Sennheiser HD 600

I love these, a lot. From the way they look to every detail of their sound, they're truly beautiful. They have sliky smooth, characteristic treble that doesn't fatigue your ears one bit even at high volumes, and I say this as someone who *really* likes treble. Their mids are beautifully balanced and neutral, the bass (well, what's there of it) is defined and not muddy in the least, they sound incredibly clean, precise and pleasant.

However, there are some issues:

The sub-bass is quite disappointing. To the point I might actually recommend against these if you are going to listen to bass-heavy music like EDM. There is just hardly any real deep body to the sound, it feels a bit shallow and empty. This works *amazingly* for genres like classical or acoustic stuff, and I would never want other headphones than these for those genres, they're beautiful for that. However, I did find myself using a corrective EQ setting to boost the bass a little bit, just to make it go along a bit better with some of the genres I listen to.

Also, the soundstage isn't that great. I've used much cheaper in-ear monitors that have better soundstages, it really doesnt sound all that wide or free or spacious. It's still pleasant and doesn't feel boxed in, but it is something I would expect to be better in headphones at this price range.

All in all, I love these, and would recommend these to most people. They're great as reference headphones, they work well for music production and I feel like they're something you won't regret having around, as they have very clear strengths that I feel are very hard to rival in this price range. However, they do lack in some aspects, so maybe relying entirely on these if you listen to bass-heavy music, for example, might not be your best bet, unless you're willing to help out with corrective EQ.

Product: this is one of the most important models in the audiophile community, now HD600 has been stylised, incorporating the black case finish and moving its production to Romania, Sennheiser claims that the sound remained the same as the previous models, who knows? Only measurements of its frequency response can state this affirmation. However is impossible to neglect the almost absence in sound colouration while reproducing liquid music through these headphones, if not some little bright tonality; nothing that cannot be corrected by 4/5 points of an EQ. Moreover, comfort is 10+, I came from a pair of Grado sr125 that squeeze like a clamp, earpads to the ears, turning out to be painful after 1hour of music listening, now I can go potentially for several hours straight, no problems.

Shipping: no problems

I was a little bit sceptical at first as I had to purchase these headphones without being able to listen to it in real life and I checked a good few reviews about it saying its lacking on low end which is kind of realistic but these headphones more like made for mixing so it does makes sense it's kind of flat. Also was happy to see they moved back the production to Ireland -as the label says on the box- what most of the reviewers were doubtful about so that is also beneficial. First out of the box it seemed a little tight on the ears but after a few occasions wearing them on got loosened up pretty well. Still need to mention here by itself it wont bring out the full potential of these headphones a dac(optional) and a headphone to it would be highly recommended to it to make them 300 ohms work well enough. Overall very satisfied so far.

In short, comfortable light-weight pair of headphones that are excellent for vocal tracks.

I'm not an audiophile but I'll try to compare these to my 2 years old pair of AKG K712 pro.
Comfortability: slight win for the 600s. Mostly because used AKGs have lost some of their clamp force.
Build quality: initial expression seems that 600s will age better, the adjustments have a nice clack to them. While on the AKGs small plastic retention "holders" have already cracked and that's what makes them looser now.
Cables: 600s comes with a single straight cable and the distance between the 2 headphone connectors can't be adjusted, there's enough room but I would still prefer if they split a bit lower. AKGs come with coiled and straight cables and also a small pouch which makes the out of the box experience better.
Bass: slight win for the AKGs as bass feels a bit better but at least to my ears the difference isn't that huge, still noticeable though.
Vocals: 600s vocals feel more natural and pleasant.
Soundstage: small win for the AKGs as 600s feel a bit more intimate.

Overall, I enjoy vocal music the most so 600s will become my main pair, at least for music listening. For gaming the decision is tougher as AKGs have some benefits for that.

I re-purchased the Sennheiser HD600 in December 2023. I prefer the new design instead of the marble I had with the originals. The traditional headband for the HD600 is now replaced with the HD650 headband. Which is extremely comfortable. The most significant change since the introduction of the new HD600 in 2019 was Sennheiser's departure from the Irish warehouse to Romania. My headphones arrived yesterday and on the box and inside of the left headphone it's stamped in Ireland. So it seems that Sennheiser's six series have now returned to Ireland. Which is fantastic. I ordered a custom balance cable for the headphones and with my budget friendly iFi Zen DAC it drives the HD600 really well. The midrange of the Sennheiser is the best in its category and brings you closer to the artist. Close your eyes and you will have the impression of being in the front row while your favourite artists perform. Even my Kef Ls50 cannot duplicate the details of musical instruments that the HD600 reproduces. That is perhaps the greatest compliment I can offer the Sennheiser HD600.

Thomann service is world-class. Excellent track and trace service to Ireland. Excellent customer care service. I will be ordering from this organisation in the near future. Thank you for the first class service.