When i got myself Sennheiser 6xx and started to listen, i was blown away, no muddy bass, just pure enjoyment. The bass hits when it should and stops when it should. Going back to my pc speakers and gaming headsets is no go. I also do have xm3 and while they are good to take with you. I just dont think its a good sound.

Excellent video. Just as an update, Apple Music IS lossless and with quality up to 24/192. Minimum is 16/44.1 ALAC ie CD Lossless quality. It’s actually extremely good

I am the proud owner of the following AKG headphones: K240 MII, K371, K612 Pro, K275, K245 (open/semi-open), K175 (On Ear), K92, K182. In addition I’m also an equally proud owner of the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms, DT 880 Pro, DT 240 Pro, and the DT 990 Pro!!!!! As a classical music lover I love my Beyerdynamic and AKG headphones!

Congratulations on explaining all of this so well. I'm a newbie to quality audio, and this made more sense than any other video I've watched.

11:09 it is so true that it's a rabbit hole. I started looking into headphones to replace my aging turtle beach gaming headset. I didn't want much just an improvement to my not even expensive gaming headset. my budget was at most 100 bucks but after doing a lot of research, experimentation, and buying and returning headphones I finally ended up with beyerdynamic dt 990 pros for 180 dollars and I'm likely going to buy an external dac/amp for at least 60 dollars. it's still pretty budget as far as audiophiles go but the most important thing is that now I have a lot more ear for the subtleties of my music. can't tell if it's a good thing because of toll it's taken (and probably will continue to take) on my bank account but hey, at least my music sounds glorious

I had a similar revelation when I bought my first "audiophile" headphones, the Hifiman HE400i. I bought them used (they have since come down in price to something similar to the Sennheisers you use), I'm more of a casual listener but I have fallen into the rabbit hole anyway and have upgraded headphone amps and DACs along the way. Great video!

One major misconception I also fell for for a while is that a DAC/amp with too little power for a particular pair of headphones would only result in lower volumes. In reality, it will also result in messed up sound. Sound distortions, compressed sounds, crackles and pops, lots of bad attributes of which some will be very subtle but make you feel unsatisfied with the sound.

This was the best comparison between consumer and high end I've ever seen! I was searching what the difference was for few days, thanks for the amazing review, subbed 😃👌

Always a good tip to go for headphones from the music production market rather than consumer or fashionable products. Sennheiser and Beyer Dynamic are a good starting point. More money on the sound rather than image and marketing.

Hi Mark! I highly recommend you get the German made Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms/DT 880 Pro 250 ohms/DT 990 Pro 250 ohms. These are fantastic investments with a superb build quality and superb sound quality. By the way Apple uses high quality dacs in their products be it iPads, Macbooks, or iMacs! You can use the Equaliser on the Sony app to tune it to the same frequency response as the HD 560s.

I am a beginner in all this as well and I would probably stay that way for a while but my personal setup would be the Hifiman HE400SE paired with the Ifi Zen Dac. They are very competitively priced but still performs very much on par with the 560s I'd say. Heck, I do think I prefer the 400SE after demoing the 560s at the audio shop the other day. But when it comes to these things I recommend demoing it for yourself if possible.

For what it’s worth, do try to get your hands on a Grado. Of all the entry level cans I’ve tried, they can give you the most unique (and IMHO enjoyable) listening experience. Many audiophile headphones (specially Sennheisers) are too reference/flat for me and become boring quite fast. I’d like to hear your thoughts after you try any Grados such as SR60 or SR80.

I also have a headphone addiction. I have the Fiio K5 pro it’s a combo dac/amp. I like it a lot. It’s powerful enough to power my Beyerdynamics and Sennheisers.

This video was really interesting; it was nice to hear about the basics, as there are a lot of videos that come across as being quite stuck up & don’t actually explain anything. I got the trial of Amazon HD, however I’ve just got “normal” headphones (decent but not top of the line) & I couldn’t hear any difference, so it would be interesting to hear, using a set up like yours.

You have made my day!! I never realized about the quality of sound controlled by the app, so I went into my spotify and changed it to very high vs low it comes in without random stutter or cutting in and out. Thank you!

