Sennheiser HD 600 Review: The Reference Neutral Pick

Name: Sennheiser HD 600
Brand: Sennheiser

★★★★ 4.2/5

Reviewed 2026-06-29

The reference-neutral benchmark — precise, honest tuning that images footsteps cleanly (4/5) without the warm veil of its HD 6XX sibling. At $400 it's not cheap, and the 300-ohm drivers need a desktop amp, but as a clear, accurate open-back it does the competitive job and doubles as a lifelong music headphone.

Best for: Players who want one accurate open-back for both clean footstep imaging and reference-grade music.

Where to buy

Sennheiser HD 600

Flagship · live price at your regional store

Check Sennheiser HD 600 price

AimBench score

Product verdict — build, value & fit, not win-rate.

Footsteps (positional)4/5

Versatility4/5

Music5/5

The good

+Reference-neutral tuning — clean, uncoloured footstep cues (4/5)
+Precise imaging without a warm tilt masking the cue band
+A genuine lifetime headphone — built and supported for the long run
+Open-back comfort for long sessions

The catch

−300 ohm — a desktop amp is effectively mandatory
−$400 is a premium for a positional edge that saturates cheaper
−Stage is precise but moderate in width, not holographic
−Open-back leaks both ways — quiet room only

AimBench insight

Its reference-neutral tuning images footsteps cleanly where the warmer HD 6XX veils them, but positional audio saturates — so the $400 is justified by the lifetime music use and accuracy, not a competitive edge a cheaper HD 560S can't also clear.

Specs

Spec	Sennheiser HD 600
Type	Open-back
Impedance	300 Ω
Footsteps (positional)	4/5
Tonality	neutral
Price class	Flagship

Footstep clarity, then refinement

Headphones aren't scored on a "best-built" composite like mice — the one genuine competitive audio edge, positional (footstep) clarity, saturates around the mid-price class (~$80–150). So we rank on footsteps to the floor, then read the rest — comfort, music, convenience — for what it is: refinement, not an edge. First, whether the tuning keeps the ~0.5–5 kHz cue band clear:

✓ Clean footstep band — its neutral tuning keeps the ~0.5–5 kHz cue band clear for directional audio.

Footsteps (the floor): 4/5 positional · beyond footsteps (refinement, not an edge): all-round/comfort 4/5 · music 5/5.

See how it places in its class on the headphone by-budget guide, and why audio is a floor, not a booster.

Where the HD 6XX is warm and intimate, the HD 600 is the reference: a neutral, honest tuning that's been the studio benchmark for decades. For competitive FPS that neutrality is exactly what you want — nothing in the tuning veils the frequency band where footsteps live, so directional cues come through clean.

Imaging that clears the floor

The 600 images footsteps cleanly (4/5 on our read) — precise placement, even if the stage is moderate rather than cavernous. That's all positional audio actually needs: the competitive edge saturates once a headphone images accurately, and the 600 does. You're not chasing a number above the floor here; you're sitting comfortably on it.

The amp tax

The catch is the same as its siblings: 300-ohm drivers want a real desktop amp to reach clean, controlled volume. Budget for that in the total cost. Once driven properly, this is a headphone you'll keep for a decade and use for everything — which softens the $400 sticker considerably.

On a tighter budget, the HD 560S clears the same footstep floor for much less. Step up to the HD 600 when you also want a reference music headphone for life — and have an amp to drive it.

Check Sennheiser HD 600 price

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The rating is an editorial product verdict (build, value, fit, how well it clears the competitive floor) — not a win-rate claim. Specs are sourced; the buy link is an affiliate link to your regional store, where the live price shows.

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