Sennheiser HD 600 - Hi-Res Audiophile Open Back Wired Headphone - Pioneered with Controlled Airflow & Optimised Transducer, Wide Frequency Response, Designed in Germany for All Day Comfort

I recieved this on a Friday. Came back home, unboxed, plugged it in, played Bohemian Rhapsody. And happy tears started rolling instantly.Legendary headphone that still stands the test of time. Launched in 1997, this headphone is older than me. And the fact that this is still one of the best at this price range says a lot about it. A vocal forward and extremely detailed pair. It doesn't have a wide soundstage but what if I told you that's its strength? Intimate soundstage with excellent details makes the sound deep and layered and that's what makes it special and something everyone must experience. You'll hear details you've never heard before in your favourite songs and it's easily recognisable too thanks to the layering. It's simply beautiful. Vocals, both male and female are perfect. Not too warm, not too bright. Just perfect. From the bass voice of SPB to the high pitched Sadhana Sargam. Everyone sounds great and I don't know how Sennheiser did it. Detailed audio gear generally tend to have shouty vocals but not this one. One real con though is the lack of subbass. It's not a problem in 95% of the songs but you'll want more in those other 5%. ≈3:35 timestamp in "Kadalenum" for instance. You'll notice the lack of subbass, especially if you've listened to something that has it. However if you ask me to pick between details and subbass, I'd anyday pick the details.About build quality you ask? People who bought it in 1997 are still using it, with minor repairs. Says a lot about durability and repairability and I don't think I need to add anything else. Looks wise, well it looks just like the photos in the brushed black colour. I like it. You decide for yourself. The photos are right there. It's extremely comfortable too thanks to the light-weight plastic used. See? You can make durable headphones with plastic. One thing to note is, it comes with a cloth earpads and using them in sweaty Indian summers is not really ideal and could make the pads stink. AC is recommended.Now. These are open back headphones and if you don't know it already, open backs leak sound out and lets ambient sound in and these are no exception. Not made for outdoor listening. However you can happily run around and dance in the house, plugging them into your portable DAC.Now that brings me to the biggest confusion I had before purchasing these and something that need to be considered before purchasing any high impedance open back and that is power requirement. Will it work for someone like me who likes to dance around the house while listening to music? That was my confusion. And remember when I told I had tears when listening to Bohemian Rhapsody? Know what I plugged it into? An Abigail Pro with a mere 31mW power! I'm happy to report that even an entry level portable DAC will give you an enjoyable output. That being said, I did need to max out the volume and low volume recordings with detail and bass peaks needed more decibels. And using the Fiio KA13 with balanced cable brought in more details at lesser decibel level. My current setting is around 40% volume (KA13 with balanced cable connected to samsung s20fe). To sum it up, if this is your first high impedance open back, you can happily enjoy the headphone with your apple dongle or audiocular D07 or Abigail Pro, before saving up and upgrading to a more powerful DAC/AMP for even more spectacular sound.Now coming to the comparisons. Now I haven't heard any others in this price range. Heard a few expensive ones at the headphone connect event, which ofcourse sound better but not a lot at this price range. My main considerations when I decided to buy a open back under 25k were Sundara, HD600, 900 Pro X and Edition XS (more expensive). Main reason I went ahead with HD600 is ofcourse the price. Got these for 17k and it's a steal for that price. Reason why I picked this over Sundara was simply sound signature preference. I just don't like bass. Punchy and fast bass yes (electrostatics💙💜) but absolutely hate it when it makes the vocals even a little bit warm. Over Edition XS simply because of the price. Half the price. Got a DAC and a bal cable along with HD600 and still left with enough to get a very good IEM. Now over 900 Pro X I must say it's purely because of the Sennheiser brand (Beyerdynamic is an internationally reputed brand too but in India, Sennheiser spare parts are easily accessible) and the legend HD 600 is. And ofcourse the offer price made it more sweeter. May be I would've enjoyed the 900 Pro X more because of my preference for brighter detailed sound and tolerance to sibilance but I definitely don't regret getting the HD 600.So to sum it all up. If you're looking for a vocal front, extremely detailed, intimate and layered sounding open back headphone, from a reputed brand, that's durable and okay sacrificing on subbass. The HD600 is the way to go. And at offer prices, it's simply a blind buy.

I have never heard this kind of purest and clearest audio ever in my entire life. What an absolute masterpiece. Well done Sennheiser.

Really amazon headphones! Amazing quality, long wire, highly recommended

But the wire could have been shorter and better quality.

Best headphones I’ve ever owned.

Was using a Sony MDR 7506 with tiny impedance of 32 ohm. This seems such a step up at 300 ohm. The clarity of the high and mids are amazing bass is ok. First proper audiophile headphones. Loving it.

Product is grat as expected

Excellent ! balanced and natural sound, great headphone for critical listening. Hear the music which is closest to the original studio recording. Headphone which reveals the intricate details.