I cut to the chase…I got Meze empyrean one headphones and a chord mojo 2. I don’t care about upgrades, it just sounds good and you are done. Yes it was expensive but sooo worth it.

the 560 S is so great. Most music I listen to is CD quality and only 44.1 hz 16 bit. And I love listening to the details every now and then since I am using AirPods Max for everything else. AirPods have spatial audio for wathching my shows and movies. But for a clear detailed audio from watching games or FaceTiming someone in a quiet room I’ll always grab the Sennheiser over any Bluetooth connection.

At last someone reviewing reasonably priced equipment, thank you. 👍🏻

I would recommend you stay away from "master quality" as MQA as it actually is as a very lossy codec unlike flac. MQA adds to much static and makes your sounds kinda mushy. While if you select Hifi ifs just a flac file Wich is better than MQA. You can find a great vid by golden sounds if your interested.

ifi DAC + Amiron wired headphones + Tidal for me. I'm very happy with my choices. The law of diminishing returns hits hard very quickly with more expensive gear. Great video! 👍

Great video! Another more affordable option for those who just want to dip the toe in audiophile grade audio is to get a pair of Koss PortaPros : $40-$50. You won’t get as much of the soundstage but it’s still a good introduction to what clean neutral headphones sound like.

Zen dacs are great, but I think too many people overlook analog systems that use small tube amps to power headphones. I do highly highly recommend checking out the Little Dot mkII amp. The way this would work is it allows you to use a mixer to connect things such as a turntable, CD player, cassette and even a direct hookup for your computer through the headphone jack. The warmth you get from analog is insane and it feels much more natural. As an audiophile myself, I prefer my analog setup vs the digital one. Ear fatigue is real and digital signal can really boost ear fatigue. Side note, love those Sennheisers, those are absolutely fantastic as entry level!

I use this exact combo for a few weeks now: HD560S with Zen Dac V2 and Tidal. For around €300 this sounds awesome. Can recommend it to anyone. And the truebass function on the zen dac really makes everything better on the hd560s in my opinion.

Thanks for the video. What you said in the first minute connected with me. Currently, I have a Sony WH-1000XM2, AirPods and AirPods Pro. In my cars, I listen to Mark Levinson in my Lexus and Bose with upgraded speakers in my GTR though the exhaust sound goes into the mix. I can tell all something is lacking, it’s not excellent sound. So, I am going to try better equipments to listen to. To start of, I am getting the FiiO BTR5. Headphones options by prices are the Philips Fidelity X1S ($127), Sennheiser HD599 ($199), X2HR ($245), ) or 58X (may not be able to get locally, around ($280). The cheaper options are Philips SHP9500 ($99) seems too sharp for me (from reviews), 9600 is more expensive than the X1R ($245 vs $127) so… what are your recommendations? These are Singapore dollars. I listen to a variety of music, classical, vocals, opera, Pop, R&B and lots of movies. I mostly use Apple products

I’m just new to audiophile headphones and tried both the dragonfly cobalt and the Chord Mojo amp/dacs both very good

I really liked this perspective on these HD-560S headphones. I've been worried about them being too analytical, but it looks like I shouldn't worry about that.

Great review thanks. Now that Apple Music is lossless the difference is amazing. Although Tidal has some hires music I find the quality with lossless/cd is excellent. With an audio quest Dragonfly red and budget earphones like the sound magic E80’s I can’t believe how much better music sounds compared to my EarPod pros. The convenience of wireless earphones can’t be denied though. I also enjoy my Grado SR 60’s but my wife gets irritated when I don’t answer her. The transparency function with the EarPods helps then but you sacrifice sound quality obviously. The answer is to have several pairs of earbuds/headphones for different occasions. What was that you said about being a headphone addict…..

To be honest, I got a weird problem, and I don't know why. I bought the "iFi ZEN DAC V2" (basically the same as in the video, just the newer version) and the "Sennheiser HD 560S" (same as in the video) and really wanted to be impressed (the first audiophile hardware I ever used in my whole life), but ... These headphones sure sound nice, but not really better (according to my ears) than the consumer grade headphones I had before ("Sony WH-H900N"), bought in 2018. Just to point it out: They don't sound bad, and they are not defective somehow, but I just can't hear any meaningful improvement compared to my Sonys, even though the Sony ones are normal consumer grade ones for everyone, so not audiophile at all. And I even have the subjective impression that the Sony ones are more comfortable to wear, especially when listening to them for a long while. And they even got bluetooth and active noise cancelling, which is all quite nice. So, what am I doing wrong? Back when I bought the Sonys, I was absolutely impressed by the sound quality, much better than every other pair of headphones I ever used, but the Sennheisers don't give me the same feeling, more like a "eh, they are fine, but not really better IMHO". Not really the upgrade I was looking forward to.

