Sennheiser HE60 "Baby Orpheus"

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by sorrodje, Apr 29, 2016.

  1. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    HE60 Measurements

    New set of measurements . I already did a few some times ago but I improved my presentation and settings and now I'm using this standardized set. My HE60 exhibits a slight imbalance ( approx 1 db)


    FR
    HE60 FR.jpg

    FR Left and Right
    HE60 FR Left and Right.jpg

    Distorsion Left
    HE60 DIsto L.jpg

    Distorsion Right
    HE60 DIsto R.jpg

    Waterfall Left
    HE60 Waterfall L.jpg

    Waterfall Right

    HE60 Waterfall R.jpg

    Spectro L
    HE60 Spectro L.jpg

    Spectro R
    HE60 Spectro R.jpg

    Impulse Response L
    HE60 Impulse Response L.jpg

    Impulse Response R
    HE60 Impulse Response R.jpg

     
  2. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    HE60_1.JPG

    HE60_2.JPG

    HE60_3.JPG

    HE60_4.JPG


    Sorrodje's impressions (After 5 month of ownership with a Stax SRM-T1 amplifier) :


    - Overall very good FR with no obvious flaws. Bit brighter than HD600 though but not as bright as I read here or there. Can't talk for the Stock amp. It's still boxed and will stay so. Neutral/bright overall FR with gobs of air.
    - Does not convey so much the typical Stat coloration. very good point considering I always struggle with this when I listen to Stax Headphones.
    - Still a bit thin/light though with lack of overall impact.
    - Definitely not for people who like warmth. not to mention syrupy coloration.
    - Not for people who are after kinda energetic and/or aggressive presentation. It's a Stat after all.
    - Not really mid centric but mids are definitely the sweet spot of the HE60.
    - Bass are extended, tight and precise. The HE60 is not bass light but definitely lacks impact & slam & body in that area. Bass are kinda "empty" with good transients , good delineation but something is missing. Not enough meat on the bones. That's a bit bothersome for EDMs or all genre that need that kind od visceral slam. Nothing to complain about for acoustics and classical. Warmth is lacking a bit for jazz imo.
    - Mids are wonderful. Not Stax Like ( a bit shouty/nasal . all Stax haters know what I'm talking about ) . Extremely refined. Not as sexy/lush/fat as the HD650, not as much presence and bite and attack than the HE-6, but more lifelike/real/transparent/lifelike than every other headphone I know ( I've very little experience with Omegas and none with the HE90) . Timbres are really impressive ( piano, Drums, Violins, oboe.. all instruments i know sound real). Voices are extremely nicely rendered. I think it's the best headphone I heard for piano tonality rendering.
    - Treble is grain free, harshness free as well. but sometimes Cymbals or some other instruments can hurt. in 95% of what I listened there's no issue but in very rare moments, it can be painful. I don't remember precise exemples though. Very odd phenomenon. Rare, hard to reproduce.
    - Soundstage is the second best point of the HE60. it"s both wide and deep AND coherent ! . Kinda HD6X0 but with much more space and air.
    - Resolution is easily better than thr SR-507 but not on up to HD800's level.

    Overally, the HE60 is IMO a wonderful headphone. Maybe one of the most transparent i ever heard. It does not impress like a HD800 or a HE-6. Impact is not there enough, Resolution is maybe missing a bit and HD800's soundstage offers more "wow effect" . But HE60 wins for balance and effortless presentation without too much Stat coloration. Take a HD6X0 , push further bass and treble extension, boost severely refinement and speed, keep the coherency of the presentation in a wider and airier soundstage and you see how sounds a HE60. HD6X0 still wins for warmth and body/weight.

    More specifically vs HD800 : Sometimes I think the HE60 kills the HD800 and sometimes the contrary. HE60 is more natural/balanced but a bit thin. HD800 is more impactful, resolving and offer a more you're there experience but sounds less effortless and balanced.




    @Ali-Pacha 's comment :

    At last with a good amp, they do have meat on the bones. Soundstage is excellent, you can really pinpoint the instruments, and their texture is breathtaking, especially on classical music. The combination of this huge soundstage with a bit of roll-off in the 1-2 khz region and hyped 4-5 khz may have harshness sometimes (think excited violins), but it's almost unbeatable when speaking of detail retrieval / recording atmosphere.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2016
  3. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    For those who are interested in, Some Compared FR :


    HE60 vs HD800S
    HD800S vs HE60 FR.jpg

    HE60 vs SR009
    HE60 vs SR009 FR.jpg

    HE60 vs HD600
    HD600 vs HE60 FR.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2016
  4. jafnvaegi

    jafnvaegi Friend

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    Yes, with the right amp pairing...they are my favorite e-stat after having heard everything out there except the rare old Stax stuff, Jecklins or the Adult Orpheus :cool:

    Thanks for the updated info!

