[dag655321]

Ok here's the deal. I have been using my trusy Sennheiser HD-590's for a little over three years now. They sound really good, and are extemely comfortable. However, I am due for a birhtday present from my wife (thanks honey), and I am seriously considering upgrading to the new HD-595's. A new pair of 595's will run me about $200, and I figure I can sell my used HD-590's for $50 to $75 dollars. When all is said and done it will cost me about $150 to upgrade from 590's to 595's. So my question is:

Is it worth it?

Can anyone compare and contrast the 590's with the 595's. I listen to mostly rock music ranging pop rock (Bowling For Soup, Bare Naked Ladies) to loud and angry stuff (Mudvayne, The Used, Chevelle). I would really like to know if the 595's sound any better with rock music. I appreciate a solid midrange, and extended highs. Bass is not a big issue, and too much is a bad thing (like my HD-490's which are way too bassy). By the way, I am using a HeadRoom Airhead amp connected to my computer's sound card. Most of my music is ripped directly from CD's and losslesly compressed using FLAC, so the source is true CD quality.

Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated. If I decide to upgrade, I will post my 590's in the FS/FT forum, if anyone is interested in picking them up cheap.

Thanks.

 

[Jmmmmm]

This isn't really answering your question (sorry), but why not try some grados or alessandros? They have a much different sound signature than the senn's, but are generally known as the cans for rock. They have a great midrange and very detailed highs - though some models are a bit bright. I'd recommend the ms-1's for $100, which are considered a great deal for their price.

I haven't heard the 590's, but I'm going to venture that people will tell you it might not be worth it to upgrade to the 595's for that much. If you are going to upgrade, you might go for the 600's or 650's.

 

[acs236]

First of all, you can probably sell your 590s for more than $50!

But if you're asking if there is a $150 difference b/w the 590 and the 595, I'd say no way. Personally, I didn't care for the 595. The 590s are pretty good, in my opinion. I prefered the 580s to them slightly. The 595s are not as warm as the 590s. The bass of the 595s is a bit more even. The 590s have that Senn mid-bass hump.

 

[dag655321]

I appreciate the responses I have gotten. I have tried several pairs of Grado's for a short time (SR-60's 80's and 125's) and though the sound was good, the comfort was unacceptable. I usually have my cans on for 4-8 hours a day, and nothing that I have tried comes close to the comfort of the HD-590's.

I just wish they were a little brighter and more aggressive.

I have never heard of alessandros. Where can I find them?

 

[apostate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acs236 But if you're asking if there is a $150 difference b/w the 590 and the 595, I'd say no way. Personally, I didn't care for the 595. The 590s are pretty good, in my opinion. I prefered the 580s to them slightly. The 595s are not as warm as the 590s. The bass of the 595s is a bit more even. The 590s have that Senn mid-bass hump.

I own the 595s and got to hear the 590 for about a half an hour (and A/B with 595) so with that in mind I will say I feel that the 595s are the better cans. It's been a little bit so I can't really provide much details. For me the comfort was comparable but the 595s sounded more neutral across the spectrum to me.

That being said I don't think I would pay $150 to go from the 590s to the 595. I haven't heard the 600 or 650 but that would be the avenue I would probably pursue if I was in the same position and wanted to upgrade.

I have (Woody) SR225s and I dig them but the comfort is no where near the 590/595 IMHO. However for less than the $150 you are thinking about spending you could pick up the MS-1s as Jmmmmm pointed out and have two headphones with different signatures which was my primary reason for the 225 purchase. Plus the pad options really change the sound on the Grados (not sure on the Alessandros) which gives you even more options.

Ant

 

[acs236]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dag655321 I appreciate the responses I have gotten. I have tried several pairs of Grado's for a short time (SR-60's 80's and 125's) and though the sound was good, the comfort was unacceptable. I usually have my cans on for 4-8 hours a day, and nothing that I have tried comes close to the comfort of the HD-590's. I just wish they were a little brighter and more aggressive. I have never heard of alessandros. Where can I find them?

The alessandros are made by Grado -- you won't find them any more comfortable. I'm guessing that you don't have a headphone amplifier? That would open up your choices a bit more (I was thinking Beyer 880, but they need and amp I think).

 

[Helter Skelter]

If you like the Grado sound but don't care for the comfort, then the HD595 might be actually be good choice. I own the HD595 and SR-60 both, and I feel that they actually have a fairly similar sonic "flavor". There are differences of course, the HD595 reveals a fair bit more detail and has a much wider soundstage, to name a couple. Some claim the highs to be a bit rolled off with the HD595, but I don't find this to be the case (I feel they're well extended without being overly piercing). They do have a WONDERFUL midrange, and excel on vocals and stringed instuments especially.

I listen to a lot of alt/pop rock and electronica myself, and have never found these headphones to be lacking in any significant way.

Of course, the best judge of what will be good for you on your equipment is going to be your own ears. Take some music, your amp, and maye your own portable player (at least bring an RCA->mini cable for your amp to use with the shop's equipment) to a local shop that has a WELL-USED pair available for demo (this is critical, the HD595 has a fairly long burn-in period, and if that pair doesn't have at least 200 hours of listening on it, it's not really a good representation of what you'll be getting, IMO), find a quiet corner, and listen to a few CDs. Maybe even bring in your HD590 for comparison.

 

[mektarus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helter Skelter If you like the Grado sound but don't care for the comfort, then the HD595 might be actually be good choice...

I thought most people considered the HD590 to be more Gradoesqe, which is why so many Sennheiser enthusiasts don't like them. Personally, I love the 590's but they do benefit greatly from an aftermarket cable. I prefer the Equinox from Stefan AudioArt. Aren't most all other Senn model (other than the HD590) considered to have "the veil" which gives them a more laid-back sound?