This was helpful, thank you Mark!

Thanks for a great video l have a very similar setup as yours. My headphones are sennheiser 599 open back my dac amp is ifi hip dac they both work brilliantly together. I would also recommend beyer dynamic dt 700 Pro although they are closed back they have a wide sound stage. I stream my music through amazon HD which is all CD quality. Sounds great to my none audiophile ears and it only cost about 300 pounds

I'm adding an additional comment as a thank you to Mark, I purchased the iFi pocket DAC. Weren't that impressed with Spotify high res as an input source - however most of my CD collection (remember those round silvery things) are stored on my Mac as Apple Lossless. Using my new M1 iMac (fab) I connected the DAC to it and the detail and definition of this source is quite revealing - not sure it would be up there with Tidal but for an old audiophile I'm happy with the extra the DAC gives me. Give it a try!!!

Glad your trying out HIFI stuff. I recently got started. First I bought a Fosi DS1 Dongle ($70) and then I purchased Fiio BTR 7 ($200) that can be used tethered to an iPhone or device or you can use Bluetooth. And the Bluetooth sound great! I also have a Sony MDR 7506 that is closed back and does not insert a profile except how the audio was recorded. And I just bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 660s. The sound is great and loud like I like it. I am trying not to go down the HIFI rabbit hole and buy more stuff. But I am eyeing a DAP (Digital Audio Player) where you can store your music (FIIO M11S). But I am trying to wait a spell before purchasing it. Thanks for you video and I am glad you are stepping into the High Audio world.

As someone who is starting to get a mature headphone/sound game I appreciate this direction. Now if I can only decide on a mechanical keyboard...

Oh dear. This has reawakened my inner audiophile. I've got Beyer Dynamic DT1350s, which I absolutely love. I do always wonder what open-back cans would be like, though. I got my Beyers when I still commuted, but I don't have that constraint any more. That DAC looks a sensible buy too. A friend let me try his Chord Mojo, which is more cash than this, I think, but it was awesome.

Really enjoyed the video, you’re very good at what you do. As you say a set-up like that will highlight bad recordings and mixes, but even 320 kbit/s out of Spotify sounds better than on wireless consumer headphones. I trialled Tidal hi-fi (4 months free), but the slight improvement in SQ wasn’t worth the cost of the service in my part of the world.

Hi Mark. I knew the audiophile bug would catch up with you eventually. No need to spend a fortune to get serious audio improvements and enhanced musical enjoyment. I have tried all the hi res streaming services including Apple, Amazon and Tidal. However for sheer musicality and serious engagement the Qobuz hi res service - in my opinion - is the best by a country mile!!!

I have one of the previous iterations of the Seneheiser headphone you showed, I have had them for about 10 years and they have survived alot of abuse. I'd trust Senheiser to do the same with the newer version, it's honestly a steal!

For any beginner about to spend on dacs and amps, I've tried a ton of the lower to midfi dac/amps. It doesn't really matter if it's burr brown, AKM or ESS. There's next to no difference. Zero difference in the AKM and ESS ones, mild difference from the burr brown (that's more to do with ifi adding bass boost buttons on their dac/amps). Between a 50 dollar megatron into a zen air can, and a 300 dollar FiiO K7 to the zen dac v1 into the OG zen can. There is ZERO difference when pushed through a HD600 headphone. Just buy something that works, has an easy to claim warranty, pre-outs for speakers if you have them and RCA outs to connect an EQ like the JDS Subjective 3. Or learn to use Peace EQ and spend hours tweaking sound.

