SENNHEISER HD 569 Closed Back Headphone

Let me start by saying I'm not an audiophile or an audio expert of any sort. This is the first time I've really splurged on audio equipment at all. In fact, it's 3 times the price of my previous headphone purchase, and even 50 bucks more than I spent on my speakers for my gaming PC.So was it worth it? In short, YES. Yes it very much was!The audio quality is in extreme excess, FAR better than anything else I own to the point that comparing them directly just feels unfair. I have MP3s that I've had on my phone and hard drive for almost 20 years, and I listen to them with these headphones and realize I've been missing details of my absolute favorite music for all this time.The noise cancelling is almost too good too. When I'm listening to music with these, the rest of the world is shut off to me. Much to my roommate's annoyance often times. However the noise cancelling does seem to be tied to being listening to something actively. When the audio is paused, the noise cancelling is a lot less effective. Maybe that's normal, maybe not, like I said, I am a total amateur. But I love the way it works. If I want to tune everything else out, these absolutely work fantastically!Finally, I did choose these because I wanted closed backs that don't bleed much audio, so I can listen to whatever I wish without concern about bothering those around me - and because I like my privacy. These work well for that too.And lastly, I think they are immensely comfortable. Certainly better than any cheaper pairs I've owned. The padded headband is nice, and the headphones themselves are adjustable enough that they fit over my ears and I can wear the headset for hours at a time without complaint. Even with my glasses on, and the headphones pressing my frames on my head.These do feel like a luxury item. I wouldn't say anyone really needs these. But I would say that they feel like a luxury item, considerably nicer than more average purchases in the same area.Honestly, I'm ruined for cheaper headphones now. Going back to my old no-name pair any time that I have - just feels so glaringly inferior now - despite having used them for years without issue. The audio, comfort and noise cancelling are just THAT much nicer.

I've seen a few complaints about these cans here concerning headband and ear cushion wear issues. I cannot comment on that yet, but I have to say that these are the best headphones I've ever worn and I've been around for 65 years.Comfort A+These are closed-back and other than the closed in sensation, which is to be expected, they are a dream so far. That's saying something because I have a huge melon and I haven't even stretched them out yet! I own the HD 58x Jubilees and they took some time to break in and it took some "gorillaing" to stretch them out to help that. These felt great out of the box.Weight - what weight?Sound:Keep in mind that I'm coming at this from an audiophile perspective. I won't grade them on a scale because everyone is looking for something different. These are no dubstep or hip-hop phones unless you are mixing with them. These are more like real professional monitors than entertainment cans. They could use maybe 3dB more bass, but I'd rather have a little less than too much. Compared to the Jubilees, they are a little thin, but I feel that the 58x's can be a bit too much and the bass seems to overload (distort) too soon. The mids are perfect and vocals are clean and accurate. I can't speak for the highs because I'm old and lost the highs long ago. I do wear hearing aids and they seem fine, but I don't even remember what natural high frequencies sound like. These artificial (Oticon) highs do sound great thru these though. I'll leave it at that. Put it this way: I currently have a pair of Buchardt s300s (traded in KEF LS50s.) and these are a lot closer to what those sound like than anything else I've heard. All cans seem bass-heavy to me lately (other than Apple Airpods and some on-ear sets - honorable mention to the Cooler Master 751, which I game with). These are a relief from the usual mud.Gaming:No mic, but if you just want to hear them coming, these are great. Sharp with detail and no artificial boom or slop. If you are familiar with the Cooler Master 751, these are balanced like those, but have much better detail and similar comfort. If you crave bass, I'd recommend the Jubilees. They have that and more. They will need breaking in on the comfort end though.Efficiency:Easy to drive! On an iPhone, I'm about about 35% through the Apple DAC dongle. You don't have to waste money on an amp. I would recommend a good DAC on a PC though. A Dragonfly Black would suffice. It sure beats an onboard chip.In short, I wouldn't recommend these for someone buying their first set. They are for the "mature" listener. If you want something that can use a small bass boost to get you there, these are great. If you hate boosted bass, these are perfect. You won't have to change a thing.

Note that these are simply the brief ramblings of someone who appreciates good sound but is by no means anything remotely close to a high-end audiophile. Also, it's late at night so the review's structure isn't good, but know that it's hella honest.The painful search is over. Whenever I bought headphones there was always that one bad downside, "They hurt my head," "they're too small for my ears," "they're too loose," "the highs are too shiny," etc. But not with these, nope. Look, when it comes to comfort, I'm a whinny little baby, anything can give me headaches and/or irritate my ears, but not these ones. The HD569 has just the right weight, just the right size (they fully and comfortably surround my ears without clinging to them as the M50x did), and huge amounts of cushioning, I can wear them for hours and hours and hours and all's good. Falling asleep with them on isn't hard at all (I try not to do it though, then I can't turn on my side comfortably). And the sound? Most headphones' highs will make me tired and hurt my ears at high volumes, but these I can fully blast with no discomfort or hearing fatigue. They're truly wonderful, miraculous even.Solid, good sound, unequaled comfort, great isolation, PERFECT clamping force, what else can one ask for? The only downside is they don't fold or sit flat, you get what you see in the picture, but really, I don't mind that because they're great at everything else and wouldn't change them for any pair of its price range.Oh, yes, another tiny complaint, the cable kinda sucks, it's janky and can get easily stuck on stuff, so beware that. Not that big a deal for me, but I can see how this could bother others.