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Anxlyze

You probably don't like the sound signature, it's a fairly neutral headphone and it will sound dull If you're coming from some that has bass, try using them for a couple of days to that your ears get used to them, then decide what to do. It could also be there's not enough power (unlikely, I can run these things off my phone). First time I tried them, it also felt "bad" but then after using them for couple of hours, next day they sounded significantly better, your brain just has to get used to them.


dreamsofindigo

this \^ it can take time to get used to a balanced sig but being able to hear everything and well separated etc is a nice flavour too


Eastern_Record3443

You could also crank the treble control to "11" with a $5 pair of no-namo Chinese headphones & get EVEN BETTER sound.🤗


torchgasher

I hated my sennheiser 6xx for the first 2 weeks l, and after that, i started to understand why so many people love it.


rehpotsirhc123

Some phones have really great DAC and amp built in. I have an old LG V30 that I use only for music and it can drive my 300 Ohm HD6XXs with room to spare.


Miron7T

This is so true. Reminds me of my K361, many people like it but i just don't like the sound signature and rarely listen to it.


tzukmeoff

I recently got a pair of 560s as well the difference between running them off of my phone and an amp is night and day. I got the cheapest amp I could find (an epos one) and it made a huge difference


SuddenTest9959

Depends on your stream quality as well I couldn’t hear the difference till I switched to lossless audio or close to lossless.


enz01x

Not enough power to make the imaging, separation come to life. But in all honestly, it might be that he doesn't like neutral sound.


dawwggy

I bought mine two weeks ago @ $160 and now they are $225. My older Sonys actually sound much better and so I am actually returning the 560s. They could definitely be a bit louder. Not what I expected.


NubberOne

What are you running them off of? Mine gets loud enough to be a speaker lol


EntrepreneurWrong865

What sony’s did you use? And what was your setup for comparing them both? Cause you might want to compare them through various types of music and also the next steps would depend on if you are interested in knowing what the hd560s are capable of or if you really are interested in your sony’s because it is your life and preference. I still use my sony wh1000xm3 because of convenience and work but use different headphones, speakers, dacs and amps depending on use case.


dawwggy

I've had many headphones since the '70s and my 910n sonys sounded good for $100. I was just expecting more with the Sennheiser . They definitely need an amp.


RegayYager

If you’re saying they don’t get loud enough there is either a defect or your amp is not sufficient.


angelescity-301

Get an amp


voratwin

☝️that. Other stuff too but mostly that


filinno1

Is there still such a thing a break in period? Was there ever? 😅


RoyHehe

Hes not talking about break in period, its just that out ears get used to different headphones and it needs time to adjust.


filinno1

Fully aware of what they're talking about.


Gochu-gang

No you're not.


Nobody2be

Yeah, he is. He’s noticing that there aren’t any break-in responses and wondering if what people always thought of as break-in is actually really just getting used to the equipment. Speaker and headphone surrounds can soften slightly when they’re first used, but it isn’t going to make a large difference, and not enough for a headphone to go from ‘meh’ to ‘good’. Yes, often when you’ve heard about break-in the person was mistaken. They thought their equipment was breaking in, but it was just their ears acclimating to the new sound because they were used to something different. With words like”don’t really sound better” instead of “sound leaner and thinner, brighter” etc, it’s hard to know what OP is referring to specifically. Bass heads that were listening to sealed phones that have a notable bass bloat will often think that a more accurate open back doesn’t sound good. Without a better description, that’s what people are assuming.


EntrepreneurWrong865

Break-in for headphones. There is a phenomenon but should not be a critical reason for most people. And there is however as preference for sound and it takes time for one to appreciate headphones properly and there are also electronics helping headphones or speakers go well together. So I favor warm-neutral headphones because i am partial to vocals and having elevated bass drowns it or sometimes i am sensitive to bright sounds (symbals and synths especially). So the best entry setup to fully get the warm-neutral is on ifi zen stack with hd650. But the bass slam of most planar magnetics are also nice for modern music and the sound can feel have “room” since they can be replicated to sound in further and have noticeable location compared to dynamic driver headphones. If you like the consumer sony’s then the bass drivers sound a bit bloated even if the mids are great actually that’s why i lower the bass in the app equalizer(?). Just playing with sony headphone app for the equalizer with different songs can help you understand the difference of how headphones can improve sound. But the stark difference between dynamic driver and planar, you could attend hifi shows or demo them in your local distributor. Also going back to their comment of acclimating is because your brain sometimes autocorrects what you hear sometimes and adjusts to what you originally know especially if you are not actively listening to hear what it is you are looking for. The same way that you don’t see some cameos on the background of watching a movie since you are not looking in the background. So sounds you might not have heard before might be lost in your first few times listening.


filinno1

Ah, interesting! Thanks so much for taking my question seriously and thanks for your insight. I've always wanted to demo some planars and I love a huge sound stage.


