![]() ![]() And like the other Senn 6? cans, the 660s is generally smooth, relaxed, and easy to listen to for long periods of time without getting fatigued. It’s bass and treble extension are both somewhat mediocre, not going very deep or having much air, but that’s par for the course for Senn 6? series cans. The result is not as mid-focused or overall neutral-warm like the 6XX is, it’s a bit closer to a more mainstream tuning, but not nearly as extreme. If you’re familiar with the HD6XX, pull back the mids a touch and bring the lower treble up just a hair. It’s kind like a radical symbol: √ - sorta, but the treble isn’t noticeably forward of the bass. The middbass is a bit forward, the mids are slightly recessed, and the lower treble is a bit forward. To my ear the signature of the 660s is a gentle ‘v’…kinda. Read about some of my thoughts on Asgard 3, Atom, and Liquid Spark amps here. That’s a source chain that’s probably a bit unrealistic for most users who may be considering the 660s, so I also did a fair amount of critical listening with the Schiit Modius + Asgard 3 stack, and a Topping D10 + JDS Labs Atom and Monolith Liquid Spark amp. To acclimate, I used the Chord Hugo 2 DAC/amp (as DAC only) and the Cayin HA-1AMK2 tube amp on its lowest output impedance setting. There were 3.5ish different signal chains I listened to the 660s with most. The time here will be better spent on the… I’m not going to spend too much time here because descriptions of the build are all over the internet. If you’re familiar with the Senn 600 series build, that’s what you get. As far as build quality goes, there’s not much to say here that hasn’t already been said. On paper, it’s an easier-to-drive load than most of the Sennheiser HD6? series, which have impedances of 300Ω. It has a rated impedance of 150Ω and rated sensitivity of 104 dB/mW. The HD660S is an open-back, dynamic-driver, over-the-ear headphone. Readers should keep these hearing quirks and preferences in mind as they read my descriptions of sound. There is a balance here, though, because detail retrieval can get too relaxed and that can sound unnatural, as well, or simply leave out important aspects of the recording. To my ear, more subtle detail-retrieval sounds more realistic and natural than aggressive, detail-forwardness. I like good detail retrieval and hearing what a recording has to offer, but I prefer what many would consider relaxed and subtle rather than aggressive or detail-forward. Finally, I’m discovering that I have a preference for more subtle detail. It’s distracting because it’s annoying and unnatural. Sibilance does not physically hurt my ears nearly as quickly as shout, though. I also get distracted by sibilance, or sharp ‘s’ and ‘t’ sounds that can make ssssingers sssssound like they’re forssssssing esssss ssssssounds aggresssssssively. I describe “shoutiness” as an emphasis on the ‘ou’ sound of ‘shout.’ It’s a forwardness in the neighborhood of 1KHz and/or on the first one or two harmonics above it (when I make the sound ‘oooooIt can also give instruments like piano, but especially brass instruments, an added ‘honk’ to their sound. My ears are thus quick to perceive “shoutiness” in headphones in particular. My hearing quirks include a high sensitivity to midrange frequencies from just under 1KHz to around 3Khz, give or take. I’m getting to know jazz more and enjoying quite a bit. My preferred genres are rock/metal and classical/orchestral music. However, if you can find it used around $250 or less, it can be a compelling option. But, in this reviewer’s humble opinion it does not offer a signature that is different enough or a technical performance improvement over the 6XX, or another budget heavyweight Beyerdynamic DT880 600Ω, large enough to justify its ~$300 price difference over those models. It’s more forgiving than its 6XX sibling of entry-level DACs and amps. It has its strengths and offers a slightly different signature than its popular sibling model the HD6XX from Massdrop. The Senn HD660S is a very good ~$200-250 headphone that unfortunately sells for $500 from most retailers. The Sennheiser HD660S headphone crossed my desk recently and I had a good listen. It’s time to come back down to reality after a brief (but fun!) foray into high-end headphone systems.
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