Sennheiser HD 595 Headphones

First, I would like to say that the HD 595 are an excellent audiophile entry headphones, they are very very comfortable. I can wear them for about 8+ hours with no discomfort at all. Sometimes, I even forget that I am wearing them!

When I first put them on, they felt a little weird on my ears, the ear cups are very large but I soon got used to it. I did not say wow! or anything like that when I first heard them but after a while I start to hear all the little details that have been missing. I think that the HD 595 are very balanced and neutral headphones but they lack bass. I have auditioned (and owned) a lot of headphones and the HD 595 are one of the most darkest sounding headphones I have ever heard.

Summary: If you're are looking for an audiophile headphones that wont require an amp, and is a little tight on budget, you cant go wrong with the HD 595.

The Sennheiser HD 595's were on sale on Amazon recently for $150 and I was just furious when I heard them.  Expecting something godly for the price they're originally at, especially considering their size, not even a wow - rather, instantaneous notations of flaws.  I must say, in the end, I was satisfied IN GENERAL with the sound, but with no complaints maybe if at $100 as the ORIGINAL price.  I STRONGLY prefer my $60 Brainwavz M2 IEM's in almost every regard, and that's just absurd...

These 595's have this interesting (what I see as) gimmick where it has speakers on the outsides for "more effect" I'm guessing and to increase the soundstage which output the sound that's meant to sound distant/relatively more distant, like the effect that's often used with harmonized voices or whatever.  Separate from comparison to even those IEM's and just in its own right, I don't like it.  I call it a gimmick because it's interesting and fun, especially from the outside where it sounds like I'm listening through significantly loud speakers, but in terms of the actual sound, the EQ is different to that of everything else and it makes it a bit too distant to be honest..  Not everyone would notice something like that of course, but obviously those aren't the people a review like this is made for.  In conclusion, I actually prefer even the soundstage of the M2's to these which technically have a larger one.

Don't even get me started on the bass.  Honestly, yes, it is significantly extended, but overall, very weak sounding - pathetic even.  There's absolutely no thump in any song regardless, techno or otherwise, nor is there any "buzz" for any bass parts that are supposed to "woo" which is pretty much in most songs of Rock.  You simply just hear it all with no sort of expression...  And no, it doesn't have what's called an analytical sounding lower EQ, e.g., the whole point of bass in Techno or Dance music is to thump which as I've mentioned is nonexistent...  Max bass amplification on my Onkyo receiver gets it to the power/tone level necessary but that obviously really screws up the EQ.

Overall the sound is very distant and lacks luster.  My surround system feels like it has a closer sound than them.  This is possibly because I'm used to IEMs which have the sound go directly in you, but regardless, for the price, nobody should have any complaints like I'm seeing here, mostly on bass.  They also require a lot of power to drive.  Treble, mids, nor bass really stands out as great and these descriptions were with these phones through my receiver.  A visual way to describe their sound also would be to say that they have a kind of gloomy quality to them.  Often people would say that it has a "dark" signature.  With a 3.5mm converter connected to a PMP or just the computer, they're horrible for their value in my opinion - barely acceptable for even half that...

My trust in Sennheiser is gone

For more detailed review on the sound itself there is alot of other really good reviews..this review focus on value for money.

Short said... Don't buy

Been a fan of sennheiser for many years...my trust is now completely gone!!!
I own 4 pairs of sennheiser, HD650, 595 and two pairs of in-ear... always use my HD650 at home and the in-ears when im on the move. 

A few years back i spend money on a pair of hd 595's to use on the move but never really used them because the in-ears is easier to carry with me.
I put my 595's in the 650 casing where they have been for two years since i dont use them. The 595's are as new... the cord has the same folds as when i brought them... even the new smell is still there.
The other day i decided to give them a try...and so i did.
I noticed a faulty resonance in the left driver so i opened them and found to my surprice that the driver was not in "shape" so i carefully corrected the driver. It turns out that it was not the cause of the problem... the driver was simply defect. 

Since the 595's was as new i decided to search for a new driver for them... and hopefully free of charge from sennheiser since i never used the headphones (even the 24 months warrenty is over i would expect sennheiser to deliver free of charge as good costumer service since this clearly is defect caused before it was packed)
I searched the internet for a spare driver and found posts from people with same problem. 
Also found out that my Sennheiser 595 headphone holds same driver as hd555!!! only difference is that sennheiser adds a piece of foam in 555 to block some of the frequency. So if you remove the piece of foam on the 555 you get a pair of 595. 
On top of that i find the build quality og 555 to be better than 595. I allways had the belive that the money spend extra on 595 was put in the drivers... not true!!! Sennheiser cheats.

This link clearly shows the driver is the same:
http://mikebeauchamp.com/misc/sennheiser-hd-555-to-hd-595-mod/

Been told that the price for the 595 driver is higher even its the same driver as 555!? which means that sennheiser is selling the same driver at two different prices.

Have always recomended Sennheiser to my friends etc. but that is now in the past. MY TRUST IN SENNHEISER IS COMPLETELY GONE.

To correct...Sennheiser now sells the 555/595 driver at same price....57$ each!!!!! that's 114$ for a pair of  spare drivers (without shipping)!!! 

My best set of cans to date : Summary of my opinion

Pros::

Top Notch sound

Superb soundstage

Can be driven by iPods Very comfortable

Cons::

A detachable cable like the HD485 would have made these my #1 

Could have a more durable headband.