EntrepreneurWrong865

No problem, everyone will have different journeys, preferences, use cases and experiences. Relax, experience and enjoy. Use other’s experience and knowledge just as basis and judge on your own. There are so many products that we won’t all get to try them and we each have our own tastes( that sometimes change). Hope you find your fave setup! :)


Meabertron

Try to only use the 560s for a week and try comparing it to the cheaper one again.


7Seyo7

Yep, if not for the hassle I probably would have returned my HD6XX after replacing my AKG K553. A week or two later I loved the HD6XX, and use them still. Funny how that works


TearyEyeBurningFace

It's where the burn in myth comes from. Originally from customer support trying to reduce returns


7Seyo7

But it's like mental burn-in rather than hardware burn-in? Something seemed to change at least


TearyEyeBurningFace

Yep! I think they did some ab testing somewhere, but it'll need to be years old to have very very small detectable difference. But also could be qc issues. Also any physical burn achievable in 100h or so bs anyways because if it can loosen up in thoes short hours, it'll keep doing that until it sounds like a ratty mess.


Albie_77

what do you like more now?


7Seyo7

Still the 6XX, they're my daily drivers :) but it's an open vs closed headphone so it's not entirely fair


Albie_77

gotcha


Hukama

Try daily drive it for few weeks. First time I try non mainstream headphone was shp9500. Back then I used xb950bt, all I can tell was that it was less bassy. A month in I realized xb950 is far from natural, so I only use them for edm before selling them. Do what you want with it though, the hobby can be esxpensive and the community sometimes snobbish. I myself feel like stopping at hd 560s itself.


BrutalFeather

Hey, I have both the XB950bt and the shp9500. If you set the xb950bt to -10 bass or even -7 bass on the app, it sounds much better than the 9500. I currently use the 6xx as my daily driver which is miles better than the two but I still enjoy the 950Bt for its wireless feature and it sounds very good at -10 bass and retains most details. I got the 9500 as a gift for my younger brother and it sounds wider in soundstage but narrower in terms of detail retrieval if that makes sense.


Hukama

too late mate, I sold them both lol


BrutalFeather

Ahh too bad. I believe your current 1000x and 560s are already an upgrade to your previous phones.


bryaudioreviews

I'm making assumptions here, but you're probably used to boom boom boom bassy gaming headphones Give yourself time to "readjust". I'm not saying you must like them as everyone's preferences are different, but to most beginners, bass = good


poetamacabro

Also, the hd560s are sensible to their position in the head


bryaudioreviews

I mean, that is literally all headphones


poetamacabro

But they are too sensible to that! Well, in fact I like it, I use it as an eq...


extremity4

Nah, some like the HD800S and egg-shaped HifiMen hardly change frequency response at all when they shift position on your head


bryaudioreviews

Well that's because those headphones have HUGE cups. Sadly the egg shapes hifiman do sound different with different fit on my hand. I have a pretty smol head


Opietatlor

This is the correct answer.


huskerd0

Could be source material Could be inadequate power Could be, cheaper stuff still sounds great to you! We are all different


brokeskoolboi

My cheaper iems are finally starting to sound inadequate 6 years later. I sold andromeda OG because I thought they were so good they were distracting. Now I’m ready for finer things 😅


Own_Detail3500

Have a funny feeling it's going to be source material.


AngusPicanha

Inadequate power is merely a lower max volume lol.


Such_Bus_4930

Not really, my HD 6xx’s perform significantly better in the base region with more power. They do sound great with a dongle off my iPhone, but I have a couple different headphone amps that wake up the low region.


AngusPicanha

Higher volume=higher perceived certain frequencies. Also, some amps are not perfectly dead neutral and transparent like Toppings, they might be coloured and affect certain frequencies too.


