Sennheiser HD 560S High Performance Wired Over-Ear Headphones - Black

These are professional level headphones for producers. Flat frequency response, massive sound stage, perfect for mixing/mastering and for an absurdly low price. Personally, I love open-backs, they're a lot nicer to wear for extended periods.

120 ohms impedance means you'll need an amplifier or a sound card capable of supporting higher impedance or you won't get much out of them. Don't expect much if you're plugging them into your phone.

*bonus: they're actually really great for competitive gaming, as the sound is so crisp it's a lot easier to hear people sneaking up on you. This is assuming you have an amp/sound card that supports 120 o...view more These are professional level headphones for producers. Flat frequency response, massive sound stage, perfect for mixing/mastering and for an absurdly low price. Personally, I love open-backs, they're a lot nicer to wear for extended periods.

120 ohms impedance means you'll need an amplifier or a sound card capable of supporting higher impedance or you won't get much out of them. Don't expect much if you're plugging them into your phone.

*bonus: they're actually really great for competitive gaming, as the sound is so crisp it's a lot easier to hear people sneaking up on you. This is assuming you have an amp/sound card that supports 120 ohms, and quite a few of the on-board sound cards that are on the latest gaming motherboards do!

By: DavidS754 26/04/21

Verified Owner

I cannot say enough how amazing these headphones sound. The clarity, openess (due to the open back design) and frequency response from deep, tight bass to crisp highs give me more pleasure when casual listening or when concentrating on a piece of music. The effortless way the sound hits my ears means I don't get ear fatigue even after wearing them for 3 or 4 hours. I've bought Sennheisers from the mid 80s & I'll have these to the grave ( unless Sennheiser manage to improve upon them or I win the lotto).

I relied upon a multitude of reviews to guide me as I don't have the time or energy to audition a wide range of products & the huge suppor...view more I cannot say enough how amazing these headphones sound. The clarity, openess (due to the open back design) and frequency response from deep, tight bass to crisp highs give me more pleasure when casual listening or when concentrating on a piece of music. The effortless way the sound hits my ears means I don't get ear fatigue even after wearing them for 3 or 4 hours. I've bought Sennheisers from the mid 80s & I'll have these to the grave ( unless Sennheiser manage to improve upon them or I win the lotto).

I relied upon a multitude of reviews to guide me as I don't have the time or energy to audition a wide range of products & the huge support for the headphones made them a no brainer when Pbtech had them with $80 off (the free momox headphone stand is incredibly useful).

They're open backed which means there is some sound leakage - it's pretty minor and means you can also hear people nearby talking quite clearly which may be useful as you don't have to take them off for a quick chat but also means your environment can impact upon your listening. No problem for me so far but then my house is pretty quiet & I don't wear them out of the house.

Comfort is superb - they sit nicely on my (small) head & I've never found them uncomfortable. My ears fight completely inside the cups which feels very comfortable & is always remarked upon by friends trying them (I must note that the friends have all had a look of incredulity the moment sound starts playing through them as they can't believe the quality of the sound). The velour pads can feel a bit itchy when it's hot - but then I don't think I'll be wearing headphones covering my ears if the temperature gets high.

I highly recommend these headphones - unless you're buying them for commuting where you'd probably be better off getting closed back 'phones. The only drawback I haven't mentioned is that they might make all your other hifi equipment feel lacking.

By: JohnnyB15 01/12/22

Verified Owner

Read the reviews of users who have measured the performance of these headphones (such as audiosciencereview) and you will realize that these headphones are one of the best tonally and technically, no matter the price bracket. Low distortion, great tuning, great soundstage and positioning. My only complaint would be that this should also come with a shorter 3.5mm cable and a balanced 2.5mm cable. These are my favorite headphones I've owned out of hd650 k702 ad700x x2hr he-400 he-400i dt770. These headphone remind me of my first experience of a hifi headphone, when I made the jump from generic to the original he400, they just have that wow...view more Read the reviews of users who have measured the performance of these headphones (such as audiosciencereview) and you will realize that these headphones are one of the best tonally and technically, no matter the price bracket. Low distortion, great tuning, great soundstage and positioning. My only complaint would be that this should also come with a shorter 3.5mm cable and a balanced 2.5mm cable. These are my favorite headphones I've owned out of hd650 k702 ad700x x2hr he-400 he-400i dt770. These headphone remind me of my first experience of a hifi headphone, when I made the jump from generic to the original he400, they just have that wow factor over the others.

For an entry-level priced "open back" headphone, these are surprisingly good, and I'm very happy with the purchase.

Pros: open back design, great sound, comfortable to wear for long periods, quality cable, reasonably priced.

Cons: the velour earpads are terrible at collecting dust and pet fur, and I can't find anyone that will sell me replacement pads - so at this stage at least, when they're gone, they're gone. Construction feels a bit "plastic-y" but that's to be expected at this price point.

General notes:

They come with a 1/4" (6.5mm) plug as standard, with an adapter down to 1/8" (3.5mm) - this is a hint at their target marke...view more For an entry-level priced "open back" headphone, these are surprisingly good, and I'm very happy with the purchase.

Pros: open back design, great sound, comfortable to wear for long periods, quality cable, reasonably priced.

Cons: the velour earpads are terrible at collecting dust and pet fur, and I can't find anyone that will sell me replacement pads - so at this stage at least, when they're gone, they're gone. Construction feels a bit "plastic-y" but that's to be expected at this price point.

General notes:

They come with a 1/4" (6.5mm) plug as standard, with an adapter down to 1/8" (3.5mm) - this is a hint at their target market: pro or semi-pro audio. Being 120ohm rather than the more common 32ohm means you will need a headphone amplifier or pro audio gear that is designed to drive it - plugging into gear designed for 32ohm headphones such as a normal cellphone/cellphone audio adapter will likely not show you all these are capable of.

