Hey guys, what do you think of these 2 for roughly the same price and why (the HD6XX are $239 and the HD660s are currently refurbished for $229 at Sennheiser Outlet)

Background on my listening:

I've been daily driving the HD560s for a bit and I have really enjoyed them for the price. Genres I mainly listen to are Classical, Rock, Electronic, and Metal. I also game and spend a large portion currently playing Warzone :D

Background to the HD560s: They've been really great to me for what I need them for. The sound immersion is insane on them and I like the sub-bass they have. They're also good for FPS games. Downside is they're a bit sterile and vocals don't really shine on them would them. They're also cheap feeling for how much they retail for.

I got the chance to try out the HD600, and while they're great headphones I ended up returning them as they weren't the right fit for me.

Background to the HD600: They were incredible on vocals. I was listening to some Roy Orbison that I've heard hundreds of times and I had to do a double take when his singing started. The timbre in his voice was so lifelike I had never heard that before on headphones (vs the HD560s where his voice felt not as clear and a bit filtered off to the side). They also had a very nice warm analog sound that I enjoyed.

Where they ended up not feeling right to me was their very small soundstage and lack of sub-bass. I finally got what everyone was saying about them being intimate. It really did sound like I was listening to a small ensemble perform on a corner stage in a lounge. The singer was right in front of me with the instruments a little back harder to discern separation. For classical, compared to the sound stage in the 560s it was really not a fair comparison. I tested Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Brahms Symphony No.4 back to back and with the HD560s you could hear the harmonies of the different string sections move around you by what felt like 20 feet whereas the HD600 felt like just a very high-quality stereo recording.

I still want to try the remaining SKUs in the 600-series, so based on your experiences, which do you prefer and why? (I also ordered a pair of AKG K702 for classical listening, so the Sennheisers do not need to do everything).

Comments

Muttywango t1_j0pujwh wrote on December 18, 2022 at 3:10 PM

#961,931

I can only comment on the HD6XX : the sound is very intimate. I would never use them for classical. I love them but I only use them for music that I want to sound like it's happening completely inside my skull ( for me : VU's "The Velvet Underground" or Rapeman's "Two Nuns and a Pack Mule.")

headphonehabit t1_j0qtemo wrote on December 18, 2022 at 6:55 PM

#963,812

The 600s sound best on tubes. 650s are my pick w/solid state. The 660s are a touch bright for me (as are the the 560s). The 660s are the most technical of the group, but offer less bass than the 560s.

BigLorry t1_j0qvm14 wrote on December 18, 2022 at 7:08 PM

#963,936

Considering the reasons you didn’t like the 600, I’d go out on a limb and say you should just avoid that whole series because they are all far more similar than different, and they all suffer from the same things you disliked about the 600.

Dust-by-Monday t1_j0s2t2u wrote on December 19, 2022 at 12:04 AM

#966,012

Get the 660s. They're just as easy to drive as the HD 560s, so if you don't wanna get into amps and just wanna play stuff out of your phone, they work great for that. They have a smooth, rich sound and they're very forgiving. Every song sounds awesome on them, which I couldn't say about the 560s as sometimes they were way too bright.

arey510 t1_j1530uo wrote on December 21, 2022 at 6:55 PM

#998,003

6xx has the same soundstage (or lack thereof) as the 600 but with more mid bass & not much sub bass. I returned them. I liked 560s way better than both of those. I haven’t tried 660s but guessing it’s more of the same. I would try the Edition XS. They have good soundstage width & depth & have good sub bass as well, I really like them

strayafuckyeahkent t1_j1acy82 wrote on December 22, 2022 at 8:58 PM

#1,013,183

660s are less like the 600 than the 6xx/650 but if you dislike into intimate presentation and lack of sub bass I would recommend a different brand. Sounds like you'd enjoy a hifiman, start with the 400se and see how you go