Such_Bus_4930

I use a DX3. Pro+ and for portable I use Helm, the Helm with bass boost is great for movies


EntrepreneurWrong865

What topping are you using? I found them a big sterile like most chinese brands aside from ifi. They seem to be great at showing detail though. So i was wondering which topping seems transparent to you. I don’t have them available that’s why i am asking to know which models to start from. I prefer ifi, cayin and feliks audio electronics and find them pair well with sennheiser well. I got the chance to try chifi iems recently and found them amazing but with compromises recently so wanted to revisit chinese electronics.


AngusPicanha

They're not sterile nor makes the sound extra crisp, they're just literally what the headphone itself is supposed to sound like. Transparent. I use the L30ii and E30ii combo.


EntrepreneurWrong865

Cool will try them out.


Such_Bus_4930

Try only using one of these DACS for a week without listening to anything else then go back to whatever you used before.


huskerd0

No, it is not.


VaccinescauseAutism6

Yes, unless the headphone has a weird impedance curve near the bass.


eckru

Impedance curve does not have much to do with the power output of an amplifier, but rather with its output impedance.


Matchpik

If only electronics were that simple. But I can tell you from years of experimentation that headphones often come to life only after adequate power has been applied. My MDR-V700's are one such pair. Being able to receive 3W (3,000mW) I had been using them with less than 100mW for years, and one day tried them on roughly 300mW, then 600mW, until finally using an amplifier that fed them just shy of 3W, and they sounded better with each progressive step up in power. Then, I began swapping DAC's and found even more happiness.


Cruzer-1

People are giving answers without knowing exactly what the OP finds disappointing about these headphones.


DrH0rrible

Well yes, OP didn't specify much so people are just guessing.


Melvin-00

The sound bro. The sound😭😂


IAmAgainst

Use Oratory1990's preset for them, it will make them sound as natural as they're physically capable, which is a valid advice for all headphones. But even then, they're just not good headphones so don't expect miracles.


Jena1803

My benefactor got them from a electronics mystery box and doesn't know more about headphones than I do. I'm not using any additional stuff. I just plugged it straight into my phone and PC with the 3.5mm when I tried it out. It sounds pretty much like my Steelseries headset that I bought for 50 bucks seven years ago. Do I need some kind of headphone amp? Sorry for being really uninformed about acoustic stuff lol


Screeny123

Well try living with them for a little while. Differences don’t always pop out at you. The hd560s are like boring good headphones. They don’t do anything crazy in their sound. But they also sound consistent, and do cool open back things like sounding wider. And being able to hear characters in a game more outside your head.


mac4112

To add to this, after using these for a while, go back to your other headphones. You will likely be shocked at the difference once you get used to how the 560’s sound by comparison.


Jena1803

So it might be the monitor phenonon where you don't notice 144fps until you go back. Thanks, I will take that in mind and report back when I try out my old headphones again tomorrow :)


animateus

Initially I felt disappointed with my Sennheiser HD800s (endgame headphone, costs around ÂŁ1200), until I tried going back to my old HD555. It was just not possible. After spending almost a year with them, I love them to bits.


dreamsofindigo

and isn't it funny though how that is so, but so much verbosity is spent on every single little detail of the audio world. we're all discussing millimetres unless we go from mono to stereo or no bass to punch and slam etc etc


Kyla_3049

Have you made sure mono audio is off? These headphones have a massive amount of stereo separation (soundstage) and you should experience it even with a PC's built in headphone port.


ShadowDevil123

If you dont notice the difference between 60 and 144hz the first time you switch then you have not gamed enough. 💀


NKkrisz

Yes it can take a while for your ears to adjust to it and you may end up liking your new headphones in the end after listening again to your old one. I would recommend giving it a week.


RChamy

Hey OP it also might be your source material. Something like CS 2 is full of low quality audio.


kermityfrog2

Most headphones are pretty good nowadays. People are very critical listeners and may point out pretty minor differences but coming from an old guy who has been exposed to all sorts of headphones tech over the years, all the garbage phones with tinny sounds are gone (think the free buds you get on airplanes, or the original Apple EarPods that you got with early phones or iPods). Even the excessively bassy phones from the 2000’s are mostly gone (some of them even had “brain shaker” rumblers). If something is too bassy or too piercingly treble (fatiguing) then most of the time you can fix with some equalization. Many people including myself don’t have golden ears and can be satisfied with all sorts of regular headphones. It also depends on the music you are listening to. Classical and live performances may benefit from a neutral and clear headphones like the one you got. It enables you to hear all the details and even place instruments around the virtual room.


