HD 505 - Wired Headphones Over Ear with Transparent Sound and Controlled Bass, Enhanced Comfort Studio Headphones for Music, Work, Gaming, Audiophiles, Students, Traveling, Copper Edition

I'm not an audiophile or headphone expert. I played drums as a teenager and later took guitar lessons for 10 years, still play the guitar almost daily, and love music in general. Hard rock has always been my favorite genre. I use headphones with my PC while watching YouTube music videos and concerts and also while playing video games like Cyberpunk 2077, Skyrim, Diablo IV, etc. I also have a pretty big library of old and new music on a 7th gen iPod Touch (now discontinued) and do some critical listening with that. I had been using budget headphones like the Koss KTXPro1 and Logitech G333 gaming earbuds, but always wanted to try something considered as "audiophile" headphones. My son is somewhat of a headphone expert, so I reached out to him for buying guidance. His ideal headphones would be completely neutral, with no emphasis on either highs or lows. To start, he gave me a FiiO K3, which is a DAC/headphone amplifier. I didn't know I needed one, but he insisted. He also convinced me to download and install the open-source Equalizer APO application and its companion Peace UI component. It's a bit daunting for a newbie to get started with the headphone amp and equalizer software, but there are plenty of YouTube tutorial walkthroughs available. In a few hours I had the headphone amp and the Peace interface working, and had separate configurations saved for the Koss and Logitech headphones. I downloaded pre-configured settings for each pair of headphones, which are set with the preferred "Harman Curve". I had no idea about any of this stuff previously. By the end of that day, I had learned how to tweak and save additional configurations, and now could choose between multiple pre-sets for each pair of headphones. For example, I created a pre-set that boosted the bass, another that boosted the highs, and one that boosted both bass and highs while leaving the middle frequencies at the standard Harman curve settings. That allowed me to experiment and decide my own personal preferences for music listening. Just a primer - the headphone amp connects to the PC by USB, and it disables the built-in PC audio chip with a more powerful and clean signal. Then you plug your headphones into the headphone amp instead of the PC headphone input jack. Windows audio and volume is bypassed, so now the volume is controlled by the volume knob on the headphone amp. (You can turn off the headphone amp to listen through PC speakers or with the standard PC headphone jack.) With the headphone amp and equalizer software, both my Koss and Logitech headphones sounded better than ever and I was hearing details that I wasn't hearing before. I had heard of headphone amps before, but never thought they were necessary. I couldn't imagine not using one now. Then my son lent me his AKG K702 open back headphones to try. He likes them because they are pretty neutral. As he puts it, "you hear the music as the producer and engineer intended it to sound." The AKGs were the best headphones I had ever tried, hands down. I downloaded the pre-configured parametric EQ file for them and listened for a few days. I learned that I preferred a more bass-heavy sound, especially with the hard rock I usually listened to. (I am currently obsessed with a band named The Warning, but like many other artists including Spiritbox, Breaking Benjamin, Band-Maid, Evanescence, Muse, and older classic rock like Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Hendrix, and Van Halen.) Given that I liked a bit more bass emphasis, my son suggested the Sennheiser HD 560S. I love them. With the standard EQ configuration, the low bass is a little lacking for my taste. I want the bass drum emphasized. So I created a pre-set with the bass boosted at 52 Hz and left the rest of frequencies alone. Perfect! I created another pre-set with the same 52 Hz boost and an additional boost at 5K Hz. I have some high frequency hearing loss, so this compensates for that, and allows me to hear the cymbals a little better. Normally I listen with the bass boost pre-set only and can hear everything fine. The only minor gripe I have with the Sennheiser HD 5600S phones is the comfort level. The ear pads are soft and comfortable, and the clamping force isn't too much. But the headphones are somewhat bulky, especially compared to the Koss which are feather light and have almost zero clamping force. The Logitech earbuds are another story since they weigh virtually nothing and there's no clamping force. That said, I have used the Sennheisers for hours at a time and they're fine. You do forget they're on once you're immersed in the music or the game. I'll definitely choose the Sennheisers every time for critical listening. Occasionally I will use the Logitechs or Koss when watching non-music videos like interviews or product reviews, for the improved comfort level. Here's a good website for scientifically tested objective headphone ratings: https://www.rtings.com/headphones Definitely recommend the HD 560S as an entry level audiophile headphone. They're a tier above sub-$100 headphones for sure.

