Sennheiser HD 559 Open Back Around Ear Headphone - Black/Anthracite

Product Information

The HD 559 are wired headband headphones that got released in 2016. Established in 1945, Sennheiser are arguably one of the finest brands in this field and are still largely being directed by the same founding family. Like a lot of consumer-oriented ones, Sennheiser's HD 559 also have a dynamic driver because the tech powering them is so refined and low-price now. However, if you have extra money to spare, it's feasible to find newer and more exciting tech out there too. In conclusion, this Sennheiser pair is mostly fitting for HiFi systems. Keep Them On and Relax

As already stated, don't expect the sound signature on these to be neutral (at this price I would not expect this anyway). While not very far from neutral, the recessed lower treble and missing sub-bass rumble are obvious. disclaimer: i have pretty much 0 experience with headphones, this is the first pair i've bought that wasn't under 30 dollars so i don't have a very high bar.The first device I tried was a walkman with modest output power (2 x 5mW) and it was able to drive them nicely without feeling the need for more power. Volume wasn't super loud, but more than enough for casual listening. This sounded promising. so first off- they are very comfortable. the cups go over my ears and don't press down on them at all which is nice, they don't get hot and i can wear them pretty much all day without issues. they squeezed a little on my temples at first but i extended the band part a little and it's fine now. they don't affect my glasses too much either, which is a bonus.

I also wanted to formally review them to test my own confirmation bias. Note: I think I overcame my bias as I found these to better than I was expected, and I'm very critical of headphones when I test them.EQ can make this headphone close to neutral sounding, apart from the sub-bass region. Elevate the sub-bass in EQ and distorsion will rise exponentially, allowing you to only listen at low to medium levels.

Well, my other cans all suffered the same fate as the 1540. Ear pads all disintegrated. Despite also being stored in their proper boxes, the ear pads on the HD 600, DT990, and LCD-2F both fell apart in my hands. Welp, this isn't good. Talk about a punch to the gut.

The literally added plastic pieces to the inside and outside of the headphones to make them sound more isolating and dull. They couldn't have made these worse if they tried. My initial impression was rather bad, in fact it was considering returning it at some point. It seemed to be hard to drive compared to what I was used to and would also distort bass pretty bad relatively early. Compared to my expectations anyway, in practice it's not really that bad but neither is it as good as other more expensive Senheiser 5xx. Compared to the HD 560S, which are twice as expensive, the HD 559 has less bass, tonality and definition. At the same time, the more expensive model also covers the upper range better and literally opens up another level of airiness. The HD 560S are therefore more versatile, more balanced and with finer brushstrokes in detail resolution, differentiation, spatial imaging and dynamics. They convey the mix and the emotionality of a recording better and with less strain. Nothing surprising there.

But since that can be fixed with EQ (it's already included in Equalizer APO AutoEQ), there's not really much I can complain about for this price range. Next day, after cleaning the headband and pads a bit, I decided to give it a listen on one of my cassette walkmans. I would not use it much with a DAC/amp or a DAP, as for serious listening I have much better pairs. While everything I said above about the HD 559 is true--the sound stage, the resolution, the scaling, the speed, punching way above their price point, etc., I need to make a correction. Depth and placement are okay here, delivering a sense of soundstage that is present, but far from arresting. This is about what I expected from the entry-level model, though the overall dynamic sound probably lends some improvement to this modest impression.

Single-entry cable. I've grown tired of the double entry. Ok, that wasn't a must, but it would be a bonus. The 559 comes in a standard Sennheiser box. Inside, you’ll find the headphones, a detachable headphone cable, and a warranty booklet.