Sennheiser HD560S Measurements and Thoughts

While I do know there is already a 560S thread containing a bunch of Marv's measurements, I am personally more adhesive to subforum definition. Particularly thinking measurement posts should be placed on the measurement subforum as I've been often lost in finding specific measurements and ended up googling. I'll put a link to the previous 560S measurements at the end of this OP.

Ok, let's begin with the frequency responses of both channels.



As you see in the plot, from 3khz downward, it's very difficult to bitch about 560's tonal balance. Maybe subtly uptiling. But it doesn't sound thin or lean at least for bass and midrange. I am actually kinda liking it. They do have some issues in this region, but fr is not one of them imho.

4-6khz, I believe the peak shown here is caused by angled drivers, or them confounded by the housing structure as I measured and heard something similar in HD599. The problem is the rest of FR is too well balanced to offset 5khz sibilance, which make the effect way more evident than otherwise. It didn't sound unbearably edgy to me though. For some tracks, a little elevated energy helped to improve perception of finesse. Dull sources such as iphone hp out also benefited from this character.

9-10khz, I may prefer a moderate dip here. 560S was on the brighter side.

Interestingly, in contrast to their relatively bright voicing, I still found 560S contain a fair amount Senn-ness.





Above are left and right channel harmonics respectively. At least the measured results win over any Senn 5 or 6 series I previously measured myself. 300hz on left looks a little dirty but I don't bother because (1) it's still well below 0.2% and (2) I am suspecting it's on EARS not 560S.

Subjectively I think they don't reach to uber dynamics or decent estats in the bass quality game. I might prefer 560S to 650 from 50hz downward because of higher clarity and better extension. However, 650 was more delicate around 100hz, which could be more important when I wear Senn cans.




Generally looks good to me..

Related posts

• Marv's measurement: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...eview-the-new-standard-not.10040/#post-322077

 

These days, I generally like to write about subjective impressions after longer evaluation period, but since these are the loaner pair that I have to send out to the next person tomorrow or so, I'd briefly break down into several parts and paste from my memo.

Good

• Ergonomics is fantastic to me. While overall dimension of housing isn't that different from HD650, Angled drivers allow enough air and space around my outer ears that makes me way more comfortable. I liked Bose QC35 for the same reason over Sony's and other competitors. Headband cushion is also plusher than 650. Honestly speaking, ergonomic benefits solely override any performance delta from 650.. At least after enjoying 560S, I became more demotivated to wear my 650. Clamping is a little strong for now but like all other Senns, I can easily imagine it will loosen as time goes.
• Neutral tonality from the 3khz downward. Already discussed.
• As reported by others, spaciousness and imaging are pretty good. Not HD800 fantastic, but 560S made various sound sources more dimensional than 650, a big plus to me.
• They're definitely friendlier to lower grade upstream. Very enjoyable out of Topping/Macbook/iPhone.
• Better detail retrievals for the price than 6X0

Bad

• Possibly a bit hot in the upper midrange and upper treble. Discussed in the first post.
• We all agree that speed is not a strong suit for Sennheiser in general.
• 6X0 is still slightly better in resolving microdynamics.
• Stock cable was too long, which I am not a fan of.

Ok

• The $199 price is more than I pay for what they are. But looking back, the street price (or in the form of Massdrop collaboration) will eventually drop to a more reasonable level in the future.

 

Seems like they took the 80s DT880 approach of slapping a BRIGHT AF driver in there and then damp the living shit out of it with an acoustically opaque heavy handed filter just to the degree where it's approaching tolerable in the highs and then call it done. Not the best approach for dynamic clarity. But for mid-fi, it works. Or maybe I'm way off the mark and that cloth is more transparent than it looks (referencing Marv's photo in the other thread). Is there also pad foam like on the 6xx series?

edit - eating my words on this one.

 

Nope. There's only a thin cloth. Much thinner and more transparent than 650 pad foam.

 

Excellent write-up!

One thing I want to mention that I haven't really seen mentioned and maybe it is specific to me only. The placement of the cup in relation to where my ear is aligned with either the box-in-a-cup or my ear touching the rear-most portion of my ear while also touching the rear-most portion of the earcup causes a difference in FR and presentation. I can get a dark veiled sound or a much more intense slightly sharp sound. I can get them basically somewhere in the almost perfect between while I'm laying down and they are more forward on my head from the pillow keeping them forward, but not all the way pinned forward.

Essentially I think the driver is aimed a little forward of my "bowl" and more near my tragus and letting that portion of my outer ear do some filter work too.

At least that is how I've been messing with the HD560S.

