Thanks for taking the new HD 620S for a spin! We feel it's a future classic and hope everyone reading & watching gets to give them a try. Don't forget to support the content creators who make these videos :)
Have a set of HD569 I bought entirely to not annoy my GF when she's sleeping. She gets mad when I use open backs. Haven't been impressed, though upgrading to a tube amp definitely made them better...just not as good as my 650's in any way. I think I may know what my next set of cans is....might beat my Steelseries for gaming, even? Maybe not, but wouldn't complain. Positionality isn't something audiophile headphones are designed for, sadly.
Positionality(sound stage/position of your head in the mix/detail/separation) is absolutely something hi-fi headphones consider, it's not "just about sound quality". I've got wired headphones like the HD 600 that blow steelseries or other gaming focused audio brands out of the water. The Sennheiser HD800/HD820S are like the top recommended non gaming headphone in the world if you can afford them. specifically for gaming. IEMs can take that a major step forward since they are more intimate and sound queues like footsteps and their placement come across more loudly and often more accurately than any gaming brand headset. I mainly game on iems, HD600, PC-38X or Focal Azurys and I maintain a 1.35 KD in MW2/3. Even a gaming focused headset like the Audeze Maxwell doesn't perform near as well as any of the other units I've mentioned in regards to "positionality". Closed back will always be a tighter soundscape, and open backs will sound well.. more open. From what little I've used my new HD620S, its got decent potential for gaming. Maybe more single player than comp MP gaming though.
I've been checking out the reviews on this headphone, not because I'm interested, but because other than the fact this is a closed back, the build of it reminds me of the 598 which I owned for a year or so and found it really disappointing. I own the HD535, 600, 6XX and 660S2 so I think I have the Sennheiser lineup represented enough to suit my own needs. I think your reviews answered my questions/suspicians as to how this might sound. I also think I would rather spend just a few more bucks to grab a pair of MM100, another open back. Thanks for the review!
Great video man. Got mine coming today as a closed back alternative to the HD 6XX. I know they may not match up against the 6XX too well, but hopefully they're good enough to cancel out some sound. I've really struggled to find anything I like anywhere near as much as the 6XX for the sound. Thanks again!
@@masonjar49 Personally, at the price point I think the 620S is great, but I must confess, I did return them. I just didn't feel like the benefit of having them outweighed the price for me personally. If they were my only pair of headphones, I'd love them so much, and don't get me wrong, IMO they're miles better than alternatives like the DT770, but I think closed back doesn't quite hit the mark for me. IEMs can give a hell of a lot more for the money if you want noise isolation.
@@dylans6958 Thanks! I’m glad you mentioned the DT 770 bc that was another consideration of mine. I haven’t really given too much thought to IEMs since I like the appeal of headphones given that I grew up with cheaper earbuds and wanted to explore the realm of headphones, but I’ll give higher-end IEMS some consideration now.
@@masonjar49 Yeah man. I'm primarily an open back user myself, but have dabbled in IEMs. A great place to start are the Moondrop Arias or anything around that $80 mark. I've also used the Moondrop Blessing 3, and they are absolutely insane in terms of detail. I don't use IEMs full time because I don't like the feeling of them as much, but bang for the buck they're unmatched. Goodluck man! We're all on this audio journey together.
Do these keep out exterior sounds reasonably well? I listen to podcasts while out walking, and the country lanes do have a few cars. Sennheiser IE200 earphones are useless, any car nearby drowns out the sound, Bose QC25 are fine but the sound is mediocre.
Meze 99 Classics and Neo are much warmer, and the bass is much more boomy and bloated in comparison to the 620 S, which is tighter and more extended in the lowend. For a more resolving listen, I’d certainly side with the 620 S as that’s where my tastes reside. However, if you want something more relaxed and bass heavy, the 99 classics/neo could prove to be a solid option. I hope this helps!
Both Meze 99 models are midbass/lower midrange cannons. Very polarizing sound signature that you really have to want to like. It's not a good sound signature from an objective point of view.
Oh for sure! I went through my usual Black Sabbath and Metallica tracks on these and loved it. Master of Reality and Kill Em All most notably for the albums listened. It was just awesome on these headphones!
@@MatthewDiFazio thanks for your insight. I've read people saying that Sennheiser headphones are "slow" for fast and complex music, but I don't want to buy planar headphones because from what I've read, the quality control is really bad. My only experience with quality headphones are the first gen Audio Technica m50x (the discontinued version), and I'm looking for a modestly priced upgrade.
@@iii___iii my first pair was Audio Technica m50x as well! haha. Served me well for a long time. I think there’s just a ton of contrasting opinions regarding Sennheiser headphones due to the amount of folks who’ve bought them. To me, 620 S handles so many different genres really well. If it wasn’t for my colleague, Caleb, stealing them from my desk, I’d be listening to them non stop 😂
Steve here - I haven't had a chance to do an in depth comparison, but I'd definitely pick 620S over the Aeon Closed for timbre, dynamics, and general tonality. Aeon still gets the win in the technical performance, speed, and has deeper subbass. I don't think we've ever had a Closed X in the office to compare.
