Audio review
Sennheiser HD 560S Review: Honest Enough to Ruin Your Playlist
A reviewer who graded them A for value also warned that a lot of songs simply do not sound very good on them. Both statements describe the same design decision.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Sennheiser
Sennheiser HD 560S
Good · researched from 3 sources
For the money there is very little that will show you a recording as plainly as this. That is the point and it is also the warning, because a neutral headphone does not flatter anything and a lot of music was mixed to be flattered.
- Buy if
- Mixing, editing and any listening where accuracy matters more than enjoyment · Quiet rooms, since they leak in both directions · Anyone stepping up from consumer headphones for the first time
- Skip if
- Commuting, offices or anywhere with background noise · Listeners who want a warm, forgiving sound · Poorly mastered music, which will sound exactly as poor as it is
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The warning inside the recommendation
Headphones.com graded these A for value and called them an incredible buy at two hundred dollars.
In the same review they wrote that the uncoloured presentation means a lot of songs do not sound very good, and warned of fatigue over long sessions compared with warmer headphones.
Those are not contradictory. A neutral headphone shows you the recording. Most recordings were mastered to sound good on headphones that are not neutral, and a great many of them do not survive the exposure.
If that sounds like a feature, these are among the best value in audio. If it sounds like a problem, it is one, and no amount of praise for the engineering will change how the music feels.
What they get right
Headphones.com grades soundstage and imaging B and rates both more accurate and more satisfying than the HD 650 and HD 6XX, with clearer stereo separation and more articulate vocal placement.
Headphone Check credits the angled drivers with creating an impression closer to loudspeakers than headphones, and describes the treble as transparent and fast with the midrange carrying the necessary punch.
Sub-bass extension is strong for an open design, which is where cheaper open-back headphones usually give up first.
The 4 kHz thing
Headphones.com identifies a slight elevation around 4 kHz that emphasises vocal sibilance on recordings that already have it.
That region is where consonants live, and lifting it makes a mix sound more detailed and a bad mix sound harsher. It is the single characteristic most likely to decide whether you get on with these.
No amplifier required
120 ohms and 110 dB sensitivity. SoundGuys says most computer headphone jacks are more than up to the task. Headphone Check got sufficient volume from an iPhone 8.
For anyone buying their first pair of serious open-back headphones, that removes the second purchase that usually comes with them.
Where the money was not spent
Mainly plastic. SoundGuys thinks it may show wear early; Headphone Check calls it robust but visibly cheaper than pricier models, with metal grilles over a plastic housing.
The connector at the headphone end is a proprietary 2.5 mm locking type, so replacement cables are limited. The supplied cable is nearly ten feet with a 6.3 mm jack and an adapter that SoundGuys calls unwieldy. It attaches on one side only, which Headphone Check notes rules out balanced operation.
And they are open-backed, so SoundGuys is clear that they block essentially nothing. Everyone in the room hears what you are listening to, and you hear them.
How it scored
The overall 8.2 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
Headphones.com grades the soundstage and imaging B and rates them more accurate than the HD 650. Headphone Check praises the transparency and speed of the treble.
Value
Headphones.com grades value A and calls them an incredible buy. Headphone Check scored 4.5 out of 5. SoundGuys is the outlier at 6 out of 10.
Build quality
SoundGuys criticises mainly plastic construction that may wear early. Headphone Check calls it robust but of lower quality than pricier models, with metal grilles over plastic.
Comfort
240 to 242 g with velour pads. Headphone Check rates comfort high over long sessions, while Headphones.com finds the clamp tighter than any other headphone they have worn.
Ease of use
SoundGuys says a computer headphone jack drives them adequately at 120 ohms, but criticises the unwieldy adapter dongle and the proprietary locking connector.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Headphones.com rates the soundstage and imaging more accurate than the HD 650 and HD 6XX
- SoundGuys says most computer headphone jacks drive them without an amplifier
- 240 g with velour pads, which Headphone Check rates comfortable for long sessions
- Headphone Check describes the treble as transparent and fast
- Angled drivers that Headphone Check says create a loudspeaker-like impression
- Headphones.com notes strong sub-bass extension for an open-back design
What we didn’t
- Headphones.com warns the neutral presentation makes many songs sound poor
- Headphones.com identifies a lift around 4 kHz that emphasises vocal sibilance
- Open-back, so SoundGuys says they block essentially no outside noise
- SoundGuys criticises the mainly plastic construction and the proprietary connector
- Headphones.com finds the clamping force tighter than any other headphone they have worn
- Headphone Check notes the single-sided cable rules out balanced operation
Specifications
| Type | Open-back, over-ear |
|---|---|
| Impedance | 120 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 110 dB at 1 kHz and 1 Vrms |
| Weight | 240 g per SoundGuys; 242 g without cable per Headphone Check |
| Stated frequency range | 12 Hz to 38 kHz |
| Cable | 9.8 ft with a 6.3 mm jack and a 3.5 mm adapter |
| Connector | Proprietary 2.5 mm locking connector at the headphone |
| Pads | Velour |
| Isolation | Effectively none |
| Amplification | Not required per SoundGuys |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the impedance and sensitivity figures, the isolation assessment, the weight, the cable and connector criticisms and the judgement that no amplifier is required, and scored them 6 out of 10, well below the other two. Headphone Check supplies the comfort assessment, the soundstage description, the build materials and the balanced operation limitation, and scored 4.5 out of 5. Headphones.com supplies the neutrality assessment, the 4 kHz observation, the comparison against the HD 650 and HD 6XX and the clamping force finding, and graded value A. None published a measured frequency response curve we could read, so the response is described qualitatively rather than with figures.
What we read
Common questions
Do the Sennheiser HD 560S need an amplifier?
Why do people say they are unforgiving?
How do they compare to the HD 650 and HD 6XX?
Are they comfortable?
What are the build compromises?
The bottom line on the Sennheiser HD 560S
For the money there is very little that will show you a recording as plainly as this. That is the point and it is also the warning, because a neutral headphone does not flatter anything and a lot of music was mixed to be flattered.
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