Hey from the very cold land of Igloos and Polar Bears aka 🇨🇦. LOVE LOVE LOVE this review into the world of Audiophile Music Mark. I am like you and have just gotten into this world of hearing music the way it’s meant to be heard. My first step into the world are the Worlds First wireless headphone with THX technology and are the THX Panda Headphones by Drop with dual AAA THX AMPS built into the headphones. They are absolutely phenomenal and they will soon have the worlds first APP with a headphone parametric amp to help tune them a little more to your liking. I too have heard GREAT things about the Senn 560s. I am now looking at buying a second pair of Audiophile Headphones (either the Sennheiser HD58x, HD6xx or Hifiman Sundara), and my first Dac/Amp combo. I was looking at the iFi Hip DAC which is a portable DAC/Amp combo so that I can use them with my Bluetooth THx Pandas but I’m kinda liking this iFI Zen DAC you have shown us. Now that you are here in this world, I’d like you to maybe go a little further and help more of us like you and I that are just entering this world. . A few videos that explain the terms that are commonly used, LOL at a few other options. You gav a great choice in the $300 range but maybe looking at the $400 and $500 range stepping up a bit more each time. NO ONE else is doing this and personally I think I it would be popular. Once again, thanks for this video and I’m sure I’ll see in some more. Until then, stay safe and happy listening 🎧. Kevin 👊

Really nicely presented, unpretentious & 'to the point'. Every one of us has 'opinion' that is naturally pushed to a degree, even subconsciously but 'agenda' is very different & it's refreshing to have an overt explanation of a 'learning curve' rather that somebody being protectionist about previous years of listening. I am still leaning all this stuff, & will be forever & furiously haemorrhaging cash in the hope that will educate me lol. But I do it with a smile lol. Just to note....... If you want a really good very mobile option, the Dragonfly Cobalt into the Apple Camera adapter then into the iPhone is awesome when Streaming your Tidal. Thanks again, Subscribed. Kind regards.

Nice to see some content from someone else new to the audiophile world. I'd definitely recommend trying out Qobuz for a streaming source, arguably better than Tidal.

MQA is a joke, as they advertised it as lossless, while it's not. I bought recently a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro and I'm very happy with them. I just need to think whether to upgrade my Amp/DAC or not. I have an LG G5 Hi-Fi Plus which despite is thin, can handle well my 250ohm headphones, and also an old Yamaha A/V Receiver. I would be curious how much richer sound an Amp/DAC like the Zen DAC V2 would give me.

Great review, very informative and nicely presented 👍🏻

Saw this video and would add like others, planar magnetic next. Warmer and a bit more bass with same clarity. For budget the Hifiman HE4XX or next level the Sundara's.

First-time viewer. Good video, man.

As someone who uses hearing aids I've been really wanting to get a set of nice headphones, since any audio I hear is slightly messed up just by the nature of headphones being an extra layer of microphones and speakers that the sound has to go through. But I'm worried that even if the audio input is better that the output from the hearing aids will be the same

Very sound advice! Apple has since caught up with their Hi Res Lossless offer.

I only really listen through headphones when I'm on the bus or on a plane so this whole audiophile things is, thankfully, over my head. I don't need to be spending money I simply don't have.

Going on your recommendation Mark, I bought a pair of 560s. 👍

Enjoyed, I’m in somewhere close to your situation to trying out HIFI headphones and DAC. Certainly it’s worth compared to spending huge money on AirPods max!

The REASON for THAT!

Some people listen to their equipment rather than enjoying the music, I personally don't see the point. I recently got myself a pair of Musical Fidelity balanced headphones and the matching headphone amp, since I live in a flat it means I can listen to music late at night without disturbing my neighbours.

Once you start listening to good quality recordings on a good setup, you won't want to take them off anymore and you will remember the words of some people "I can't live without music". So for me personally, budget quality like Sennheiser HD 560S + Zen Dac V2 for example, for roughly $300 is an absolute steal in terms of audio quality.

Great Video, If i may integrate: there are actually two main categories of non-consumer headphones: High Fidelty (like the HD560S) and Audiophiles. Audiophiles tends to be more focused on one aspect like Soundstage, Imaging, perfect treble, mid or bass region, Timbre, etc ect. High Fidelty ones just try to focus on what the artist wanted you to listen, so they don’t add stuff or change the response, like adding more bass or more width to the image. There are audiophiles headphones, like the LCD X, which are very focused on Bass response or the Sennheiser HD800S which have an incredible soundstage but lacks many other aspects (they have mediocre bass, for example). The point, i guess, it’s to know new stuff, experience it, and learn what you value most and like to listen to.