Hey Josh! As of now, no, but Sennheiser has plans to release a 4.4mm cable. After that’s released, I’d imagine a few aftermarket cables will become available for upgrade :-) Additionally, the cable of the HD 620S is the same as the HD5** series, so you could just get an aftermarket upgrade cable for this headphone that way.
This should be the same TRRS cable that is found on the HD560S, HD599, etc. if so, it can natively be ran balanced, but with an aftermarket cable like Matt brought up. I grabbed an OpenHeart cable on aliexpress for my HD599, and for the price its seriously impressive
I thought so too, but this headphone never got sibilant and or too bright. I actually thought it could even go for a little bit more top end shimmer, but like I said, the treble grew on me the more I listened. But yeah, I didn’t hear that peak at all.
It's definitely noticable for me, it somehow sounds dark and bright at the same time, probably because of the recessed lower treble and the slightly peaky upper treble. Mids also sound a bit honky and not as natural as other headphones I own.
@@rene837 That's closed-backs for you, they will always have strange resonances and peaks. Gotta lower your expectations a little and then they sound blissful, despite the minor flaws.
@Lost1ntheSauc3 Why should I lower my expectations? The K371 is better tuned for less than half the price. Companies should up their engineering instead. Good tuned closed backs are possible, as we've seen with the DCA Stealth and E3, and also the former mentioned AKG K371. Focal also offers a new contender with the Azurys that looks like it features better mids than the 620S does. Sure, most of these are more expensive, but it's just a matter of time for something to be released that breaks the market and those headphones' current values with it. I also don't see a reason to use the HD620S over a good IEM in the same price range at this moment in time if isolation and tuning are the main concerns.
Thanks for taking the new HD 620S for a spin! We feel it's a future classic and hope everyone reading & watching gets to give them a try. Don't forget to support the content creators who make these videos :)
It’s my pleasure! They’ve become an instant favorite in my collection quite honestly 🙂
You're welcome bud
Have a set of HD569 I bought entirely to not annoy my GF when she's sleeping. She gets mad when I use open backs. Haven't been impressed, though upgrading to a tube amp definitely made them better...just not as good as my 650's in any way.
I think I may know what my next set of cans is....might beat my Steelseries for gaming, even? Maybe not, but wouldn't complain. Positionality isn't something audiophile headphones are designed for, sadly.
Positionality(sound stage/position of your head in the mix/detail/separation) is absolutely something hi-fi headphones consider, it's not "just about sound quality". I've got wired headphones like the HD 600 that blow steelseries or other gaming focused audio brands out of the water.
The Sennheiser HD800/HD820S are like the top recommended non gaming headphone in the world if you can afford them. specifically for gaming. IEMs can take that a major step forward since they are more intimate and sound queues like footsteps and their placement come across more loudly and often more accurately than any gaming brand headset.
I mainly game on iems, HD600, PC-38X or Focal Azurys and I maintain a 1.35 KD in MW2/3. Even a gaming focused headset like the Audeze Maxwell doesn't perform near as well as any of the other units I've mentioned in regards to "positionality".
Closed back will always be a tighter soundscape, and open backs will sound well.. more open. From what little I've used my new HD620S, its got decent potential for gaming. Maybe more single player than comp MP gaming though.
Plan to buy these soon. Would really love to get the balanced cable at the same time though. Also maybe a 1.2m cable for phone use.
Got my balanced cable a few days ago from Fog City Audio. They’re awesome, I highly recommend them if you’re thinking of picking one up!
I've been checking out the reviews on this headphone, not because I'm interested, but because other than the fact this is a closed back, the build of it reminds me of the 598 which I owned for a year or so and found it really disappointing. I own the HD535, 600, 6XX and 660S2 so I think I have the Sennheiser lineup represented enough to suit my own needs. I think your reviews answered my questions/suspicians as to how this might sound. I also think I would rather spend just a few more bucks to grab a pair of MM100, another open back. Thanks for the review!
Thanks for watching, Tom! Glad it cleared some things up 😁
Great video man. Got mine coming today as a closed back alternative to the HD 6XX. I know they may not match up against the 6XX too well, but hopefully they're good enough to cancel out some sound. I've really struggled to find anything I like anywhere near as much as the 6XX for the sound. Thanks again!
I just recently bought the HD 620S and am loving them so far, but I also bought the 6XX to compare the two. How do you like them compared to the 6XX?
@@masonjar49 Personally, at the price point I think the 620S is great, but I must confess, I did return them. I just didn't feel like the benefit of having them outweighed the price for me personally. If they were my only pair of headphones, I'd love them so much, and don't get me wrong, IMO they're miles better than alternatives like the DT770, but I think closed back doesn't quite hit the mark for me. IEMs can give a hell of a lot more for the money if you want noise isolation.
