Just a warning here that if we’re to start comparing the 6-- series using graphs we’ll never stop arguing. Lol. Take two random 6-- graphs and you could easily believe it’s just unit variance, not two different models.
I even had Sennheiser 58X’s before 6XX’s and they measure the same (in the treble and even the mids)… they’re not even in the same league in my opinion. The 58X’s hurt my ears after a few minutes. I listen to my 6XX’s for hours (and that’s what the 6XX/650’s are known for, even legendary for: Easy to listen to, inoffensive tuning).
“Darkest” was probably the wrong adjective for 6XX/650’s though. Treble is definitely present, but “the most inoffensive (and/or smoothest) treble of em all” ? Yeah that might be more like it.
So, been a couple days now. Out of the box it has that standard Sennheiser clamp that’s just over the top in my opinion(always has been but at least they do always stretch out). Build is as expected exactly the same as are the cabling so nothing on the outside other than the bronze accents has changed and there’s flat edges on the oval cups instead of rounded… so the only changes to look for is in the sound.
As far as the sound, the issue I am seeing is that for this price… I don’t think it’s worth this. As I was worried about, the changes in signature can be achieved with EQ on the 6-- series respectively yes including the 660s as well.
So really then the price jump boils down to more technical sound traits. I have to agree though with people like DMS, the 6xx even to my ear has more bass/sub bass.
As far as the mids, they sound a bit less intimate probably due to the fact that theres a bit more… I am going to say artificial stage due to what’s been done to the treble
Treble really isn’t all that forward it leans back having a slightly more darker warmer tone to it and with that more dip it creates more space to the sound(compared to the other models)
Imaging is a bit sharper than og 660s but not by much in my opinion
That isn’t to say that it’s not an enjoyable sound but the changes overall that I am currently seeing do not make it worth double the price potentially soon to be triple that of the price of the original 660s let alone just buying the 6xx over there. I will be honest that I am not a fan with how much warmer this signature has become with that heavier roll and dip in the sound
I think for someone who is new to this brand and likes this sound signature a bit more, maybe for those who are heavy treble sensitive and want to use tubes, then this would be a good choice but that just makes this a bit more niche. Going to keep listening to it maybe my opinion will change but so far, it’s a pass from me personally
lol oh absolutely agreed… graphs don’t tell a whole lot really
honestly, as far as “dark” sounding goes… I think this is one of the darkest of the entire line up which is rather odd. Feels like they wanted a warmer tonality
Strange, I’ve seen people say that apart form the HD600, that the S2 are the brightest of the entire 6-- lineup. Why are these headphones so polarizing?
I think it may be due to that drop within the 2k-4k range here for me(keeping in mind I listen to bright headphones far too much admittedly lol). That rather large dip that is 2k - 5k range makes it appear a bit darker/warmer to my ear than say to the 650 which has more energy within that range and is more balanced/neutral overall. At the same time while they are touting that it has more bass… I am getting around the same bass out of the 650(in this case I have 6xx not the og 650s but still counts). If anything I would say the bass on the 660s2 is simply closer to neutral than the og 660s. Going to sit with this for like a week or so see how this turns out. It’s by no means a bad headphone and in my opinion a step above the 660s with better stage and imaging than any headphone of the 6-- series
I do think this sounds better than the original 660s currently however, with @WaveTheory remarks I do agree that I think this needs more burn in on my end just to be safe as things have changed with some time. Curious what wave will think after some time as well
@Falenkor did you hear what I described about break-in? The last time I heard a change in dynamics with break-in like that was on the Edition XS, I think. Coincidentally the XS is going to be one of 660s2’s biggest challengers in proving itself worthy of $600.
For the full review I’ll be sure to A/B 660s2 against 6xx, DT880, Sundara open, Ed XS, and Ananda stealth. Unfortunately I don’t have an OG 660 to compare. Any headphone at $600 though is going to have to bring a total technical package that can compete with the likes of DT1990, Ed XS, Ananda stealth, Elex…just to name a few. Those are some heavy hitters at the price point.
Just kidding. It will be interesting to see what happens. For me, after giving this careful consideration, I am NOT going to take the leap. I am keeping the 660S that I already have and will try a pad swap to see what can be gained. I have some ZMF perf lambskin pads on the way, so I’m excited about that.
Yeah I was listening, Going to definitely give this more time to break in. Between the XS, Meze 109 Pro, and Neumann NDH-30 in my opinion cause all perform extremely well in that price bracket.
Agreed, so far it hasn’t hit that point for me unfortunately… I will happily say that I do enjoy it more than the og 660s at least… but man that price is harsh. Being later in this hobby than others I did hear a lot bout people complaining when the og 660s released with such a high price tag… kinda hoping this won’t turn out the same way here.
Then again, DMS’s review I kinda agree i’d love to see those changes with the alum. chassis and the likes. There’s definitely some pros and cons to this headphone
That is a fair point, and personally, I think the XS wins that battle handily. As someone who was not enthused by the XS at first, it has proven itself to be a great set. In fact, I think that overall (build quality aside) they are underrated. That is just me, however.
That’s the thing about Sennheisers. You can pay 600$ for em but give em to someone in 30 years and they’ll still sound good. Good luck doing that with Hifimans…
100% agree. My main point of contention with the XS was the cheap-ass build. Still is. That said, I am very gentle with them and sonically I think they are wonderful. To your point, I still have (and occasionally use) my HD280 Pros! Those things have to be over 20 years old. The 660s are the same way. I will have these for years to come. The XS…
So, what’s the consensus on these? Are they better than the original? Are they a side grade? Are they just for people with different tuning tastes? I know everyone says they’re not worth the price, but just how much?
650 might have more treble than the 660S on the graphs, but listening to them is a different thing altogether. I found the 650 congested and a bit muddy…great for pop/rock but lacking in acoustics and classical. THe 660S is brighter to my ears and far more open. Not as much as DT880s, but in some regards that’s a good thing. For music I listen to, the 660S is superior.
I think the consensus is “better,” though hardly enough to justify the cost, esp. compared to the current prices at which the 660S/600/650 are available. When the 660S2 price comes down, then we’ll talk.
I am not in a position to say whether or not this is worth it to other people but I can voice how I feel personally about it…
The TLDR on that, is this ^ as I don’t feel it’s worth it’s pricetag. It has far too much competition that it just doesn’t really win out against in my opinion within that price bracket on top of this you have the previous models which hold themselves ridiculously well and still do with the passing times. While you can indeed eq the 660s I can’t see paying what… 3 times the cost of an og 660s for this for these extra characteristics in sound. If money was no object though, this is the obvious choice to go with… as in my opinion it’s the best in the series
It seems to be quite a divisive headphone, some people feel it’s a substantial upgrade and worth the money, and others think it’s inferior to the 650 and 660S. I’d like to try it and make up my own mind, but I’ll wait for the price to come down.
I love the look of them. It’s a Senn 6__ series. The impedance has gone up to 300Ω, which I think is good. I’d love to have a pair, but they cost $600 and I’ve not paid more than 1/6 of that for any of the three Senn 6__ series headphones I own, so it’s unlikely to happen for awhile. If that weren’t the case, and absolute value-per-dollar/deal weren’t king in my brain — I’d happily buy them to find out.
The hyper-fixation on the differences of the Senn 6__ family among off-the-rack buyers who will proceed to make bad chain synergies with them but fixate on every element of the graph and lord over shitting all over Sennheiser’s next move after being deadly critical of them “not doing anything” is some of the silliest stuff I see in the broader community.
