The Sennheiser HD-598 Open-Backed Headphone is a great value for how it's priced. Found mine used with only two hours use, and I must say that these babies are a joy to listed to for any most any genre of music.
Sound
The sound of the 598 is warm and detailed, with light emphasis on the low mids and upper bass. I find it quite refreshing, especially after my last phones, the ATH-M50s which give preference to the deep bass. The 598, though not being a rattling bassphone reproduces complex bass lines with ease and control. I've quite enjoyed TripHop on these, especially Heligoland by Massive Attack, but also acoustic singer-songwriters (like Laura Veirs and Sara Jarosz) play very well with the detailed mids. The tone and articulation of Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, Mandolin and Double Bass as well as the vocals are clear and sexual, and drums are punchy without being obtrusive. Especially with acoustic, the 598 is quite immersive. I've noticed many details with these phones that before escaped my ears. I don't have any major complaints about the sound of these cans.
Comfort
Not much to say here, I've never gotten listening fatigue from these puppies, as they're light-weight and not too tight. My only quibbles are that they're kind of hard to keep positioned when lying down, but that is because there is not a lot of pressure exerted on the head, which serves as an advantage most of the time, and they get a bit warm if you're in a warm setting, but that's pretty unavoidable.
Style
Now usually I don't give a rip about looks, but the HD598 simply looks nice to my eyes, with the tan frame and accents, and I understand it does have the potential to make you look like they're over 30 years old, but personally I like it.
Build
I've had no problems with these babies yet, but seeing as I've only had them a couple months, I should wait to give an opinion on the durability.
Accessories
The 598 ships with only the phone itself, the three meter chord and 3.5mm adapter, which is quite inconvenient should you want to use it with a mobile setup. Now I understand that that's not the intended purpose of these, seeing as they're open-backed, but I find myself going on many walks in semi-secluded spaces and I like to take these with me. I had to get the three-foot chord which terminates in a 3.5mm plug by default, with a 6.3mm adapter, because of problems with the stock adapter, but it's no big deal.
That's pretty much it. Love these phones and don't regret the purchase in the slightest.
Sound
The sound of the 598 is warm and detailed, with light emphasis on the low mids and upper bass. I find it quite refreshing, especially after my last phones, the ATH-M50s which give preference to the deep bass. The 598, though not being a rattling bassphone reproduces complex bass lines with ease and control. I've quite enjoyed TripHop on these, especially Heligoland by Massive Attack, but also acoustic singer-songwriters (like Laura Veirs and Sara Jarosz) play very well with the detailed mids. The tone and articulation of Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, Mandolin and Double Bass as well as the vocals are clear and sexual, and drums are punchy without being obtrusive. Especially with acoustic, the 598 is quite immersive. I've noticed many details with these phones that before escaped my ears. I don't have any major complaints about the sound of these cans.
Comfort
Not much to say here, I've never gotten listening fatigue from these puppies, as they're light-weight and not too tight. My only quibbles are that they're kind of hard to keep positioned when lying down, but that is because there is not a lot of pressure exerted on the head, which serves as an advantage most of the time, and they get a bit warm if you're in a warm setting, but that's pretty unavoidable.
Style
Now usually I don't give a rip about looks, but the HD598 simply looks nice to my eyes, with the tan frame and accents, and I understand it does have the potential to make you look like they're over 30 years old, but personally I like it.
Build
I've had no problems with these babies yet, but seeing as I've only had them a couple months, I should wait to give an opinion on the durability.
Accessories
The 598 ships with only the phone itself, the three meter chord and 3.5mm adapter, which is quite inconvenient should you want to use it with a mobile setup. Now I understand that that's not the intended purpose of these, seeing as they're open-backed, but I find myself going on many walks in semi-secluded spaces and I like to take these with me. I had to get the three-foot chord which terminates in a 3.5mm plug by default, with a 6.3mm adapter, because of problems with the stock adapter, but it's no big deal.
That's pretty much it. Love these phones and don't regret the purchase in the slightest.
