Sennheiser HD 560S

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TL;DR: Detailed neutral sound; wide soundstage; great value.

Overall

#1 in

Headphones (Over / On Ear)

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Sentiment score78% positive
265
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Last updated: Apr 19, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit Icon191x7
5 months ago

The Sennehiser HD 560S. Probably the best sub-200€ option for competitive gaming.

3 months ago

Sennheiser HD 560s + Jcally jm6 pro.

Reddit Icon2100000532
5 months ago

Hot take, Sennheiser HD560, i use them as main headphones, and they have flat bass and mids, highs are pretty analytical

5 months ago

Audio engineer here, i use sennheiser HD560S, and KZ AM16. The sennheiser are more neutral and have a really flat frequency response, while the KZs are more V shaped with a fuck ton of bass

Reddit Icon2SHAYZ99
Reddit Icon666Satanicfox
5 months ago

560S has NO bass. This is a hard one to recommend. If its competitive 560S is king in that price range. If its immersion than the FT1 is a much better buy. Especially since op prefers closed back.

5 months ago

False. I can already tell you dont actually game . There is competitive gaming . In which case you DON'T want any bass. Footsteps and directional tonality is king. For IMMERSION. Making a situation FEEL REAL and ACCURATE then you NEED GOOD BASS. 560S wont give you that thump for explosions and gun shots and car accidents. I should know i own the set. You can try to eq but it wont thump hard enough before you get bad extortion. This is why I like to be as descriptive as possible.

5 months ago

I clearly already stated that. If its competitive. Than no bass isn't a problem . It actually benefits you. You keep regurgitating competitive like I already haven't mentioned it. The problem is immersion. Thats where the 560S fall apart. This is a fact. Bass roll off sounds like shit if you want realistic sounds like explosions m gun shots. Fucking dinosaur footsteps. Even on forza. The damn transmission gear changes sound like ass on the 560S lol. You NEED good ACCURATE bass for IMMERSION. If op wants competitive only then yeah. 560S is king in that price bracket.

5 months ago

Hmmm this is hard. You either get bass or no bass in that price bracket. 560S for footsteps steps Ft1 for immersion gaming. If eq is an option than the FT1 is a better buy. And lower the bass. I've tried eq the 560S and it just doesnt give you that accurate deep bass you want from explosions and gun shots. Explosions fall flat. Car accidents sound like you're in a can lol.

Reddit Icon777navmk
Reddit IconAbduGamer11
about 2 months ago

Hey everyone, I’m really confused about what headset to get and could use some advice. I’ve been using the HyperX Cloud 2 since around 2018. I mainly play FPS games, so footsteps and directional sound are extremely important to me. Lately I’ve been playing Arc Raiders, and with all the environmental noise in that game, my Cloud 2 has started to feel overwhelming and even painful on the ears. Even after tweaking EQ, it’s still very hard to clearly pick up footsteps. After reading tons of posts (literally spent a whole day researching), I decided to try the HD560S since it’s highly recommended in my budget range ($200–250) and supposedly doesn’t need an amp. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me at all. The volume felt very low even at 100%, and the directional audio in Arc Raiders was confusing and hard to pinpoint. I used the Apple dongle and tried EQ to increase volume, but after 6–8 hours of testing different settings, I just couldn’t make it work and ended up returning it. Now I’m back to square one and not sure what to buy next. My budget is $250 max. What I’m looking for: Strictly for FPS gaming Excellent directional audio and pinpoint accuracy Clear footsteps No need for music or movies — gaming only Preferably no amp/DAC setup I’d really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

about 2 months ago

Hey everyone, I’m really confused about what headset to get and could use some advice. I’ve been using the HyperX Cloud 2 since around 2018. I mainly play FPS games, so footsteps and directional sound are extremely important to me. Lately I’ve been playing Arc Raiders, and with all the environmental noise in that game, my Cloud 2 has started to feel overwhelming and even painful on the ears. Even after tweaking EQ, it’s still very hard to clearly pick up footsteps. After reading tons of posts (literally spent a whole day researching), I decided to try the HD560S since it’s highly recommended in my budget range ($200–250) and supposedly doesn’t need an amp. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me at all. The volume felt very low even at 100%, and the directional audio in Arc Raiders was confusing and hard to pinpoint. I used the Apple dongle and tried EQ to increase volume, but after 6–8 hours of testing different settings, I just couldn’t make it work and ended up returning it. Now I’m back to square one and not sure what to buy next. My budget is $250 max. What I’m looking for: Strictly for FPS gaming Excellent directional audio and pinpoint accuracy Clear footsteps No need for music or movies — gaming only Preferably no amp/DAC setup I’d really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Reddit Icona-by
about 2 months ago

Maybe a Beyer 900 pro x. Semi-open, good imaging, natural stage. Also, designed to be plugged into mixing equipment; very easy to power A 560s is also a great starter option. They have better sound separation than the Beyer, but the imaging is less precise. You can find them for half the price of a Beyer, but you will need to invest in amplification, so the price works out to about the same For a closed back option, the Ft1 is the current pound-for-pound budget king If it was my money: I would skip the 560s and go for an HD 550 (better drivers, better tuning, better comfort), and pair that with an entry level signal chain. The Magni Piety is my top pick in the $200 range, but good luck finding one as they're out of stock year-round. A next-best option would be something like a Schiit Fulla

about 2 months ago

Well, the 550 would only be a marginal upgrade over the 560s. You may be underwhelmed. I say, stretch your budget. Buy a Heddphone D1 and get a headphone that does everything. That's currently my top gaming pick, if only I could find one (perma sold out) [https://headphones.com/products/hedd-audio-d1-headphones?\_pos=1&\_psq=heddph&\_ss=e&\_v=1.0](https://headphones.com/products/hedd-audio-d1-headphones?_pos=1&_psq=heddph&_ss=e&_v=1.0)

Reddit IconAcavia8
5 months ago

Audio Technica Rx50 are very good for gaming except no mic but you can get add on mics. They are also very light and comfortable. $US 170 Sennhesier HD560S is another good option. $US 200. The RX50 might have more soundstage, but both are good in that area. The R50X is a bit more sensitive, so it will be easy to drive and louder at same volume levels.

5 months ago

Yes, both the R50X and 560S would be good for sound location in games.

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