So these are the new Sennheiser HD 560S, they’re Sennheiser’s newest pair of entry level
audiophile open back headphones that should be able to please any audiophile out there…
or if youre an up and coming artist on a budget then these should have you covered. These
headphones deliver accurate sound, they have great build quality, and they fit very well
after they’ve been broken in.
Now when it comes to price the HD 560S’s retail for $200. Now just for comparison sake
the super popular Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6XX retail for $220 and the Sennheiser HD 660S
retail for $500. Now the most important difference between Massdrop’s headphones and the HD
560’s is their impedance, the HD 6XX’s have an impedance of 300 ohms where as the
HD 560S’s have an impedance of 120 ohms. So you’re not necessarily going to need
an AMP to drive these headphones like you do with the HD 6XX’s. And again for comparison
sake the HD 660S’s have an impedance of 150 ohms. But you are going to get a lot more
out of the HD 560S’s if you use them with an AMP. Regardless if you want to pick these
headphones up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first off lets talk about what comes in the box. These headphones come included with
a detachable 3 meter long cable. You’ve got a 2.5 millimeter plug on one end that
goes into the headphones themselves and on the other end we’ve got a 6.3 millimeter
plug. But these headphones also come included a 3.5 millimeter adopter so you can still
use this cable to plug in directly into your computer or what ever audio source you’ll
might have.
Now when it comes to the headphones themselves… build quality wise there are no complaints.
Now these headphones have a mostly smooth plastic body construction. But more importantly
these headphones have zero cracking or squeaking when ever you flex them and their headband
also has a decent click to it whenever you extend it which is nice given that these headphones
are mostly plastic. And when it comes to the padding on these headphones, there’s very
plush velour padding on both the headband and ear pads. But if you need to you can always
just easily remove these ear pads and snap on another pair.
Now regarding comfort, you can easily wear these headphones for hours on end without
any problems but they do require a break in period. In general yes these headphones are
big head approved but when you first get these headphones you do want to give them a few
good stretches. But besides that, weight wise these headphones weigh in at 240 grams so
these are a pair of headphones that you do forget that you have on after while. And when
it comes to their padding… since the padding on their headband is very plush this headband
doesn’t create a hot spot on the top of you head. And when it comes to the ear pads
on these headphones… they’re huge. So these ear pads are going to have no problem
accommodating all ear types even if you have really large ears that stick out.
Now when it comes to tech specs these are a pair of open back headphones. They have
a frequency response between 6 hertz and 38 thousand hertz and they have an impedance
of 120 ohms. So you’re not necessarily going to need to use an amp with these headphones.
These are just plug and play.
And if you were to just plug these headphones in directly into your computer these headphones
are going get decently loud but I do feel that they are going to leave you wanting more.
So even though you don’t have to use an amp with these headphones… these headphones
are going to benefit from an AMP.
Now just as you’d expect these headphones have a very flat and neutral sound signature
to them. Now the bass on these headphones is purely audible but if you were to go your
AMP or EQ settings and up the bass on these headphones then they are going to give you
a little bit of a physical kick, but not too much.
Now when it comes to the mids and highs those are extremely crisp and they don’t get distorted
at higher volumes even if you’re using these headphones with an AMP and you’ve got these
headphones cranked up super loud. And finally when it comes to the soundstage and instrument
separation these headphones do a really good job of engulfing you in your music. These
headphones sound very open and you can easily pick out individual elements.
So over all if you’re looking for a pair of reference grade headphones either cause
you’re an audiophile who enjoys the finer details in your music or cause you’re looking
for that wide soundstage to get engulfed by your music, or if you’re a producer on a
budget then the Sennheiser HD 560S are a solid option. Build quality wise even though these
headphones have a mostly smooth plastic body they’re still solid but more importantly
since these headphones have very plush velour padding they feel great when you’ve got
them on. The only thing to keep in mind is that yes these headphones do need a break
in period. But after that you can easily wear the HD 560S’s for hours on end. Now from
a performance stand point even though these headphones are plug and play thanks to their
impedance of 120 ohms… you’re defiantly going to get more out of them if you use them
with an amp. Now just as you expect from reference grade headphones… the HD 560S’s have a
flat sound signature to them with very crisp mids and highs that don’t distort at higher
volumes… and the bass on these headphones its mostly on the audible side. Don’t expect
too much of a kick from these headphones. But more importantly the wide sound stage
and instrument separation on these headphones will get you fully engulfed in your music.