Great headphones that met my needs.
I purchased them primarily to listen to music at home and wanted the open back for the full sound. For this, they are perfect and for the cost, they are excellent value.
They come with a jack adapter so you can use them with your tablet or phone but they do not fold and are pretty bulky so aren’t really suitable for wearing out and about or for travelling. Great headphones that met my needs.
I purchased them primarily to listen to music at home and wanted the open back for the full sound. For this, they are perfect and for the cost, they are excellent value.
They come with a jack adapter so you can use them with your tablet or phone but they do not fold and are pretty bulky so aren’t really suitable for wearing out and about or for travelling.

It doesn't get much better than this, and certainly not at this price. These are top quality audiophile headphones for much less than you would normally have to pay for this quality of sound. Obviously they're open-backed (so they let noise in and out) and wired (with a very good long, light cable), so they're not for you if you want noise cancelling or wireless headphones, and it's possible you might prefer something less accurate (e.g. with boosted bass) if you're only wanting them for a narrow range of music genres...but for anyone wanting accurate, gorgeous sounding headphones for all kinds of music including orchestral etc., they're the...view more It doesn't get much better than this, and certainly not at this price. These are top quality audiophile headphones for much less than you would normally have to pay for this quality of sound. Obviously they're open-backed (so they let noise in and out) and wired (with a very good long, light cable), so they're not for you if you want noise cancelling or wireless headphones, and it's possible you might prefer something less accurate (e.g. with boosted bass) if you're only wanting them for a narrow range of music genres...but for anyone wanting accurate, gorgeous sounding headphones for all kinds of music including orchestral etc., they're the best I've heard at this price. From other reviews (both here and elsewhere) it seems they may grip a little too hard if your head's a bit larger than average: I found them to be very comfortable even after several hours of continuous use, straight out of the box...and headphones that clamp hard tend to loosen up over time anyway. Great headphones overall.

Father has the HD 600 pair and this pair competes with those at ~half the price point. Great for people who are into 'cold' / 'analytical' sound profiles. Father has the HD 600 pair and this pair competes with those at ~half the price point. Great for people who are into 'cold' / 'analytical' sound profiles.

I know that just some words don't make for a review but it is the nature of this sort of impression sharing that we are brief. I am no sound professional, but I've had an interest in Hi-Fi for a long, very long time and I don't think I've ever come across a pair of headphones so perfectly tuned. And for the price, it is just exceptional value. I know that just some words don't make for a review but it is the nature of this sort of impression sharing that we are brief. I am no sound professional, but I've had an interest in Hi-Fi for a long, very long time and I don't think I've ever come across a pair of headphones so perfectly tuned. And for the price, it is just exceptional value.

Great value. I bought these to replace my HD595 which I've had for the last 20 years (still working by the way! just very worn). Very similar feel and sound to those, my only complaint is the cord is shorter Great value. I bought these to replace my HD595 which I've had for the last 20 years (still working by the way! just very worn). Very similar feel and sound to those, my only complaint is the cord is shorter

Got these a couple of years ago and they have been holding up great.

They sound great. I actually found the sound a little abrasive at first because I wasn't used to such a pronounced high end. I got over it and love them.
One thing to note is the cable is super long. It does get in the way slightly but I really don't mind. Would rather that than poor sound quality.
Build quality is pretty good. I wouldn't take them places without a case as you will probably scratch them like I did.
Definitely a good option for someone who can't quite commit to the higher end Sennheiser models. I'm not an audio engineer but I can't find a fault with them...view more Got these a couple of years ago and they have been holding up great.

They sound great. I actually found the sound a little abrasive at first because I wasn't used to such a pronounced high end. I got over it and love them.
One thing to note is the cable is super long. It does get in the way slightly but I really don't mind. Would rather that than poor sound quality.
Build quality is pretty good. I wouldn't take them places without a case as you will probably scratch them like I did.
Definitely a good option for someone who can't quite commit to the higher end Sennheiser models. I'm not an audio engineer but I can't find a fault with them.

Mid range slightly recessed. Good clean bass down to the bottom of the bass guitar and fades somewhat below that. Top end is bright but clear. Overall the voicing is somewhat dark, especially compared to my ancient AKG K601's but to be fair the AKG phones were very much more expensive. The HD560 ,phones are clean even at high levels and it is easy to hear every note as played and to judge the intonation and to play along in tune. Build quality is good, but I suspect that my K601,s could give the HD560,s a 25 year head start and still come out ahead. Have only used these for a week or so. I bought these to practice on my digital piano and...view more Mid range slightly recessed. Good clean bass down to the bottom of the bass guitar and fades somewhat below that. Top end is bright but clear. Overall the voicing is somewhat dark, especially compared to my ancient AKG K601's but to be fair the AKG phones were very much more expensive. The HD560 ,phones are clean even at high levels and it is easy to hear every note as played and to judge the intonation and to play along in tune. Build quality is good, but I suspect that my K601,s could give the HD560,s a 25 year head start and still come out ahead. Have only used these for a week or so. I bought these to practice on my digital piano and after a few hours they sound much better than expected and are still comfortable to wear. Almost unbeatable value for money, especially at sale price. Highly recommended

Awesome headphones. They feel mechanically uncomplicated and light; nothing seems to be unnecessary. Sound is impeccable and blown away by their performance, especially at this price. Super comfortable and can listen for hours without noticing them. Stoked! Awesome headphones. They feel mechanically uncomplicated and light; nothing seems to be unnecessary. Sound is impeccable and blown away by their performance, especially at this price. Super comfortable and can listen for hours without noticing them. Stoked!