I just want to note, I also cringe at the concept of being a "headphone expert". While I've heard and tested a LOT of stuff... I'd like to think the people I learn from and surround myself with are the real experts, and I'm just doing my best to bring what I learn to the community in videos like these.
Being an expert on headphones is a very good description of your technical knowledge. Having all of the measurement experience you have acquired is certainly meaningful. Still, at the end of the day, you are listening for different things than others may be, and that is a gap that neither knowledge nor experience can bridge. I can be certain that my life spent as a symphony musician will cause me to listen very differently than others on the same equipment. I wish there was an objective way to erase that difference, but I have never found one.
I very much identify with cringing at describing oneself as an expert, but also think that if there is such a thing you've put in the work to hold that title.
Also tell them that they need to be more selective with whom they let demo the HE-1. Hearing music through them and then going back to anything else is a leading cause of crippling depression among enthusiasts.
My first of the 600 series was the 600, way back in 1998, not long after coming to the market. I purchased it at a time when I was working a second shift job and I wanted to be able to shower and then listen to music while my wife slept. In 1999 we had a child and one day as he approached the age of one and was just about to master that walking thing, he managed to get his gloms on my headphones by holding himself up and removing them from the desktop where I had carelessly left them. I went to work that afternoon not realizing my error and at some point they found their way into the bottom of the dishwasher. And they got washed. It didn't work out so well! I didn't discover until the following morning because I didn't listen to music that night. I decided not to spend so much on the replacement pair so I bought the HD535, which I still have. I also own the 600 once again, as well as the 6XX and the 660S2, which is probably my favorite. I like the extra bump in the bass as well as an elevated treble because it seems to lift that veil of the 600/6XX/650. The 600 series is still a great line in my viewpoint. Maybe not the ultra high end TOTL type headphone it seemed to be back in 1997 but still a great headphone. BTW, I'm 63 years old and don't hear like I did in my 20's & 30's.
The original HD600 is/was the greatest bargain in headphone history.I have headphones which cost 8 times as much as the 600s,yet I still go back to the 600s from time to time
@@oktober-r8i Not true , it depends by your needs , if your needs is to drive a Sport Ferrari its better than an SUV , if your needs is to use a car day by day and move your family then its better than Ferrari . HD 600 are better for what they are good to do vocals timbre natural, 660s2 are way better on imaging , seperation, speed , soundstage , and bring instruments in the mix ... So it depends by what u want .
I own the 600, 6xx and 490 pro and I find myself reaching for the 490 pro 90% of the time. The comfort is amazing, probably my favorite in my entire collection. Im a gamer and there really is no contest, they are hands down better than the 600 and 6xx. I also prefer the added bass vs the anemic bass on the 600 and 6xx. The extra sparkle in the treble can get fatiguing but I found that Oratory's EQ for the 490 pro is absolutely perfect (and I really dont like to EQ). That said, the 600s on my Darkvoice is phenomenal.
very good review. thx for sharing this information. Here's my two cents: Had the 600 vs the 650 in comparison. The 650 sounds nice, a little bass extended, warm generally. The 600 also sounds good out of the box, but more balanced. I mainly bought them to check bass on my mixes. After testing them back and forth, the results with 600 always kept the dynamic better in place. So the 600 wins, especially for mastering.
I've owned the HD650's for something like 20 years now, same original pair. I replaced the foam sides and top headband, very easy to snap in new ones sold on the Sennheiser website. With that they're still like new and sound amazing. I change the cable a lot (balanced or unbalanced depending on where I'm using them), and no wear on the side connectors. House, Trance or Techno plus a SUBPAC leaves you in heaven!
agreed, I keep wondering why people are leaving that out, especially since the original 660s is no longer made, and this is the part of that legacy. Also I don't think the 620 belongs in this group either. with both being closed back and 599 series design, it really is not the same animal. the 58x should have been in here.
I enjoyed this video, as I own most of these headphones and some that are not in this line up from Sennheiser, I would have liked to seen where the HD 560 fell in this line up, it is the only one here I don't have aside from the 660s2, I still have the 660s1 and never thought it necessary to upgrade. Thank you for the ridiculous amount of work you put into this video to give us all this information.
