A timeless classic Sennheiser headphone that slays even today!

PROS: One of the best value open-back headphones, timeless attractive design, build quality, fairly comfortable fit, natural neutral-warm well-balanced reference-ish sound signature, excellent midrange quality with natural tonality and timbre of instruments, smooth but resolving treble, instrument note weight and definition, instrument realism.

CONS: Clamp force is slightly tight out of the box, slight sub-bass roll-off at 40Hz, treble becomes more laid back as stock ear pads wear out, no carry case included.

About HD6XX.

HD6XX was born out of a collaboration between DROP (previously Massdrop) and Sennheiser as a revision to Sennheiser’s highly acclaimed flagship of six years – HD650 (2003 to 2009). With the development of HD6XX, they made some minor aesthetic changes like a deep midnight blue paint job, black nameplates with silver text and Massdrop logo silk-screened inside the headband but tried to keep the original sound of the HD650 intact. Based on feedback from the community, this iteration was also updated with a detachable 6-foot cable (compared to the original’s 10-foot cable) and a 3.5mm plug, which is more versatile for everyday laptop, phone, and DAP use than the standard ¼-inch plug. A ¼-inch adapter is included for those who want it. Like all headphones in Sennheiser’s HD 600 line, HD6XX too can be disassembled by hand to its component parts, all of which can be easily replaced. Many of its parts are interchangeable with others in the series and owners of the HD 6XX can benefit from the rich aftermarket and brain trust of modifications and gear matching.

Disclaimer – The product was provided to me free of charge for the review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Website – DROP x Sennheiser HD6XX ($220) | DROP Earpads for HD6XX

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Technical Specifications.

• Color: Midnight blue
• Transducer principle: Open-back, dynamic driver
• Frequency response: 10 Hz – 41 kHz
• THD: < 0.05%
• Nominal impedance: 300 Ω
• Cable length: 6 ft (1.8 m)
• Connector: ⅛ in (3.5 mm)
• Weight without cable: 9.2 oz (260 g)
• Made in Romania

Included in the box.

• Sennheiser HD6XX
• 3.5mm cable (6Ft)
• 3.5mm to ¼” adapter
• Manuals and warranty card

Build Quality and Design.

HD6XX’s body is mostly made of plastic with the headband adjuster being the only metal part in there but is put together very well owing to Sennheiser’s manufacturing prowess. I’ve always liked the design of the HD600 range in general and the HD6XX is no different. The midnight blue colour is actually almost black and I’m definitely not complaining. The open back grill and the exposed driver look of the HD6XX is a timeless design, eye catching even today and puts HD6XX up there as one of the best-looking headphones in its price range. The headband adjuster is a bit tighter than I like but in turn works well to keep the headphones firm where you set them without the adjuster dropping down loose on its own. Besides that, I really have no complaints.

Cable – Right up, I’m not a fan of HD6XX’s cable. It’s rubbery, cheap looking and too long! Besides that, it does its job and works. Drop and Sennheiser should definitely put in a better-quality cable, even better if they can offer a nice balanced cable as stock.

Fit and Comfort.

The fit for me is pretty good as the headphones are light, the ear pads cover my whole ear and are padded enough for my ear to not touch the driver assembly. The clamp force is slightly on the firmer side right out of the box but there is a popular trick to slightly bend the headband adjuster towards the outside to reduce a bit of the clamp force. The clamp force is fine for me if I’m using the headphones for short durations but I do start feeling it after a while. I might try the headband flexing trick once I get over my fear of breaking them while doing so. Lol!

Page 2 – Sound analysis, Comparison, and Conclusion.