SENNHEISER HD 569 Closed Back Headphone

Extremely comfortable. Sound is amazing. I do with the 3.5mm cord was longer than 3 ft. but the other cords length is definitely amazing. While I'm not usually rough with my electronics. these headphones definitely feel durable. My favorite part is the ear cushions. I can wear these for hours without it hurting my large ears

Let me start by saying I'm not an audiophile or an audio expert of any sort. This is the first time I've really splurged on audio equipment at all. In fact, it's 3 times the price of my previous headphone purchase, and even 50 bucks more than I spent on my speakers for my gaming PC.So was it worth it? In short, YES. Yes it very much was!The audio quality is in extreme excess, FAR better than anything else I own to the point that comparing them directly just feels unfair. I have MP3s that I've had on my phone and hard drive for almost 20 years, and I listen to them with these headphones and realize I've been missing details of my absolute favorite music for all this time.The noise cancelling is almost too good too. When I'm listening to music with these, the rest of the world is shut off to me. Much to my roommate's annoyance often times. However the noise cancelling does seem to be tied to being listening to something actively. When the audio is paused, the noise cancelling is a lot less effective. Maybe that's normal, maybe not, like I said, I am a total amateur. But I love the way it works. If I want to tune everything else out, these absolutely work fantastically!Finally, I did choose these because I wanted closed backs that don't bleed much audio, so I can listen to whatever I wish without concern about bothering those around me - and because I like my privacy. These work well for that too.And lastly, I think they are immensely comfortable. Certainly better than any cheaper pairs I've owned. The padded headband is nice, and the headphones themselves are adjustable enough that they fit over my ears and I can wear the headset for hours at a time without complaint. Even with my glasses on, and the headphones pressing my frames on my head.These do feel like a luxury item. I wouldn't say anyone really needs these. But I would say that they feel like a luxury item, considerably nicer than more average purchases in the same area.Honestly, I'm ruined for cheaper headphones now. Going back to my old no-name pair any time that I have - just feels so glaringly inferior now - despite having used them for years without issue. The audio, comfort and noise cancelling are just THAT much nicer.

As someone who likes to write music on my free time, I bought these headphones to help me improve my mixing decisions. I also wanted something relatively durable since I’m tired of replacing my $30-40 headphones every year. As a college student, these 569s were an investment for me.COMFORT:The HD 569 is my first pair of cans over $40. And it’s the first pair that I can honestly say is comfortable for long listening and mixing sessions. Ear cups encapsulate my ears, and the padding provides a nice cushion and passive noise isolation.NOISE-ISOLATIONI go to a military college and it’s common to hear yelling in the hallways. These headphones actually block out a lot of that noise, making it easier to study. I can still hear what’s going on outside my room, but it’s not distracting. Note that the noise-isolation is passive, not active.SOUND QUALITYSound quality is great as far as I can tell. It seems very mid-centric but that’s fine by me. It just took a little getting used to as my brain adjusted to this new normal. However, I wish the highs were emphasized a bit more so I could get a better sense of what’s going on up there. However, it’s also true that recessed highs means less listening fatigue. In other words, these headphones can work fine for mixing, while also being great for casual listeners who just want to enjoy music or watch movies. Soundstage is good too.DURABILITYIt looks and feels like it will last for at least several years. But take everything I say here with a very small grain of low-sodium salt, because my experience with headphones is limited compared to the many audio professionals here.I appreciate that it doesn’t use a hinge-style mechanism to clamp the earcups because in my experience those can wear out or break easily. The build quality of this 569 seems better than the MD-7506s I’ve used at a studio. Bear in mind these are just my first-impressions. Regrettably, I missed the time-traveling lesson my friends said I missed in elementary school. So unfortunately, I cannot at this moment tell you how these headphones will hold up in the next few years. But don’t worry - if I remember, I’ll post a 4 month update when I finish my fall semester.DUST PROBLEMThis is not a huge problem, but I feel it is worth mentioning.The smaller black circle on the outer face of each earcup easily attracts dust. The padding material on the earcups and headband also suffer from this. It’s frustrating because now I have to pick out/wipe off the dust every few days, especially from the outside. Again, it’s not really that bad if it’s just one or two day’s worth of dust (only takes a minute or so getting it out), but if I let the dust settle for even a week, I imagine it would be a nightmare getting it all out. I dust all horizontal surfaces in my dorm room every day out of habit, so it feels unnatural for me to leave something with dust on it.This is purely aesthetic; it has zero effect on comfort or sound quality.CONCLUSIONSo far so good. I recommend these HD 569s to anyone looking for a pair of headphones that is comfortable, durable, and has sound quality that is good for both mixing and casual listening.