I understand and appreciate the difficulty choosing between the HD600 and the 490Pro. I've had similar challenges. While I will go for several months, thinking I prefer something else, I always come back to the HD600. In its price class, for the headphones I've listened to and loved, it's just better. I still listen to, and love, the others. If other prefer them, I support you. If you gave me a choice of one, the HD600 is my clear winner.
I stil keep my HD600, my first open headphone, even today side by side with HD 800S, Utopia, Hifiman HEK 1000 V2, Meze Liric. And with a Mojo 2 is a real lush.
I have 800S as well, and Utopia, and many others. Keep coming back to my beautiful HD600. Nothing does sweet highs like this gem of a headphone. Nothing.
Both of your comments are good to hear! A couple of weeks ago I bought brand new HD600's for $350 Australian which is about $240 US. I'm VERY happy with them and feel like I got a bargain. Haven't heard the 800s but they are a pair I'd love to get in the future when I'm more financial. 👍
I like the HD560s. It's probably the best bang for the buck HP right next to the 6XX. I liked the 560s more than the 490 Pro which is 2x the price. Especially for gaming. For the price and value it's easily A tier and knocking on the S Tier Door. 🌶 Spicy Take of the Day
Fully agree, the HD560s really is incredible, an overall awesome tuning of great bass extension, slightly forward yet balanced mids, and sparkly, airy treble, and a pretty solid technical performance all for the asking price. Cant go wrong with it for both gaming and music imo.
I absolutely love my 560s they are brilliant. I run them with eq off my fiio ka17. Pull back 4.5k by 3db.. push up 10k by 2db and create a progressive bass lift below 80hz. I honestly love them as much as my hd600's. I reach for the 560s when I require a more truer stage. Xx
More great work Andrew. I've been using the 10 ohm impedance adapter from the crinicle red on my 600s and it's an awesome combo with my K5 pro. I do eq 200hz down about 2db and I like to reduce 1.5k down about 2db also. That seems to open up the soundstage a bit although I might just be imagining that.
Great video, but it would be nice to include 660s and 58x in the measurements. Even if it's discontinued - the comparison would still be very useful for people who have it.
Well done, I was looking at the buying the 660S just today, Being in Brisbane, Australia, there is no where for me to go and try on these headphones, so I rely on this type of information, your timing was impeccable, I will stick with my entry level 560s for now. Can you please do a 500 series comparison video so I can at least feel good about the 560s...Joking
I’m currently looking at the 490 Pro mainly for mixing and mastering, would you say those would be the closest out of the bunch to translate a mix/master on multiple sound sources? (Car, Earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, etc.) By the looks of the graph they seem to be the flattest or closest to the grayed out sound curve.
I recently picked up a pair of HD 660 S2's in the hype of their release and to be honest, I am feeble in knowledge compared to a YT'er but, I've really enjoyed the slightly lowered Treble in these, it allows me to drive them more to really pull all the goodness out while also not being fatiguing over long periods.
Got a pair of 660S2's for $440 which are coming in tomorrow, so I'm excited to try them out for a bit and see if I like them. First pair of open back headphones I'm getting so we'll see how it is. If not, I can always return them and put that money towards something else.
The timing on this couldn't be better. I've had the Sennheiser HD 569 closed-back's in my Amazon cart for the past day trying to make a decision between these and IEMs. 😅
@@Hijynx87 I'm trying the Tangzu Wan'er iem's to start. They're recommended by a few audiophile RU-vidrs, and I wanna start cheap to see if I like the vibe.
@@residentzero For hundreds of dollars they better be amazing 🤣 I'll see how I like the cheaper pair first- if the ergonomics of wearing buds VS phones suits me, I'll consider something more high-end in the future. Edit: And yeah, the 569's I removed from my cart. $120 for an ancient pair of cans that I can't find any reviews for? I'll pass.
What amp portable or desktop would you recommend for the 600 or 650/6xx ? Since the impedance is 300 ohms. Thanks for your reply in advance. I watched the WHOLE video. It wasn't that painful. 😁
I don't think anyone said the S2 had a bass shelf. It has better bass extension than the 650, which the graph shows. And while it also shows the S2 doesn't extend flat, like a planar, I feel the sub-bass to a greater extent, subjectively, than on the 650, which is all mid-bass then nothing. It's a lot like the difference between a bookshelf speaker, and a full range tower to my ears.
