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Best praise vs top criticism for Sennheiser HD 6XX
“HD 6\*\* series come to mind. And they are super modular, so whatever part that breaks can be easily replaced, including the driver module. However, pad wear is an issue. Worn out pads totally kill the treble, meaning that even though the headphones will run for decades, the pads won't. I'd say they are the least durable part of most well built headphones. 5\*\* series are also well built but may not be as durable, nor easy to repair. 800s is probably the best of both worlds, super well built and pad wear has ***relatively*** smaller impact on sound. But they're expensive. I would definitely recommend HD 490 Pro. They do have the metal headband similar to HD 800s and they are the most comfortable headphones I've ever used. Pad wear probably is an issue, but they came out fairly recently for that to be recognized. Good thing is they include 2 sets of pads with slightly different tuning.”
“Because even Sennheiser has to admit Hifiman did it right with that dip and they did wrong with the 6X0 line. If there was an HE-1 tube like a 6XX, nobody would be impressed because it wouldn't have any clarity, even as an estat.”
34 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 4/5/2026