@@dylans6958 Thanks! I’m glad you mentioned the DT 770 bc that was another consideration of mine. I haven’t really given too much thought to IEMs since I like the appeal of headphones given that I grew up with cheaper earbuds and wanted to explore the realm of headphones, but I’ll give higher-end IEMS some consideration now.
@@masonjar49 Yeah man. I'm primarily an open back user myself, but have dabbled in IEMs. A great place to start are the Moondrop Arias or anything around that $80 mark. I've also used the Moondrop Blessing 3, and they are absolutely insane in terms of detail. I don't use IEMs full time because I don't like the feeling of them as much, but bang for the buck they're unmatched. Goodluck man! We're all on this audio journey together.
Do these keep out exterior sounds reasonably well? I listen to podcasts while out walking, and the country lanes do have a few cars. Sennheiser IE200 earphones are useless, any car nearby drowns out the sound, Bose QC25 are fine but the sound is mediocre.
How does it compare with the Meze 99 Classics or Neo?
Meze 99 Classics and Neo are much warmer, and the bass is much more boomy and bloated in comparison to the 620 S, which is tighter and more extended in the lowend. For a more resolving listen, I’d certainly side with the 620 S as that’s where my tastes reside. However, if you want something more relaxed and bass heavy, the 99 classics/neo could prove to be a solid option. I hope this helps!
Both Meze 99 models are midbass/lower midrange cannons. Very polarizing sound signature that you really have to want to like. It's not a good sound signature from an objective point of view.
Thanks for the review. Please review the final d7000 as well
Would you say that these cans are good for metal and rock music?
Oh for sure! I went through my usual Black Sabbath and Metallica tracks on these and loved it. Master of Reality and Kill Em All most notably for the albums listened. It was just awesome on these headphones!
@@MatthewDiFazio thanks for your insight. I've read people saying that Sennheiser headphones are "slow" for fast and complex music, but I don't want to buy planar headphones because from what I've read, the quality control is really bad. My only experience with quality headphones are the first gen Audio Technica m50x (the discontinued version), and I'm looking for a modestly priced upgrade.
@@iii___iii my first pair was Audio Technica m50x as well! haha. Served me well for a long time.
I think there’s just a ton of contrasting opinions regarding Sennheiser headphones due to the amount of folks who’ve bought them. To me, 620 S handles so many different genres really well. If it wasn’t for my colleague, Caleb, stealing them from my desk, I’d be listening to them non stop 😂
Nice review Matt. Have you heard the DCA Aeon Closed or the Closed X? I wonder how the 620S compares. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for watching! Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten a chance to hear those yet :-/ sorry, I can’t give a comparison here.
Steve here - I haven't had a chance to do an in depth comparison, but I'd definitely pick 620S over the Aeon Closed for timbre, dynamics, and general tonality. Aeon still gets the win in the technical performance, speed, and has deeper subbass. I don't think we've ever had a Closed X in the office to compare.
Thank you for the follow up Steve! Seems like there’s a reason to own both.
Might consider it if they lower the price by at least $50.
Is the cable upgradable?
Hey Josh! As of now, no, but Sennheiser has plans to release a 4.4mm cable. After that’s released, I’d imagine a few aftermarket cables will become available for upgrade :-)
Additionally, the cable of the HD 620S is the same as the HD5** series, so you could just get an aftermarket upgrade cable for this headphone that way.
This should be the same TRRS cable that is found on the HD560S, HD599, etc. if so, it can natively be ran balanced, but with an aftermarket cable like Matt brought up.
I grabbed an OpenHeart cable on aliexpress for my HD599, and for the price its seriously impressive
Just an update here! I ordered an upgrade cable from Fog City Audio. I’ll post my impressions here once I receive it 😁
Is plastic as like plastic or ABS plastic?
The 12kHz peak looks painful.
Thankfully it's not, I find the treble totally non-fatiguing.
I thought so too, but this headphone never got sibilant and or too bright. I actually thought it could even go for a little bit more top end shimmer, but like I said, the treble grew on me the more I listened. But yeah, I didn’t hear that peak at all.
It's definitely noticable for me, it somehow sounds dark and bright at the same time, probably because of the recessed lower treble and the slightly peaky upper treble. Mids also sound a bit honky and not as natural as other headphones I own.
@@rene837 That's closed-backs for you, they will always have strange resonances and peaks. Gotta lower your expectations a little and then they sound blissful, despite the minor flaws.
@Lost1ntheSauc3 Why should I lower my expectations? The K371 is better tuned for less than half the price. Companies should up their engineering instead. Good tuned closed backs are possible, as we've seen with the DCA Stealth and E3, and also the former mentioned AKG K371. Focal also offers a new contender with the Azurys that looks like it features better mids than the 620S does. Sure, most of these are more expensive, but it's just a matter of time for something to be released that breaks the market and those headphones' current values with it. I also don't see a reason to use the HD620S over a good IEM in the same price range at this moment in time if isolation and tuning are the main concerns.
How do these compare to the Focal Azurys?