@@dizzy-snail The 660S2 stopped me dead in my tracks and I love rap, does all genres well and the bass is as good as it gets without dropping serious $$ - Also check out the Harmonicdyne + Z-Reviews Eris (just dropped and it's main focus is bass)
I know this is probably going to get lost and forgotten, but I’m going to say it anyway. I just recently bought the HD 620s. As soon as I took it out of the box and put it on my head I immediately wanted to cry. They were the heaviest and most uncomfortable headphones I’ve ever worn. The sound quality was so mid. The bass was way overpowering and the vocals seemed almost drowned out. I tested several genres of music, tested video games. I was so depressed after my experience. I know he was comparing the 600 series in this video, however I have never owned any other 600 series before. So I will compare it to my HD 558’s. My sennheiser HD 558 headphones were the best headphones I’ve ever had! I could hear the vocals clearly! The instruments were excellent, I could hear every individual instrument being played! I loved those headphones so much until the right speaker blew. I retuned the 620s as soon as my local ups opened. I’m ashamed to have waisted my time and money on them to begin with.
I just received my pair. Maybe because I'm using them with a DAP, but my pair are a bit light in the bass region. Otherwise I think I like the way they sound. And I find them very comfortable. I was able to wear them for many hours with no issues. Maybe unit variation?
Sometimes I wonder if sennheiser regrets that they nailed it back than with the hd600 :D I mean they came out 1997 and are still a benchmark for them and others. Beating that at a competitive price compared to the original aint easy, especially if you also take comfort, availability and serviceability into consideration.
haven't been able to try a 600 series yet, but i absolutely adore my 560s. I took the short 3.5mm-2.5mm cable that came with my Bose QC45 and jammed it into the twist lock, completely fixed the cable issue if you find the stock one too long and bulky. Really interested in trying 490 pros and 600's
Great job - again. The HD58X has already been mentioned as missing here, but how about the HD580 Precision, the headphone that started this whole thing.
hey resolve thoughtful and great video as always. is there any validity to the claim that the only minor difference results from a single vs double foam backing covering the drivers of the hd600 and 650 series?
When EQ is a thing, the minor differences in frequency response between all of these are so small as to be irrelevant. I've used 600, 6XX, 660S, 660S2. They can all be easily adjusted to sound just how I want.
just to be clear, they're separate companies now aren't they? as i understand it sonova acquired sennhesier consumer division, pro is the original company
Baby Resolve was one helluva unexpected jump scare lol I personally have a preference for the 6XX over my 600 but it's amazing just how well the 600 series have held up throughout the years
Stuff like "confidence intervals" or "range of variance for what you'd be likely to hear" on graphs would be dope! Thanks for looking into that! Looking forward to anything you can come up with. Neat to catch up with the 6x0 series (and slightly beyond) with the latest discourse in the community about how these things should be measured/evaluated. Would like to know how the 569 stacks up given the new 620S is trying to fill that design niche, or any other decent Sennheiser closed-back (if they exist?) or closed-backs from any brand that have anywhere near the 6x0 series' level of "naturalness" in a closed-back, if they're out there. I keep thinking I wanna be able to record into mics or listen near other people without the compromises to sound everyone says these closed-backs tend to have. (And I'm not a huge EQ person, but a wildly off-sounding closed-back would be harder to EQ in the first place.) Anyway... thanks again for the video!
People like me and some of u guys that we Have all of them , we know that 660S2 are better headphone, imaging , separation, smoothness , soundstage , speed is way better than 600 , 650 , BUT they are not so vocal focus like the others . U cant have it all.
I've used my HD7 DJ since they released. Couple of pad changes over the time. Running them completely flat off my phone, through my Plenue R or off my old Marantz NR1602. I'll run these headphones until they die. I bought the HD660S1 when they released (as Senn gave me a discount for the headband crumbling on my DJ's) so I picked up a pair. Since release I've used them maybe a couple of times. No matter what I run them off they sound so unbelievably flat to me. They've sat in their box for years at this point.