    *edit* This was the amp I got to hear them on for reference http://i.imgur.com/4pHh9o0.jpg side by side with a modern production Headamp BHSE and SR-007mkI, SR-009, SR-Lambda Signature, SR-404LE (my friend's pair), SR-507, and ESP950 w/ adapter. They stole the meet that day with that amp (owner had some NOS Mullards in there at the time too). The HE60 owner was hearing them that day for the first time ever too, as he had picked them up used like 10 years prior while in Japan and just had them in his closet, not realizing what he had but knew they were good LOL...surreal.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2016
  5. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Seems the Blue Hawai is indeed a dream amp for the HE60 from what I read here or there in old threads.

    I asked a reputed builder to build a SRX plus for me. I'll see how is the result ;)
     
  6. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    The channel imbalance looks like it could be the volume pot. Try it at a higher volume level (or with some digital volume attenuation) to see if they match more closely.
     
  7. 3X0

    3X0 Friend

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    Fully refurbished HE60s are truly a thing of beauty. I felt that the HE60 sounded very much like a souped-up HD 600, and I regret selling my pair.

    Re: evaluating other pairs it's important to note the condition of the earpads and the rubber o-rings behind the drivers. The factory o-rings on these units are notorious for snapping after a few years and this can cause backwave leakage and substandard performance. Really in terms of longevity some of the materials used in the HE60 (and HE90 for that matter) leave much to be desired...

    As much as I love them, I see these going for $2500+ on occasion and I think that's heinous. They're really not worth more than $1500-1800 tops for the novelty, as addicting as their sound may be.

    Could also be from diaphragm arcing since the HE60's transducers are somewhat susceptible to dust. The SRM-T1 has channel balance control so it's also possible the issue arises from there (or could be ameliorated via this anyhow).
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2016
  8. Ali-Pacha

    Ali-Pacha Friend

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    Sorrodje talked me about that imbalance the day we meet, and we also noticed it on measurements on my SRM-727II that day ;)
    I think it's a bit more than 1 db, and I'm a bit finicky about that since the day I got my 009, but you won't notice it if no one is telling you :p

    Anyway, one more time, great stuff from Sorrodje :headbang:

    Ali
     
  9. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Measurements were made with ali-pacha"s SRM727 and the first measurements was with my SRM-T1. Imbalance is there and is real. That's one reason why I bought a spare pair of brand new drivers . Yea, I know I'm insane .
     
  10. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Contributing some measurements from yesterdays meet. These are @sorrodje HE-60s:

    Frequency response (done twice)

    HE60_fr.png

    CSD right

    HE60_CSD_right.png

    CSD left

    HE60_CSD_left.png

    Impulse response right

    HE60_Impulse_right.png

    Impulse response left

    HE60_Impulse_left.png
     
  11. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Here are some quick comparos to the HD600, Milos Cans, SR-007, SR-009, SR-207 and SR-307.

    HD600

    VS_HD600.png

    FrankenMilos

    VS_MilosCans.png

    SR-007

    VS_SR007.png

    SR-009

    VS_SR009.png

    SR-207 (heroic efforts to extend the bass by literally tying the cups to the baffle with a usb cable)

    VS_SR207.png

    SR-307

    VS_SR307.png

    IMO these are the best commercial stats I've heard recently. I've heard the Orpheus Milos used to have, but it's been a while. @sorrodje you lucky bastid!
     
  12. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    yea. :) . it's definitely my baby and I love it enough to ask someone to build the SRX+ for it ;) .. For sure it won't go anywhere before any release of an official FrankenMilos Clone. :)
     
  13. shipsupt

    shipsupt Admin

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    I'll raise you on in the insane department. I now have a complete HE-60 worth of spare parts. I could either build an entire new headphone or replace EVERY part.

    Yeah, I like the HE-60... a lot. It does sound pretty darned good from the BHSE, but it pairs pretty well with the relative bargain Woo GES.

    I feel bad for those that have heard older models that have not been maintained properly. As stated, broken o-rings and crappy pads can make these great headphones sound ultra crappy. I've been lucky to avoid any imbalance issues.

     

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