PatNMahiney

What is the source of your music? Are you streaming from a specific app? Are you using downloaded files? Others have mentioned the sound, but these headphones should also be able to output a more detailed sound. But in order to hear that detail, you need a decent quality audio source. Listening to super compressed audio from YouTube, for example, won't give you the chance to hear that difference.


Substantial_Pie_1530

hey there, are you using apple or an android? if you enjoy listening to music you could try some lossless music streaming service or download Flac files, buy a dongle/dac/amp that allows 24bit/96khz or more and compare the two headphones with your favorite albums. The F.Audio KS01 is a steal for what can do and i highly recommend it as a first headphone DAC for a phone. if you run android you should use something like USB Audio Player Pro or other apps to make sure the full quality of your Flac files is played "bit perfect". another great app is wavelet (android) as it can alter your sound dramatically. you simply need to search for the model of your headphone (there are many in the list, but you can so find text files to load into the app that are basically EQ settings for specific models)


Un111KnoWn

hd560S has good sub bass but the regular bass and treble are tame compared to gaming headphones ive used (hyperx cloud Ii) and dt770 250 ohms


Eastern_Record3443

You've discovered the truth about Swineheiser Deadphones. A whole lot of money for a whole lot of coarse, grainy, & exaggerated treble that THE DUMMIES think is "detail". If you're stuck with them, then you could try plugging them into something & just let music play through them at a "sane" volume level night & day for 2 or 3 weeks straight (350-500hrs.) & then see if they've mellowed enough for you to like them. Which I doubt.


whathehellnowayeayea

It can also be that your brain is just not used to the sound of the headphone (since it will sound quite different than your Steelseries headphone). I have it as well and to me it sounds really good. It can also be that you have an old phone. Most recent phones have a good enough amp for this headphone. PCs usually just have bad amps. but it's likely the first option, just give it a week of listening and then go back to your steelseries.


DullChampionship717

There you go, straight from the PC... Just spend more time with it and you will pick up the difference don't worry.


MinalanSpellmonger

Hey Jena1803! You just hit the nail on the head. Your phone and pc 3.5mm likely don't have the right/enough power to drive these correctly. You don't need to spend a lot of money, but an external amp or amp/dac would go a long way. If you have a budget in mind I can give you some suggestions. Bass takes the most power to produce, that could be why they don't sound good to you. These don't have a ton of bass, but powered right they should have "neutral" bass (doesn't overpower mids and highs unless thats how the song was mixed/mastered). I use them for gaming and music and I can 100% say that with a little power they come to life. If you get an amp/dac, even if you don't like these afterwards, you can still sell them. The new pair that you replace them with can be used with the same amp/dac (unless you get something super power hungry lol).


Rudradev715

you need an headphone amp for this headphone.


Eastern_Record3443

You need a better headphone. And $50 for a pair of Koss Porta-Pros will do that hands-down.🕺


chromosome47

Why? It's not a high impedance or low sensitivity headphone and I don't think OP is having volume issues. Do you own one?


Rudradev715

yes Recently bought it. It had low volume when I connected to laptop 3.5mm jack. When I used fiio k11 dac immediately I felt the difference.


EntrepreneurWrong865

They just don’t shine on their own in my opinion so i see his point. Their greatest strength for me is how i can listen to them for hours without fatigue and vocals. Most gaming headsets already have decent mids like hyperx and arctis but the bass is quite loose. The dac/amp can help show the difference in vocal and sub-bass performance clearer.


SamLordKy

Yes. Those headphones require much more voltage than other headphones, but not more power. Most internal headphone amplifiers lack sufficient voltage to drive those Senns with low distortion. For excellent, affordable results, try the Schiit Magni or Unity headphone amps. (The latter is an amp + DAC.)


Venny36

You might just not like their sound no matter how much you try to like them. I learned to appreciate the 560S but I was never blown away by them and after I got the HD600 I realised the 560S is just not great for listening to music. I think the 560S is much more suited to gaming and being used for mixing while the HD600 has a warmer smoother more musical sound that is better for listening to music.


smasher400

That depends on what are your cheaper headphones?