Clear and very tunable you your listening preferences. Open back allows sound to come through from your environment which is the trade off of having a better soundstage and more directional accuracy and allowing your ears to breathe and not feel over pressured during listening. Very light and comfy earpads that may be too warm for some being velour ear pads, but they are very soft and the headband is comfy as well. Good price for premium sounds.

From the dawn of time, every headphones set ever made has faced the same challenge: how to faithfully reproduce bass so the listener can clearly hear the beat without overpowering the mids or vocals, which muddies the audio. Nearly every review I've read online complains about these headphones' lack of bass. Those reviews are wrong. There's plenty of bass in these *if you drive them with the right source*. Their impedance is 120 ohms, which is much higher than even the legendary Sony MDR-7506's 63 ohms. Thus, if your source has insufficient power (which probably includes most phones and many laptops) you won't hear much out of them. However, they sound just right on my desktop PC through my Creative Sound Blaster AE-7 PCIe sound card. They're the 1st headphones of any kind in over 20 years I haven't had to boost the bass on at the source. At the same time, vocals are crystal. In fact, I'd say these headphones have the best vocals and definitely the best combination of bass and vocals of any pair I've owned. They're also super light, which is great for long periods of listening. I've seen some reviews questioning durability, but if you're physically breaking headphones the problem is YOU, not the headphones. Build quality (fit and finish) are superb. The velour earpads are super comfortable, though I worry about them getting stinky and grimy over time from sweat and skin oil. I really think AirWeave would have been a better choice at this price point, but I've only ever seen that material used in aftermarket pads. I really struggle to think of any drawbacks with these, but here are some: there's no carrying case for the headphones and nowhere to put the 1/4 inch adapter when it's not attached to the cable. Both are odd omissions on a ~$200 product in this category. Some people might not appreciate the plasticky feel, but again headphones are supposed to be on your head, not in your hand, and everything that comes in contact with your head is plush. As these are open back headphones, sound isolation isn't guaranteed. Others will be able to hear your music (though it's not as loud as you might think), and you might be able to hear them (cranked to the max, it's likely you won't). I'd comfortably call these the best headphones at their price point and perhaps up to $300, as they easily trump my Audeze Maxwells. If you're on the fence, have an amp, receiver, or dedicated sound card, and don't mind their open back config, pull the trigger. You'll love them.

I consider these the best overall open back headphones I've owned. In the past I've used the HD600 and HD6xx from Sennheiser and the Beyerdynamic DT880, and they all did certain things very well but the lack of bass was frustrating. These lower priced Sennheisers don't have quite the sparkly treble of the others (in particular the Beyers) but have very satisfying bass and lower midrange that the others lacked, and for me personally this makes up for what they don't do as well. As always with headphones YMMV based on your personal preferences, but I prefer these to more expensive models. They're also lightweight and comfortable for long sessions. I find I notice the clamping feeling when I first put them on, but it fades almost immediately.

I was skeptical because studio style headphones are a bit too bright and tinny in the high frequencies and NO bass. These are not that. These are much more friendly and natural sounding. And, oh my goodness! the well balanced clarity in every frequency range. These also have a huge sound stage and instrumentation. It feels like you are sitting in with the band (play Miles Davis "Kind of Blue"). I purchased other headphones like Beyerdynamic headphones, they were not the sound profile for me. I bought these to replace the Beyerdynamic are returning them. I'd buy these again, it was worth it. Amazon is telling me to write more details. So, i will add that they are incredibly comfortable and fit very well. I don't really care for earcups that touch my ear for long listening sessions. These are incredibly comfortable. A little warm but not bad. I purchased additional earpads that were cooler, so shop around. I hope you take a leap of faith and try them. You can always return them (thank you Amazon!). Oh and they have a plastic feel, but that's because they are plastic. However, they are well designed for the material they used. But that's what makes them light as air and relatively inexpensive. Enjoy!

