Sennheiser HD600

[jdavy]

I know we are all polk speaker fans here but there are times when you need to use headphones. I have two young children. One is just over 2 years and the other is about 6 months. Well headphones are a god send and the Sennheiser HD600 are just the ticket. Nice high quality headphones that would make a music lover very happy. Check them out if you are in the market for some good headphones.

:D

[Shizelbs]

I am going to have to agree with you Mr. JDavy. I picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD590 for around $85 from The Great Indoors in August. They have mostly been used for music and video games. They have been excellent. The 590 are the little brother to the 600. I went with them over the 600 only cause it saved me about $200, and from what I can tell, there is no $200 difference.
I haven't used them much for HT, but I did a little when demoing them. They were as good as headphones can be. The surround imaging obviously isn't there, but your mind can do a pretty good job of it on its own. Also, the room shaking bass wasn't there either. But, thats kinda the point when you have to be quiet for others and use headphones.
Anyways, I agree, anyone who likes their music would like either of these headphones if they are interested. The only thing I didn't like about the 600 is it was somewhat of a vicegrip on my head. I do have a big head though. The 590's are much more comfortable. On the other hand, the 600's did have much cleaner highs, the highs were less "bright" and the mids were much more unobstructed. Compared to the 590, the mids from the 600 didn't have any of that "listening to it through a wall" feel. Know what I mean? But these are just small differences. The ones that once you leave the store, you're not going to think back and regret not having paid 200%+ more.
Bottom line: Get a pair of the upper-end Sennheisers if you are interested, and don't look back. :D

[madmax]

I like mine. I found that they sound better if you sit in a different place other than your normal speaker listening place. I know it is a mind thing but I found that I expect a certain sounds in a given position. It took me a while to figure this one out. Even knowing this I find that I do not enjoy my HD600's when I sit in front of the speakers. Go figure...
madmax

[Ceruleance]

coincidentally i went into myer emco to demo the 600's today. alas, they don't carry them. The 580's impressed me though, in sound and in comfort compared to my HD 497's. If anyone could comment on the differences between the 580/600/650 that would be great

oh also, what are you using to drive them, and if its something like an external amp, is it really worth the money?

[jdavy]

Ceruleance,

I do not use a headphone amp. So far they are fine with the amp in the portable dvd player the Panasonic DVD-LS5. As for the price of the HD600's, you can get them from Amazon now for $256.45 less a $25 rebate. They are still over $200 but I think they are worth the money.

The HD650s are new and I doubt they are discounted anywhere.

James

[dorokusai]

Ceruleance - www.headphone.com

[fox]

Some will say that a special headphone amp is needed to really get the full benefit out of a pair of cans such as these but I gather that you don't feel that this is really necessary? Would be nice to know just in case one decided to pull out the credit card yet again...

[dorokusai]

A headphone amp will blow your head off. You will hear 100% what your cans are made of with a proper amp.

I have owned a pair of Senn 570's but disliked them. I like a closed design. Grado and AKG are some nice brands to check out. I am moving towards the AKG personally.

[madmax]

It all depends. My headphone amp sounds better than any other headphone outputs I have at the moment. On the other hand I used to own a Carver preamp that blew it away. I'm still kicking myself for spending more for the tube headphone amp than I got for selling the carver. It was a CT17 or something like that. (I forget the exact model but it had a "17" in it.
madmax

[fox]

OK, here we go with perhaps a few opinions. Right now, I have a pair of AKG501's that have been fine. After reading about the Sennheiser 600's, I guess that I am wondering if going to the Senns would make enough sense to do this. I know this is a personal choice, and it will be possible to compare/listen to the two, but still any thoughts from anyone who may have tried both?

[fox]

I meant to say it will be impossible to compare the two.

[Ceruleance]

thanks for the links boys, I've been on headphone.com a few times and much more often recently. I am thinking about picking up the 580's because I liked them a lot, they seem easier to drive, and it makes more sense to get them to tide me over in case I decide to pick up the 650's in the future (they are more than I want to spend at the moment).

before when i asked about dealers I meant so that I could demo the headphones side by side, I realize there are plenty of places on the web that I can buy them from. Thanks though

[dorokusai]

Myer Emco carries Senn's...do you have one near you Cer??

[Ceruleance]

yes, that's where I demo'ed the 580's. Manager told me they don't carry the 600's or 650's, and then looked it up on the computer later and said that they don't even order them for customers, he gave me a number of the senn. distributor in the area. I haven't called and I am not sure if I am going to, I spend a lot of money on stereo equipment for someone who has no income...