If you want closed-back isolation and a flat, mix-ready monitor you can fold up and take anywhere, choose Audio-Technica ATH-M40x; if you need an open, airy reference sound with a wide soundstage for critical listening and analytical sessions, choose Sennheiser HD 560S. Both are wired, both are aimed at people who care about accuracy more than convenience — but they solve completely different problems, and for audiophiles the choice comes down to whether you want your music sealed in or opened up.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x — biggest strength: A closed-back circumaural design with 40 mm drivers tuned flat, 90-degree swiveling earcups and a detachable cable — a genuine studio tool built to isolate and survive daily handling.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x — biggest trade-off: It seals you in. Great for tracking and loud rooms, less ideal if you want an expansive, speaker-like soundstage.
• Sennheiser HD 560S — biggest strength: Open-back, angled drivers with a linear tuning and velour pads — a wide, articulate soundstage and a "barely there" fit made for long analytical listening.
• Sennheiser HD 560S — biggest trade-off: Open-back means it leaks sound both ways and isolates almost nothing, and its 120-ohm impedance rewards a decent amp or interface more than a phone dongle does.
• Choose the ATH-M40x if you record, monitor, edit or listen in noisy shared spaces and want one durable closed pair that folds flat.
• Choose the HD 560S if you sit in a quiet room and want to hear your music, mixes and game audio laid out in front of you with maximum detail.
The ATH-M40x is a monitoring headphone first and a listening headphone second. Its 40 mm dynamic drivers use rare-earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum voice coils, and the tuning is deliberately flat across a 15 Hz – 24 kHz range. That flatness is the whole point: it doesn't flatter your music, it shows it to you. If you've ever wondered why a mix sounds great on one pair and muddy on another, a neutral closed-back monitor like this is how you find out what's actually in the file.
The physical design tells you the same story. The circumaural cups contour around the ears for strong sound isolation with minimal bleed, which matters when you're tracking vocals with a live mic in the room, or editing on a laptop next to a noisy air conditioner. The earcups rotate 90 degrees for one-ear monitoring, the headband and pads use professional-grade materials, the enclosure is aluminum, and the cable detaches with a single-side exit — so a snagged cable is a cheap fix rather than a dead pair of headphones. At 0.24 kg it's light enough for long sessions, and the included coiled cable, straight cable, protective case and 6.3 mm snap-on adapter round out a genuinely portable studio kit.
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-09 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
Who should buy it: home-studio recordists, podcasters and video editors, drummers and DJs who need one ear free, and anyone who listens in a shared or loud room and wants the outside world turned down. Who should skip it: if your priority is a huge, out-of-your-head soundstage or you mostly listen in a quiet room for pleasure, the closed-back presentation will feel more intimate — some would say boxed-in — than an open design.
The HD 560S is built for the analytical listener. Sennheiser describes it as natural and accurate reference sound with linear acoustics tuned for extended sessions, and the spec sheet backs the intent: a dynamic driver covering an unusually wide 6 Hz – 38 kHz, 120-ohm impedance, 110 dB sensitivity, and velour earpads on an open, around-ear frame. The E.A.R. (Ergonomic Acoustic Refinement) angled driver alignment is the interesting part — it recreates the triangular listening position of a hi-fi speaker setup, which is why owners describe the soundstage as wide and articulate without any room treatment.
That open-back design has real, practical consequences. Air moves through the ventilated cup, so your ears stay cool during long sessions and the pads — chosen to keep every contact point soft — make the headphone feel barely there. The payoff is an honest look inside your music: dependable A/B comparisons of components, remasters and file formats, and enough high-frequency emphasis that you can pinpoint the direction of a footstep or a cymbal in a busy mix. That's exactly why it shows up in gaming and analytical-listening conversations as much as in music ones.
The catch is the flip side of the same design. Open-back headphones leak sound outward and let the room in, so they're the wrong tool on a train, in an open office, or next to a sleeping partner. And with 120-ohm impedance and 6.3 mm termination (a 3.5 mm adapter is included), it wants a headphone amp, audio interface or a computer with a decent output stage to give its best.
Who should buy it: audiophiles who listen critically at a desk, gamers who want positional clarity in a quiet room, and anyone doing component or format comparisons. Who should skip it: commuters, travelers, and anyone who needs isolation from a noisy environment.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for isolation and tracking → Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. Closed-back circumaural cups keep your sound in and the room out.
• Best for soundstage and detail → Sennheiser HD 560S. Open-back angled drivers create a wide, speaker-like image.
• Best for quiet-room critical listening → HD 560S. Linear tuning and velour comfort suit long, focused sessions.
• Best for one-ear monitoring → ATH-M40x. The 90-degree swiveling earcups are made for exactly that.
• Best for driving from modest gear → ATH-M40x. At 35 ohms and 98 dB it's far easier to drive straight from a laptop or controller.
• Best for scaling with a desktop amp → HD 560S. Its 120-ohm load rewards a proper DAC/amp or audio interface.
• Best for travel and storage → ATH-M40x. Folding cups, detachable cables and an included case make it the packable pair.
• Best for gaming clarity in a quiet room → HD 560S. The high-frequency emphasis and imaging help you place sounds.
• Best for durability and repairability in daily studio use → ATH-M40x. Aluminum enclosure, pro-grade pads and a detachable cable.
In my opinion, most people shopping this comparison should buy the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. It's the more versatile headphone: closed-back isolation, a 35-ohm load that runs from almost anything, swiveling cups, detachable cables and a protective case make it the one pair that works for recording, editing, gaming and casual listening without changing your setup. I'd only steer you to the Sennheiser HD 560S if you listen primarily at a quiet desk, already own an amp or interface, and want the widest, most analytical presentation for audiophile listening — that's where its open-back design genuinely wins. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever one matches your room, because that's the deciding factor here, not the spec sheet.
For positional clarity in a quiet room, the HD 560S has the edge thanks to its open-back soundstage and high-frequency emphasis. If your gaming space is noisy or you need to hear your surroundings while staying quiet to others, the closed-back ATH-M40x is the safer pick.
It isn't strictly required, but with 120-ohm impedance and 110 dB sensitivity it performs noticeably better from a headphone amp, audio interface or a computer with a solid output stage. The ATH-M40x, at 35 ohms and 98 dB, is much easier to drive from everyday devices.
The ATH-M40x, by a wide margin. Its closed-back circumaural design is built for sound isolation with minimal bleed. The HD 560S is open-back, so it lets room noise in and lets your music out — great at a desk, wrong on a commute.
Both are over-ear and lightweight (0.24 kg for the M40x, 240 g for the HD 560S). The HD 560S uses velour pads and a ventilated open cup that stays cool, which many people prefer over hours of listening; the ATH-M40x counters with pro-grade padding and a secure fit for studio work.
Neither includes a microphone, so for headset use you'd add a separate mic or an inline cable with one. Both are wired 3.5 mm/6.3 mm designs, so a boom mic or a cable with an inline mic is the practical route on either pair.
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