These are outstanding headphones at any price, and an unbelievable value at their typical ~$150 street price. I'm a recovering headphone addict and these have been good enough to help me stay sober. I think if your budget is up to $300 and you don't want to fuss around with amps and DACs and other gear considerations, these are probably the best "plug 'em into anything" headphones I've ever owned. They're light, they're comfortable for average-sized heads (though see more below), and they sound great playing any content from any source. Highlights: - Value: I've owned a lot of headphones (including perennial darlings like the HD600+650 and Audio-Technica ATX-M50 and higher-end stuff like the Audeze LCD-X and Focal Clear) and honestly, the headphone world is a perfect case study for the Law of Diminishing Returns. In other words, you can spend $150 on the 560S and get 75% of the sound quality that's even possible, or spend $1500 to get to like 85%. For most people, this is the sane stopping point. - Weight: the all-plastic build lets these float on your head at 280g (9.9 oz). For comparison, the Hifiman Sundara (another highly regarded pair of <$300 headphones) weighs 379g (13.4 oz). Three ounces may not sound like much, but over the course of hours, you really feel every ounce that's sitting on your head. - Easy to drive: I use these plugged directly into a PS5 controller and they get plenty loud at roughly 50-60% volume. I've tried them with different combinations of amps and DACs as well, but such gadgets are totally unnecessary to get the most out of the 560S. - Perfect audio for gaming: the wide soundstage is great, as is the sharp treble for picking out things like voices, footsteps, and gunfire. These are very popular with FPS players, and I can see why. I don't play PvP games, but they've saved me from many a cheap off-camera attack with their amazing positional audio cues. The nicest surprise on these is the bass, which is meatier than you'd expect for open-backed headphones. Unfortunately, because of the proprietary cable jack, I had to buy a kooky adapter (ASIN: B07Z2MPW61) so I could use the V-Moda BoomPro mic I had lying around for voice chat. The overall setup is a bit klunky but almost certainly outperforms popular gaming headsets. - Surprising noise isolation: these are by no means going to block out the outside world like a pair of closed-back headphones, but there are enough layers of stuff inside them between the grille and your ear that you're not going to hear everything around you with them on. Lowlights: - Oddball connector: I despise proprietary connectors, and Sennheiser's 2.5mm recessed jack with a twist lock is one of the most obnoxious on the market. What they lose in compatibility with other cables is by no means gained in security—who cares if your headphones unplug at the earcup when subjected to intense force? - Not very comfortable for big heads and big ears: although the design of these is generally compared to the HD500 line, having owned the absurdly comfortable HD598SE, I can say these don't come close. They clamp kind of hard and worse, the earpad foam is thin and when it flattens out (immediately), it presses the driver units against the cartilage of my ears. Fortunately, I was able to modify these with some third-party 3d-printed adapter rings so I could use bigger, cushier pads from Brainwavz. Now I can use them for 4+ hours without major discomfort. This may not be an issue if you don't have big ears like I do. Also worth noting is that some styles of glasses will be agony with these. - Not as nice for music: the things that make them perfect for games (accentuated high frequencies) make them a riskier proposition for music. Your mileage may vary, of course, but these can be pretty spicy for certain instruments and effects. All in all, despite the added hassles and costs to make these comfortable for my anatomy, I'm still very happy with them and don't think I could do better for my use case (plugged directly into PS5 controller with an inline mic) at any price. For their usual price of $150-180, I can't see what anyone could complain about. Thanks for reading!

