Ah, the Sennheiser HD600, a classic headphone. I won’t go into the history of it here much, but this headphone has been around for a while, and still remains a major contender at its price point. Considering its age, and the fact that it is still relevant speaks volumes about how good this headphone is, let’s discuss why, shall we?

Let’s begin with the overall build. This is an open-back headphone. The design is very straightforward and robust, with plastic pieces holding the transducer housings in place, and a plastic headband. Despite being made of plastic, these parts feel sturdy enough. The build is not all plastic though, as the adjustment arms are made of metal, and the grills covering the drivers feel to be also made of metal. Overall, the build feels plenty sturdy, though I have heard of the top headband snapping. This is not too much of a worry, as I have heard endless praise for Sennheiser’s customer service. The cable is about ten feet long, and detachable, with a proprietary two-prong connector on the bottom of each cup. It terminates in a 3.5mm connector, and comes with a quarter-inch adapter that fits flush with the rest of the connector. The cable leaves some to be desired, as it feels a little cheap and plasticky, but it certainly gets the job done well, without any connection issues.

Let’s move on to comfort, shall we? The HD600 has way too much clamping force right out the box, but this is easily rectified by fully extending the adjustors, and bending the metal parts backwards until it is comfortable. Once the clamp is fixed, this headphone is one of the most comfortable headphones I have used, as the pads are large and soft, made of a wonderful velour. The headband has four little cushions on it, providing more support than is even needed, as this headphone is very lightweight. Overall, comfort is excellent and I can wear these all day, and they simply disappear on my head.

Let’s continue on to the actual sound. All sound evaluation was done with the HD600 being powered by a non-uber Schiitstack. Overall, this headphone is very neutral, though bass is slightly rolled off, and the midrange is a hair more forward than truly neutral. The bass is indeed rolled off, but retains enough impact for bass-light music, though it would leave a basshead wanting more. The bass is overall pretty good, though it is not the star of the show here. I would say that the midrange is where the HD600 shines the greatest, with the most natural-sounding midrange that I have heard in any headphone to date. Vocals come across as phenomenally rich in tonality, while maintaining their neutrality. Instruments are very well separated, with each instrument being distinct, without any instrument overpowering another unless the track calls for it. The treble is well extended, and sounds very clean. The word I would use to describe the treble is “crisp,” as every note is clearly defined, and feels very textured, but without introducing any grain. The soundstage of the HD600 is rather narrow, but the wonderful imaging and separation can give the illusion of width at times, and certainly keep this headphone out of “boring” territory. While it is narrow, nothing is overly “in your face,” and the sound overall leans toward being a bit laid-back, while retaining detail.

In summary, the HD600 is rather comfortable, well built, and sounds very neutral and pleasing. Would I recommend it? In a heartbeat, yes. Given the neutral nature of the HD600, it is the headphone that I will be comparing everything else against from here on out.

-TheOmegaCarrot