Great video. Thanks for all the time you took to make the comparisons. Which headphones would you recommend with a greater extension in the sub-bass, compared to the 600 series?
@@randomAnnanoumousDude2134 thanks! I will checkout both. I have an HD 600 and I love it so much . But I’m looking for something funnier. Thanks again.
Hi , very interesting video, it’s a known fact that bass at lower end not that prevalent on 600 series and that’s way custom cans bass mod fir the 600 series is available, I fitted that mod to me 6xx and does improve bass at bottom end, I like also my 660s, I have fitted thicker pads to my 6xx and 660s1 to see if that changes the audio reponse. It’s also interesting that sennheiser made it more bass at the bottom end on 660s2 as you have noted. Also 560 is also not to bad all rounder headphones. Currently in the Uk hd650 is currently retail at £229, 660s2 is £359, 600 about £350 upwards . I was hopping that someone do a 650/6xx with customer cans mod against the 660s2 to see how the lower bass sound . Regards mark
I'm writing this before the video ends so it may have been addressed, but why wouldn't the 660s be included? If the 650 and 6xx are included and they're literally the same headphone, why wouldn't the 660s be included? I'm not trying to start a war but since it's debut it's seemed like the 660's has been neglected or disrespected for what seems like no reason.
660S are some of the best before they did the 660S2, but his list make not much sense since he placed them in D tier, they are easily A tier (I didn’t try the 660S2 yet)
@@Emmbedd I have the 660S as my daily driver, but I need to EQ it to sound the way I enjoy it. It has this weird peakiness in the mids that can be EQd off, but it really annoys me.
@@mfdoom808 i see, I use them to produce music, mainly techno, and to me those are some of the best headphones to understand all the correct mids and relatively the highs. I think it’s an headphone studied for sound creation and EQ, if something sounds good on them it sounds good in any sound system.
@@Emmbedd That's very interesting, thanks for sharing. I do like it for electronic music too and for vocals, but I find the timbre a bit strange with distorted guitars and cymbals. EQing out the 5.5kHz peak and bringing it closer to the Oratory target makes it sound beautiful to me though. Nothing beats its midrange.
But how would you rate the 660S2 with EQ ? Can it become eventually a B tier when EQ'ed ? What do u think ? Thx for the comparisons anyway always good content here !
This is only subjective tier list. 660S2 are better at precision, dynamics, imaging and have a bit better sound stage with extended sub base while it still sound smooth and have that nice perfectly controlled sparkle that original 600 was shy of. YOU HAVE to listen by yourself and decide which Option is your favorable.
I can’t wait for the gaming section video. Please put the SHP 9500 on the list. I wonder how the $75 headphone stacks up against headphones in the $300ish range for gaming
Me waiting for the headphone expert to come on camera 🙇♂️ I jest! I love the deep dive. But I was on the edge of my seat with the 620s ranking "without EQ" ... but then you never say whether it'd move up a tier with EQ. I must know! I personally am feeling like it's slotted in as the only closed back that I need. Good isolation, light, the clamp is much more bearable for me than the other 600 series headphones, and it sounds pretty darn good with a bit of EQ. And it's not super expensive so I feel okay taking it into the office/leaving it overnight, etc. Would not do that with the absurdly priced closed back upgrades out there (looking at you, E3).
6fiddies are great... just the slightly darker thicker sibling. I have the hd580, hd600 and hd650. I listen to all of them but the hd600 gets used most xx
Thanks, Resolve! If only a certain website with "science" in its name could measure and review headphones with the same level of measurement precision and objectivity.
I love my HD600 but they are currently in the box because one of the pads is falling apart. Planning to DIY a OTL tube amplifier for them and bring them back from retirement!
