Archaea
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2004
- Messages
- 11,825
First let me start by saying 15 years ago (maybe 2002?) I bought a Sennheiser HD600 used on ebay for a bit over $200 as a I recall. I sold them off for a cheaper pair of $70 Sennheisers (HD535) because I was in college and needed money more than I needed high end headphones. I've had the HD595 for the last five years or so as my go to headphones.
I've always sort of regretted selling the HD600 and in the back of my mind figured I'd buy a high end set of Sennheisers again some day. I finally took part in the latest Massdrop HD6XX headphone group buy and they just came in. They sound great, and without an A/B I have no complaints on sound quality, but man -- these aren't even close to the same build quality that I remember on my HD600. The weight is different, the plastic feels different, they look different, the pivot points feel different, the grills feel different, the cushions feel different (as I recall, the HD600 cushion material felt like the softest of velvets, these feel like a towel/terry cloth and make my ears hot), the headphone feels different on my head, And by different --- in every case I mean cheaper. Also the darn cord is so short I can't use it from my desktop computer to my office chair.
The HD600 I had I remember absolutely OOOZED quality in every regard - down to the fine, textured, greenish eggshell granite finish. You picked them up, touched them, and you said to yourself - these truly feel like a $500 pair of headphones with the pride of a craftsman behind the design and finish. I remember opening the HD600 and feeling like I had a treasure. It was so nice I showed the box they came in off to my friends and family. The foam insert was perfectly laser cut, the headphones fit snug and protected. It was almost a work of art. I opened my HD6xx box upside down by accident (it's not labeled which way is up) and the headphones fell out on my lap, a paper manual half fell out, and the 1/8 to 1/4" adapter fell out on the floor, and a rectangular block of foam fell out on the floor too.
So yeah presentation = lacking...The HD6XX look and feel more like a cheap $100 pair of Chinese headphones by comparison.
The sound is great, but the touch and feel leaves me wanting. Ultimately I guess I was after the sound...but...
Anyone else notice this?
I've always sort of regretted selling the HD600 and in the back of my mind figured I'd buy a high end set of Sennheisers again some day. I finally took part in the latest Massdrop HD6XX headphone group buy and they just came in. They sound great, and without an A/B I have no complaints on sound quality, but man -- these aren't even close to the same build quality that I remember on my HD600. The weight is different, the plastic feels different, they look different, the pivot points feel different, the grills feel different, the cushions feel different (as I recall, the HD600 cushion material felt like the softest of velvets, these feel like a towel/terry cloth and make my ears hot), the headphone feels different on my head, And by different --- in every case I mean cheaper. Also the darn cord is so short I can't use it from my desktop computer to my office chair.
The HD600 I had I remember absolutely OOOZED quality in every regard - down to the fine, textured, greenish eggshell granite finish. You picked them up, touched them, and you said to yourself - these truly feel like a $500 pair of headphones with the pride of a craftsman behind the design and finish. I remember opening the HD600 and feeling like I had a treasure. It was so nice I showed the box they came in off to my friends and family. The foam insert was perfectly laser cut, the headphones fit snug and protected. It was almost a work of art. I opened my HD6xx box upside down by accident (it's not labeled which way is up) and the headphones fell out on my lap, a paper manual half fell out, and the 1/8 to 1/4" adapter fell out on the floor, and a rectangular block of foam fell out on the floor too.
So yeah presentation = lacking...The HD6XX look and feel more like a cheap $100 pair of Chinese headphones by comparison.
The sound is great, but the touch and feel leaves me wanting. Ultimately I guess I was after the sound...but...
Anyone else notice this?
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