Sennheiser HD 600 Audiophile Quality, Open Hi-Fi stereo Headphones

After using my Sennheiser HD595 headphones for 10 years, I thought it was time for an upgrade and decided to purchase these. Music sounded "boring" for lack of a better word. After more than 16 years since these were released, these are still considered to be amongst the best headphones you can get (bar the Orpheus and HD800 supposedly). Sennheiser looks after its customers so well by offering a full range of replacement parts for the HD600, and I think this is a testament to a company that released these headphones so long ago. A good pair of headphones is an investment and should last you 10+ years if you look after them. I'm sure that in 10 years time, you'll still be able to buy replacement parts for these.The clamp force is definitely a bit tighter than the HD595s, but it's by no means uncomfortable. After a week or two, they'll feel even better. Immediately, I noticed the improved bass response over the HD595s and greater detail and clarity. I can hear lots of subtleties in songs which I hadn't been able to hear before, and it's almost like I am "listening for the first time". Background vocals are distinctly heard, cymbals clash and reverb with precision, the sound of triangles is subtle but noticeable. Even if you're not a fan of R.E.M., listening to "Man on the Moon" is such a pleasure as not only the quality of the recording is fantastic, but also the song shows off the many vocals and instruments used. And on these headphones this song really does shine.My setup:I've paired these with an SMSL SD793-II DAC & Headphone Amplifier, and I only need to use them at the 11-12 (Roughly about one third volume)o'clock position before it gets a bit too loud (or complaints from the wife!). These do require an amplifier to drive them. I have used them on my iPhone without an amplifier and at full volume, the sound is a little quiet and a little restrained. I also use them with my Onkyo TX-RZ810 receiver and listen to FLACs - mainly Rock - from Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, Zeppelin, as well as some pop such as Adele, Michael Jackson and Elton John. They all sound magical.

Hello. I got these HD600's today after many years of owning relatively cheap & cheerful headphones - my favourites up until now being Sennheiser's 25 quid HD202's. The first question I asked myself was....was it worth upgrading to a professional pair at 8 times the price?Hmmm, dunno.The HD600's initially felt less comfy than the HD202's and also sounded a bit thin but then, after just a couple of minutes, it hit me. I heard what I should have been hearing all these years - the music itself. Not the headphones. Obvious, really. And putting the HD202's on after a few minutes of wearing the HD600's was like strapping blocks of wood to the side of my head.Yes, definitely worth the price. Incredible.I love my HD202's (I have 3 pairs for when I have people recording in my home studio). They were the most comfortable headphones I'd ever worn and sounded very respectable for the price. But having used these HD600's for the last 3 hours all I can say is, if you like the sound of Sennheiser you really should try these amazing headphones.Really.I raised the issue of the "sound" of a brand because I've learnt that manufacturers of audio equipment tend to have a signature "character" in the sound of their headphones, monitors, preamps, microphones or whatever. We, as consumers, naturally gravitate, over the years, towards certain brands - my favourites are Sennheiser, Bluesky, Focusrite & Rode respectively - if I had to describe them all I would say they have an honest clarity to their sound but are not overly clinical or sterile and there's a beautiful silky quality which is never harsh, honky or boomy - plus they all have products which sound great without you paying silly money. In fact, on deciding that I needed to get some professional headphones for the studio I was initially very tempted to buy the 50 quid cheaper AKG K702's but chose the HD600's because they were Sennheisers. I'm sure the AKG's are great too.I have no regrets at all (well, except maybe that night with the sailor and the dwarf).The HD600's do appear to need more volume from my headphone amp than the HD202's but not worryingly so. In fact, the loudest I would normally have the volume pot for the HD202's was just below midway, whereas it's just above midway for the HD600's. What's that, about 15-20 percent more level maybe?In fact, the only other thing to bear in mind if you're thinking of buying some HD600's is that they might initially surprise you at their lack of hyped bass. So for deliberately "heavy" types of music they might not "pump" the way you're used to or would like. I have basic treble & bass EQ pots on my amp so if I'm going to be listening to beefy-sounding music I think I'll be giving the bottom end a little boost. But for mixing I'll be using them as is. They really are gorgeous sounding headphones. They aren't flattering, as such, but are a real pleasure to listen to music on. I can hear so much more and the airy space in the sound is breathtaking. They appear to be very well made and, although I wasn't keen on the colour-sceme in photos, in reality the black & blue speckled effect is fine. And they're very comfortable.I'm a very happy sunbeam.They even came in a nice, hinged box which, after removing the foam inserts, was ideal for keeping all 3 pairs of the HD202's in. Sweet.Well, I hope this has been useful.Thanks.