PSA: Sennheiser HD 600 Headphones $249-299 on Amazon, HD 6XX $199 on Drop

[Jarick]

Saw this on Reddit yesterday and ended up buying a pair of fresh HD 600's off Amazon for $259. The price has been bouncing between $249 to $299 (where it currently sits). I believe they are normally $349.

Also, the HD 6XX dropped to $199, so if you have been waiting on a sale, this is a good price. Normally $239 nowadays.

I bought a pair of HD 600's because I've been curious how different they are compared to the Drop HD 6xx (main headphones the last few years), which are essentially HD 650's with a different color. The 600 are supposed to be slightly brighter with slightly less bass, very subtle difference. But the HD 600 are supposed to be the gold standard for flat headphones (at least below stupid money).

Mine just arrived and they are very similar. I guess there's a new plastic mold and they have a little more squared edges instead of rounded. Also kind of a cool matte charcoal grey instead of the matte/gloss midnight blue (which always looks black).

Biggest difference is the pads are fresh and new, which probably changes the sound more than the driver. They sit off the ear a few more mm because the old pads are so worn down, and that means the volume is a little lower and there's a little more treble. But they do sound pretty good fresh out of the box. I'll keep them either way as backups or alternates and pick up fresh pads for the 6xx.

Also another difference: the new headphones sound a little more mismatched between left and right because I'm not used to them and I've lost a little hearing in my right ear

HD 600 vs HD 650:

HD 650 new vs old pads:

 

[Whizzinby]

Interesting. Was looking at the 650’s over the weekend.

 

[Jarick]

Interesting. Was looking at the 650’s over the weekend.

Highly recommend the HD 6xx from Drop as they're the exact same thing as 650's but at $199 instead of $349. Had them 3-4 years and they are great!

 

[Whizzinby]

Highly recommend the HD 6xx from Drop as they're the exact same thing as 650's but at $199 instead of $349. Had them 3-4 years and they are great!

What are the Drop versions?

 

[Jarick]

What are the Drop versions?

Drop.com is a company (formerly called Massdrop) which organizes group buys of audio/tech products. They will partner with a manufacturer to sell a product directly to consumers at a discounted price. Once they reach a certain number of buyers the drop will "go live" and items will get shipped out. I've bought several things through them and never any problems.

Originally they would organize group buys of popular products (or custom spec/exclusive variants) and the shipping would take several weeks, but some of their most popular products they now actively stock and sell in real time. In this case, the Sennheiser HD6xx and HD58x have been so popular, they are almost always stocked and ship in 1-2 days. Currently looks like estimated ship dates are June 16th, so they are in stock.

Specifically for the Sennheiser headphones, the HD6xx is the exact same thing as the HD650 in a different color. It's a super dark midnight blue that basically looks black. The HD58x is a slightly cheaper variant that's a tribute to the old HD580 headphones. It's a little easier to drive with a little more bass and a little less treble.

If you do any kind of Google search, the HD6xx is extremely well regarded and popular because it's so much headphone for the money. A few years ago when it came out, the HD600 and HD650 were about $399, and the HD6xx was $199. Half the price for the same product in a different color.

Links:
HD6xx at Drop.com
HD58x at Drop.com

 

[Jarick]

Also, for anyone curious, I swapped out the new-ish pads on my 58x for the old worn pads of the 6xx. Here's my quick take on the sound comparisons:

HD 600 - very clean, clear, and balanced sound. Slightly rolled off in the very low bass and very high treble otherwise flat in a musical way.

HD 6xx/650 - very close to the 600 but a tiny bit more low end, a tiny bit warmer in the high end, and a little less clean, almost a bit more aggressive in the upper mids (but not brighter).

HD 58x - signature starts with the 6xx/650 with another increase in bass and decrease in treble, no longer a clear and clean headphone, more warm and punchy.

Also, swapping out the pads definitely changes the sound. My 6xx pads are 3-4 years old so the foam is compressed and worn down. Comparing those to the new 600, the 600 was very noticeably cleaner and brighter sounding with less bass. But swapping the newer pads from the 58x (only a few months old), the sound was much closer. Brand new pads on both would likely be even closer. And then if you put old worn pads on the 58x, it's a pretty warm sounding headphone with a lot of thick low end.

It would be nice if the Sennheiser pads weren't $55 new, or if there were aftermarket ones that lasted a lot longer that didn't change the sound.