Sennheiser HD 600: Design and Ergonomics
Grado Labs is a manufacturer of a relatively small series of top-class headphones for home and, perhaps, studio use whereas Sennheiser is known in many fields. It turns out open and closed headphones, musical and monitor headphones, headsets for air traffic controllers and earphones for pocket mp3-players. The company is present on the market of high-end headphones as well. The Sennheiser HD 600 model enjoys no less recognition from lovers of high-quality sound as the Grado SR325i.
The design concept of the HD 600 is the opposite of the Grado model. It’s got large soft ear-pads and a glossy plastic case. The manufacturer saw to every detail in this appealing design.
Like the SR325i, the HD 600 is open-type headphones. You can see the dynamic head and the diaphragm through the protective grid above the exterior of the case. Well, this is a de-facto standard for high-class model as it ensures a higher sound quality. Closed headphones are meant for concert, to isolate the musician or sound technician from all ambient sounds, or for use in public transport and other noisy places. The closed design is also employed in inexpensive products because it results in a louder (bit not any more accurate) bass.
The head-band is rigid by itself. It is made from plastic with a stiff steel band inside and has soft pads at the bottom. It does rest snugly on the head.
The height is regulated by extracting the steel band the cups are fastened on from the central part of the head-band. The adjustment is discrete, and each step is accompanied with a click and requires some effort – the headphones won’t change the position spontaneously. That’s a small advantage over the SR325i in terms of ergonomics. The height adjustment range is quite sufficient.
The velvet ear-pads are large and encompass the ear. They press against the head rather than against your ears, without straining the latter even if you are listening to music for hours. Being lighter and steadier on the head than the SR325i, the HD 600 do not slip off when you are moving your head.
The HD 600 are equipped with a thin, soft and light cable that won’t twist or burden you. We didn’t spot that problem, but some users reported that the contacts of the connector the cable is attached to the cups with often fail.
The headphones’ native connector is an ordinary 3.5mm stereo plug. An adapter is included into the kit for 6.5mm devices.
