Sennheiser has up to date its fan-favorite open-back HD 600 collection with a brand new flagship, the $600 HD 660S2, which will likely be accessible for pre-order globally from February 7, 2023, and can go on sale February 21, 2023. The corporate says the HD 660S2 (which replaces the older HD 660S) supply enhanced sub-bass tuning and larger sensitivity throughout all frequencies.
“Our new Sennheiser HD 660S2 gives listeners what they requested most from the headphones’ predecessor,” Jermo Koehnke, Sennheiser Audiophile Product Supervisor mentioned in a press launch. “With precision and energy like no different and new sensitivity throughout all frequencies, listeners will hear particulars they’ve by no means heard earlier than, particularly on the decrease finish of the spectrum.”
It has been simply over 5 years since Sennheiser launched the HD 660S, and at the very least from a design perspective, not a lot has modified. Designed in Germany and hand-built in Eire, the 660S2 look practically equivalent, with the identical plushly cushioned headband and earcups, the identical folding hinges, and the identical acoustic metallic mesh grilles on the surface. They each weigh 260 grams (about 9 ounces). Save for a brand new bronze accent colour, it may be laborious to inform the 2 fashions aside.
Inside, a lot has additionally remained the identical. The dynamic drivers are nonetheless 42mm with a 38mm diaphragm, nonetheless, Sennheiser says it has decreased the burden of the voice coil and improved total transducer airflow. The transducer encompass drops the resonant frequency from 110Hz (HD 660S) right down to 70Hz. It claims that these modifications enhance impulse response and the nuance of low-frequency passages, leading to an total expertise that’s smoother and hotter than the unique HD 660S.
A have a look at the specs additional reveals the place the 2 fashions diverge. The HD 660S2 has a barely wider frequency vary, shifting from a low of 8Hz to a excessive of 41,500Hz, whereas the 660S solely made it right down to 9Hz. That is presumably the place individuals will hear a distinction in bass response. Sennheiser has additionally deserted the 660S’s decrease 150 ohm impedance for a 300 ohm score, which the corporate makes use of in its different 600-series (HD 600, HD 650).
When requested why this choice was taken after the transfer to make use of a 150 Ohm design within the 660S, an organization spokesperson mentioned, “Whereas the 300-ohm impedance is a bit harder to drive from most non-hi-fi gadgets, that’s not who that is for, because the audiophile would favor higher electrical damping of their listening software.”
Regardless of the return to a extra at-home-friendly impedance, Sennheiser ships the HD 660S2 with shorter cables than its predecessor: you get a 1.8 meter (approx. 6 ft) cable with a 6.3mm unbalanced stereo plug, and 1.8m cable with a balanced 4.4mm plug. The 660S, in contrast, got here with 3m cables (just below 10 ft). You additionally get a 6.3mm to three.5mm adapter and a protecting storage pouch.
Editors’ Suggestions