Drop X Sennheiser HD 6XX

Preface

I purchased my HD 6XX for full price from Drop.com, all thoughts and opinions are my own. These were my second pair of headphones (the first being a HiFiMan Sundara,) and I had heard many great things about this set, especially about its unmatched vocals and midrange. I finally had enough money to purchase these about a year and a half into my audio journey (at least on the consuming side) and I have been recommending it to anyone looking to get into the hobby or just need a good-sounding pair of open-backs. All that said, I have finally decided to write my full review. 

Let's get started.

Overview

Sound

Right out of the box, these present themselves as a warm, vocal/mid-focused set with smooth lower treble and some openness in the air. Another thing I noticed was the sub-bass roll-off and mid-bass bump, the mid-bass bump helped kick drums and basslines stay warm and audible despite them not quite reaching very deep into the sub-regions. The vocals are extremely natural and smooth sounding, never being harsh, laid-back, or shouty, same goes for instruments. Along with the sub-bass roll-off, another issue some may find is the lack of "imaging" and width or "soundstage" compared to other open-back sets (which are commonly known for being wide and accurate - I will talk more about this preconception and expectation later.)

What's in the box

• Sennheiser HD 6XX

• 3.5mm - custom Sennheiser 2-pin

Well, it's definitely not very flashy, but it is all you need to use these effectively. The cable works and is durable feeling, but it is not very ergonomic or nice feeling, most won't have an issue but some planning to use these more enjoyably might want to find a 3rd party cable replacement, whether that be for a braided cable, different color, or a balanced connection.

Sound

Bass

Of the overall sound, this is the part that would be an issue of the 3 (bass, mids, and treble.) The bass has a bump in the lower-midrange to mid-bass then rolls off towards the sub-bass. While I don't have much of an issue with this, some people who listen to more sub-bass heavy music may find this to be a problem. While this sub-bass roll-off keeps kicks from really punching and slamming, the mid-bass boost gives them a still full warm sound and gives them a natural texture. You can hear the distortion and grit in rock bass-guitars and the vibrations of cellos, while not being able to feel them, you can hear them. 

Midrange

This is the bread and butter of the 6XX, it has very full-bodied male vocals and rich low notes in instruments, with some shine and gloss on female vocals and higher instrument notes. The 6XX doesn’t have the typical 2kHz scoop that many open-back headphones do, which can make female vocals sound hollow or unnatural to my ear. Instead, female vocals sound even, neither pushed back nor cutting through other instruments. Everything sounds very natural and textured and I really just have no complaints about the midrange.

Treble

The treble is laid-back and “veiled” to some, particularly around 6-8kHz, but it rises back up in the upper treble and air regions, preventing the sound from feeling too muffled or dark. I never hear any sibilance or harshness, though there is some darkness. Initially, these can come across as a darker-leaning set, but once my ears adjust, they no longer sound muffled or veiled much, if not at all. I think a lot of that is due to the upper treble rising to the upper treble past the laid-back presence region, which helps open up the sound.

Technical Performance

Along with the sub-bass roll-off, this is the other issue I could see people having with the 6XX. It has what can be described as "3-blob" imaging, (left, middle, and right separation with little in between.) Similar to the treble, this issue gets better with more listening time and "brain burn-in," and what I think causes this is because in most cases, more treble leads to "better imaging" or "better soundstage." Since letting yourself get "brain burn-in" helps with the lack of treble issue, it makes sense that it also will help with it's 3-blob imaging. Moving on to soundstaging, these also do not excel in that either. They can be quite closed-in sounding and "claustrophobic," while that doesn't bother me, this is a serious complaint I could see keeping people from buying and/or enjoying these. 

Conclusion

The HD 6XX earned an S+ ranking for its overall great quality and naturalness, all coming in a package commonly costing under $200.

The 6XX is a headphone I would recommend to anyone looking to get into this hobby, or even looking for something to end their search for a good headphone in the large pool of bright fragile headphones (HiFiMan Planars,) and to anyone looking for a warm/neutral headphone for general music enjoyment, music production, and mixing and mastering. Now if you want a similar set, but brighter leaning, I would recommend Sennheiser's own HD 600, and if you want a more "technically sound" set you could look into the FiiO FT1 Pro or the HiFiMan Edition XS. I am very happy with my purchase and I don't see myself selling or upgrading from these.