Everything!!... seriously!!

not quite as comfortable as my old Sennheiser HD520 mk2, the cable's strength..

I have to confess straight away.. i have always been a fan of the Sennheiser sound and used them at home. Until recently i'd been sticking to my trusy HD520 MK2
But i finally decided it was time to buy their flagship open-aural dynamic headphones..the HD600.

I decided to run them in at low volume for a few hours..but just couldn't resist taking a listen to them. The John Williams film soundtrack album was being played and when i put the cans on i was TOTALLY blown away. I mean, i knew they were gonna sound better than my previous HD520 and was perhaps expecting a more detailed sound ala Grado..but i never expected it to be that moving emotionally!!.

When the Schindlers list track was playing, i was totaly transported out of my living room, the headphones dissapeared and i was sitting in the audience to the performance. The sound was soo wide, deep, flowing and natural. The bottom end was stupidly low and well defined, with the top end sparkling soo naturally. All this at low volume!!!..and i was almost brought to tears.

After 5 hours i couldn't take it anymore, and decided to crank the volume up a bit more and pretty much spent the rest of the entire day going through all my CD's and records, shaking my head in disbelief at the awesome emotive sound i was hearing. It isn't just the space n detail..it's that 'magic' factor that makes these cans soo wonderful.

Also, whereas with my HD520's i'd be cranking the volume up n up when listening to my fave music, with these i didn't feel the need to, the sound was soo alive it was more than enough, which is a definate plus if you're concerned about hearing damage from prolonged high volume headphone usage...

On the minus side, yes..same old crappy weak cable BUT, the sound quality through them IS excellent and as long as you look after them (i've had my HD520's for years and it's still the original cable, same cable type as the HD600's) they will last.

This whole Grado vrs Sennheiser 'thang' . It is getting a bit silly and it's a shame some people have deliberatly placed silly reviews on both types of cans on some petty childish war.

BOTH manufacturer's make trully stunning headphones, it really is a matter of personal preference. Me personally, i've only ever heard the SR225 model by Grado and not very often and they DO sound trully excellent, but i just prefer the Sennheisers overall with differing musical materials.

I also love dance music and when i played BT's 'Movement In Still Life' album through the HD600, apart from all the additional detail the sensation of spacial movement was beyond what i could of imagined!!

I would like to end my review with a word of warning!, as others have said, this aint no headphones for pluggin straight into a portable CD player, they need some decent driving power. Either a separate amp with a VERY good headphone output, or a dedicated headphone amp (although not absolutely necessary to get great sound from these)

If you do plug a brand new pair of these straight into a portable with the 'turbo bass' on full, you WILL make the bottom end fart horribly and most likely do permanent damage to the drivers... so take care people! :)

Good listening everyone

Arksun
http://www.arksun.co.uk

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser HD433, Sennheiser HD520 mk2, Sennheiser HD570, Grado SR225, Beyer DT100

Everything!!Cover everthing good!

If have, that's your CD player or Amp or Power or Lines' problems.

I didn't know they can be bought for such a low price now. But I never regret I paid more. This headphone can truly reflect your system from CD player to Pre Amp and interconnect cables. I used Rotel 971 + MF X-cans + X-PSU before and I was very happy for their performance. And I thought that's what Sennheiser HD600 can do. But after I upgraded my system to Theta Miles + Sonic Frontiers Line 1 + AEG ECC88 NOS tubes, I almost can't believe my ears!!
In my new system, this pair of headphones are just like a piar of excellent monitor speakers. They don't sound like the so called "headphone" anymore. The sound stage is so real that I feel there are a pair speakers in front of me!
Well, this depends on your system of course. I didn't have that feeling w/ my Rotel 971 and MF Xcans before. And the sound, the same, depends on your system. In my system, the sound from these headphones are very warm,accurate, good mid-range, smooth trebles,focus,deep bass,...and more and more.
By the way, Sonic Frontiers Line1 's headphone output is very good and sound different when using different tubes(I thought this headphone output is seperated with tubes).