Yes you can do better but for the price it would be very difficult. My Sundara's are better in every way but they are also twice as much. My Focal Elex are in a different class all together. (These are all open back headphones.) The 560s is open back but more of a semi-open like the DT880. PROS: Quality Sennheiser plastic build that will last a lifetime. Very lightweight. Pleasantly comfortable. Dimpled headband foam for relieving skull pain. Very ample earcup size. Swivels well. Fits every size melon. Felt earpads pad well. (I picked up sheepskin leather pads because I prefer them for comfort, coolness, longevity and sound.) Very neutral sound signature for those that want to hear the music like the engineers wanted it to sound. Plenty of bass for those that listen to adult music. Since they are open they sound nice and wide. At 120 ohms you can drive them from your phone but a good DAP or amp will help. The IFI Zen DAC 2 makes them sound rich which would be good to round-out a desktop system. If you are familiar with the Sennheiser Sound and like it, you'll love these. Very inexpensive when on sale. CONS: The cable and adapter stink. I'm not even going to use it. Felt earpads are warm so not for everyone. No extras included. I own and have owned many headphones. My first audiophile headphone was a Sennheiser production model back in the 80s. If it wasn't 600 ohms I'd still own it. For the price you can't beat the 560s. I think it has a more natural sound then the 6xx which is highly regarded. Highly recommended

Listening system: Streaming 24 bit/192khz 70s rock via Tidal connect through the Wiim Pro Plus streamer via optical connection to a 1mii DS601 dac analog to Denon AVR-x4500h (originally intended for little dot mk2 tube amplifier with upgraded matched pair russian tubes bought from Canada). I am returning these 560s headphones for a pair of massdrop x sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones. The massdrop x HD 6XX are similar to the sennheiser HD 650 headphones but cost significantly less from drop.com as they are branded as massdrop rather than Sennheiser and are about several hundred dollars less. The Sennheiser 560s headphones are great but my intention is to pair these headphones with a tube amp. The 560s headphones aren’t the best for tube amps, when compared to the HD 6XX headphones as the 560s headphones are meant to be neutral and analytical sounding for critical music listening and I am aiming for warm and lush vinyl like analog sound, which the massdrop x HD 6XX excel at when paired with a pure tube amp like the little dot mkii. The 560s headphones have 38mm drivers and 120 ohms making it easy to drive with a laptop or dac. The Massdrop x sennheiser HD 6XX (similar to the sennheiser HD650) have a 300 ohm impedance meaning it requires more power to reach its full potential so it greatly benefits from a dedicated headphone amp like the little dot mkii tube amp and has the same 42mm drivers as the HD650. In conclusion, the Sennheiser HD 560s headphones are designed for critical listeners and audiophiles on a budget. The Massdrop X Sennheiser HD 6XX headphones are designed for audiophiles, critical listeners, and enthusiasts. The sound signature from the 560s headphones are more neatral, with an analytical sound with tight bass, balanced mids, and smooth treble. The HD 6XX sound signature is warmer, with more musical sound and fuller bass, with rich mids, and smooth treble. The 560s is designed for critical listening, mixing, and mastering due to its high accuracy. The massdrop X Sennheiser HD 6XX is more premium as it has the same drivers as the HD650, weight, and feel, yet cheaper due to the branding, shorter cable, and color, and is designed to be more engaging for casual listening and genres that benefit from a slightly colored sound, like 70s rock. If you prioritize accuracy and detail, the HD 560S may be the better option. If you prefer a warmer, more enjoyable sound signature, the HD 6XX would be a great choice. Either way these two headphones are both great, in the end my goal is to listen to a warm, vinyl like sound, and enjoy the benefits of my upgraded tube amp so I ultimately decided to go with the sennheiser massdrop x HD 6xx headphones. That said, I loved listening to music in rock mode using the 560s headphones while connected to the denon AVR-x4500h, I did not have a chance to listen to the 560s headphones with my tube amp as it is on preorder and did not arrive on time for me to listen to the difference. Caution, both headphones do get warm around your ears during long listening sessions. Hope this helps you decide on what you are looking for in headphones and what application they will be used for and which is best. Thank you! I gave these headphones 5 stars as they sound amazing!