Sennheiser HD 598: First Impressions
As I pulled the headphones from the delivery box I was only slightly anxious, I had seen many reviews and unboxings online and knew what to expect. After inspecting the box for a moment trying to figure out how to open it, I realized the opening was located at the bottom; allowed only after cutting a thick plastic strap connecting two sides. I slid the headphones, locked inside a thin plastic shell, out from the packaging and popped each component carefully from the other side. The first thing I noticed was the beauty, anyone who says these don't look stunning must be a very boring person, it was everything I expected from the pictures, the headphones really do look fantastic. Having the cosmetic aspect out of the way, when I picked them up and tried them on for the first time, it was kind of a downer. The headphones are completely plastic and other than make the headphones very light weight, has no other positive attributes. I had this overwhelming sense that the headphones looked fake, like prop headphones, or something a mannequin would wear at a store. The ear cups are plush and soft, but when they push against your temples, your quick to realize that they're only crudely cut styrofoam circles covered in a velvet-like material. It was almost impossible to find a comfortable fit that lasted and after 24 hours are only now bearable. I do like how the head band is made from leather, which feels good on the top of my head. The metal grills on either side are a nice touch too.
The cable is a little ridiculous. Coming out from the headphones, they span about 8 feet and end at a 6.35mm jack which is a little inconvenient for the average user. I now had to attach a 3.5mm adapter which was included, extending the terminal to a now embarrassing 4 inches. I was disappointed when it didn't connect through my iPhone case, which I had expected, but I was even more disappointed when they failed to connect to my desktop speakers receiver which I though had enough clearance. I had to dig through my drawer of cables for an extender so I could shrink the terminal, which had about a 1.25 centimeter diameter. I now have a 5 foot cable on my desk which is bundled at 2 points.
After adjusting them and opening up iTunes, I selected some songs that I thought would demo what I wanted to hear. I wasn't used to open cans but quickly adapted to them and can appreciate the effect. I'm not going to comment on how they sounded when I first listened, that wouldn't be fair. They did sound good, better than the Bose that I had, naturally, but not entirely noticeable; I didn't hear anything in the songs that I didn't with the Bose on about half the songs but what I did sounded more defined. I let them play music on a medium volume for about 4 hours and came back to them after a few errands. Now I'm not sure if the whole burn in thing is an illusion, everyone is entitled to their opinion but in the end, who's to say? My opinion though is that the different was very much noticeable. I can hear the separation/distance between the instruments and I like it, I like it a lot. Maybe my ears just got used to the sound signature, either way the experience was real. The bass and thumping is welcomed and not overpowering, I'm not a bass nut or anything so all I can say is that I'm satisfied. I know a lot of the reviewers say the bass isn't that good on these, but if your upgrading from something that isn't studio quality, I wouldn't worry about it. I could not stop listening to "eruption", I imagined the guitar being played in front of me, which was not very difficult. The electronic music I listened to like "Wagon Christ" or "Corduroi" was a bit more modern quality and well mastered, also had a wider range of frequencies, in short, it was like being transported to another world. The music took me away and I immediately wanted to listen to every song on my library. My ears are not trained to the extent of a seasoned audiophile, but I do know that these sound good, very good, and it's where all my money went, to which I can't complain. Any music you listen to is like a ******* concert being played in front of you and it's going to change the way I envision music, again.
A couple of things, these headphones are best listened to somewhere that's absolutely quiet, even the slightest noise can be distracting as outside noise easily bleeds in. If you're worried about music being too loud for people around you, don't, it's negligible, I wouldn't recommend them on a flight or passenger car though. My other choice were ATH-m50's which I'm still very curious about, but this set is different, they're both very different from each other and may get them in the future. I've been wanting these for about a year now so don't take anything negative I've said too harshly, I just had higher expectations again. I've always liked the way Sennheisers sound, not too much about how they're designed. If I were to steal a line from another reviewer, I would say "Do I like everything about them? no. Do they have my recommendation? yes.".
