Headphone Heights

Posted by dave789 (A) on March 03, 2017 at 20:50:02

I had an opportunity to listen to someone else' HD599 and HD380 Pro with unfamiliar sound source (evening news, music, and a sweep tone).

The two headphones from the same reputable company, Sennheiser, sounded quite different. If one is neutral, then the other is definitely off from neutral.

When I compared the relative loudness of around 200Hz compared to the sound around 800Hz, HD599 was much louder than HD380 Pro.

I could not quickly figure out whether HD599 is tuned to sound boomy, or HD380 Pro is tuned to sound lean.

Another thing I quickly noticed: HD380 Pro does not seem to block noise below about 300Hz. Large portion of refrigerator and AC sound energy is below 300Hz).

That was my first time listen to a hi-fi open back headphone. Contrary to my expectation, the closed back HD380 Pro sounded sometimes more open and spacious than the open back HD599. Perhaps it was partly because the 380 blocked external high frequency noise more. The result may be different if I listen in quieter room.