 

I'm actually doing my initial listen with these now as well too, and yea I agree a lot of what's been said. It's good to see more measurements off your system too @Vtory

Detail doesn't really STAND out so there is a sort of casual veil or haze. With the M3H there is some decent transient edge but I imagine on the myriad of softer/slower mid-entry level solid states this minimally acceptable edge will vanish and the result will be an even more veil'd listen.

Tonally tho I don't mind the slightly bright character and while I appreciate the wider staging it's a little in-coherent... all in all I suppose it's decent enough for $199 feels a little underwhelming tho give that HD650 is now like $220 ish [Buying HD6XX and second hand is even closer to this price point]

 

How does the soundstage compare to a DT770 Pro? And how about a K712 from AKG? Has anyone any input on this?

 

Re: Transient speed; I think the attack isn't that fast (tho faster than 6x0), but the decay is very well controlled.

Dynamics were unimpressive and res is a bit worse than HD600 off a good source, however it does all this from something as simple as a dongle including all of its advantages over 6x0 series.

I'd easily take it over a 650 tho. 650 sounded really muddy to me.

I don't think it'll win over any die-hard 6x0 fanboys, but it is a better budget/midfi option for beginners.

 

Thanks for the tech analysis!

I wanted to try these but they seem to be out of stock at the moment.
Anyway, in the future price might even drop a little and become less risky to try.

I think they didn't excpect them to sell out so fast.
Was thinking that when opinions on something are polarised it becomes even more intriquing.

In any case I believe it is a good move to try and blend in the best parts of the classic HD6xx series and the more affordable HD5xx series. They might be able to tweak it even further and smooth out any rough edges.
That will be great if it is possible.

 

Sennheiser HD560S: Follow-Up Review (Revisited in Mar 2023)

I’ve recently acquired a refurb pair of Senn HD560S and enjoyed it thoroughly for approximately two weeks.

I know the forum consensus was they were at least not worthy upon the launch. I also reviewed them in late 2020 (sbaf loaner tour) and found the HD600/650 sounded a little better. Looking back, I think my evaluation was biased in a number of ways (e.g., a disappointment from Senn debut pricing). My sonic taste has also shifted in a fairly analytic direction. Thus, I was strongly motivated to give it another fairer chance from a fresh perspective in 2023, wanting to answer this question: “Are HD560S really not good in 2023?”

As usual, my evaluation was done with the M500.3 dac-amp and the HO200 headphone amplifier. I mostly compared the HD560S to my KISS-modded 650.

Let me first update the price information. I recall many people (myself included) thought the 560S was priced too high considering 6XX was sold in Drop for the same price. In 2023, I don’t think 560S’s price is too much. Official price has been reduced down to $150. Senn also sells refurbs for $100, which I think is really great value for the performance. It’s also worth noting that a new pair of HD6XX is sold for $200 or below only when on sale in 2023 (non-sale: $240-270). And we all know any other HD6X0 (600,650) is sold for $300+. Some discontinued/rare/vintage models go even higher. Frankly, buying the 560S in 2023 makes more economic sense to me than in 2020.

Aside: I also thought the HD660S was too expensive at release, which somehow biased my impression. They’re now $290 new and my evaluation became a lot more positive. I do really think about giving any Senn new products a few years for price stabilization before making final verdicts.

There wasn’t much change in my perception for BQ/aesthetics/comfort. Build still feels cheap. No metal but plastic only. The design/color looks pretty sleek though. I also found the top padding sponge is significantly softer than my 6XX. Strong clamping helped to lower weight allocation on top. Their roomier space on the inside (due to angled drivers) prevents unnecessary touch and ensures some air around the ears. Overall, I could easily tolerate listening to a few albums at a time.

And this time around I really like the way they sound. While I recall that the sound wasn’t too bad for me three years ago, I’ve somewhat overlooked their true capabilities. They’re still not everyone's cup of tea, but far better than I expected in many areas of audio reproductions.

Below are a few key areas I still find they excel:

• Soundstage: Wide and moderately deep; Great lateral definitions; Layers are distinct and well separated; Non-diffusing; Very crisp images
• Details: Can hear small breathing; Texture sounds impressively detailed; Variability among similar instruments are picked very precisely; Can hear viola (against violin) very clearly out of complicated string parts
• Neutral balance: Can’t hear tonal coloration across the entire spectrum; A little too hot in highs in some tracks but is mostly associated with addition of nice sparkles; Great bass extension for (relatively) small moving coil dynamic drivers.
• Low coloration: Tonally and harmonically very accurate; Very impressive bass neutrality in perceived harmonics

And here are some areas my thoughts changed (weaker → stronger or as equally strong):

