There’s no such thing as perfect headphones. As a budding audiophile, I firmly believe every audio fanatic should own multiple pairs of headphones and earbuds that excel in unique situations. I have wireless earbuds for daily use, workout earbuds, wired IEMs, wireless over-ears with ANC, and wired over-ear studio monitors, just to name a few of the audio categories I’ve sunk my money into. Out of all the headphones I’ve tried over the years, one model stands out — the Sennheiser HD 600.
The superb aspect of investing in wired audio gear is that it can essentially last forever. An easy benchmark for gauging the quality of a wired set of studio monitors is whether they’re still around after a few decades. The gold standard are the Sennheiser HD 600, which were first released in 1997 and are still incredible to this day. While not perfect, the Sennheiser HD 600 are reference headphones every audiophile should own and use as the staple of any home audio setup.
Sennheiser’s HD 600 prioritize flat, accurate sound
These open-back headphones sound great and are easy to drive
The technology behind the Sennheiser HD 600 is not new, but it’s still impressive. The headphones use a custom 42mm driver with a layer of acoustic silk that aims to control airflow and reduce distortion. If you’re used to wireless headphones, you won’t find much in terms of features here. These 300-Ohm headphones have a wide frequency response range of between 12Hz and 40,500Hz, prioritizing accuracy over everything else.
In other words, the goal of the Sennheiser HD 600 is not to wow you with features like ANC, spatial audio, or head tracking. It’s actually the opposite. These headphones stay out of the way, putting the focus on your music. Specifically, the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones do an excellent job at midrange and high-end reproduction. Vocals, strings, cymbals, and other sounds in the middle-to-upper portion of the soundstage will sound crisp. I find this makes the Sennheiser HD 600 a joy to use when listening to genres like jazz or alternative.
It’s a sharp contrast to the sound signatures of most popular headphones today, which place an emphasis on the bass to a fault. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good baseline, and keep the AirPods Max and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 headphones on-hand for when I want a bigger punch. However, too much bass can overwhelm other brighter sounds, making them hard to discern. The Sennheiser HD 600 headphones avoid this pitfall completely.
In fact, these headphones are quite light in low-end reproduction. If you take a look at the frequency response graph for this model, you’ll see the curve for the HD 600 headphones tails off considerably in the bass range (via RTINGS). I don’t see this as an issue, though. Even when listening to hip-hop and rap tracks, I end up hearing different sounds hidden in the song’s production that would otherwise be muffled by overpowering bass.
The open-back design is a fun twist for newcomers
For budding audiophiles, this is a great open-back starting point
Beyond the sound quality, I keep coming to the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones for their comfort and open-back design. As you can see in these photos, there isn’t a hard shell isolating the audio driver inside the Sennheiser HD 600. Instead, there’s a light mesh that separates the driver’s internals from the outside world. This creates a more natural listening experience that sounds like listening to speakers in an open room. Air, and by extension, sound, can travel freely as you listen to your favorite tunes.
Open-back headphones are not without faults. There’s little in the way of sound isolation, and that goes both ways. You can hear sound in your environment while listening to open-back headphones, and others around you can hear your music. That’s the tradeoff that comes with the benefits of open-backs, which include less pressure and a wider soundstage. It’s easier to listen to open-backs like the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones for long listening sessions as a result.
These headphones are a great entry point for emerging audiophiles because they’re affordable and easy to drive. Yes, the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones have an impedance of 300 Ohms, but they also have a 97dB sensitivity. That sensitivity is relatively low, and it means a standard 3.5mm headphone jack can capably power them. You’ll still want at least a small USB-C DAC to get the right volume and dynamics out of the Sennheiser HD 600, although it’s nice they will work with almost anything in a pinch.
Open-back vs. closed-back headphones: What is the difference?
Are open-back headphones better than closed-back headphones?
The Sennheiser HD 600’s are an insane value
They’re fairly cheap and could literally last you decades
As a general rule, at least for mere mortals like myself, there will always be better headphones. The more money you’re willing to spend, the better quality gear you can find. The Sennheiser HD 600 headphones strike a fine balance between price (they’re regularly under $300 new) and sound quality. Better yet, these headphones will always be a baseline for accuracy and quality, regardless of how your collection grows.
Every audiophile can use the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones to their advantage, even if they don’t always remain their go-to studio monitors. They can help you figure out what kind of sound signature you like. Perhaps listening to the HD 600 makes you miss cans with a powerful bass range, or vice versa.
They’re an excellent point of reference, especially when upgrading to something new. Diminishing returns are real in the headphone market. When considering an upgrade, audiophiles can ask themselves if a fresh pair of headphones is really twice as good as the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones, for example.
Most importantly, the Sennheiser HD 600’s flat and accurate sound signature will never get old. That’s evidenced by the fact that these headphones were introduced decades ago and are still in production. You might swap the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones out as your daily drivers, but you can always come back to them for flat audio reproduction whenever you’d like.
- Transducer Size
-
42mm
- Frequency Response
-
12 to 40,500Hz
- Impedance
-
300 ohms
- Wireless?
-
No
- Microphones
-
No
The Sennheiser HD 600 are a fantastic pair of open-back headphones powered by large 42mm drivers. They’re fairly easy to drive, but offer room for better sound when paired with an external DAC or amplifier. The sound signature is remarkable with a nearly-flat distribution that favors mids and highs over the low end.
