As an audiophile, you always search for the best gears, and most of the time your search ends with one name. Sennheiser!. Sennheiser has been giving the best audio products for 7 decades. I tested some Sennheiser headphones and the more I try Sennheiser the more I fall in love with them.
Today I got the opportunity to test one more Sennheiser gear. The Sennheiser HD 599. Sennheiser released these Open back headphones with the two names HD 599 and HD 599 SE. I think it's one of the best entry-level audiophile headphones I have ever tested. Let's dive deep and review Sennheiser HD 599.
Pros:
Cons:
Sound
Build
Comfort
Value
Bottom Line:
Sennheiser is a big name and they set their standard. If you tried some Sennheiser Open Back headphones you know what I mean. HD 599 is a typical Sennheiser headphone. Awesome comfort, Nice build and premium look, Perfect and smooth mids. These four things define the whole story.
Weak Sub-Bass is a little concern but I don't think it would be a significant issue for any audiophile who knows about Sennheiser 500 series. The soundstage is wide and open, imaging is accurate and I think that's very much important for any Open-Back headphones. Now let's turn toward the important question.
Does performance justify the price? The answer is yes. Overall I am pretty positive about HD 599. It would be better if they use memory foam instead of Velour earpads. Thumbs up for Sennheiser HD 599.
I reviewed other 2 Open Back Headphones. Philips Audio Fidelio X2HR and AKG K712 Pro. HD 599 stands between these 2 headphones if you compare these 3.
How is the Design and Build Quality of HD 599?
Sennheiser launched HD 599 with Black and ivory combination and HD 599 special edition (SE) with black and silver. As I said it's an entry-level audiophile headphone. It's an Open back circumaural headphone with a 38mm dynamic driver. Circumaural headphones give the best noise isolation and HD 599 is also not an exception.
Your ears are fully covered with ear pads so it prevents sound leakage. Generally, circumaural headphones are a little bit bulky but HD 599 just weighs just 250 g.
I preferred HD 599 SE because I didn't like the Black & Ivory color combination of HD 599. HD 599 is entirely built with plastic. You might be thinking that the entire plastic construction made it fragile but that's not the case. It's sturdy and durable and can go longer. I have been using it for the last 1 year and found no issue.
The material used for the headband is premium leather that also looks premium. It's adjustable so any head size can comfortably wear it. It has a lot of cushions inside of the headband and I feel no excess pressure on my head while I wear it.
Earpads are soft but not so thick. It's made up of velour material. I would prefer memory foam over velour but I don't think it affects the comfort level while using HD 599. Drivers are slightly angled, which gives a better sound. Though this is not always true, in the case of HD 599 it worked better. I felt them highly comfortable. It's more comfortable than many other headphones that cost a lot more than HD 599.
So here in this battle HD 599 is the undisputed winner. It comes with a 3m long 6.3 mm straight plug, 1.2m 3.5 mm straight plug and 6.5 mm to 3.5 mm adapter. using this adapter is a little bit bulky but also useful. Though it's an individual preference.
It doesn’t have a foldable design so it’s not convenient for you if you travel often. It’s best to use in-home or closed studio but not made for traveling or on the street because it’s open-back headphones so you may get disturbed by outside noise and the person near you also can hear the music you are listening to with HD 599
How is the Sound Performance of HD 599?
I am pretty happy about the performance of HD 599. It has a nice soundstage. It has a wide and open soundstage that makes you feel you are in a music studio with many instruments. imaging is also quite accurate and decent. But the strongest area of the HD 599 is fantastic mids. The Upper and lower mids are excellent. The real joy starts above the 250 HZ. From 250 to 4000 HZ it's beautiful.
I tried some open-back headphones from Sennheiser and observed the same kind of neutral sound that I found with HD 599. mids are smooth, vocals are crisp. Treble is not great though it doesn't irritate or is too harsh. The little bit weaker section is below 250 Hz and that is Bass and Sub-bass.
especially weak Sub-Bass. If you are a Bass lover HD 599 isn't for you. Overall performance is very good. I am pretty impressed. 8 out of 10 for the audio performance of Sennheiser HD 599.
sennheiser hd 599 closed back
What’s in the box?
- HD 599 headphones
- 3 m cable / 6.3 mm straight plug
- 1.2 m cable/ 3.5 mm straight plug
- 6.3 mm to 3.5 mm adaptor
Who should get HD 599 ?
Best for those who are looking for entry level audiophile headphones
