Hello,
I have been checking for some time to up my headphone game to the HD series (I currently own an HD599). Now there is a 30% discount that I found for HD660S2 which makes it around 450$. To make a comparison, HD600 V2 can be bought for the same price as well. It can go around -10$ for V1 too.
So my question is; is it worth it? There are 2 aspects for this question though, one is the worth considering the price and the other is the worth considering the sound signature; how it fits my taste. For this second aspect, I will try to explain the profile I like and hopefully you experienced people can help me out in my search.
As I said, I use HD599 as an open-back, use the oratory EQ for it and a little additional decrease for upper mid to lower treble range (I am sensitive to high treble so even this warm headphone can cause disturbance for some songs). Additionally, I have a Focal Bathys which I use for commute, travel etc. There is not much needed for this headphone to me. I just increase the mid range a little. As a side note, I started to thing these Focals are on par, if not better than HD599, am I going crazy?
Anyways, so as you see I like warmer headphones with crystal clear mids. High treble is a pain for me, I tried Sony WH-XM5’s and had to return it. Not just because of the treble but that’s another discussion. For the bass, I don’t have much experience of high quality bass although I tried Momentum 4’s and for me their bass was spectacular. Probably the best I’ve heard in a headphone. I would love a deep bass but I wouldn’t want it to be muddy which would mask the lower mids.
So do you think HD660S2 is a good choice for me? Thanks in advance
This submission has automatically been removed due to the following rule:
Rule 2: Ask purchase and shopping questions in the Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk
Requests for product opinions, comparisons, and general purchase advice must be made in the dedicated Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk instead of a new post.
Portable audio related purchase advice may also be asked in r/HeadphoneAdvice but please familiarize yourself with their rules first.
What questions are considered purchase advice?
-
A request for product suggestions, comparison requests, or opinion requests fall under the purchase advice rule. These can often be found by searching first.
-
Any suggestion or comparison request pertaining to headphones, IEMs, DACs, amps, or other accessories should be directed to the purchase help thread or r/headphoneadvice.
-
Asking the subreddit to help make a decision to buy a product does fall under this rule (e.g. “should I get dekoni pads for my HD650?”).
Why does this rule even exist?
-
In short, this is a large subreddit with a high volume. We want to help, but it’s important to keep things organized to keep the sub fun. Thanks for your understanding.
-
A more detailed explanation about this rule can be found here.
-
No HD 600 series Sennheiser is worth nearly $500 these days in my opinion. That’s creeping into better can territory quite a bit.
Hell fucking yes. Brilliant headphones, simple as that. Not even going to give you a 200 word essay about why it’s good and all that jizz.
The only deal that can beat this is an Edition XS at $330 or less (which happened just a few days ago during 11.11, snagged one at $300 myself).
Great typo 😂
The HD660S2 is a great deal for under $500. It’s my favorite of all the headphones I’ve ever tried. I have tried to EQ it, because it does have a low-mid hump and a peak around 8600Hz that I had wanted to smooth out. They’re not offensive together. The one balances out the other. But it would be better if neither were there, in my opinion. But getting rid of them backs the stage away and puts the singer and band behind a veil, due to the huge dip around 4400Hz. That dip cannot be lifted without ruining the clarity, which is one of the main selling points of this headphone. I have given up on trying to EQ them.
The bass is probably the other great selling point. It is low, agile, quick, and beautiful without being overbearing. It’s the best bass I’ve heard on a dynamic headphone. With it, I have learned that there are more notes in the bass line to Beck’s “Loser” than I had previously heard. It’s the opposite of muddy bass. I tried giving a tiny boost to the lowest frequencies just for hip-hop purposes, but it also ruined the clarity. I just can’t use any boosts in EQing them, at all.
So, to sum up: They’re great headphones. I use them every day, and I love them. They have shown me new sounds in old songs. They fit and are built very well. They have excellent, natural tonality in general. But they have that treble peak, and the low-mid hump to balance it out and give you a V-shape. If I am using the K7 with the 660S2 without EQ, the treble gets fatiguing within a few hours. If I use the MCTH with the 660S2 instead, without EQ, the treble peak isn’t as cutting. I can go several hours with it. The sound is warmer, more rounded and organic, but with less punch and not as well-defined layers of depth. If I use them with either amp and EQ to reduce the treble peak and low-mid hump, the tonality is perfect, but distant and dull.
So even though you’re breaking rule #2, I’m going to advise you get them and see how they do with your amp. If your amp is technical, analytical, and powerful, that treble might annoy you. If your amp is warm, organic, and rich, you’ll probably love the 660S2 with it.
Great thorough review and recommendation, thanks a lot!
Mostly people emphasize on the V shape of the sound signature and it makes me wonder if I would be satisfied with the clarity of the mids. Would you say mids would be a selling point of this headphone? I mean, for sure it would be an upgrade to HD599 but what about compared to HD600? Do you have any experience?
I will be using a cheap dac/amp by the way. Fosi Audio Q4 if you know the device. I believe It would be sufficient but not too powerful.
Yes very worth it. I bought my 660S2 in May for $450 and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Packaging and accessories suck but the headphone is amazing.