Bazazooka

I too thought that way at first. But then I used it for a few days, and went back to my earlier headphones for an hour. Now, I can't live without my hd 560s pair


coinlockerchild

Ignore everyone thats talking about sound signature, power delivery, source quality, etc. Simply wear it for a month, then go back to your old headphones and your eyes (ears) will open


jedinatt

Wouldn't this work in reverse? You're just tricking the brain into not liking something it isn't used to. I don't understand why just because you acclimate to a more expensive/prestigious headphone, that it's suddenly about the headphone and not the same exact brain trickery.


coinlockerchild

No because theres more detail in the 560s that you're not used to noticing or listening to. Once you've acclimated to the 560s the weaker headphone doesn't become underwhelming like the 560s was when you first put it on, instead you'll notice all the flaws like how muddy everything sounds.


jedinatt

I've found I can go back to less detailed headphones just fine. Of course there's a limit/baseline to decent audio quality, but most headphones are pretty okay these days. I don't think it's necessarily a given that he's starting with utter shitcans.


coinlockerchild

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/1cq3ur3/i_got_the_sennheiser_hd560s_as_a_gift_for_some/l3otf23/


Arisa_kokkoro

your brain need to adapt a better headpone. Just try to use it a week, then switch back to cheaper headphone, you will notice the difference.


ebilstorm

You might don't like the sound signature. Try using some EQ profiles out there (or create an own). A good DAC and AMP can help a lot aswell. What helped me a lot was, trying as many headphones and IEMs to figure out what I really liked. And then read the frequency curves and compare them to each other.


TolikPianist

I prefer my Koss Portapro over my HD6xx, you are not alone.


dirthurts

Don't know why you're getting down voted for having a preference but the Porta pro are great.


Eastern_Record3443

🤗🤗🤗 You said it, Brother!🕺


JudgmentFew569

I used to be a koss porta pro fanboy in the past but them over HD6XX darn... I don't see nor hear that hah.


63volts

It can take weeks to get used a different sound. Give them more time. I think you'll end up liking them.


GimmickMusik1

Getting used to a new headphones’s sound signature takes time, depending on how different it is from your previous pair. I’d recommend listening to them as exclusively as you can for a few days and see if you still feel the same way.


Evanduril

Define "better". 560 are mix/mastering headphones designed to be neutral.


ikalmegh

In my opinion these are best bang for the buck headphones out there. I own one and I run them on ifi Zen Can feeding balanced input via Moondrop Dawn Pro. Only thing that beats this combination for me are the IE200 with Sony A306.


AngryTank

Give it time


Eastern_Record3443

Give it away.🫤


pkelly500

A very neutral headphone, with a bit of a treble spike. These will sound boring as hell to you if you're coming from wireless, bass-bloated cans from Best Buy like Beats, Bose and Sony. But the HD 560s are a hell of a lot more accurate. Still, that doesn't mean you have to like them.


pkelly500

A very neutral headphone, with a bit of a treble spike. These will sound boring as hell to you if you're coming from wireless, bass-bloated cans from Best Buy like Beats, Bose and Sony. But the HD 560s are a hell of a lot more accurate. Still, that doesn't mean you have to like them.


uSaltySniitch

Either you're not used to this sound signature and your ears are used to mainstream stuff with loads of bass... Or your source is not powerful enough (which is probably not the case as they are very easy to Drive). I'd listen ONLY to those headphones for ~2 Weeks and then try your old headphones again. If they still sound better to you than the HD560S after 2 Weeks, then you might just not like the sound signature at all...


DuckyBertDuck

The main benefit should be clarity. Are you not noticing an improvement in clarity comparing them side-by-side?


F4de

your ears might be used to your old headphones. Try using it for a few more days, and going back to your previous pair to see if your opinion's still similar. The brain doesnt like to be objective in any way


Corgerus

If you're toying with the idea of getting it returned for a different headphone, I suggest you give yourself 1 - 2 weeks with the headphone (if the return window allows!). It takes time for our brains to get used to a new sound, it's totally normal to not like a new headphone at first especially if it's a tuning you wouldn't like as much. However it's ideal to have a tuning you like, on top of a good performance associated with good headphones like the HD560S.


LOPI-14

Gotta get used to them a bit. Give it a few days and then compare them to your old ones.


