Alright so had the HD600 on the X9 now and compared directly against the HE1000se is something interesting for sure. I have to say the matte plastic on the updated version is very nice, looks very premium even though it's all plastic, nicer feeling than my HD650's glossy finish. The stock cable has microphonics, though is is very soft and pliable if a little too rubbery and long, classic Sennheiser there though.
I ordered a
neat looking balanced cable for £16 on Amazon, has swappable heads for 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm, no annoying microphonics and is a nice desktop friendly length.
I will just say outright that the midrange and overall soundstage on the hD600 is better than what I remember from my HD650 both stock and modded, this is a big surprise. I knew they were slightly different, but the staging and midrange, especially vocals is unexpectedly wide and present. The X9 is in bypass mode with no DAC filter applied either so is as true playing from source as it can get, only colouring with warmth via the AKM Velvet hardware tuning.
Another thing is comfort, whilst the HE1000se and other HF eggs are very comfortable with the memory foam velour pads, you can certainly feel the lack of weight on the HD600. Weight is certainly king. I forgot that since selling on the HD650.
The loudness between both via the X9's balanced outputs requires volume levelling when either headphone is put on, the X9 outputs the max power capable through all headphones ports at the same time so A/B testing is easy enough here, and I found that the HD600 needs +12% volume increase to get to the same loudness as the HE1000se.
Playing select tracks that I know have nuances and details shows striking similarities between both headphones but also some marked differences as well:
This has some imperfections near the start of the song like the crackling of a hitch in the production early on, this is very vivid on the HD600 and centrally focused with a little bit of wide staging, whereas on the HE1000se it's presented wide and in 3D sort of, expected given the wide staging nature of planars.
Her voice is also under the Sennheiser veil but it's very nice still and the soundstage in this song is wide with layering but it's all presented in a more intimate way than on the HE1000se which is more holographic. Both give a different experience on this song, both are excellent and I can see when someone would prefer one over the other. Exactly half way the song dynamics change and piano comes in, the chords are closer to the ears and sound similar to what I recall from the HD650, like as if those chords are just touching the inner ear drums, the bass that plays during this is also present and never feels lacking.
This song really lets the HE1000se shine and is a stand-out song for these headphones over any others I have listened to it on. The clarity, detail and staging/imaging are all just perfect. The HD600 presents it under the veil which I feel mutes some of that clarity especially in her voice but it's still enjoyable as it's intimate now so the reduced staging is offset against the stage being brought much closer to my ears.
This song lets the HD600 shine with its intimate sound, the stereo imaging and layering is superb with this combo. Compared to the HE1000se this song on the HD600 is more dynamic and punchy because the closer soundstage and midrange/vocals, the HE1000se by comparison is more laid back though does have more upper end detail extracted from the song making it clearer mid range and up
At the start of this there is some background noise that gently rumbles along the silent noise floor which is very audible on the HE1000se but is slightly recessed on the HD600, though once the song starts all the above mentioned qualities come out. I think the start is masked by the veil, otherwise the imaging and intimate sound is really nice.
And lastly, ratchets, the bass test track:
This was the biggest surprise of all, the HD600 seems to have better sub-bass extension than my old 650s, even after modding. It's puzzling me this, the bass is so good with this track which i did not expect. Put these on my blind and I would guess I was hearing planar level bass. It doesn't reach as low and extract detail as the Hifimans do no but it's deep enough that I did not expect this from a dynamic driver and not bass I have heard from dynamic headphones before either.
Very impressed, should have got the HD600s originally though I vaguely remember them being more expensive than the £210 I paid for the HD650s back then.At £239 brand new I cannot think of another headphone that sounds as nice when paired through a smooth/warm amp.
Having said that I do realise that I never tried the HD650 through the X9, so it may well be the case that the X9 is outputting music to a higher level to the HD600 which would also apply to the HD650 compared to the previous amps I had when I had the HD650 (latest being the K11 R2R).
Kudos to Sennheiser I guess, £239 for headphones that originally came out in 1997. Sennheiser seems to want £400 for them through official channels. At that price I'd just get Arya Stealth all day long. But at £239 (cannot say name of shop as they sell stuff OcUK sell) there's no question which I'd recommend to people.
it is a bit of a pain plugging and unplugging stuff all the time.
