Sennheiser HD 599 Review - The Audiophile Gateway Drug
Summary
TLDRThe Sennheiser HD 599 headphones offer a refreshed take on the classic HD 598 design, boasting an open-back experience with impressive bass extension and controlled roll-off. Despite a predominantly plastic build, the headphones are comfortable with easy-to-replace velour earpads. The sound profile is warm with slightly forward mids and treble peaks, providing a pleasant listening experience that can be further tailored with EQ adjustments. The HD 599 excels in soundstage and imaging, making it ideal for gaming and genres like rock music. Sensitivity to output impedance is noted, with the recommendation to pair with a properly designed amplifier for optimal performance.
Takeaways
- 🎧 The Sennheiser HD 599 is an open-back headphone with dynamic drivers and a 50-ohm impedance.
- 🔨 The build quality is solid with a predominantly plastic construction, featuring a leather-like headband and velour earpads.
- 🔍 The headphones are easy to repair with replaceable parts readily available from Sennheiser, especially the earpads.
- 👂 The HD 599 offers impressive comfort with lightweight design and minimal clamping force, making it suitable for long listening sessions.
- 📉 The bass performance is notable for an open-back headphone, with better control and extension compared to the HD 598.
- 🎶 The mid-range is slightly aggressive, which some listeners may find appealing, but it can be adjusted with EQ for a more neutral sound.
- 🔊 The treble has a peak around 8-10 kHz, contributing to a 'glistening' sound that is characteristic of Sennheiser's house sound.
- 🎮 The soundstage is wider than the HD 600, with good imaging, making the HD 599 ideal for gaming and other immersive experiences.
- 🚫 Due to its open-back design, the HD 599 is not suitable for use in public spaces or where noise isolation is required.
- 🔌 The headphones are sensitive to output impedance from amplifiers, which can affect bass performance if connected to a source with high impedance.
- 💰 The HD 599 offers good value for money under $200, especially for those looking to start with open-back headphones, but the price may vary.
Q & A
What is the Sennheiser HD 599 headphone's primary driver type?
-The Sennheiser HD 599 uses dynamic drivers.
What is the impedance of the Sennheiser HD 599 headphones?
-The impedance of the Sennheiser HD 599 is 50 ohms.
How is the build quality of the Sennheiser HD 599 described in the script?
-The build quality is described as solid and plastic-heavy, but still good, with a headband that might be made of metal or hard plastic and leather or pleather on the headband.
Are replacement parts for the Sennheiser HD 599 easily available?
-Yes, replacement parts, especially the pads, are easily available through Sennheiser.
How easy is it to replace the earpads on the Sennheiser HD 599?
-It is very easy; the earpads can be pulled off and snapped back in place within seconds.
What is the comfort level of the Sennheiser HD 599 headphones?
-The comfort level is described as amazing, with velour pads, low weight, and low clamp force, making them easy to wear for extended periods.
How does the bass performance of the Sennheiser HD 599 compare to its predecessors?
-The bass performance is described as impressive, with better roll-off control and extension than the HD 598 or 558.
What is the soundstage like on the Sennheiser HD 599 headphones?
-The soundstage is described as wider than the HD 600, with very good imaging, making it great for gaming.
What are the Sennheiser HD 599's amping requirements?
-The HD 599 is sensitive to output impedance from the amplifier; high output impedance can cause the bass to become out of control.
What are the included accessories with the Sennheiser HD 599 headphones?
-The accessories include a locking cable with a quarter-inch end, a portable cable with a three-and-a-half-millimeter ending, and a quarter-inch to three-and-a-half-millimeter adapter.
What is the reviewer's overall recommendation for the Sennheiser HD 599?
-The reviewer recommends the HD 599 as a great option for those looking to get into the hobby, especially as an open-back headphone under $200, and suggests it could be an instant buy if the price comes down.
Outlines
🎧 Sennheiser HD 599 Overview
The video discusses the Sennheiser HD 599 headphones, highlighting their build quality and features. The headphones are described as having a solid plastic construction with leather on the headband and velour earpads. The script notes that they are easy to repair, with replaceable parts readily available from Sennheiser. The HD 599 is compared to the HD 598, with slight differences in design, but both are praised for their comfort. The headphones are also noted for their impressive bass, especially for an open-back model, and their soundstage is described as wider than the HD 600, making them suitable for gaming.
