This is the official thread for the Sennheiser HD600. This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- Over Ear
- Amp needed
- Open Back
HifiGuides Amazon linkReviews…
Z Reviews
Metal571
Tyll
2 Likes
Really nice frequency response but for me those need tubes otherwise they feel claustrophobic to me, everything just get squished so close together. I can see why people like them but would never own a set myself for that reason.
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Yeah I agree! I only use mine with my Bottlehead Crack for that reason.
Amazing headphone, I don’t see many reviews taking about it, but aside FR, it is one of the most forgiving headphones I’ve heard, they are really awesome to just listen to any type of music without worrying about mixing or mastering, they do a good job softening the sound of every song and still being very detailed and wonderful sounding (which is why Tyll said the 660 are grainy, they are not forgiving headphone and will give you the truth of the recording more than the 600).
3 Likes
This is my favorite headphone personally. I actually like how intimate they sound in comparison to other headphones. That and I find the vocals to be sweat and forgiving. Nothing hurts with these IMO… I could even game in them comfortably surprisingly. It will def come down to personal preference but to me these have that “butter” sound some headphones attempt to achieve.
I now own a HD 660 S and enjoy them. I may have enjoyed the HD 600 more though… I’m eventually going to own a set again. I regret sending back the pair I first owned honestly.
2 Likes
Completely agree. To me the HD 600 were more enjoyable than the HD 660 S. Though the HD 660 S showed a recordings true colors which in most cases means the HD 600 would be the better casual enjoyable headphone.
Overall though the HD 600 is top tier for enjoyment if you’re into those intimate vocals and mid range.
2 Likes
I recognized how neutral they sounded but were honestly kinda boring for me. Bass was punchy but lacked in quantity. My main issue was how shouty some vocals/instruments sounded and it would honestly give me a headache sometimes. I do understand why people love it though. I have the 58X now and it is definitely more my taste.
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There’s a reason the HD 600 has basically been the gold standard for more than 20 years. No matter what higher end headphone I get, I will never part with these. They just do so much right when it comes to natural tonality. Stuff like strings and guitars sound super realistic, and of course the vocals are best in class. I’ve used the 650 for years, but I like these better because of the more forward midrange and neutral tight bass. Yes, the sub bass could use some improvement, but every other part to my ears sounds spot on and studio monitor-like. No wonder they are a favorite among audio engineers.
2 Likes
The HD600 is my absolute favorite headphone. I haven’t tried the HD650 but the HD600 portrays violins and pianos so well. Most headphones renders violins to be screechy and loud, but the HD600 mellows out violins and offers smooth and glorious extension.
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Saw your comment on one of my videos. Think it was the 9500 review maybe part II. Appreciated that you didn’t jump down my throat about the fact that I like that headphone better than this one. I do think stuff hurts with this headphone to be honest, but it doesn’t manifest right away.
It’s funny; I listened to Subterranean Homesick Alien by Radiohead yesterday out of the 600 paired with the ifi xCAN and was reminded why it’s such a great headphone. I had to rewind that part with the sweet bass lick at around 1:44. At night in my quiet environment it just had this amazing sense of detail, articulation, and natural tonality. I had not listened with it in quite a few months. I still prefer the 650 over it nowadays because the mid-range is a bit more subdued and doesn’t get out of line.
Like the above guy said, I find myself getting really annoyed with the mids after awhile.
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Oh yeah man I remember you! I still need to get another HD 600 eventually but I just bought those RB42s Zeos just reviewed 
I own K712s, HD 660 S, AFK Khans, HE4XXs and two pairs of Koss Porta Pros now with the THX 789 still. Basically mid fi headphones with HiFi AMP and DAC.
Well if I know myself I really don’t like conflict btw. Jumping down someones throat is very rare from me.
Basically to cut it short I’m kind of a pussy unintentionally. I’m very non-controversial but I don’t mind speaking the truth.
Thanks for appreciating my comment. I need to check out what other reviews you’ve done. It’s been a while.
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Yeah man I normally post a video per week on Tuesdays. If you ever feel like sending me anything feel free… I could also send you whatever.
And you’re welcome! You got some nice cans there. I have like 11-12 at the moment lol but nothing really HIFI besides the 600 and that’s really mid-fi heh.
