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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you prioritize overall sound quality and a wide soundstage for a more immersive music experience, the Sennheiser HD600 would be a superior choice, though they're usually much pricier and also open-back, meaning they leak sound and offer little noise isolation. They're better suited for quiet environments where you won't disturb others. Conversely, the Sony MDR-ZX110 is far more budget-friendly, but with only fair overall sound quality. They're also closed-back, which provides some noise isolation. However, they have a poorer comfort score, and their build quality is considered fair, indicating a less durable design compared to the excellent build quality of the Sennheisers. Both lack wireless capabilities and aren't suitable for exercise or noisy environments like air travel. The HD600 also benefits from a detachable cable and is recommended to be used with an amplifier for optimal performance. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD600
Excellent for music
Good for gaming
Very good for TV and video
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sony MDR-ZX110
The Sony MDR-ZX110 has no clear advantages over the Sennheiser HD600.
Key differences
Music
9.3/10
7.6/10
The Sennheiser HD600 is excellent for music, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 is good.
Gaming
7.0/10
5.9/10
The Sennheiser HD600 is good for gaming, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 is poor.
Phone Calls
5.0/10
3.0/10
The Sennheiser HD600 and Sony MDR-ZX110 are both poor for phone calls, though the Sennheiser HD600 is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.9/10
4.3/10
The Sennheiser HD600 is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 is poor.
TV and Video
8.9/10
6.9/10
The Sennheiser HD600 is very good for TV and video, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 is only fair.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
5.3/10
The Sony MDR-ZX110 and Sennheiser HD600 are both poor for noise reduction, though the Sony MDR-ZX110 is somewhat better.
Cost
$350
$10
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Sennheiser HD600 has a price of $350 and the Sony MDR-ZX110 costs $10.
Build Quality
9.0/10
6.0/10
The Sennheiser HD600 has excellent build quality, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 has only fair build quality.
"My opinion about Sony MDR ZX110 is they are the best budget headphones of Sony with top-class sound. Clear vocals, great bass, and balanced sound with low sound distortion. The treble could be sharper, but it's ok. 30 mm neodymium dynamic drivers give clear and precise audio, and an inline remote with a mic give decent call quality. Closed-Back Design also helps to improve sound performance."
Get a great deal on the Sennheiser HD600 or the Sony MDR-ZX110
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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