Similar Products Used:

some cheap Sony stuffs

Wonderful sound quality, very comfortable

The cable connections to the headphones are loose on mine

I originally bought these with Sennheiser's Lucas surround sound unit and I have never looked back (although the Lucas unit is stuck in a cupboard now :-)

The sound is wonderful and it was amazing to hear headphones producing such good bass and treble at the same time. I spent several hours going through my CD collection with them and it was like listening to some of the music for the first time. Upon hearing them a friend of mine rushed out a bought and pair as well.

They are of little use as portable units since they are VERY loud to outside listeners and would make you extremely unpopular up on the tube/subway.

My only complaint is that the connection between the cables and the headphones is loose on my pair and I have to wiggle them occasionally to make the connection. My friend's pair is fine.

I've still given them five stars since the cables (along with the cushions and driver units) can be replaced individually, thus saving you buying a new pair if something goes wrong.

I'm loving it

makes me realize I need better speakers

I just wanted to thank you all for letting me know about Hans. I've been wanting some HD600's for a long time but couldn't justify the price. At 200 clams it's a no-brainer.

Similar Products Used:

I think I've listened to most top line ones

Everything

Perhaps the lead, although I have had no problems.

I bought the 600's in early 2000 as I managed to tear the cable in my previous Sennheisers (it was the vacuum cleaner, honest!).

I tried a few headphones, but the HD600 simply won. They've been in the system now with a MF X-Cans v2 headphone amp with MF X-PSU power supply and they sound absolutely wonderful. As my system has evolved into an £8,000 system, the full qualities of these headphones continue to be revealed and still amaze me for the price.

I have read that UK dealer Richer Sounds is selling these headphones for £100 ($150) new, so I think I'll buy a second pair for my audio work. After all, they are quite simply the next best thing I have heard to the Orpheus (which I have heard on two occasions and marvelled at its sheer perfection and ridiculous price!) and for a price that's a no-brainer.

If I could give a six overall I would.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser Orpheus, Grado, others.

The Entire Frequency Range !!!

Absolutly none, as long as they are used with the Sugden Headmaster Headphone Amplifier.

I have spent 20+ years trying to obtain perfect sound. Finally after all these years I have put together a system that I believe obtains the best sound money can buy. My system: Sennheiser HD-600's....Sugden Headmaster Headphone Amplifier(see below)....Alpha Core TQ-2 interconnect....Clou Cable Red Jaspis.....Cambride Audio D-500 SE 24/192 khz Cd Player...Beldin Power Cords and Power Conditioner. I can't really add any more to all the positive comments below, except to say that any one who owns the Sennheiser HD-600's is missing out on the pure essence of music, unless you own the (SUGDEN HEADMASTER) PURE CLASS A, DISCRETE-HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER. For more information on this product, please go to winkey-audio.com.tw/sugden-head.htm. Not even Headrooms new 3000.00 Headphone Amplifier will come close to this product!!(Sound Crazy? Two of my friends sold their Headroom Max amplifiers to purchase this unit for less than 1/2 the cost). For the record, I own 2 units, one with-out remote control, and one with remote. I am offering my non-remote version to any interested partys for 595.00. The company now "only" sells the Headmaster with remote for between 865.00 to 1000.00. I encourage everyone who owns the Sennheiser HD-600's to invest in this unit. Peace...Glorious Music to all....Godd Bless...

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Grado, Stax...ect....

discussed below

superior in every way to everything else I've tried

To start,
my system: AMC CD8B -> acoustic research interconnects-> grado ra-1 amp ->Senn HD-600.

Music preference: classical (symphonic, choral, chamber, piano), some techno, weird experimental stuff, Hendrix, and other lesser figures in classic rock.

I shopped around, experimented with components, and put together the above system for $725. It is phenomenol.