🔊 Sound Quality and Bass Performance
This paragraph delves into the sound quality of the Sennheiser HD 599, focusing on the bass extension and neutrality. The bass is described as extending further than the HD 598, which is considered a significant improvement. The mid-range is noted to be slightly aggressive, which some listeners might find appealing, while the treble has a peak around 8-10 kHz, contributing to a typical Sennheiser 'glistening' sound. The script also mentions that the headphones can be EQ'd to sound more neutral if desired. The soundstage is again highlighted, emphasizing the headphones' suitability for gaming due to their wide soundstage and good imaging.
🎶 Genre Pairing and Amplifier Compatibility
The final paragraph discusses the ideal genres for the Sennheiser HD 599 and their compatibility with amplifiers. The headphones are recommended for genres derived from rock due to their coloration, which adds warmth to the bass and a slight aggressiveness in the upper mids. The script warns about the sensitivity of the headphones to output impedance, advising that they perform best with a properly designed amplifier. The HD 599 is positioned as a potential replacement for the HD 598 and 558, offering good detail, imaging, and a tweakable frequency response. The pricing is mentioned, with the HD 599 being slightly more expensive than its predecessors, but still offering great value for the money.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡PEZ metal
💡Sennheiser HD 599
💡Open-back headphone
💡Build quality
💡Velour earpads
💡Soundstage
💡Bass
💡Mids
💡Treble
💡Output impedance
💡Comfort
Highlights
The Sennheiser HD 599 is an open-back headphone with dynamic drivers and a 50-ohm impedance.
Build quality is solid with a mix of plastic and leather on the headband, but no metal in the headband.
Velour earpads are comfortable and easy to replace, showcasing Sennheiser's repair-friendly design.
The HD 599 has a refreshed design compared to the HD 598 with slight differences in the earpads.
Bass performance is impressive for an open-back headphone, with better roll-off control than average.
The headphone's mid-range is slightly aggressive, which some listeners may find appealing.
Treble has a peak around 8-10 kHz, contributing to the 'glistening' Sennheiser house sound.
Soundstage is wider than the HD 600, and imaging is very good, making it great for gaming.
The HD 599 is sensitive to output impedance, which can affect bass performance with certain sources.
Comfort is exceptional due to the lightweight design and velour pads, making it easy to wear for long periods.
The headphones come with a locking cable and a portable cable, including an adapter for different connectors.
The HD 599 is a good value under $200, especially for those new to the headphone hobby.
It's recommended for use in quiet environments due to its open-back design and sound leakage.
The HD 599 pairs well with genres derived from rock, enhancing the listening experience with its colorations.
The headphones can be EQ'd to match different preferences and room acoustics.
The HD 599 is a potential replacement for the popular HD 598, offering similar sound quality with improvements.
Sennheiser provided the HD 599 for review, highlighting its position as a reference for under $200 open-back headphones.
Transcripts
it's a PEZ metal 5 7 1 here and today
we'll be talking about the Sennheiser HD
5 9 9 this headphone is a now Sennheiser
claims it is a near audio file which i
think is kind of funny term don't don't
sell yourself short it's an audio file
open back headphone 50 ohms and its uses
dynamic drivers other is to it nothing
fancy no planar magnetic stuff going on
here so the build quality as we always
do first I mean you can kind of hear
that's pretty good I mean even from
something that's using so much plastic
there seems to be actually I don't know
if the I don't think the headband is
metal but I could be wrong it might be
metal but it looks like just really hard
plastic and you've got leather on the
headband here which is good probably not
genuine probably pleather this price
point I don't know for sure about that
either they don't listen that once on
the website that I could find you have
velour earpads talk about comfort in a
second but really it's a very plastic
you build but it's a very solid building
but I still wouldn't sit on it I still
would and I'm not sure if it would
survive the crush test this is basically
a HD 598 that's been refreshed slight
differences in the saddle talked about
that in a minute but again like we're
like I said we're going over the build
quality the other thing that's nice as
you can find replacement parts for this
pretty easily through Sennheiser
especially the pads they tend to wear
out easy to replace actually you know
what I'll take one off right now to show
you how easy it is done I'm serious
that's all you do all you do is you just
pull them right off and they just snap
and then you just snap them right back
in and that's it so that's what's great
about Sennheiser's they're very easy to
repair if you had to I just removed and
replaced the pad in like five seconds
there maybe not all the way but almost
anyway said also I thought I wish that
the L&R markings are a little bit more
obvious they're actually up here I I
find then this is not a unique this
headphone just something that I thought
of and a lot of new headphones coming
out have
orell written writing here in the ear
pet opening which is nice
this does not s'more traditional and
another thing I'm missing here that I
have on some other headphones is usually
they have the number it will not usually
but sometimes there are numbers so you
can you know if you're really OCD like
me trust me you're not the only person
out there who is that OCD but I like to