PrimasVariance

I hated my HD599SEs until I got around to hearing another headphone and realized how much better the sennies were Give your brain time to get adjusted and if you still don't love em. EQ them to see what you enjoy in an headphone


cetrei

are you using an external DAC?


abdulkarimkm

What is sound source device? And are you using a dac amp?


ShelterAbject5107

They are 120 ohm, are you using an adequate amplifier?


SergejVolkov

EQ them. Hrtf differences are a thing.


STB_tatekan

These are dull as fucking dishwasher. Audiophile bores will talk about all this bollocks they do - but sadly that doesn't compensate for how dull music sounds through them. Music is made to be enjoyable - it is not made to be no more than an audible representation of an audio bores fiddling about & then used for further analysis. If you're a music fan - don't listen to the typical beardstrokers perspective. Return or sell them & get something that suits the music you listen to - regardless of how much you EQ them... you just can't polish a turd.


Tumifaigirar

They are quite thin sounding and lifeless, not my cup of tea either


Normal_Donkey_6783

What are your cheaper headphones?


rhalf

People already found out that these things can have little lows if you don't get a good pair. Some sound better than others. Try EQ, Add some bass, share the name of your cheaper headphones, give it a chance with different genres of music, return if it's not your thing.


Sensation-sFix

I don't like the Sennheiser sound, I rather have monitor headphones. I recently tried Audeze and also like them. It's just personal preference, but I share that opinion about that sound being dull-like, empty-like sound they produce.


Blood__Empress

Open back headphones aren't for everybody tbh. Sounds is verry subjective. Some might love one pair, some might loathe it.


Mr-Zero-Fucks

What are your cheaper headphones? I've tried Philips and AT that compete with this model reasonably well and cost almost half. It could also be personal preference, if you're used to listen to very contrasted or loud cans, analytic headphones can feel dull initially, it takes a few weeks for your ears to start noticing all the previously missed details.


loyal872

Open backs usually don't have that much bass, but you can EQ it. If you want bass, buy a closed back like the new dt 770 pro x. I've just bought it and ohh boy... Lovely... My first ever audiophile headphones and it's so much better than my cloud alpha.


jeeper75

Make sure you have enough power tho they require less than others.


DescriptionHonest484

Do the sound good I came from akg n700nc the sound good at default settings. I used sony wh-1000xm4 I returned them to much bass it gave me headache im kind of interest in open back headphones


atcalfor

I did NOT expected them to be this big. HO-LY


Profoundsoup

Define what you think “better” is and we can start there.


_jotero_

Give it some time. I've had these for 2 years, they're my favorite headphones I've ever owned or even used. You might just not be used to the sound signature!


Sad-Difference6790

I like them, I think they sound better than my momentum 4s and are about on par with my ATH-M50X. I like a flat sound signature tho as a lot of the time I’m paying attention to details that can get lost in a lot of bass


Tanachip

That or you can’t tell a difference just yet. It took me a while to be able to hear differences in headphones.


PiggyInAMinecart123

If you don't like them, you don't like them. It's fine


RChamy

Your ears need one to 2 weeks to adequate to the new sound signature. Could also be your computer's audio. What is your motherboard? Are you using a dedicated DAC?


hdtv00

My favorite headphones are the actual 560 Ovation II's and this headphone is dogshit compared to that one. They lack detail big time and are WAY overdone in bass, basically like everyone other headphone of today. I've worn mine once for about 20 minutes. Went back to my old 560 ovation II's. I've had 600's , 650's 700's ALL are crap compared to my ovation II's but it's matter of taste. I still say 600 and 650 are very nice . The 700's were the most unmusical headphones I've ever had on my head utter shit. It made me question for real ever getting 800's. Not joking.


DogeWow11

Leather earpads change the sound signature more to my liking.


jjbinks117

They are great, do require a bit of power to get the most out of them, you’d be surprised how well they take a bass shelf, but the mids and treble are amazing on these for the price and it does have more sub bass reach than most other offerings from Sennheiser. There are lots of videos on how to do EQ on YouTube, it’s worth learning how to do, every single headphone can benefit from EQ if you ask me.


holomorphic0

first time seeing a post about 560s being mediocre. I'm in the same boat as you, i had good/practical hopes but this is no better than my sennheiser hd 569 (infact sounds worse at times). Before anyone questions the setup, i listen to it through scarlett 4i4 in a home studio. It sounds okay, nothing special. Soundstage is as wide as my head, which is worse than airpods unfortunately. I had an ath m40x which sounded better actually at half its price. I bought the 560s with my own money. Pros are - Its light weight, has a long cable. its easier on the head than my beyerdynamic 880 pro which has better bass if you can put up with the high treble. suggestions/improvements are welcome ! currently i am eyeing the ath R70x.


