism for lending the 570s their high level of detail and clarity. When listening to most types of jazz, solo piano recordings, and orchestral works, the 570s do quite well, giving a clean overall sound and excellent imaging. However, I cannot recommend them for much in the way of heavy metal, hard rock, and the like - if this is the type of music you listen to, by all means look into the Grado line (SR125 and 225).
Overall analysis:
Power handling - 4/5
Detail and clarity - 5/5
Accuracy of response - 3/5
Comfort (ergonomic) - 5/5
Comfort (sonic) - 3.5/5
Value - 4/5
Appearance - 4/5

It's interesting that some people think these 'phones have too much bass, and some think they have too much treble. I guess that goes to show that headphone sound is a very individual thing.
To my ears, the HD570s have an almost perfect tonal balance. The bass is full and deep, but always controlled and defined. I've never heard anything that I would call "boomy." Vocals sound very natural and have a presence that I would expect from good quality loudspeakers. The highs are clear and detailed. On a handful of recordings, out of the 25 or so I've listened to so far, the highs do seem a little too "hot," especially at high volume. However this is easily solved by cutting the treble a notch or too (assuming you have tone controls). I'd prefer to occasionally cut back a couple of dBs than to have to boost the treble on most recordings. And I suspect that the treble performance of the HD570s accounts for something else that I really like about them: their ability to precisely place instruments and voices in space (even if it is the space between your ears).

I wasn't sure if I would like circum-aural 'phones, since I've mainly used supra-aural types in the past, but I find the 570s to be very comfortable. What little pressure there is, is on your head rather than directly on your ears. They might be a little warm in hot weather, but as long as the a/c is working, that shouldn't be a problem.

I tried the Sennheiser HD490s for a few days before I traded up to these. Like others have reported, I thought the 490s had too much bass on most recordings--very boomy-sounding. Also, vocals sometimes had a restricted, "pinched" quality. The 570s were well worth the extra $50 I paid for them ($150 total).

I listen mainly to acoustic jazz, "adult" rock, blues, R&B, and occasionally classical. The 570s sound fine to me on all of these. I'd like to give them 4.5 stars, but since I can't, I'll round up.

Detail, comfort, ability to change out the phono cord
Light weight, wonderfull bass.

none yet

My wife needed to replace her 1 yr. old sony's because of a faulty phono wire in both. I decided to listen to a pair of Grado 225's and the Sennheiser HD570 Symphony. She liked the sound of the 570's more than the Grado's. I liked the bass output and love the detail with classical music. Things like hearing the musicians breathing a phrase or the sticks,(bows) slapping the strings when played hard. I really don't think I need a headphone amp, my Yamaha RX V2095 seems to put out plenty of power as I won't listen with the volume above the 10 o'clock level.
The Grados we listened to were not to comfortable compared to these. I think the Grados would have won out if I listened to them with a good headphone amp like the MF X-cans or the Maxed out home. Vocal clarity is excellent especially with massed voices. Have found that they sound pretty good with rock as well. I can tell the differences between a metal xylophone or wooden one. I was told that they will settle down after a while. Overall We like them a great deal.
Jim P

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2 pairs of Sony MDR501's and Koss model unkown.