(...exhale)
harmony, don't know about those Sonys in particular, though Sonys usually gets good reviews. To find out from better experts than me, check out
head-fi.org (you must become a member in order to do a
search, but anyone can cruise). Sony's are usually said to be a little "bright" in comparison to other high-end phones, meaning louder than nominal at the high end, but overall very good. If you like them, get a new pair in the same line. Senns are darker, mostly, than Sonys.
b-rock, when I said plugged in, I didn't mean
just plugged in, but having them playing a live radio station or a looped CD, at standard volume, for the plants/pets/walls to listen to while you're gone, for example. Playin' - pushin' air, not just cookin' - warmin' the room. Movin' the magnets. That's what I meant.
Okay, I got them, and have been listening to them for awhile, burning them in. Since I started this post, I feel it my duty to give an honest assessment of what they're like. So here goes ...
First off, a chain fails at its weakest link. If you're listening to an expensive pair of headphones through a boom box, well, they're not going to help the sound much. Save your money. Also, you won't hear much of a difference listening to the radio or mp3s ... the source material isn't giving you enough to work with here. Well-recorded CDs or software programs (like P5) or SACDs or DVD Audio are the only things that will create any sort of discernable difference. I mention this in part because my "system" that I'm using these phones on is an Audigy 2ZS soundcard in a PC. Yeah, blah, blah, blah, I know. It was a good deal, I grabbed 'em, and I bought them primarily to make music - which I do on a computer - not to listen to music on a dedicated stereo system. Thus this review in the P5 forum, and not on audiophile.bla or something.
Second, of my bevy of headphones (6?) - of which the Senns are admittedly now the nicest - I am using my ~$50 AKG K-66s as the primary "standard good" comparator here. The AKGs are a very competent headphone for the price, with nice bass, and a warm, rich sound - and, I'm wildly guessing, probably reflect the average price of headphones that most people reading this post have. Also, they were the primary phones I was using on my computer, before.
Third, I know for a fact that these headphones are yawning at what I'm feeding them - these can take way more than I can give them at the moment. They are probably, in retrospect, overkill for the system I have (duh). But I also know they'll last me a long time, and that THEY will never be the weakest link in my chain.
Senn Positives:
Clearer ... I'd say about 30% clearer (note my "system", however, when I say this). Is this worth about 8X retail the price, or 4X refurbished the price of the AKGs, for 30% more clarity? I don't know, you tell me. My perception also might not be your perception.
Having said that, I have heard instruments in songs I never knew were there. Some songs even sound quite different now. While a $50 pair of headphones will give you the general nature of a sound, they won't bring out its subtleties or clarities. Example: listening through the AKGs, cymbals sound like high pitched pink noise. I wouldn't have described it that way before, but I do now. With the new Senns, they sound like cymbals.
Cymbals. Clear, distinct
cymbals. TING-TING-TING. Not STENG-STENG-STENG. High-spectrum sounds, like claps or the metal bits of a drum kit (you're right, I don't know what they're called), are in a world of their own - this is where the Senns shine best. The lows go deeper, are more accurate - but are not as loud, not as "powerful" sounding (which can be good ... sometimes). Mids actually sound nearly identical between the two, to my ears. So some songs sound quite a bit different, while others don't. It's interesting.
Using the AKGs, each instrument is somewhat blended together - it's harder to tell where one ends and another begins. It's as if the sound is being delivered through the headphones as a single unceasing left to right band. With the Sinns, each instrument has it's own distinct space - with a virtual "pocket of air" between them and the other surrounding instruments.
With the AKGs, sound placement feels as if it's coming from almost the center of your head, maybe a half an inch between instruments, whereas with the Senns, it feels as if the instrument sounds are coming from distinct places, several inches from the center of your head, about where your skull is. A weird descriptive, but accurate.
A lot of headphones deliberately deliver inaccurate sound. Many are imbued with "loudness" - meaning they impart more sound in the low and high range than is actually there (amplitude, not quality), "punching up" your songs - or on even cheaper pairs, can tend to exaggerate the vocal "mid" section. The Senns do not do this. And because of this, some music actually sounds flatter, blander, colder. But, it also means I can listen to the Senns all day long without discomfort, my ears don't feel pummeled after a couple of hours - something I can't say about the AKGs.
Also, as a result - and this is a great thing I never would have guessed - a lot
less VST presets sound good. Which is a good thing, because it pairs down the choices I now have of how to screw up a song. Basically, if it sounds good through the Senns, then it will sound good everywhere else. I'm amazed at how many synth sounds I liked previously that now sound flat or thin to me, without the additional "false" warmth that the AKGs were giving to them. Bonus!
Negatives:
The HD 600's sound ... cold. Clinically cold. Reference ... perhaps. They merely put out what they're fed. No "enhancements". As a result, bass and treble sound "softer", not as much perceived sonic pressure - but more accurate, clearer. An odd combination, frankly. I know it's technically cleaner sound, but my mind is having trouble dealing with the lack of perceived volume - I'm expecting it to be louder. It never
feels loud, even when I know it is - and no amount of volume manipulation changes this. I've heard of this phenomena before, and now I know what they're talking about. You realize how much of the music your mind was actually creating before, whereas now you're actually hearing it. A little spooky.
Much less stuff sounds good through these phones. It's something to note. These Senns are brutally honest on bad recordings. You will hear the aliasing on low bitrate recordings. You will hear the noise in badly recorded songs. Clearly. Do you really want to know the truth? Listening to some older recordings can be painful now, especially albums I like(d).
The Senns are not going to "rock you", they don't "kick it old school". They are going to tell you what is there with all the pizzazz of an electrical engineer, and nothing else.
Overall:
You get more accuracy and clarity, at a lower volume, but without any warmth, with the Senns. The AKGs are more fun, the Senns are more true. If you prefer the sexy Latin passion of Ferraris, think about AKGs or Grados. If you've always had a thing for Teutonic Porsches, however, then consider the Senns.
Speaking of which, getting headphones like this is much like buying an sports car in Southern California. Yes, you'll look good, blah blah blah, but you won't be driving it at 180 anytime soon. More like 20 in rushhour traffic. But - if you know where the good mountain roads are outside the city, then you
might be able to see what it can do ... which is very likely much more than what
you can do.
My recommendation? For the price, if you're interested, get the HD 590s. Unless you have the sound system, and clinical mentality, to support the HD 600s.
(...whew!)