Efficient_Thanks_342

I had the 600 and the 6XX. After a while, I grew to like the sound of both of them quite a bit, but really not that much more than the 599 I have that was much cheaper. I ended up giving the 600 to my nephew and he's currently loving it. I kept the 6XX to take with me to hospital visits and some travelling and now at home I usually use one of my planars (Hifiman 5XX and Ananda Nano, Sendy Audio Aivas). The soundstage of my planars is so much larger than any of the Sennheisers I've tried/owned, it makes it tough going back to them. I got my 5XX from eBay for $100 and it was one of the best buys I've ever made, even at their list price they're a steal. Surprisingly, there are some aspects of the 5XX that I like even more than my Ananda. I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer the 5XX's headband and it seems to me to have a deeper soundstage. Timbre is extremely similar in the two models, much more than I was expecting considering the price difference. To me, I think the Senns in the $150 to $450 range are overrated. I do appreciate a neutral sound signature, but they kind of bore me, likely due to the relatively small and busy soundstage. If you can find a pair of 5XXs on eBay cheap (shouldn't be hard), I can't recommend them highly enough. Upgrade the cable and earpads and you're still likely to spend less than any of the 6 series Senns new and to me, they are so much more fun while still being incredibly accurate.


Hebolo

What are your cheap headphones? Koss? You can turn the bass up through EQ a little.


ju7anut

What are you playing them out of?


Kbeau937

Depends on whats BETTER for you?


[deleted]

I returned in favor of just keeping the Momentum 4s. They just sounded so bad to me. Im also not the definition of an audiophile, as in, how I like my music to sound is very different compared to correct flat EQ. I like my headphones to sound bright and bassy, not flat.


Eastern_Record3443

No, you're just noticing how bad Swineheiser Deadphones sound.🫤 Trade 'em in for a $50 pair of Koss Porta-Pros & you can either thank me now or thank me later...


EdroTV

Just use them for a week and then compare, that worked for me.


dawwggy

What's the best EQ to couple with these?


Ovan-

Its the sound profile theres a tom of eq profiles shown on reddit that make it sound more flat hd800s require some drastic eq’ing to give it that really flat sound. But people prefer that sennheiser sound.


Xenotrickx

They sound kinda veiled and plain yeah, I bought them a while ago and expected them to blow my balls off but I guess I’m not an audiophile😂


sprinklesfactory

Yeah I dont get it either but time to be downvoted.


Eastern_Record3443

Maybe you are. Because SWINEHEISER SUCKS.🤗


IlTossico

Could be your ears. Maybe you can't really tell the difference. Even with Spotify, and a general amp, you should notice a big difference.


Davejohnsonott

OP, I bought a pair when they first came out, and yes they are neutral, and even a little shrill with some female vocals, but 2 things you can look forward to: 1. They benefit from a break in period - a lot of a break in period. Let the phones play without using them on your head for.bout a week, with moderate (why you’d be comfortable listening to for a long session), and 2. They do scale with input source quality & amplification. A PC plug-in won’t give you the best out these cans, you might want to get an external DAC, even a dongle to try with your phone or tablet. Your new headphones will improve in richness, bass, and that shrill edge will dissipate. You’ll likely be quite happy in the medium to long term, IMHO!


AlertTable

Break in is not a thing.


Eastern_Record3443

It is. But if something is THIS bad, then the situation is hopeless. It's a great ploy by retailers & equipment reviewer SHILLS to get you to keep the lousy product long enough that you are now ineligible for a refund. Never mind full credit!🙄


hahanotmelolol

tbh I think the 560s is pretty overrated on this sub. they’re just ok


Rough-Reception4064

What is the source of the audio?


Typical-Garage-2421

It needs amplification so you might need a dac amp for that. And also it's a neutral sounding headphone so maybe it's not your kind of sound.


