Sennheiser HD 560S  Headphones Review

The Sennheiser HD 560S have a flat sound profile with balanced treble. They closely resemble the SoundGuys.com Studio Curve, designed to mirror the preferences of audio professionals for mixing use.

You can download a folder of EQ settings that you can use if you'd like to tweak the headphones' frequency response to match one of the target curves available in the Graph Tool. That said, these headphones are open-backs, so you may not get as much low bass as you'd like, even with a high gain.

The frequency response consistency is great. Aside from a little bit of variance in the treble range, you should be able to achieve a consistent listening experience on separate occasions, even if you have long hair or wear glasses.

The headphones' bass target compliance is good. The entire range de-emphasizes low frequencies with a roll-off that's common in open-backs. Still, the high-bass is flat and close to our target, supplying a good amount of boom to the pulse of the kick and synth bass in tracks like Cerrone's Supernature. However, it's not exactly going to translate to feeling the full-bodied thump of deep bass due to that roll-off in the lower bass regions.

If you're looking for a pair of open-backs with a more prominent bass response, consider the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO or the FIIO FT1 Pro.

These over-ears have superb mid-range target compliance. Vocals and lead instruments should sound full-bodied, present, and clear in the mix, absent of any thinness. There's a touch of emphasis in the high-mids, which pushes vocals up slightly in the mix.

The treble's target compliance is outstanding. The low-treble sits a bit above our target, highlighting the details and articulation of vocals and lending a slightly bright sound. The mid-treble is more uneven, with a dip in the center bookended by small peaks. This causes harmonics of elements like cymbals to sound either dark and a little hollow or a bit piercing, depending on the pitch.

The peaks and dips performance is good. Most of the headphones' range is even, indicating they control their sound profile very well. The tiny dips and peaks in the bass and mids are virtually imperceptible. In the treble range, a series of peaks and dips can render sounds like cymbals dull or piercing, depending on their pitch.

These headphones' L/R drivers are remarkably well-matched in terms of amplitude and phase across the frequency range. The only notable deviations in amplitude and phase occur in the high treble, where sounds like the very top of an airy vocal can feel slightly pulled to one side. That said, while we could hear this issue when listening to test tones, it was very hard to pick up on while listening to regular audio content. We don't expect it to be an issue for most people. And many people's hearing doesn't reliably reach those high frequencies, anyway.

These headphones have alright group delay performance. While there's little group delay in the mids and treble, ensuring sounds like clap transients are reproduced accurately, higher group delay in the low- and mid-bass means sounds like kick drums feel just a touch flabby.

These PRTF measurements show a passable level of interaction between your audio and pinna. That lends your audio a sense of space and depth, but they still fall short of sounding like a pair of angled reference speakers in a room. If you're looking for open-back headphones with a more immersive-feeling soundstage, check out the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x.

The Sennheiser HD 560S deliver outstanding harmonic distortion performance, reproducing audio cleanly across the entire frequency spectrum without any noticeable coloration even at extremely high volumes.

These headphones don't require an amp to drive them and can play back audio at high listening levels on mobile devices.

These are the settings used to test the Sennheiser HD 560S. Our results are only valid when they're used in this configuration.

These headphones share a passing resemblance to other headphones in the manufacturer's HD 5 lineup, like the Sennheiser HD 598 and Sennheiser HD 599. Similar features include its swept-back ear cup mounts and oval-shaped ear cups.

These headphones are very comfortable. The headband and ear cups feature liberal amounts of plush padding. They feel quite lightweight and shouldn't apply too much pressure to the sides of the head, even for people who wear glasses. Overall, they should be comfortable enough to wear for extended listening sessions.

These over-ears aren't very portable. While their audio cable does detach, which reduces the chances of the plug getting caught on something, the ear cups don't swivel flat, and the headband doesn't fold, so they have a pretty bulky footprint.

These over-ears don't have a case or pouch.

These headphones are decently well-built. Their headband and ear cups are made of dense matte plastic, and the audio cable is detachable and replaceable. Unfortunately, the yokes and ear cup hinges feel a little flimsy and represent weak points in their overall construction. If you're looking for better-built audiophile headphones, check out the Meze Empyrean or the Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X.

These headphones have a stable fit. Due to their somewhat tight but not uncomfortable fit, they shouldn't fall off your head even with severe head movements. However, it should be noted that they're clearly not designed for workouts.

• Sennheiser HD 560S headphones
• 1/8" TRS to 1/4" TRS audio cable
• 1/4" TRS to 1/8" TRS adapter
• User pamphlet

Like most open-back headphones, the Sennheiser HD 560S have terrible noise isolation. They let in ambient noise across the frequency spectrum, so you should hear everything from the low rumble of bus engines to the higher-pitched whine of a computer fan, not to mention the chatter of people nearby. These are headphones meant to be worn in quiet spaces, like a mixing room, or at home alone while listening to your music collection.

In common scenarios, their noise isolation is terrible, which is expected of open-backed headphones that lack passive isolating materials. Consequently, only the highest frequencies, like the upper harmonics of street construction outside your window, receive a nearly unnoticeable bit of attenuation. In all, you don't want to take these with you to the office to focus because you'll hear all the chit-chat and keystrokes of your colleagues.

These over-ears leak a lot of noise, which is normal for open-back headphones. You're likely to disturb people nearby if you listen to your music in a crowded room.

These headphones don't have a microphone. If you're looking for Sennheiser headphones with a mic for gaming, check out the Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X.

The Sennheiser HD 560S have a 1/8" TRS to 1/4" TRS cable for latency-free audio. They also come with with a 1/4" TRS to 1/8" TRS adapter.

You can connect these headphones to your PC's headphone output port for audio playback. However, they lack a microphone, so you'll need an outboard mic for gaming and work meetings.

These headphones can connect to your PS console's controller to receive audio, but they don't have a mic. You'll need a separate microphone if you want to chat with teammates.

These headphones only receive audio when you plug their 1/4" TRS cable into an Xbox controller.