have my head pan set to the same number
of clicks on each side so I should have
to count them and you do you have to
count them on this one other than that
though build is good for the price I
think they could use more metal but if
they use more mail than it would've been
a lot heavier and that drastically would
have affected the comfort which by the
way is amazing I mean obviously this is
a Sennheiser with velour pads and it
weighs almost nothing kinda clamps
almost none what do you expect crap
you're not gonna get crap here this is
Sennheiser we're talking about and maybe
this might be the most comfortable in
the price range I mean right up there
that some used dt8 80s can go for around
this price as well maybe sometimes new
under $200 you can find DTS and that and
I would say it's probably its high with
these man it's just so so easy to wear
these for like forever this is a
combination like I said it the weight is
very low the clamp is low but they stand
your head well has a supersoft is plenty
of room when the air pad and they're
just like form-fitting they're great and
actually this is a little more
comfortable in HD 600 and 650 right out
of the box because which you can see
right there because the clamp is a lot
lower on these in the 600 650 right out
of the box and that's something that
does break in over time with HD 600 but
because the clamp is kind of high when
you first get them in each to 600 will
actually be less comfortable and this is
you just take that little bicep on your
head and you can just listen to forever
that is if you like the sound which
we'll go over and now so as we always do
what's a base like on this headphone
impressive in a word for the price here
and the fact this is an open back
headphone the roll-off is much better
controlled than average
and it isn't just me Arden's has
measured this headphone not
inter-facility yet so I used some of
their measurements as a reference here
but it really you really can hear that
these do dig deeper than the for example
I have a 5 9 8 modded 558 here from a
friend of mine that I compared against
and it's clear that this digs lower than
that does now that's not to say that
it's gonna beat the HD 600 650 an
extension but I'd say it's more on par
than it's ever been
I can't tell you exactly for sure what
we frequency this is cutting off an of
course but you notice immediately
swapping between and you'll do that
you'll notice if you're upgrading from a
5 9 8 or or a 550 a to the 599 that the
base does extend further which is great
and I'm really impressed with that
that's probably the biggest improvement
here on the sound other than that the
base is relatively the neutral I mean I
hate using that word but it except as
usual there are exceptions the upper
base has a bunch of warmth here arting
says it's about 5 DB above their target
iq2 winter hertz down by around 3 DB mic
here you'll find in the description as
always if you want to try it out to make
the headphones sound more neutral to my
taste anyway that's just me and I'll
continue to explain why acute it the way
I have well first of all the upper base
here you're supposed to have a bit of a
lake a I don't know what they call it a
dip in there in the response as you go
towards the base because relative to the
low mids and the and the upper mids see
my video on neutrality for kind of the
curves that I tend to follow on
frequency response for sounding right
but it even even being used to the other
headphones I have which are tuned much
more carefully through EQ and went on
this headphone in the upper bass sounds
a bit gloomy and it doesn't really
interfere that much it just adds a lot
of warmth to the base where it normally
wouldn't be and it's something that you
can correct with the EQ of it bothers
you I mean it's not even that bad though
like I said it's at the most maybe 5 DB
off which is you know deal breaker for
some audio files not so much for others
this is a subjective hobby man
I'm just telling you what's there now
the mid-range though is the Tambor is
just about spot-on however I think that
the mids are a little aggressive I've
kind of always felt this way about five
9/8 and 558 so you know it's kind of a
love it or hated thing the mids are a
little bit forward of neutral in my
opinion but some people really like that
this ain't no great oh it doesn't have
massive 2k peaks of like 8 DB that's
stupid
these has a as the right shape like just
the right shape of the mid-range but
it's a little bit aggressive so things
like electric guitars will sound a
little bit more forward than sometimes
they would on other headphones that I
find more more in neutral but again you
can EQ it if you don't want if you don't
mind and you can leave it if it's a
little aggressive and eq's out perfectly
especially because it's only about 2 or
3 DB in my opinion too hot now the
treble again the Tambor is right on but
there's a bit of a peak around somewhere
between 8 and 10 K sounds like it's
somewhere between 3 & 5 DB too high and
so these are like really typical spots
for headphones to be boo me or no this
is a really typical spot for headphones
to have a little bit of extra penis and
it's kind of the sennheiser house sound
here to have slightly forward mids and
the treble to be glistening Lieb right
now there is still some grain throughout
this headphone and it's what really
separates it from the HD 600 I talked
about this when I reviewed the 558 along
with the 5 9 8 CS and the HD 600 and but
I think for under $2 and especially on
150 bucks this is a great value for the
money but it's it's not perfect because
all these regions I'm talking about they
have these little bumps but as a whole
the headphone is really nice it's just
really great sounding in general I think
most people putting them on will have
