The Sennheiser HD 560S are affordable open-back headphones for the discerning home listener

Sennheiser has launched a new pair of affordable open-back headphones tailor made for audiophiles who like to spend their evenings soaking up devilishly detailed decibels. The HD 560S (£169) feature open-back ear cups that allow sound waves to expand naturally, “recreating the optimal triangular listening position of loudspeakers to create an articulate sound-stage.” Sounds fancy, no? A frequency response of 6 Hz to 38 kHz also helps the HD 560S weave together complex bass sounds, while a high110 dB/1V sensitivity and impressively low total harmonic distortion levels (<0.05% at 90 dB) bring expressive dynamic range and clarity to the table. It’s worth remembering the open-ear design of the 560S will let some ambient sounds in and allow your own audio of choice to leak out. That’s not a problem if you plan of using them when you’re sprawled out at home, but it does mean you should probably use them sparingly in public – especially you, Megadeth fans.

Chris Kerr Contributor, Stuff.tv

About

I’m a freelance games and technology journalist currently mashing my keyboard in the name of fine institutions like Stuff, where you'll usually find me waxing lyrical about the latest mobile morsels. I've also been known to cook up some decidedly delicious reviews from time to time, and was once dubbed 'the games industry's answer to Nigella Lawson' by someone probably somewhere.

Areas of expertise

Video games, computing, smartphones, home entertainment, lamps