Sennheiser HD 560S
Sennheiser HD 560S
The HD 560S are designed for those who enjoy analysing sound, with linear acoustics suitable for extended listening sessions and smooth, rewarding bass performance.
Sennheiser HD 560S
Open-back over-ear with a neutral tuning — a true studio benchmark at a remarkably fair price
The “Swiss” of Headphones
The word “neutral” gets used far too often when talking about sound.
People rarely discuss what “neutral” actually means — or what it’s being compared to — but here, it’s the first word that comes to mind.
Looking at the measurements in the technical details, two things stand out: the bass isn’t exaggerated, the mids are exactly where they should be, and the treble is neither muted nor overly brilliant.
This feels like a tool built to let you hear music the way it sounds on studio equipment — for audiophiles and professionals alike, it’s a peek behind the curtain.
And it does all of that at an incredibly fair price.
Grade: A
At its current price, the 560S is an incredible value. To get comparable sound out of speakers, you’d have to spend far more than $200 on room treatment alone. Speakers that cost exponentially more than $200 will not sound as accurate as these headphones. To anyone like me on the fool’s errand of searching for a taste of ‘objectivity’ in audio, I highly recommend considering the HD 560S.
Technical Specifications
| SKU (article number) | 509144 |
| Wearing style | Over-ear |
| Connection options | 3.5 / 6.3 mm straight 6.35 mm with 3.5 mm adapter |
| Audio connection | 6.35 mm with 3.5 mm adapter |
| Transducer principle | Dynamic, open |
| Frequency response | 6 Hz to 38 kHz |
| Speaker sensitivity | 110 dB (1 kHz, 1 Vrms) |
| THD (total harmonic distortion) | < 0.05% (1 kHz / 90 dB SPL) |
| Weight | 280 g |
| Dimensions | 198 × 111 × 300 mm |
Measurements
What does it mean?
The dashed black line represents the Harman target, a reference frequency response developed based on consumer preferences. The green line represents the measurement of the 560S. In practice, it shows how much the headphone’s frequency response deviates from the target. However, note that the target is highly smoothed, and it is not necessary to strictly adhere to the Harman target for a headphone to sound good.
The HD 560S has a bit of bass roll-off due to being an open headphone, but follows the Harman curve pretty closely for an even sound signature with a bit of an emphasis in the 4 kHz region. This makes for a very revealing listening experience — not boring, but flat in the best sense of the word. Also well suited for audio production.
Harman Research
The Perception and Measurement of Headphone Sound Quality – What Do Listeners Prefer?
