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These are very good headphones for the money, quite balanced sounding. Yes there are some headphones which can do this and that better technically, but somehow not as balanced overall and not as natural in the midrange. For instance the HD-250 Linear II that I reviewed earlier and still use has better extension at the top and bottom, faster transients and better depth to the soundstage but suffers from what every closed headphones does to an extent, a bit uneven midrange, slightly boomy bass and also more unforgiving in the highs.

Comfort is generally really good, some users reported broken headbands so one should be a bit cautious about that.


I should add that I own the newer, 'unofficially improved' version (white screen drivers) which are better sounding than the old ones and I also use a Meier Audio Oehlbach aftermarket cable instead of the stock one.

The HD600 are very good headphones, but presently the same basic sound signature, but better can be had in the HD650, and the same exact sound 99.9% can be had for less money with the HD580. As such I don't see the value of the HD600 at this point in time.

The sound is generally similar to the HD650, but with slightly grainier treble, slightly boomier midbass, and less powerful and extended low bass. Also the mids are not as rich as those of the HD650, and are masked a bit by the treble graininess and bass boominess. Comfort is slightly worse due to the older style headband pads, but still quite good.

These cans of course present the basic slightly dark and smooth Sennheiser house sound signature. Users who want such characteristics would enjoy the HD600 for their sound, but find better value in the 580 or 650.

UPDATE: However, now that the HD580 has been discontinued, the HD600 is now the only less-expensive brother to the HD650 available new nowadays. In light of this development, I've upgraded their value rating a bit. Also, some might prefer the less bassy sound of the 600 as compared to the 650, even though the 650 is a better technical performer in my experience.

My ratings:
Bass Extension: 7
Bass Impact: 7
Bass Quality: 6
Mids Quality: 7
Highs Quality: 6
Soundstage: 7
Detail: 7
Portability: 2
Isolation: 0
Comfort: 7
Durability: 7
Improvement with Amplification: 9
Value for the Money: 7

I don't hear any "veil" with these. All I hear is headphones that are diffuse-field equalized, thus there is a dip in the treble at a precise frequency. However, I don't actually hear this dip and the phones sound completely natural and neutral to my ears. They sound just like if I was in a control room with a good pair of monitoring speakers in front of me. They're THAT flat to my ears. Some might say the HD600 is boring and lacks involvment but to me it's all about a flat response. A flat response sounds boring, lifeless and dull because there are minimal artificial enhancements done by the headphone.

These phones absolutely need amping. I plug them straight out (directly from the speaker out) of a Rotel 1062 integrated amplifier and the sound is incredible. This basically gives a 0 ohms jack, thus there is NO mid-bass hump at all. Indeed, I tried 110 ohms adapters and it sounded as there was a bass ressurgence, which is why IMHO many people claim these have a midbass hump.

All in all, these headphones are what I use for mixing/mastering the records I produce, because they're the closest to a reference speaker setup of all my headphones.

The detail is so good, I can hear all the defects, distortion, digital clipping, editing faults, etc. on my favorite records, which is great! For those who are all about detail, analysis and accuracy, these phones are great.

Construction-wise, the HD-600 is a little delicate. No, the HD-600 is not poorly constructed. Rather the headphone is designed for home use and is meant to be light and comfortable (and comfortable it is). Just don't plan on bringing it on too many bumpy trips.

The HD-600 brings out a good degree of texture and details from music and produces a wide soundstage. Treble seems to breathe well though can sound a touch sharp at times. Bass is deep and tight, though it may not be heavy enough for bass-freaks. The phones does a great job at reproducing vocals, wind and string instruments.

The sonic downside for the HD-600 is that its open-air design does not block out external room noise and is easily drowned out by loud and noisy environments.

Strength: Wide soundstage and rich music texture. Not too expensive given recent price reductions. Capable of keeping up with many equipment upgrades.

Weakness: Must be coupled with good quality equipments to sound its best. Might sound too “relaxed” for some music genre. Not suitable for noisy environments.

For many years, the Sennheiser HD600 is one of the best dynamic headphones on the market. But though it has been supplanted by the HD650, the HD600 still holds its own. The bass is liquid, as are the mids and the highs - very well balanced, though the bass could be a tad less lumpy. In fact, the sound is among the most coherent that I've ever heard from a pair of headphones of any type.

If you want to use an unamped portable player to drive these headphones, forget about it. Though some portable players can drive them loud enough, the sound quality just won't be as good as it should be (even though it's still much better than what you'd get from freebie stock headphones). They need a fair amount of power in order to drive them to their full potential.

These headphones can be worn for hours on end, if you can tolerate the slight amount of pressure that the headband exerts on your jaw.

Overall, these are moderately priced headphones that need better-than-mid-fi equipment, preferably high-end equipment, in order to sound their best. In other words, a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The HD600s were my main phones for a few months. I could listen to them for longer than any other phones because of their relaxed presentation and wonderful comfort. They were satisfying phones for classical music until I upgraded to the HE60.

(Compared to the HE60) The HD600 the highs are reccessed and lack extention, the bass is not so tight and textured, the sound stage is not well focused... overall the HD600s sounded slowed and even muddy in comparison.