A legend by name, a legend by nature…
This right here is the quintessential audiophile-grade headphone. This is the design that pops up in people’s minds when they think of high quality headphones, no matter how versed they are in the world of audiophilia. And I finally got my crummy hands on a pair.
The Sennheiser HD600 was first released in 1997, and after more than a quarter of a century the German audio manufacturer is continuing to churn them out by the millions. And people are still buying by the millions too.
Go on any forum even remotely related to audio, and someone will be recommending the HD600s. There is an astounding level of hype surrounding these cans, and thus my expectations going into this review were very high. Are the Sennheiser HD600 worthy of their legendary status? Read on to find out!
Comfort and Build
Comfort is a bit of a weird one. Out of the box, the clamp force on the HD600 is plain ridiculous. Even perched on my miniscule head, they dig really hard into the sides of my head. While this secures the cans firmly, it doesn’t take long for discomfort to set in. After just a few days of use however, the clamp loosened a fair bit and I’d now go so far as to say these are one of the more comfy pairs that I own.
These Sennheisers are what you would call plastic-fantastic. But they are by no means flimsy. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to the strength of the build; metal is used where it counts (the adjustment mechanism) and the plastics are thick and pliable.
Sound
The audiophile community refers the overall sound of the HD600s as “neutral”. This means they closely adhere to a target which allows you to hear the whole frequency range, from bass to treble, with equal clarity and resolution.
This can only be a good thing, right? Yes, it’s really good! It’s so… good! The sound coming out of these is just perfect… let me explain.
Bass
Any of you bass heads may find the extreme low frequencies generated by the HD600s a touch disappointing, but the truth is that the bass is plenty sufficient for most music genres.
Yes, there is significant roll-off in the sub-bass, so you won’t get any rumble, but mid-bass and upper bass are so well represented and life-like that it’s easy to forget this shortcoming. You are going to hear that word a lot more in this review: life-like. Trust me.
Perhaps this is better left for the detail section, but the bass that does exist has great attack and decay qualities, with a wonderful sense of texture. It’s downright addictive on some songs. But EDM and house lovers may be more inclined to look elsewhere.
Midrange
Midrange is ever so slightly forward on the Sennheiser HD600, especially in the upper reaches. Higher-pitched male vocals and female vocals have such a life-like (there it is again) timbre to them; Sam Smith has never sounded so good. Intimacy on another level.
This natural midrange timbre extends to the instruments too. This is the advantage of listening to a headphone with a neutral sound signature; there isn’t a single type of sound, be it guitar or synth notes, that appear overly harsh or fade into the background when they aren’t supposed to. I guess in a way you are listening to the song “as the artist intended”.
Treble
When I initially decided to purchase the HD600, I was in the market for a “warm-sounding” headphone. A set of cans I could put on to gently caress my ears and fall asleep to. Considering this, I was looking for a pair which had slightly recessed treble, so the piercing high frequencies wouldn’t suddenly awaken me from a deep slumber.
However, the treble on the Sennheiser HD600 isn’t really recessed. It stays close to the reference target, dropping below just as much as it rises above. Nevertheless, due to the forward nature of the midrange it never feels harsh, sibilant, or any of those words associated with listening fatigue.
Treble is present in just the right amount for me; I don’t have to search for it in the mix nor does it scream at my face. In other words, perfect!
Soundstage and Imaging
The HD600s are inherently narrow-sounding, but it never feels like you’re missing out on anything. This is because the imaging is excellent. So while you will never get that mystical illusion of sounds feeling like they are coming from another room, classical and orchestral music will be just as satisfying, as you can visualise the room the instruments are playing in.
Besides, the lack of soundstage plays well with the vocal intimacy; it really feels like the singer has put on a private show just for you. Yes, I know some headphones can do vocal intimacy and huge soundstage at the same time, but you’d have to fork out thousands of pounds for that ability.
Detail
Detail is certainly there with the Sennheisers, and while it’s not a resolution monster I feel like I’m never wanting more.
The perception of detail is aided by some of the best attack and decay characteristics I have experienced in a dynamic driver headphone. Both the bass and treble have astounding texture, each note well defined. There’s not much else to say here; the HD600 has great resolution.
Overall Verdict
I cannot fault the Sennheiser HD600. There’s a reason why serious collectors who have spent tens of thousands on audio always keep a set of these lying around. Just make sure you properly amp them, and prepare your mind for audio nirvana…
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