Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones (Burl Wood Accents)

by Sennheiser

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 9.4 x 8.1 inches ; 9.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0042A8CW2
• Item model number: HD 598
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (129 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 15, 2010

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Not only are the HD 598 aesthetically pleasing to the eyes but they also provide an impeccable sound quality and unrivalled comfort. These beige-coloured open, circumaural headphones come with high-gloss burl wood parts and matching ear pads for a sophisiticated, premium finish. With Sennheiser's innovative E.A.R. technology, audio signals are directly channelled into your ears. These headphones also incorporate a special diaphragm geometry that minimizes intermodulation distortion while delivering an impressive frequency response range, plus a highly constant compressed cellulose fleece to hold harmonic distortion to less than 0.1%. And to accentuate the already outstanding listening experience even further, their high-quality leatherette headband and velour ear pads provide outstanding wearing comfort, even for long listening sessions.

Impeccable sound quality and unrivalled comfort

High-end headphones use E.A.R. technology for outstanding sonic accuracy and clarity

Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement (E.A.R.) for High Performance

These high-end open circumaural headphones use E.A.R. technology for outstanding sonic accuracy and clarity. Sennheiser's innovative "Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement" (E.A.R.) design channels audio signals directly into your ears. State-of-the-art, advanced Duofol diaphragms deliver transparency and minimal distortion, while highly optimised, field-strengthened neodymium ferrous magnet systems yield an excellent dynamic response. A surround reflector creates an extended spatial sound field for the lightweight aluminium voice coils chosen for high efficiency and excellent dynamics. The special diaphragm geometry reduces intermodulation distortion, while highly constant, compressed cellulose fleece reduces total harmonic distortion.

About Sennheiser

For more than 60 years the name Sennheiser has stood for the highest quality products and customised solutions across all areas of sound recording, transmission and reproduction. As one of the world's leading providers of integrated solutions for electro-acoustic products, systems and services, Sennheiser constantly meets the challenges of developing creative answers which satisfy the requests and requirements of customers.

What's in the Box?

Sennheiser HD 598 Audiophile Headphones, 3.5mm plug adapter, warranty.

Technical Specifications

• Transducer type: Dynamic, open
• Headphone type: Circumaural
• Frequency response: 12 - 38,500 Hz
• Total harmonic distortion: < 0.1% (1 kHz/100 dB SPL)
• Sound pressure level (SPL): 112 dB
• Impedance: 50 Ohms
• Cable length: 3m
• Jack plug: 6.3mm
• Weight: 270g

Product Description

Not only are the HD 598 aesthetically pleasing to the eyes but they also provide an impeccable sound quality and unrivalled comfort. These beige-coloured open, circumaural headphones come with high-gloss burl wood parts and matching ear pads for a sophisiticated, premium finish. With Sennheiser‘s innovative E.A.R. technology, audio signals are directly channelled into your ears. These headphones also incorporate a special diaphragm geometry that minimizes intermodulation distortion while delivering an impressive frequency response range, plus a highly constant compressed cellulose fleece to hold harmonic distortion to less than 0.1%. And to accentuate the already outstanding listening experience even further, their high-quality leatherette headband and velour ear pads provide outstanding wearing comfort, even for long listening sessions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

145 of 157 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Owner of the HD555, HD558 and HD598, April 29, 2011

By 

Helen Heimpour "Pepperdine1L" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones (Burl Wood Accents) (Electronics)

In a hurry so I will try to be quick, but thorough. Forgive the lack of proper structure but I think you will find the review quite informative.

I think it would be quite helpful to do a comparison. In contrast to the 598s, the HD555 are quite affordable to most for a beg head fi headphone, and they do sound good. Also, yes the foam mod "works" when done on the 555 in that it opens up the headphones, bass is more prominent but still remain tight (this is a popular mod that is well known in the head-fi community).
The 558 mod (foam removal) will NOT make the 558 like the 598. It will make the bass somewhat heavier/looser (slightly overlapping the mids) which some may find as a negative.

The casings where the drivers sit are different and the drivers are tuned differently.

The sound on the 555 is laid back and the 555 is not as airy and open as the hd558 or the 598. The 558 is also laid back and darker than the 598s.
The 558s and 598 are more refined and the frequency is smoother throughout relative to the 555s; the 598s are undoubtedly more refined than both the 555 AND the 558.