Great informative video, I use ifi zen dac , currently using Senn. Hd575 of which the Rotel a11 is driving well even if it’s 120 ohm impedance of the headphones , I use my zen dac phono o/p to amp. Like you I have a few headphones momentum 2 denon etc , now have hd560s and found to pretty good , and happy with them on your recommendation. Regards mark

Good explanation Mark but personally I think the audiophile alley is one dark place and that once you go to, you don't wanna come back. I dont think that to enjoy music, you need to lose an arm and a leg in equipment to get the right sound. That's why I love Bose or Sony because I know that, although not perfect, they have what it takes to deliver a good sound and enjoy some good music in a single package AND have the convenience of having bluetooth for pertability.

Thanks for info🎧

Ive been WH XM3 throiuggh and through and thats all i know but I have collected 40000 IDM tracks, EP and LPs over the last 12 years and im ready to spend 600Euros on FOCAL ELEGIA and go wired portable and have a rather large audiophile closed back for my usual moving around. Its perfect, I wil get spacious sound signtaure in a closed poratabl and they used to cost 900Euro.

Love to know how to get Dolby or loseless audio’s in headphones

But Apple Music has High-Res audio, isn’t that enought instead of Tidal ? Please answear cuz i allready got used to Apple Music

Hi Mark! Thanks for great video. I use Fiio K7 with audio technica ath-m50x. the set is connected to my turntable via line input. when I listen to music I find that I need almost maximize the volume knob on the Fiio to hear the music on a level I like . what do you might be the reason for it? Thanks!

My dream pair of over ear, wireless headphones: great sound for listening to music (duh!), removable boom mic for work calls (ugh), and an optional line in cord (+ mic still working with line in). Does this exist? 🥺🥺🥺

Thank you for this Mark - did anyone tell you that your voice sounds like a very smooth DJ? BTW, did you find the Sennheiser HD560S lacks a bit of bass? It will be interesting to get your feedback on this as I found the Sony WH-1000 XM4 to be bass heavy

Thanks Much !

He needs to try a pair of gold planar gl2000s dual magnet. For the price there is nothing else like it.

good explanations!

next upgrade for you is buying HifiMan Sundara and Zen Can!

Great review mate have a listen to a song by a band called yes the song is called owner of a lonely heart it’s an incredible mix 😎

tyvm

Hi Mark. I've followed your content for ages. I'm about to bite this bullet. Are your thoughts about lossless entry the same as this video, or have other tech caught your eye>. Thanks. Keep them coming.

Brilliant review Mark. I’m going to grab the 560s soon, do you think I’d need the amp to use them with my MacBook Pro?

Mark the timing of this is perfect. I am trying Tidal and Amazon HD. I want to try the iFi Zen DAC (based on your recommendation). I recently bought the Sony MK1000XM4's and wondered, for now, would this work well with the iFi Zen DAC directly plugged in. Also, have you tried the software called BOOM audio that gives 3D spatial audio? Thanks again for another great informative video . . .

0:35 You already had some 770 Pros but this was the first time you considered getting into higher quality audio? Some sites rate the 770 Pro over the HD650. Although this was the 250ohm version and you seem to have the 32 version. Have you tried using your 770 Pros in the Zen DAC?

Do you think hd560s is better than hd58x?

I just bought Momentum 4 and I phones 13, can I purchase BTR 7 to make it louder

Thanks for the very straightforward advice using relatively affordable equipment. I've always been tempted to delve into the audiophile world but have been confused by the options out there and don't want to make a costly mistake. A question I have, though, is whether there any benefit to be gained by listening to standard streaming (Apple Music or Spotify) music with this equipment? Obviously highest quality is best, but an expensive subscription is a big consideration. Should I not bother unless I'm prepared to get the expensive sub?

Great video If you like headphones isn't it always a rabbit hole? You can get cheap headphones for 10$ but when you go to your nearest electronic store and see the brand new Sony/Sennheiser/iPod product you dream of those. And yes sure the Sennheiser he1 is more expensive than the Momentum's But yes the sound quality is better at Audiophile gear. A friend of mine uses some Bose bt headphones for like 200$. I let him listen to my Focal Clear and Schiit Asgard 3 amp/ Modius dac (in total 1300$ gear). It made him cry

Did you comparing using the 560s without the zen dac VS with the zen dac and was the difference very noticable? I myself bought a 560s last month and I've been loving the listening experience, but something tells me I still want to get the zen dac. How was your experience?

