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63 About this deal
Should you fork out the bills for this one? If you’ve been searching for an impressive dynamic sound with plenty of highs and plenty of lows – and the HD 598 just didn’t cut it for you – I’m willing to bet you’ll love these cans. To my own ears, they sound just a tad cleaner than the 598, but don’t tell the fanboys I said that. But I do want to talk about the sound stage when it comes to media where positioning matters, like in gaming and movies. These shine in that regard. I usually do sim racing in Assetto Corsa Competitizione and play FPS games like Valorant and Counter-Strike. The HD599 has an Impedance of 50 Ω, and not the iconic 300Ohm of the audiophile level units. Its frequency response is 12- 38,500 Hz, the sound pressure level (SPL) is 106dBSPL (1kHz/1Vrms) and THD, total harmonic distortion is <0.1% (1kHz, 100dBSPL).
When you look at the HD599’s press material you immediately notice this headphone is branded as a top of the line “do-it-all” headphone for watching movies and for listening to music and basically anything that can be done with a headphone. The HD6XX and all the higher end models are marketed as pure audiophile headphones for music listening. Even when listening to discs on which bass was not skewed (Paul Simon “Stranger To Stranger”, Radiohead “A Moon Shaped Pool”), one does not feel their exaggeration. But that’s not all – good control of this range is complemented by clear, transparent, and saturated sound colors. When needed, the low components can surprise you with real momentum and freedom, but even then each hit seems precisely programmed. The specific “violent storm” known from the HD 589 has given way to “accuracy of mathematical machine operations”, which turned out to be good for the whole presentation. The HD599 – according to Sennheiser – lets the listener enjoy their choice of home entertainment with exceptional wearing comfort assured, thanks to the large ear cups and soft, replaceable ear pads. Created with Sennheiser’s “Ergonomic acoustic refinement” (E.A.R.) technology, the headphones have been designed to more effectively channel the audio signal directly into the ears of the listener for a more satisfying listening experience. Offering a step into the world of audiophile sound, the HD599 is a premium headphone for those seeking sophisticated sound, design and build quality. The top-of-the-range model impresses with a natural spatial performance. The HD 599 comes in your standard Sennheiser box. Inside, you’ll find the headphones, two removable cables, a 1/4’’ to 3.5 mm stereo adapter plug, and some nifty literature.If an even-to-flat sound is your cup of tea, though, you’re better off opting for the slightly more-expensive HD 600 – for a clinical sound, the 600 reigns supreme.
The sound stage is quite good on these. I won’t talk about it in terms of listening to music, as it’s rarely ever recorded in a way that makes you appreciate the sound stage of headphones. Vocals are clear for the most part unless there are a lot of instruments just before the 1kHz mark that can overpower female vocals like guitars. The mids are well balanced on the HD 599 SE, but similarly to the HE400se, they tend to drop off at around the 1.2-2kHz range, though not nearly as much. I suppose this is done on purpose to reduce the “shouty” frequencies that tend to make the listening experience a bit harsher.
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I'm going to add a few more details even though nobody seems to care about these cans for some reason. I've been using them on and off with the 598CS and man the 599 is far superior in every single aspect. Even the bass is much better defined on the 599, it goes deeper and is also faster and more precise with no "boom" whatsoever, that's pretty odd for open headphones compared to closed ones! They're also clearer despite this, I mean it, the sound is crystal clear and the soundstage is immense compared to closed cans. In fact we have a pair of HD 599 demo unit in our office which, in my opinion, sounds slightly better than the HD 598. I can say that the sound signature of the HD 599 is the same, if not better, than the HD 598. Do keep in mind that due to burn-in and HD 598 will initially sound different than brand new HD 599. But if both are brand new, then they will sound very similar." Don't give up on your HD600 for gaming just yet. A headphone doesn't need to be 'designed for gaming'. If you read such a thing that is pretty much marketing.
Disclaimer: The Sennheiser HD599 was sent to us on loan by Sennheiser’s PR agency. It will already have been returned when this review is published. It’s always worth waiting for the annual Berlin IFA for just one reason – the first official presentations have devices that will not be available until after some time. It resembles a fashion situation – the latest trends appear before the actual season, which allows you to organize the wardrobe and prepare for the arrival of the “new”. IFA is, therefore, a kind of compass of the latest trends and it is not surprising that it attracts the most important manufacturers from the industry, including, of course, the local, i.e. German. After having launched the HD800S and the new HE-1 headphone, Sennheiser decided it was time to update the existing 5XX product line, of which the iconic HD598 is part of. The new HD598 is called the HD599 and that means it’s closer to the HD600, in more ways than you can think. According to Sennheiser the HD 599 is your first step into the world of audiophile sound and I couldn’t agree more. It’s smooth, easy to like and listen to but you also get good detail and depth resulting in a musical and natural sound.I also found out you can put the 598CS pads on the 599, this makes the sound closer and bass heavy, on the other hand the 599 pads on the 598CS makes the sound super tinny and just awful. I think the 599 is basically a perfect headphone, for my taste as is, I don't even need to EQ the bass unless I'm listening to literal basshead stuff. I wish I could try the HD600 "to see what lies beyond that" but I can't afford them. The HD555/595 design that the 558/598/599/etc are based on were never designed for gaming, they were designed for music, movies and media devices. Sennheiser’s Marketing Dpt says the following: “The new HD 500 range has been refreshed with Sennheiser’s elegant contemporary design language, which discretely communicates refinement, purpose and exceptional build quality. The HD 599 features subtle premium design cues that reveal their superior performance at a glance. The HD 599 combines a timeless ivory color scheme with a headband finished with brown stitching which, with the matte metallic detailing on the ear cups and headband, create an immediate impression of substance and quality”. The Sennheiser HD 599 headphones give a mature sound with a colorful midrange and a delicate and beautifully extended treble. Read everything you need to know about these headphones in our Sennheiser HD 599 review.
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