Sennheiser HD 560S Studio Headphone Review

Sennheiser HD 560S Studio Headphone

With the new HD 560S, Sennheiser repurposes its entry-level audiophile headphone design once more. The HD 560S may be the greatest Sennheisers at this price range yet, even though they appear to be nearly identical to their predecessors on the surface thanks to a redesigned driver.

Although they are intended for audiophiles, you should still think of them as mixing or production headphones if you use SoundID calibration. Could these be a marginally less expensive substitute for Sennheiser’s own HD 600?

Pros

• Great manufacturing consistency
• Very good THD performance
• Pros list with SoundID Reference calibration
• Increased sub bass extension
• Neutral frequency response

Cons

• The build feels inappropriate considering the price

Use cases

• Best use case:
• Recreational listening
• Mixing
• Production
• Mastering

Tech specs

Type

Open back, Over-ear impedance

120 OhmConnector

Straight 6.3 mm jack adapter

6.3 mm to 3.5 mm adapter cable weight

240 g (without cable)Require headphone amp

Yes

Headphone amp

It should be very clear from the 6.3mm connector at the end of the cord that these headphones are not meant to be used with mobile devices. However, even if you decide to do so and connect to, for example, a laptop using the supplied 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter cable, the volume output will be quite constrained, particularly when SoundID calibration is employed. This is not the best choice if you’re seeking open-back headphones for working on the go.

Build quality

It’s difficult to count how many HD 500 series headphones Sennheiser has used with this headband and ear cup design in the past, and while it’s not particularly noteworthy, there aren’t many issues with it either.

With the exception of the metal grilles, the construction is entirely plastic, and although it is well-assembled, the $200 headphones do feel flimsy. The headband and ear pads, on the other hand, are fairly good and have plush velour coverings, but they don’t make up for the overall cheap feel.

Although ear pads are shared by HD 559, they are essentially distinct components that are confused for the identical units used on HD 600 and HD 650.

Sound

Let us begin at the extreme end of the spectrum. The low-end extension is comparable to the HD 650 and all related open-back models, although it’s not very good. The similarities continue to increase in frequency up to roughly 3 kHz, and this time it’s for the better because the mids are almost flat. However, HD 560S experiences a brightening sounding boost that introduces a significant amount of coloring starting at 4 kHz. This isn’t the case because the boost begins abruptly, and the dip at roughly 7 kHz surely doesn’t help. Occasionally, a gradual shape boost in the highs can still sound rather natural.

The sound is rather bright due to a rise in high frequencies and a lack of subbass. Of course, this is easily fixed thanks to SoundID Reference’s calibration.

Channel balance

The balance is very good but not flawless. The inconsistencies for the pairs that we measured spanned wide frequency ranges, yet were very low in magnitude, about +/- 1 dB throughout most of the spectrum. This difference is small enough to go unnoticed.

Comfort

Overall, the HD 560S got along well with our testers, and there weren’t many complaints. One of them is that, compared to other open-back competitors, the airflow is inadequate, which causes hot ears sooner. It was also noted that the headband was a little tight and became uncomfortable after two hours. However, this is not a terrible outcome, and it’s possible that it will loosen out and become more comfortable over time.

If you have a larger set of pinnas, the roomy oval-shaped ear cushions should not put too much pressure on the back of them. Our testers’ comfort throughout lengthy sessions was unaffected by this.

Value

The HD 560S is a little alone at €216/$200 because most of the competition is either more expensive or more reasonably priced. The drivers are of excellent quality, despite the unimpressive plastic build. The main factor depressing the value score is that the AKG K612 Pro is available for half the price to European customers, with the exception of a lesser bass extension (which Reference has nevertheless addressed). Additionally, the Massdrop HD 58X or 6XX are better offers if you’re in the USA.

Total Harmonic Distortion

Sennheiser takes pride in their clean, distortion-free bass that sounds great even at loud volumes in their marketing materials. Our measurements support that assertion, at least in part. Even with calibration, open-back dynamic driver headphones exhibit minimal harmonic distortion at 80 dB SPL, a relatively high volume that won’t produce any audible artifacts. To be honest, though, we wouldn’t have expected anything less from the headphones that were just released.

Distortion increases quickly on the graph when the SPL is raised to 90 dB, although this is a very high volume that should not be used for prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, we don’t subject our engineers to listening tests at such high decibel levels.

How accurate and consistent is the correction effect among different listeners?

HD 560S adaptability is excellent! Most listeners experience a steady frequency response from them, with significant variations occurring primarily at the highest end of the spectrum.

Open-back headphones are generally quite adaptable, and the HD 560S are no exception.

How much do they differ from pair to pair in terms of frequency response?

Sennheiser is pretty dependable when it comes to manufacturing consistency, at least with their more premium models. HD 560S is no exception, as the differences among pairs are pretty negligible. Such little deviation between pairs means that the model average profile should be very accurate in most cases.

Conclusion

The Sennheiser HD 500 series headphones, the HD 560S, are the greatest to date. Although Sennheiser markets these as audiophile headphones, you can use them for mixing and production if you pair them with SoundID Reference. Even with the low-quality build for the modern day, the consistency of the production appears to be fairly high. This means that the model average calibration profile included with SoundID Reference will produce extremely accurate sound, especially when combined with its good adaptability. If you’re interested in the HD 600 or HD 650 but can’t afford the price tag, consider checking out the HD 560S!

Please check our evaluations of the HD 560S, HD 200 Pro, HD 280 Pro, HD 300 Pro, and HD 600 S headphones for additional details.

Sennheiser HD 650 headphones with customized calibrations are available for purchase from our store here.

Explore our list of the top 30 PRO studio headphones that we highly suggest.