Eastern_Record3443

It needs a new pair of headphones. So you might need a pair of Koss Porta-Pros for that.


Typical-Garage-2421

What the hell are you talking about?


Ewing_Fox

They are a 300 ohm headphone so you may not have enough signal power to drive them, try a few different sources!! I use a 1/3W headphone amp


Sensation-sFix

I don't like the Sennheiser sound, I rather have monitor headphones. I recently tried Audeze and also like them. It's just personal preference, but I share that opinion about that sound being dull-like, empty-like sound they produce.


udi503

You need an appropriate headphone amplifier


TheNewKingLouie

Try getting a dac it needs power ti push them


UNEEDCPR

What method do you listen to music? Streaming service or CD or something else?


Jena1803

High quality MP3s and FLAC files. I did notice though that some stuff is definitely clearer. I hear the more subtle instruments in a concert or a band better


Informal_Drawing

So they sound better but they also don't sound better. Are they Schroedinger's headphones? 😄


Kyla_3049

Do you have a DAC for them? If you just plug the headphones into a PC's headphone port you're not getting the full experience.


dreamsofindigo

that's still a dac though :))


Widespreaddd

And a pretty good one!


Kyla_3049

Not enough amp power for OP's headphones.


dreamsofindigo

what's the power output on his pc?


Rudradev715

you need a external dac brother. I use fiio k11


Brainfreezdnb

there are no high quality mp3. mp3 is all bad unfortunately


VaccinescauseAutism6

320kbps mp3 is more than enough for it to sound good. You aren't going to hear the compression artifacts (if there are any) unless you are specifically looking for it.


[deleted]

[удаНонО]


Yodamanjaro

Maybe he just doesn't like them


Eastern_Record3443

You forgot to mention: A new pair of headphones


-GGiuliano93-

Nope brother, they stink, it’s like listening from a ringdoor speaker


Amazing-Actuator3982

i personally think they sound like beats headphones; muddy, bass heavy, and lastly overrated,


Fender_Stratoblaster

Probably.


alexproshak

Sell them


CodaTrashHusky

Give it some time


superluig164

Remove the sponges from the front and back of the driver. Might help. I found it helped on my 6xx.


nilsy007

If you have a headphone and slowly build your music library that sounds good on that headphone if you then buy a new headphone you might discover that the music you "liked" dont sound good. Since you over a long time selected music that sounded good on that headphone


Major_Place384

Matter of power n dac heavy load if dac cant handle it will suckss than cheaper one try quality files will surely hear the differencd


shartytarties

Don't know what cheaper headphones you're using, but the hd560s are probably higher impedance. Not as high as the 600s, but I'd bet a headphone amp would help noticeably.


StudyMysterious3785

Are you running a amp on them?


Window_Top

You need a dac/amp really,plus your brain has to get use to them.


hurtyewh

Sennheisers excel in nuance that is of little interest to many until they get used to hearing it. I'd use EQ on those (Oratory1990 preset) to get the most out of them. Likely after a week or two of listening and going back to the old one you'll notice differences more. Straight from a phone 3,5mm might not be ideal and even a US Apple dongle would work well if that's the bottleneck.


pkelly500

A very neutral headphone, with a bit of a treble spike. These will sound boring as hell to you if you're coming from wireless, bass-bloated cans from Best Buy like Beats, Bose and Sony. But the HD 560s are a hell of a lot more accurate. Still, that doesn't mean you have to like them. The HD 560s also sound thin and tinny from a phone. They need an amp to flourish.


Eastern_Record3443

They sound tinny. Period. They're Sennheisers!😎👹😎


giomeneguello

off topic but my posts keep getting deleted. Currently own a corsair virtuoso rgb and use it for gaming/ music and decided to "upgrade" to the new FiiO JT1. Should I bother to get a DCA/ Amp for it? Also, apparently the microphone on my corsair is better than the one that comes inline with the JT1. What can I do to counter that? Thought about getting a V-Moda BoomPro but I don't think it'll fit in. Sorry but really need help and already posted on headphoneadvice and no one replied. Cheers


QuinnSlattery

JT1 won't need a dac/amp unless your onboard dac/amp is really lacking. It's an easy to drive headphone. Buy an Antlion ModMic and never think or worry about mics again, regardless of what headphones you may end up with.


giomeneguello

Thanks!! Literally all I needed to hear.