I’m quite curious as to how this has happened, especially since the SHP9500’s definitely don’t have better sound quality than the HD600’s. Yeah, the SHP9500’s are fantastic, especially for their price, and I love ‘em, but they don’t have anywhere near the clarity or cleanliness of the HD600’s.

Perhaps it’s because the 10khz to 20khz range isn’t weighted at all (despite being the range that defines detail and clarity)? Or perhaps the lack of a spectral decay measurement to weigh in for aspects like cleanliness and instrument separation?

I have no idea.

But SHP9500’s are scoring far higher than HD600’s in Neutral Sound, approaching the score of Sundara’s, so we definitely know something is missing. The question is what.