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If you want a wired headphone that decodes Hi-Res digital audio itself and can run corded with no battery at all, choose Sony MDR1ADAC/B; if you need an open-back, purely analog headphone built for long, fatigue-free listening at a desk, choose Sennheiser Headphones Open Type.
• Sony MDR1ADAC/B — biggest strength: a built-in DAC and amplifier that decodes PCM up to 192 kHz/24-bit and DSD at 2.8/5.6 MHz, so digital sources feed it directly instead of through a phone's headphone jack.
• Sony MDR1ADAC/B — biggest trade-off: it carries a 300 g frame, a battery and extra electronics, and it is a closed over-ear design with no noise cancelling.
• Sennheiser Headphones Open Type — biggest strength: a 300-ohm open-back dynamic driver with a 20 Hz–20 kHz range, leather-clad around-ear cups and a light 258 g build that favors long, relaxed sessions.
• Sennheiser Headphones Open Type — biggest trade-off: it is analog only, with no DAC, no amplifier, no battery and no media controls — and its open-back design lets sound in and out.
• Pick Sony MDR1ADAC/B if your music lives on a laptop, phone or portable player and you want the headphone to do the converting.
• Pick Sennheiser Headphones Open Type if you listen at a desk through a proper amp and want an open, airy presentation with nothing between you and the analog signal.
The MDR1ADAC/B is unusual because the digital-to-analog conversion happens inside the ear cup. Sony rates it for PCM up to 192 kHz/24-bit and DSD at 2.8 MHz and 5.6 MHz, and the connection is direct digital from a PC, a Walkman, an Xperia phone or Apple devices. In practice that means you plug a USB or Lightning cable straight into the source and skip the source's own headphone output — which is exactly the point for anyone whose laptop or phone has a mediocre built-in jack.
The driver itself is a 40 mm aluminum liquid crystal polymer diaphragm, with a claimed range of 3 Hz to 100 kHz, paired with Sony's S-Master HX digital amplifier and an asynchronous USB clock. I read this as a design aimed at keeping timing and channel integrity intact when digital audio is converted, rather than coloring the sound. There is also Beat Response Control for bass and transients, and acoustic ports in each cup to manage airflow.
Comfort and structure get real attention: pressure-relieving urethane cushions, an enfolding fit for an acoustic seal, silent joints that stay quiet when you move, and an inward-axis hanger that keeps the fit stable. The cable is silver-coated OFC to limit signal loss.
Sennheiser Headphones Open Type: Who It's For
The Sennheiser HD 600 is the opposite philosophy. It is an open-back, around-ear dynamic headphone — the open design is the whole identity here. Its impedance is 300 ohm and it is a wired 3.5 mm design with no battery, no DAC and no amplification of its own. That is not a shortcoming so much as a division of labor: it expects the source chain to do the heavy lifting.
The frequency range is listed at 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, which is the honest, full-band audible window rather than an extended ultrasonic figure. The cups are finished in leather and the whole headphone weighs 258 g, noticeably lighter than the Sony. The theme is listed as Professional, and the styling is black and grey — restrained, desk-oriented, not flashy.
What that package tends to mean in use is a presentation built around openness: air around instruments, a wide sense of stage, and a sound that many listeners find easier to wear for hours because the cups do not seal pressure against the head. The trade-off is equally clear. Because the cups are open, sound leaks out and outside noise comes in, so this is a headphone for a quiet room, not a train or a noisy office. The 300-ohm impedance also means a weak output will not drive it to satisfying levels — you want a real amp or a strong desktop source.
Who should buy it: someone who listens at a desk or in a quiet room, already has or plans to get proper amplification, and prioritizes an open, non-fatiguing listen. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to plug straight into a phone, needs isolation, or wants a single cable-free-ish travel solution.
• Best for built-in digital decoding → Sony MDR1ADAC/B. PCM 192 kHz/24-bit and DSD 2.8/5.6 MHz handled inside the headphones.
• Best for open-back sound and long desk sessions → Sennheiser Headphones Open Type. Around-ear open design, leather cups, 258 g.
• Best for travel and portable sources → Sony MDR1ADAC/B. Direct digital connection plus up to 7.5 hours on the internal battery.
• Best for passive, battery-free listening → a draw, with a caveat. Sony offers passive corded mode bypassing the battery; the Sennheiser is analog-only all the time and never needs charging.
• Best for use with a dedicated headphone amp → Sennheiser Headphones Open Type. Its 300-ohm load is designed for a proper amplifier chain.
• Best for blocking out the room → neither is a noise-cancelling headphone. Sony is closed but has no noise cancelling; the Sennheiser is open and leaks both ways.
• Best for cable and accessory flexibility out of the box → Sony MDR1ADAC/B. USB, Walkman, Xperia, Lightning and standard audio cables plus a pouch are included.
• Best for the lightest possible fit → Sennheiser Headphones Open Type. 258 g versus 300 g.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Sony MDR1ADAC/B — but only if my listening happens on a laptop, phone or portable player. In my opinion, its built-in DAC and amp solve the single biggest weak link in portable audio, and the passive mode means it still works as a normal corded headphone when the battery runs down. I would choose the Sennheiser Headphones Open Type instead if I listened almost entirely at a desk through a real amplifier and wanted an open, airy sound with no electronics in the path. Different jobs, different answers — match the headphone to where you actually listen.
FAQ
Practically, yes. Its 300-ohm impedance is high for a headphone output, so a dedicated amp or a strong desktop source is the intended pairing. The Sony, by contrast, has its own amplification built in.
Neither cancels noise. The Sony is a closed over-ear with an enfolding seal, which blocks some ambient sound passively. The Sennheiser is open-back, so it lets sound in and out by design — fine in a quiet room, poor on a commute.
The Sony MDR1ADAC/B, by a wide margin: internal DAC, S-Master HX amplifier, asynchronous USB clock, media controls and a battery. The Sennheiser HD 600 is deliberately stripped down to a driver, a cable and a frame. Check the current price on Amazon for both before deciding, since the value question shifts over time.
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