Hi Andrew, thanks for the video. I have two technical questions : - Does in-ear microphone measurements are more reliable than 5128 for our own head ? I am using in-ear microphones, and the bass on the 620s is, as you mentioned for you, particularly low for me. I tried to eq it as my HD600 measurement and also using sine sweep for treble because I can hear differences in treble peaks placements (probably due to the missing ear canal effect ?) but even like this the overall sound is quite miles away from HD600. So to what extent in-ear microphones and sine sweeps can be useful for us, could you do a video about it ? - Why does your new shaded area target curve show an unsymmetrical “dip” between 100 and 400 hz when this part is often filled by headphones like HD600 series ? Especially since it seems to me that this part gives to the music this warm/realistic timbre in voices and comfortable/normal amount of bass and once you drop it a little it sounds rapidly way more colder, spacious, harman tuning ? Which is not bad per se just why the unsymmetrical dip ? Thank you, cheers from France !
meanwhile on other channel and discussions HD660s2 is the A tier. It's really a subjective thing. It's almost watching and reading reviews is useless. Just gotta try it yourself
I’m unsure whether to get planar or not - the extended accurate bass really appeals to me for mixing and producing house and techno if I go with open back. However you say planar lack punch which is also important for these genres. Can I have both? The closed back DT 700 / 770s have it but not really any open backs.
get the hifiman Edition XS, or if you are more vocals focused then the Sundara. XS is $380 new, and $240 refurb from their website. If you feel you have to have lots of punch, the Focal Elex are the kings of punch while still being excellent across the entire mixing range.
What is the difference with the 490 pro plus and the 490 pro? I want the producer pads for gaming. I don’t care about extra cables, carrying case etc… Thx
I'm someone who wanted a big soundstage and wanted some tight bass that doesn't color the mids, I found the PC38x to sound better than the HD6XX, they are very underrated, not just better for gaming but for music as well.
The HD6XX is what got me into this terrible awful expensive pit of audiophile expenditure. Now I just have a pad swapped and eq-ed 8xx and that is pretty much all I need...
So the new 620S would likely sound better as the pads age and contour to the head more? I'd love to see some pad swap measurements for these headphones as well. My favorite headphone is a 6xx with the dekoni hybrid pads which increases the bass a bit which makes them about perfect (for me).
Hmm, I've never looked at their pro stuff. The 490 Pro does fix a couple things I don't like about my 6XX, so I should probably look into them. It might be interesting doing a collection show of a lot of the less thought about headphones, ones people often don't look at and consider, things that might actually be a great fit or a fit for certain use cases, but they simply aren't part of the mainstream recommendations and reviews that are spammed everywhere. Think of it as a "for your consideration" episode picking a small collection of unique outliers that might be special in their own way but for whatever reason are just overlooked or maybe just in obscurity.
sort of... I had them, they gave me 2 db more bass below 80Hz, but they suffered with increased veiling of the mids and highs... Anyway they don't start with 6. :)
@@larrydunn4626 490 doesn't start with 6 either. The important part is that the original HD580 is what the whole 600 series was based on, and the drivers on the HD58x are a variation of the original HD660. And it definitely has the similar physical design to the 6 series, something that cannot be said about the HD620, which actually uses the 5 series design (which, being closed back, makes it almost questionable to include with this bunch). Granted this is primarily about the sound, however, by that metric, the 58X definitely fits with the 6 series.
@@MichaelSidneyTimpson There are also 2 kinds of driver sennheiser uses in the hd6x0 series, 6xx, 650, 600 uses Minisys drivers the rest uses SYS drivers
As a metalhead owning both the HD600 and HD660 S2, I have to say I was quite underwhelmed by the sound signature of the HD660 S2. I considered returning them, however I noticed they sound great for Jazz and Swing music. Considering metal typically is not bass heavy, it makes sense that it would not be a good match.
People that have ALL of them and USE them Know that it depends by what u want . Technically HD660s2 are better headphones what ever anyone say like the signature or not. They have better speed, imaging, separation, soundstage , they do bring instruments in the mix and lose the vocal focus of the others thats true. The HD 600 are still the King on some things like vocals , natural sound , and 650 are the kings of smooth sound at bad recording . Graphs are always say the HALF story . Just see the LCD - X u like the signature or not ... Technically is Amazing Headphone , like 660S2 are .
I just recently compacted hush-x with blackstar portable guitar and even if donner around 40%+ cheaper, I'll definetely prefer it at least because of standard length between frets and it's not as shaking as blackstar while you playing)
