Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones Reviews | Drop

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Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones

Audiophile

FULL DISCUSSION

duchess

Mar 28, 2020

Verified Buyer

Meh but Enjoyable

Summing up these headphones isn’t very difficult for me: they utterly lack soundstage and imaging but they are extremely pleasant to my ears. I’m not an audiophile, but from a very young age my parents have exposed my ears to very high end home stereos. I bought these looking to experience a very good pair of open-back headphones. Initially I went with a pair of DT990 Pros and my ears could not listen to them for more than 20 minutes (I didn’t know what fatiguing headphones meant, but those headphones made it clear). After returning those, price wasn’t much of an object, but I’m not dumb and the value the 6xx with all the 5-star reviews was too difficult to turn down. I am glad I bought them because these 6xx are just delightful. No matter the volume my ears can honestly listen to them all day and night... and they do sound good in the sense that I’ve discovered new nuances in my music and it’s all clear with present mids (I LOVE mids). (also, can you sense I’m not an audiophile yet?) But boy is the soundstage tiny/nonexistent with poor imagery. It just sounds like everything is coming from the exact same part of the room - right next to my ears. It’s just annoying. It’s like it’s all stacked on top of each other - everything! Voices, instruments, noises, no separation. It sounds good, but ugh it’s just a bummer. My AirPods Pro are many many many times better when it comes to imagery. I really hate to say it, but I often find myself willing to deal with the poor Bluetooth sound quality just to experience the wide soundstage with those AirPods Pro. OH! Very important: do NOT buy aftermarket EarPods with these, they destroy the mids, reduce clarity, overpower the bass, and do not do much to help the soundstage. SERIOUSLY! Please don’t waste your money like I did. So I guess: PROS = pleasant non-fatiguing sound, present and enjoyable mids, solid clarity, good build, light weight CONS = tiny soundstage and poor imagery, 300ohms Are the cons enough to outweigh the pros? For me, yes. Absolutely. I would not recommend these to a friend and would not want them to be my only headphone. HOWEVER, I’m happy I have them as a baseline sound to compare future equipment to. odds and ends: TIDAL hifi Audioquest Dragonfly Red from my iPhone and iPad Audioquest Dragonfly Red + older NAD amp and pre-amp from my Mac using stock cable and earpads I listen to about everything, but mostly alternative I honestly don’t know how many hours I’ve listened to them so far, but do notice a difference now compared to when I got them, so I’d say they’re broken in.

Recommends this product? No

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Tony48307

Mar 28, 2020

duchessSo what headphones would be better for the $195? Thank you

Mar 28, 2020

duchess

Mar 28, 2020

Tony48307Oh wow, fantastic question (and one I’m really trying to figure out)! At $250 I just ordered the Drop + JVC FDX1 (drop ends in a few hours btw). These are in ear monitors, which I’ve never experienced nice ones before (hopefully these live up to the early reviews), but reviews are talking about great sound quality and solid soundstage, so I’m thinking they might be better for me, personally. As far as headphones, maybe the HiFiman HE4XX? I keep looking at them, especially at the current $145 because (according to most reviews), they offer better soundstage over the HD6XX and good sound. However, some Quality Control issues are scaring me away (HD6XX, while plastic and light weight, feel EXTREMELY durable and I have no doubt will last the test of time), plus I don’t know that the OVERALL sound is much better than the HD6XX, and if I’m getting something else, I want an upgrade, not a change. Then there’s also the AKG K7XX for $200, but I haven’t heard much enthusiasm about them, so haven’t given them a whole lot of consideration (maybe I should). For $195, it is a though question. Honestly, a part of me wished I’d gone with the 150ohm HD58X because they’re cheaper and probably sound about as good to my ears with my sources (I really feel like my set up does not do the 300ohm HD6XX justice, and to be honest I’m not ready to dive into the world of desktop DACs and AMPs just yet). I do not think the HD6XX are worth more than $195. Then again, I still have mine. They are not a bad headphone, but they are not (in my opinion) the final word in open back headphones. They fell short of the stellar expectations I formed from the many, many reviews I read and watched. I do enjoy listening to them and I’m not sure that there’s a decidedly better $195 headphone, but make no mistake - they’re a $195 headphone.

Mar 28, 2020

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Tony48307

Mar 29, 2020

duchessThanks for sharing. I have also the HD700 that is unmatched to the HD6XX in term of sound stage & clarity but it costs also 2 times more and requires better DAC / AMP combo to bring out the edges

(Edited)

Mar 29, 2020

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