The Sennheiser HD 560S are neutral-sounding, wired, open-back headphones. They have a well-balanced sound profile that should work with most types of music and consistently deliver audio. They are also very comfortable because they are made to be light and have a lot of soft padding. Like most open-back headphones, they are not good for use on the go because they don’t block out noise well, leak a lot of sound, and are bulky. Otherwise, they’re a great choice if you want a pair of headphones that are comfortable and sound neutral.
Don’t worry though, because the plastic is of good quality and strong enough to handle daily use. When you move the headband, it clicks, so you can tell what level you’re at. On the left ear cup, there is only one place for the cable to go. On the headphone side, the connector is 3.5mm, but it has a “twist and lock” mechanism that is unique to the company.
This makes it hard to find replacement cables. The yokes don’t move much side to side. But the ear cups can be turned about 15 degrees from front to back, so we don’t think most people will have trouble getting a good seal. There is also a rubber bump that keeps the cup from hitting the yoke. The ear pads are made of something like velour. we didn’t think they were scratchy, but you might feel differently.
On the sides, clamp force is fine, but pressure can build up on the top of the head. we wish there was more padding on the headband. People say that the clamp pressure gets weaker over time, but wouldn’t try to force the headband to bend because it’s made of plastic and isn’t as flexible as a metal headband. Overall, comfort is better than average, but not as good as the Philips SHP9600.
The Sennheiser HD 560S has a 1/4-inch TRS connector, just like many other high-end wired headphones. If your source has a 3.5mm jack, the product comes with an adapter so you can use it with these systems. Strangely, Sennheiser chose to use the bulky 1/4-inch plug by default instead of something like Beyerdynamic’s threaded adapter system. Maybe this makes it cheaper to make, but it makes the 3.5mm dongle a little hard to use.
The HD 560S, on the other hand, strikes a good balance, which is a very good thing. Obviously, they’re mostly made for people who want to use them for more than just “enjoyment” and want to use them for monitoring, mastering, mixing, or whatever else. Yes, they have a fairly flat response that makes it easy to compare sounds “A” and “B.” They are also detailed and perceptive enough to make even small changes in the mix of the same recording sound pretty clear