Quote:
Originally Posted by eljr
I see among the headphones you use is the Sennheiser HD600
Can you share your thoughts on it? |
Sure, quite simply put, it has been the one pair of headphones I have used for probably half my life now. If there is only one object that defines my most favorite piece out of the whole audiophile experience, they would be it.
Funny how that works. The least expensive and the one item that has seen thousands upon thousands of hours of use (I went through a few pairs in the last 20+ years as I foolishly sold a set before.)
Some see the world through rosy glasses, I hear my music and judge everything by my Sennheiser HD600... they are my rosy music makers.
They are not neutral like some of today's megabuck reference headphones but I also tried a few of those (Pure Beryllium drivers of Focal Utopia for example and quite a few others...) but I still keep coming back to the HD600.
I have also tried the newer version as Sennheiser had "upgraded" this cult classic model over the years and found them to be less comfortable and not quite as involving overall. I'm sure it is just my ears and preference but the HD600 is the kind of a headphone that does no wrong, no need to keep improving this particular model.
Sennheiser offers other "reference" and "studio" grade neutral and resolving models. The HD600 should be exactly what it is, for music lovers that do not want to "analyze" sound.
I consider the HD600 to be the equivalent of Koetsu cartridge. A bit of technicolor, with a sprinkle of warmth and BINGO, I can listen for hours on end, ANY genre of music and be satisfied with the result. They simply do NOTHING WRONG. A very smooth, musical, forgiving, lightweight, comfortable, romantic and engaging pair of headphones
Being 300 ohms, they LOVE tubes and tubes LOVE them.
With a good tube amplifier, it is NIRVANA. One can spend multiples of the price of the HD600 and never be this satisfied.
The only other set of headphones I keep around is the artesian, hand-crafted ZMF Auteur Blackwood with bio-cellulose drivers which were actually designed by folks who used the HD600 as a reference back in the day. It is a treat but a much heavier set so my listening is limited with them by comparison. They get use on special occasions.
If there is one thing I would suggest to anyone wanting to get into music today, I would tell them to get a pair of HD600 while they still can (long discontinued now but still out there) and a quality headphone amp/DAC combo, preferably with tubes in the chain like some of the Schiit products or WOO Audio amps and a DAC. It would be enough to keep one very happy and busy discovering music. A music making system like that would not even break $1K
As this topic is on streaming, it also would be good to mention that a headphone system with a set of more forgiving headphones like the HD600, allow for a much broader enjoyment of all genres. I can easily go from Bach to Coltrane to Metallica to Sinatra and back and never feel lacking anything or wishing my system would be more forgiving.