one of two reactions wow this is really
clear or where in the world's all my
beats bass it's probably one of those so
now that we got the bass beds in trouble
now we're going to talk about soundstage
soundstage here
classically just like a five nine eight
it's it's wider than the HD 600 yes
that's true and it's still many things
very good imaging which makes this
fantastic for gaming absolutely
recommend this headphone it is so
obvious how much better this is in the
SHP 9500 for gaming I don't know why
people are roasting me over that video
because I don't know
side by side this is what I would buy
for about 150 bucks for gaming no
questions asked
as long as you can use an open-back
obviously isolation yeah there's not
there's no isolation here do not buy
this headphone and we're on a train next
to people do not buy this headphone and
wear it in a library buy this headphone
to wear in your listening room and
you're in your single dorm at home in
your own in a room like this with a door
that shuts so you don't bother the crap
out of everybody that's will you buy
this for it's an open back it leaks like
crazy just like a laptop about volume of
sound coming out of this all the time
that's just the nature of the beast and
that's what sound quality comes from so
for genre pairing I think that this is
particularly cool when you pair with
some genres especially anything derived
from rock and I think that's cool
because as a guitarist obviously I think
it's hard some really nice through this
thing they're not perfectly neutral but
I think the colorations are cool like
the upper bass has some warmth so you
get that the base notes of the guitar
and then in the upper mids you have a
little aggressive attack as long as you
don't listen super loudly you know or
even if you do maybe you do like that if
this is a great headphone and that it's
colorations are somewhat subtle
especially to an untrained ear and these
will sound very very neutral but
somebody like me I can hear those subtle
differences and they add up to a great
experience
you've got the upper bass bump you have
the upper mids being slightly forward of
neutral and then you have the 10k peak
which adds a nice shimmer to well
recorded I should say drums and you have
that all together and it's great it's
fantastic now you can EQ it further to
match your your and after my EQ this
works with every Sean room
and that's really cool because
electronic music heads normally would
not be so happy about open bags
especially dynamic open backs I should
say because the base has to roll off
quite a bit but you can fill in the base
region of these as long as you don't go
crazy and aren't a super bass head and
they will produce those frequencies down
to maybe like thirty Hertz or so which
is awesome so that's punching above the
price point for 150 bucks I would say
now amped needs it's something that
should be noted about this headphone is
that like the classic 598 as far as I
can tell these are using the same
drivers maybe slightly tuned differently
but they sound very similar to the 598
and so of course and these are very
sensitive to output impedance from the
amplifier if you plug these into a
source with a high output impedance the
bass will go crazy out of control and
really blew me and not sound right at
all so you can plug these to any almost
any source you want but if they have a
high up load impedance you're gonna have
a problem that's just the way these are
but they'll run out of a phone and
they're not very hard to drive but you
will get the best sound out of them if
you plug them into a properly designed
amplifier and that's about it except for
my conclusions on this headphone which
is I think this is a great replacement
I've always liked the 598 at 558 because
it gives you a nice sound to work with
which has good detailed good imaging
good soundstage amazing comfort and a
tweakable frequency response that isn't
overly aggressive in any specific way
and it's just if I had one headphone
recommend to people for an open-back to
start out the Hobby where this would be
it of course this is the new one the
five classically the pricing goes
something like the 558 is about a
hundred bucks the 590 it's about 150
they've jacked them up a bit right now
as of this video the 579 which is kind
of like a 558 I believe is running
around 160 170 and this 599 is about 200
I think that's a little bit pricey but
if these
when the 590 goes out of production and
I'm hoping that the 599 will come down
to around 150 and the 579 would come
down below with that maybe 120 at least
then these becoming like an instant Buy
in my opinion if you're looking for a
starting open back and you don't know
what you want there you go
and as usual I missed the accessories
again so it'll talk about that really
quick comes with a locking cable these
cables are cool because you put them in
and then you twist them and then they
stay in and then you just untwist them I
even put that in the way and then they
come right up back out so they don't
fall out when you pull them they're
really nice this one is long and has a
quarter-inch obviously designed to be
used with you know your a favorite and
this one is a strangely a portable cable
yet don't use this on a bus this is it
open back like I said but they give you
it anyway with a three-and-a-half
millimeter ending and then they give you
a quarter inch to three-and-a-half
millimeter adapter so that all comes in
the box and that's about it so that's
the sennheiser HD 5 9 9 I want to thank
Senator for sending me this for review
it's it's a great option if you're
looking to get into the Hobby for the
first time and actually it's kind of my
reference for under $200 open backs so
there you have it guys I'll see you the
next video
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