 

[jerryg]

I know many in this forum over emphasized the 555/595, causing chain psychological effect among people. But really, I wouldn't say 595 is an upgrade of 590. To be able to call an upgrade of your HD-590, it should be at least in same league as HD-600.

 

[catscratch]

I'd say that on the whole, the 595 is a bit better than the 590, but not nearly as much as some people here would have you believe. The 590 is a niche can, now that there are other, better options for an unamped full-size open can (at the time of it's release there were few), and it has been relegated to doing what it does best - bassy and trebly music. It's great with trance and techno and electronica in general, and it's pretty good with acoustic music. IMO, it's not that great for rock.

The 595 will give you a more forward midrange and slightly better balance between the bass, mids, and highs - but it will also sound much warmer and darker than the HD590. If you like the HD590's tonal balance, the HD595 isn't more of the same - it's a different sound. It will be more resolving in the midrange for sure, and it will have tighter bass, but the treble will seem rolled-off a bit, and there will be a lot less bass impact and quantity. Does this sound like something you should spend $150 on? I don't think so. If you were buying a first set of cans, then the HD595 would be - in your case - a better option.

I would say that you should try a more rock-oriented headphone, and a better one than the HD595. Perhaps a Grado RS-1 if you can spare the cash, or maybe a SR-325i. This will be a substantial investment, but it will also be a substantial improvement - as opposed to a marginal improvement, which is what the HD595 will be. Grados are also fairly bright, and the sound signature will be similar to the HD590 but with more forward mids.

Oh yeah - the Airhead is OK, but not OK enough for a better set of cans than the HD590. So, you're looking at $$$ whichever direction you go in

I would recommend that you look at:

Grado SR-225, SR-325i, RS-1 and their Alessandro siblings
Beyerdynamic DT880 (you'll need a good amp for this one)

I don't usually listen to the type of music you mentioned, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

[Edit: if Grado comfort is a problem, then www.headphile.com has the solution. Check out their C-Pads. They make Grados circum-aural!]

 

[Little J040]

I have not heard 590s, but i do own a pair of 595s. From what everyone says, and what i concur, they do require a good 200+ hours of burn in to get everything out of them. They arent the most aggresive headphones, like grado's but for rock, and (trance) what i listen to they do recreate soundstage and mids well. I do however think that the highs are slightly rolled off, they are screaming eagles, VERY balanced if anything. The bass is strong enough for me, coming from a car audio bass head freak, granted not the best bass out there, but the punch gives you more feeling. The mids are quite "pristine", i find that both female and male singers voices seem to come out of the music and grab a hold of you.


hope this helps

 

[spike33]

jerryg, have you heard any of these headphones or are you commenting blindly? I suspect you've been doing that alot lately and it is not very helpful.

dag655321, 595 can be found used for 160 in the forums, and there are some on ebay for 155 + shipping. Paying $50-75 more for 595 would be a nice upgrade.

595 has tight deep bass, awesome mids, great soundstage. It is not as good as grado's for rock but it comes very close, and much more comfortable.

I'd also recommend SA5000 if you have the cash or try SA1000 (~$100). Compared to 595, it has a bit tighter bass but less extended, more treble energy, smaller soundstage, just as comfy, and doesn't have the fullness in mids. I'd describe it as a hybrid between 595 and grado.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerryg I know many in this forum over emphasized the 555/595, causing chain psychological effect among people. But really, I wouldn't say 595 is an upgrade of 590. To be able to call an upgrade of your HD-590, it should be at least in same league as HD-600.

This is very fun.

I'd call the 595 a worthy upgrade without a doubt provided that the 590 should sound anything like the 570 that I had. (horrible! No mids, no real detail. I suppose the 590 is significantly better at detail but retaining the balance

)
I'm not even sure that upgrading from the 595 to the 650 is perfectly worthy, instead - best thing is to have both because they're so different.

 

[Helter Skelter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mektarus I thought most people considered the HD590 to be more Gradoesqe, which is why so many Sennheiser enthusiasts don't like them. Aren't most all other Senn model (other than the HD590) considered to have "the veil" which gives them a more laid-back sound?

I've heard the veil, and it is blessedly absent to my ears on the HD595. I haven't had the chance to spent enough time with the HD590s to form a real opinion about them yet, but I do recall from the very brief period that I listened to them that the midrange was sorely lacking in comparison to the HD595.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerryg I know many in this forum over emphasized the 555/595, causing chain psychological effect among people. But really, I wouldn't say 595 is an upgrade of 590. To be able to call an upgrade of your HD-590, it should be at least in same league as HD-600.

Well, I personally feel that the HD595 sounds a good bit better than the HD600, and perhaps nicer in some ways than even the HD650. I know that there's at least one other person here that agrees with me on that. I don't think he's going to be able to make a real value judgement for himself without hearing them first.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helter Skelter Well, I personally feel that the HD595 sounds a good bit better than the HD600, and perhaps nicer in some ways than even the HD650. I know that there's at least one other person here that agrees with me on that.

Don't know about the 650, but I certainly agree with you that the 595 is a better phone than the 600, so there may be two people! I've lived with both, so it's not a case of a fleeting listen in a shop. I've also had 580 and 590, and the 595 leaves them both for dead in my opinion. For reference, I drive my 595 with a Rotel 931 MkII amp and rarely advance the volume past 8 O'Clock. The 595 is not only great sounding but very efficient (and mine is the 120 ohm version!). The 595 is the best-balanced and most satisfying phone I've ever owned, out of a total of several dozen.