• Transient/speed: I thought they sounded slow-ish but 560S is indeed a rather faster sounding pair of headphones for the price; Good immediacy; Slightly overshooting transient in attacks; Fast decay
• Microdynamics: 560S is not the most nuance-retrieval headphones but volume gradation is surprisingly/sufficiently linear and delicate; They pick up shaker’s gradational details very well

I still think they’re weaker in the following areas:

• Timbre: Persistent unnaturalness; Over-presence in many female voices; Piano is also often overly present with artificial overtone
• Musicality: Lacking sweetness; Not a very romantic reproduction at all; Musical contrast feels somewhat limited

All things considered, the HD560S passed almost all my requirements in price, comfort, and performance -- the three major categories that matter to me. They’re a very decent tool for many critical or analytical listening use cases unless allergic to clinical presentation. I’m currently on a quest to find the best sounding headphones under $200 (a new compendium thread planned), and the HD560S is definitely worth nominating.

The re-measured results are also attached. All 5-point averaged as per my latest standardized process. The results closely match what I hear.

 

Have you also tried the HD-58X from drop? I would say they trade blows at the price. I unfortunately don't know all the 5XX lineup, but a few members here have suggested other 5XX series headphones that might be more agreeable as a whole. The price and aesthetic was right for me to pull the trigger on the HD-560S. I would say that I'm content with them, but they don't get much headtime with the ETA stuff lingering around my house.

 

Thanks for the detailed review, revisiting headphones a while after release is definitely something that I appreciate, especially considering adjustments that can be made to a product or its price.

I remember being surprised at the distaste that most of SBAF had for the hd560s. All in all, I thought it was a decent headphone at a decent price point- Given, my opinion was for the $150 price bracket, rather than anything else. I also want to acknowledge the possible revision that may have been made to it in 2023 (There were some changes made to the cable and headband, possibly the driver), I'm referring to the pre-2023 revision.

The neutrality and generally decent performance overall make it something that I feel makes it an acceptable option to a pretty wide range of people, and an easy recommendation to people that don't quite know their preferences. A standout to me was the bass. I enjoyed its ample presence and texture without the bass being overdone or boosted. The controlled imaging and reasonable stage were also a plus, especially at the pricepoint.

The build feels like classic Sennheiser, of course. Mediocre-feeling, but something that probably won't have any issues years down the road. I haven't used 6x0 much, nor have I tried them in direct comparison to the 560s, but I daresay that I prefer the 560's plastic and overall build compared to 6x0. The headband adjustment works well enough, The Velour pads feel fine, and the cups are quite spacious- moreso than I expected for the size. They accommodated my outward-rotated ears just fine. After break-in, the 560s's clamp is reasonable- nice and snug for me. At 240g, it also felt pretty great on the head, and I suspect few people will get neck strain with something so light, no matter how long you wear them for. I appreciate the single, detachable 3.5mm port they have on the headphones. No needless complications, with the added benefit of dirt cheap replacement cables.

There are other things that make the 560s pretty high-value IMO- although this may not be applicable for a lot of members here. The 560s is only 120ohm, and very sensitive at 110dB/mW, making it quite easy to drive. This, paired with its low noise leakage for being an open-back headphone make it somewhat usable as portable headphones, although I'd only drag them around the house or for walks around my neighborhood. I also feel that you can achieve good performance off of pretty much anything, something that aids with the aforementioned portability.

I do wonder how it compares with something like a dt880, which seems to be a pretty close competitor on paper. Seems to share a lot of the same strengths- neutrality, longevity/build, reasonable pricepoint and to some degree easy drivability (for at least the lower ohmage options).

 

Some comparative thoughts responding @M3NTAL and @Entropy :

• HD58X: I may have to hear them again. From my previous short listenings, I found it sounded closer to 650 than to 560S in many aspects, having similar sets of drawbacks. Feels like a compromised 6x0, which may not attract me as I already own 650. It's a bit difficult to imagine 58X replaces 650 for my use cases, which 560S clearly does.
• DT880: I owned 3 pairs 880 many years ago (32ohm non-pro, 600ohm non-pro, 120ohm pro) so I can clearly say 560S's treble is better tamed. From the memory, I suffer from sibilance issues in many female vocals much more often with 880s than 560S. 560S does several things (bass articulation, soundstage, imaging, etc.) better for my taste, too.

 

I basically did the same thing - the 58X didn't do enough for me to sell my 600 and 650. The 560S is like a cuck. Beta headphone LOL - Has a hot significant other, but not confident enough to topple the alpha sennheisers. (in jest post, but I think there is some truth to it LOL)