Some points I feel strongly about:

*I used the RS-1 with the above system, and the sound was inferior. I returned the RS-1 and saved $400. Not one regret.

*I have read reviews of the Senn. HD-600 which describe its neutral sound as clinical and/or cold. I am utterly baffled by this. Neutral means neutral. Does a good recording of the Berlin Philharmonic's Beethoven need to be "sweetened" or "warmed up". God no. Don't be misled by the word "neutral" (I was at first). The Senns are rich, superbly dynamic, detailed, and bewilderingly capable of recreating a large hall.

*Classical music enthusiasts know that many of the all-time greatest albums have terrible recorded sound (Walter's "Das Lied Von der Erde" with Ferrier comes to mind). The RS-1 exaggerated all that was bad in this specific recording. The music was buried in a heap of hiss and grit. With the HD-600, the hiss buried beneath the beautiful music. Far superior.

*I have discussed only classical so far. But the Senns sounded better (without exception) on every single one of my 400 or so CDs. These include rock, some Jazz guitar, experimental electronic stuff, and binauaral.

*I read a review somewhere (maybe audio audition) in which the reviewer claimed that the Sennheiser's sounded really wimpy on the RA-1. I am convinced that this reviewer either A. was using a portable cd player as a source, or B. Didn't think to turn the volume up. The RA-1 + Senn is a remarkable, inexpensive combo -- try it please.

-- Last thoughts. I scoured these very same reviews before buying my equipment, and even e-mailed a few reviewers for elaboration. If you would like additional advice/opinion/help, please e-mail me. Also, when researching, I tended to dismiss both the very critical and very praiseworthy reviews, and went instead with the more moderate opinions. I think this was a mistake. In one of the reviews I initially dismissed, the reviewer said the Senn "Blew away" the "RS-1". I now agree with him.

The Grado vs. Senn. debate might seem like it has been exhausted. Well, despite all that I read here, I almost went with the RS-1 on blind faith. DO NOT DO THE SAME. PLEASE...AUDITION BOTH!!!

Similar Products Used:

Grado rs-1, grado sr-325, grado sr-60

One audition and you know that the only headphones that compare are the better electrostatic models

Some units have a loose cable connection to the headphones. I have however heard that Sennheiser has taken care of this in the later production runs

Countless audio enthusiasts and audiophiles have paid well over $300 for these headphones and thought they were good value. Now they are available on line for $200 which makes them an even better value. One of the on-line vendors selling these for $200 is Hans der baer. You can buy them at "http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1295057902&r=0&t=0&showTutorial=0&ed=1007813681&indexURL=0&rd=1"Shipping to North America is $10 through this vendor. There are also some other British (empiredirect.com) and German Vendors that sell the Sennheiser HD-580 and the HD-600 for bargain prices. One British vendor is now offering the HD-580 for less than 70 Pound Sterling which is around $100. Shipping to North America for many of these vendors is between $10 and $30. These headphones are not for use in noisy environments as they let in ambient noise. IMHO, except for the better electrostatics, the HD-600 is the closest that dynamic headphones have come to a live performance. They are so revealing that they are merciless on less than perfect recordings, showing up all the flaws. However if the recording is perfect, you could not ask for a better pair of headphones (except for the electrostatics) to enjoy it. These headphones are way more comfortable than the electrostatic headphones I have auditioned.

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Grado (too coloured for my liking)

Everything, with new cablesetup

cable

Those of you that complain about the cable, why dont you replace it with a proper one? Sure, it another 100 bucks but it is worth it. I use Red Jaspis EarPhone cable instead and it takes the earphones to a completely new level.

check out http://www.cloucable.se/212earphone.htm
I have only found info on this particular cable on the Swedish part of their homepage altough they have an english one as well. Maybe it is too good to export?

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Comfort, sound :-)

Urrrrm, none at this price.

Ridiculously good headphones - they beat the pants off any speakers <£500