REVIEW! Sennheiser HD 560S - Legit... But Better?

After spending more than two weeks listening to the Sennheiser HD 560S, I've come to the conclusion: This is a legit headphone. It deserves its hype. But is it actually better than other similarly-priced Sennheiser headphones? That answer will take a few more words...

00:00 Product info & Pricing
02:50 About the cable
06:35 Design & Aesthetics
07:40 Fit & Comfort
08:55 Build quality
11:00 Sound signature
12:40 Bass
14:00 Midrange
15:00 Treble
16:50 Staging & Imaging
18:25 vs. HD 58X
20:45 vs. HD 600
24:25 Conclusion & Rating

FYI: I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

[avalonfruit]

was the video shot in 10 fps? Dropping a dislike, can't encourage lazy production quality. The substance is also not up to the par. The channel doesn't deserve 50k subs.

[fardosh]

Excellent review. Thanks a lot. Just boughr a pair of 560s 👍

[jamestorres]

Love your reviews Sir . Always like.them

[nemoa]

Your all over the place buddy. Gritty treble but also the clarity is outstanding and well detailed you say. Other than the flip flopping multiple times, great review. And I appreciate you taking the time to make these videos, I really do. So thank you for that.

Personally I love the 560S. I own the Sennheiser 650 and a couple other headphones in that price range and the 560S takes the cake overall. Don’t get me wrong I like the 650 but they are a little lacking in vocal clarity and the base response and sub base is mediocre at best.

One thing is for certain. Not a single pair of headphones will do everything perfectly but, the 560S are as close to doing everything very well that you are going to get. Even at double the price point of the 560. You can’t go wrong with the 560S if you like to hear music as it was intended. The only music I have listened to that I would consider listening to with the HD650 are the tracks that are not mixed well at all. And even then, I always go back to my 560S.

The fact that the 560S are more comfortable and also lighter are a great bonus. With that said I notice a lot of reviewers will say the build quality is not as good as the 6XX because of the plastic feeling light but if you look at what the current production 6XX build quality is in 2024 you will easily take notice that the 560S has superior build quality.

It would be like saying that because Glocks are plastic and lightweight, they are not made well. Even though they are literally the most loved handgun in the world and known for there flawless function, unbelievable durability and precision and accuracy.

[HiFiGOAudio]

These are a fantastic pair of headphones!! I remember trying the HD600 with a custom made Tube amp, I know these might not sound the same but that was a heavenly experience!! Amazing review like always!!

[mange]

hearing people describe headphones, is worse than hearing an art critic describe a painting. Its, light yet dark, its gritty but smooth, its low yet high. 😂🤣😂

[KostooR]

The slight harshness of the treble can be easily corrected by EQ (4, 5-5, 0 KHz; -2dB).

[asilhunkaroglu]

This is the best review I have ever seen thanks man just ordered the 560s and subscribed to your channel I appreciate your effort

[Ex_Machina.]

i use them for mixing and they’re fantastic

[TimTheMain]

They are also amazing for gaming positional audio is sick.

[tradehut]

Good job. I'm tired of reading biased 560s reviews from HD600 owners

[PartySpock]

So i am the owner of the 598, 599, 560s 600, and 650.For me is the ranking. Hd 600 first, 560 s second, 599 third, 650 fourth👍😊

[adrianlevi]

These are good relatively neutral headphones, balanced with a sweet soundstage . They are very usable for mixing and even mastering with their inherent low distortion. If you like to hear music close to what the artist and producer envisioned then give these a go.

[bear]

Hi I recently fitted 23mm 0.9” pads and bass sounds just a bit better, I got this idea from my old hd575 as they have 1” pads . Good all rounder headphones, the hd660s is about 10%better, it’s just the shame in us it’s $200 but in Uk they are only £130, thick I like better price point, from sennheiser it’s £179, regards mark

[loki]

I find that even though a lot of Sennheiser headphones do not have a lot of bass. I don't find it a problem "giving" them bass. Just EQ them with +4-6 Db on the lower end and the bass kicks in pretty good and also clean without distortion. I have my PC38X on right now and I can put on a bass heavy song and it thumps pretty darn hard, because I have a bass emphasis EQ on them.

In fact I would say it's at times better to have a flatter, linear headphone because it allows you to tune it. But a V-shaped bass-can is harder to "correct".

Personally I am always looking for a wider soundstage and good imaging and slight forward leaning. The reason why is because I use headphones all the time and I watch movies with headphones.
Also playing games. For the movies it's good to have some "forward" characteristics so the sound seems like it comes from the screen and not the sides. The wider soundstage opens up the listening as well. Do not want "close in" sound like you do with music when watching movies. Same thing with playing games. wide soundstage and great imaging is king on gaming.
Also for pure immersion having surround sound (good virtual surround with good amp) because the ambiance in an open world rpg hearing birds and sounds in the distance, full 360 seamless sound without that horrible "stereo" cutting sound from left to right with zero panning. Nope for me always surround and wide soundstage.

But I digress.

[deadandburied]

Could not decide so bought both! 560S good for Linda Ronstadt ☆☆☆☆☆

[pablovi]

It’s still not selling here, I don’t know what’s the holdup. I hope it gets here in the next couple of weeks, so it can be on the monthly sales.

[j.d.]

Ok grabbed me a pair and love them!
The soundstage which I keep hearing is amazing, I would rate it 8/10 as a beginner. Not quit as insane as I expected, although maybe it's a sound source issue? Cause in some videos and music the soundstage is huge whereas in most, and even the games I currently play, it's just "nice".
I fell in love with its "personality" in terms of sound though, so I probably wouldn't swap them for anything with a wider soundstage anyway, if there is such a thing in this or an adjacent price range. (Tried the AKG K712 first cause I heard its soundstage is unmatched, but instead of close to far distance like the HD 560s it sounded more like medium to far distance with not the best detail either.)
However, I can't approve of the build quality. It might need some DYI fixing of cracking noises. But that's why it's so inexpensive for the sound quality, so it's fine.

[chrispictures]

They are not designed for iphones etc, but audiophile systems and therefor the cable is correct length.

[bloodloverforever]

Can you connect this directly to an iPhone without losing the sound quality or do you need to use an amplifier ?