Hit me up on the channel any time!
Pad question
I want to try some pads with my 600 but I read many controversial comments about Dekoni pads witch are the main candidates. There is a question about the quality and durability too. I read in the Drop site that many of them fail.
There are not cheap so I try to get as many comments as possible.
Another option is the Yaxi pads from Japan.
Any comments on those too will be appreciated.
Thnx!
I have always been interested in the HD 600s. However, I now own 58x Jubilees and I’m not sure if 600s are an upgrade from the 58x. The other thing I keep hearing is if you have the 600s you need to run them tubed. I’m quite intimidated by the whole tube amplifiers and rolling tubes that make them sound “good”. One of the reasons I have gone with solid states thus far. What are peoples experiences with running the 600s on solid states and how do they compare with the 58xs?
Thank you for your thoughts.
I’ve used 2 amps with these - the Crack 1.1 and Monolith Liquid Spark. The differences are massive. The Crack has more and better defined bass. The Spark has a grainy midrange compared to the Crack. Crack has better defined highs. And (I hate to use subjective audiophile terms but…) a much more airy, sense of being there with the Crack. Crack is also way more detailed - if you want the “holy shit I never heard that before” in songs, you can’t beat it. And I haven’t even done the Speedball upgrade yet.
I realize the Crack is more than 3X the cost of the Spark but honestly a lot of the difference is tubes vs ss. When I use the Spark I feel like I’m punishing myself for something.
Don’t be scared of tubes - I was at first but within the first 5 minutes of listening through a tube I was hooked.
@A_Jedi Thank you for your quick response. What tube amps do you recommend? I have heard that the Dark Voice is good but I have read there is a real problem with Quality Control. Is the Crack Head a DIY amp. I don’t think I have the technical know how on how to put it together. I also do not have the equipment required to put something like that together.
Lastly, what tubes would be optimal in the tube amp to ensure the airiness you mentioned. Also do you think a tube amp would be beneficial for my 58x? It currently is my only open back that I down besides the HD598s. I don’t think that a tube amp would do much for them. However, for the 58x it may add some refinement.
Thank you for response and insight.
Welp, I haven’t heard many. Of what I have, Crack is endgame. And yeah it’s DIY but it’s super easy. And if you have the budget you can buy them assembled - they’re on ebay for like ~$725. BTW, it should be mentioned that Crack is best for high impedence HPs. Don’t use low impedence ones with it if you decide to get one.
As far as tubes, I think that’s a very personal thing. You can almost think of it as something like a non-adjustable equalizer. That’s why people try out different ones. Because they all have their own sound and you need to find what you like. But really just going tubed (with whatever tubes a manufacturer supplies with their gear) is huge step up in sound. Then one day when you get bored you can try out a different tube(s ).
Whatever you decide to go with, make sure you do your research. There is a lot of cheap Chinese crap out there that looks great but isn’t (not everything but most is).
3 Likes
It might be worth considering a Little Dot mkII I love mine and it definitely compliments my hd660’s so much so I don’t use ss anymore to drive them. A bargain @ $150 a quick tube change from the stock Chinese ones will also offer sonic improvements, i’m now running 2x 6H6PI/6H6N Novosibirsk as the driver tubes and switch between 2 x 5654W/EF95 Jan General Electric and 5654/EF95 RT Mullard’s as power tubes.
An added bonus of this amp is you can use the 2 internal dip switches to adjust the impedance…
A. Switch 1 off, Switch 2 off = Gain 10 (Highest Impedance)
B. Switch 1 on, Switch 2 off = Gain 7 (Medium Impedance)
C. Switch 1 off, Switch 2 on = Gain 5 (Low Impedance)
D. Switch 1 on, Switch 2 on = Gain 3 (Lowest Impedance)
Oh and if you really want to play the tube rolling game you can use the jumpers supplied, one for each channel (L&R) …no jumpers = EF95’s, Jumpers on = EF92’s 
Paul explaining a bit about the sound value of tubes/valves…
The worst part about them I thought is that they really cut off frequencies in the bass.
When I listen to something bass heavy on a headphone that can do bass it’s like a new experience. Besides that I think they are OK. They don’t do anything wrong in the mids/treble but just not a wow factor headphone.