Wher is that interview with the audiophile that you mentioned in the beginning of your video,thanks

Love this review/ post. Got a sub from me. Could I ask if Focal have an equivalent to the Sennheiser . Love your manner and delivery. 👍👍

I am thinking to go with these things. Is the Zen Dac really good? Please help with your suggestion.

Budget/Starter version of such a setup: Sybasonic Dac/Pre Amp(£30), Superflux 668B(£35) + replacement brainwaves velour pads(£10), Mod Mic Uni (£40 - if you need a mic)

I just got a pair of B&W px8. If I get a ifi zen dac, would the B&W headphones work well when wired compared with an open backed pair of audiophile headphones?

I'm surprised you never mentioned software which will bypass the computers audio out into the amp/dac

Would this ifi zen dac work with a turntable/record player? Im interested in this combo for it if it works. My turntable has a built in pre-amp

Dumb question: can you make the sound "surround" like dolby atmos with amps?

Hi I have recently watched this video and was really inspired to look at my equipment so far and my sources for music. BUT I am confused…on the one hand most reviewers say that, Dac, amp plus cable plus good over ear open or iems. Then I read about the Fiiio latest Bluetooth dac amp being the latest budget system which offers incredible sounds plus the convenience of less cable hanging around. Then I read that bluetooth can never deliver the sound dynamics of lossless music…. SO CONFUSION… what do I believe …. Can you help?

Mark can you recommend any Bose headphones model please?

Mark if you think HD560s is impressive try the HD660s ;)

Hi Mark. I'm currently running a pair of 15+ year old Sennheiser HD580s off a Behringer FCA202 Audio Interface. I'm thinking of moving to the 560S's mainly for comfort reasons, I use headphones 10+ hours a day. I'm just wondering did you try anything besides the ifi Zen Dac/Amp? Did you consider any valve/vacuum headphone amps? I agree with you about the importance of the source. I'm used to using Tidal as a source but find it so muddy when I'm listening to a lot of stuff on KZfaq.

I have a rather large collection of music, which I have stored locally on my desktop PC (FLAC files) and I have a rather weird setup, where the audio goes from the PC via HDMI to an AV receiver, and my headphones connect to the AV receiver (I can also unplug the headphones if I want to use the completely overkill speaker system, which is kinda sorta a surround system) and I currently use some cheap headphones (which must be the ONLY cheap headphones I have been able to find that I can tolerate, as I cannot stand headphones that either have a cable coming out of each earcup (I don't like in-ear headphones, in fact, I feel as though all in-ear headphones should be called "earphones", and I generally call them that) or have the circular earcups (when I did have a pair of these, before they broke, I found them to be really uncomfortable, however, they did have a rather interesting 3.5mm connector on them, which I never figured out why it was there, as they were wired headphones with a permanently attached cable, and I discovered that if you connected a second pair of headphones to the 3.5mm connector, the audio also came through the second pair of headphones)

Apple music now has high quality lossless on PC Apple music preview on microsoft

What happens when you plug in the xm4s into the amp?

I am between Sennheiser 560s and Beyerdynamics DT990 Pro 250 Ohm, both with a Fiio K5 pro Amp/DAC. Which ones do you think are better for mainly gaming and listening to music for a lot of hours in a row?

A great starter system, One note Beats Headphones were designed for HipHop music as before Beats arrived there was nothing out there for that kind of music, their popularity pushed other manufacturers to make better headphones. While today there are lots of much better-sounding headphones out there Beats really started the trend for headphone listening again. If you look at the majority of reviews they often talk about how good the Bass is on their headphones but audiophiles perfer the Harmon curve or as close to that as possible.

do you need a pre-amp?

To be honest, i was drawn to it. I use the Sony MX4 and today I got a Tidal Hifi trial subscription. I tested the service against apple music on a few songs. I couldn't really tell the difference. Am I doing something wrong?

i like his voice

Are DACs only for streaming?

Will these work with Apple’s upcoming lossless?