Sennheiser HD 598 - Review

For years now, I've been itching to get into higher-end audio. I don't know much about music and wouldn't even be pretentious enough to say I'm passionate about it, but bad sound drives me nuts.

Sennheiser has stood out to me during this time as the reviews on the internet are positive and test listening to the limited selection on display at Best Buy has made me a fan. My previous headset had worn out so now was my chance to get in on a good pair and what I purchased was the Sennheiser HD 598.

The Sennheiser HD 598 is an open back, around-the-ear pair of headphones that I would consider entry-level to the high-end audio market for discerning consumers.

Velour ear pads are over-sized to give maximum comfort around the ear while the leather-ish material they call 'leatherette' on the head band gives a mixed message about the quality as it feels cheap and plasticy. An issue some may face with the ear pads is them being this velour fabric. While I personally find it more comfortable than plastic, leather, or leather-like substitute, I'm more cautious when using them because I worry they might soak up moisture.

I purchased the black set, but it also comes in a cream/brown color scheme, but that doesn't suit me all that well. Appearance wise though, I would call the look competent and subtle. Not as flashy as say Beats by Dre or Skullcandy sets, these are classy with flat, almost satin black plastic and chrome accents. The only qualm with appearances would again be the head band being covered in that faux leather. It doesn't look all that good.

The rich tones the set can produce are beautiful if a little absent of bass on smaller devices. This could be a limitation of your audio devices as the power demands are a bit high at an impedance of 50ohms and the open back design that allows your surrounding environment to bleed in almost entirely. This would be good for more casual gaming than say a game where listening is important.

The set comes with 2 removable cables; a longer 3m with a 6.3mm plug and a 1.2m cable with a 3.5mm plug. It also comes with a 3.5mm adapter for those who want a longer cable for their smaller audio devices. I would advise against that though as it creates a large chunk of plastic and copper protruding from the device and while I've been lucky enough not to break it off, I did knock it a few times while testing.

The price for the Sennheiser HD 598 comes in at $150USD on Amazon while from their official store asks $249.95USD. Not the cheapest headset available for the quality it boasts, but it does deliver in comfort and performance while being priced below others, "high-end" sets from Bose and Beats.
If you do chose to invest in these bad-boys, do yourself a favor and buy them thru Amazon.

Bottom line, the Sennheiser HD 598 are a quality pair of headphones that are a good jumping off point into the world of high-end audio. Good for listening to various forms of media and even some gaming within reason. It might not be worth it for some but consider it