The 598s are brighter than the 558, the 598 are awesome for vocals, that is, the vocals are more up front and pleasant (especially awesome when listening to female vocals, I love my Adele :)and piano (awesome with piano), the 598s definitely shine with classical music as well. The 598 also excel in a wide genera of music including pop, jazz, classical, jrock, jpop, acoustics.
Bass is weightier on the 558s and tighter on the 598s (tighter bass is what I prefer, I like the tight punch). Not only is the 598 relatively bright when compared to the Senn signature, but it is funner to listen to as its mids are more forward than both the 555 and the 558.
The 598s have a Grado approach without the treble being overly sharp.

Like others have said, and I concur, the 598s def open up/come alive when coupled with an amp/ decent DAC. But at 50ohms, an amp is not necessary to drive these babies.

A number of audiophiles have stated that: The sound from the hd598 are UNMATCHED by ANY other headphone. AGAIN, that doesn't mean they are better than, for instance, the hd800s but rather that they are unique, nonetheless, a notion is to be taken in a positive way.

Comfort is great on both the 558 and 598. BETTER than the 555/595. If you call Senn they will tell you that the clamping force is the same BUT I as well as a couple of others I know all agree that these are MORE comfortable, you pretty much forget that they are on your head (that says a lot especially because I wear glasses and I'm really sensitive to the pressure in that area).

If you are going to be playing electronic, house, metal then these headphones may be a bit slow for you, they could use some speed. If you want that, then I recommend the HD 25 1 ii. DO NOT get the hd25SP (easily mistaken since the picture is incorrect on amazon.com). The hd 25s are closed back, awesome for portable use and the no.1 DJ headphones in the world. They are also used by the broadcaster in NBA, NEWS etc (their version has a special mic attached of course).

If you were to do a AB testing bw all 3 like I did, you would definitely notice the difference, the HD598 is the clear winner in my estimation.

ALSO VERY IMPORTANT and thus should be noted, as stated by another reviewer there has been incidents in the past where there has been cracks that have been formed on the headbands of the 5xx series. Although Sennheiser essentially ignored the problem for several years they have INDEED taken corrective steps in manufacturing as of last year to prevent this. Further, they come w/ a two year warranty replacement and Ive heard pretty good things about the CSRs there.

Lastly, is it just me or do you guys also cringe when people/"reviewers" complain about sound leakage when reviewing an OPEN BACK HEADPHONE.

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite open headphone under $300, February 2, 2011

By 

Travis Dockweiler "tdockweiler" (kalamazoo, mi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones (Burl Wood Accents) (Electronics)

I bought these headphones mainly due to how good they were supposed to be for gaming. Some reviews have also compared them to the AKG K501 and several people have mentioned they have slightly forward mids. That's a huge plus for me. I ignored the color and bought them anyway. I think the color is just plain ugly, but I guess I'm the only one who thinks this. It's growing on me though. I almost skipped them because the price seems kind of high. If I had knew how good they sounded I may have just paid full price. I hope the price on them comes down soon.

Out of the box there is some clamping force. Luckily it's not as bad as the HD-600 and the pressure went away after a few days. They're now the most comfortable headphones I own. They're up there with the D2000 and K240 Studio for comfort. One negative for me is that they have the larger jack. I think this isn't a bad idea, but I just don't like having to use an adapter. I do use them about 25% of the time un-amped with an Ipod Touch. This drives them fine, but I highly doubt a smaller mp3 player could drive them very well. The other times I use it with a full desktop amp (Schiit Asgard) and an Oppo DVD player or another source. All ALAC lossless files.

So what do they sound like? The first thing I can say is that it's signature is very smooth sounding. A perfect balance of everything. What shocked me at first is how they are one of the brightest Sennheiser headphones i've heard. Even more so than the HD-600! It's still quite "laid back" but not anywhere near as much as the HD-600, HD-555 or HD-650. The highs just feel way less rolled off. When some of my poorly recorded music is harsh and has annoying treble to my ears, it IS on the HD-598 and they don't try and change it and make the sound more polite like my HD-600 did. The sound signature is totally non-fatiguing, but it depends on the source files. Some of my music is just painful to listen to on any headphone.

It's mids are impressive. They're very slightly forward, but not as much as my Koss Pro DJ 100, Audio Technica ATH-AD2000. Maybe about the same as the AKG K601. Female vocals sound amazing on this headphone. ALMOST as good as my ATH-AD2000, but not quite. At first I thought these don't have a lot of detail, but I do think they do. What detail it has is forward sounding and easy to hear. On my HD-600 the detail felt a bit less clear and VERY slightly muffled, but not too badly.

I can't go into detail on this but the soundstage is quite impressive. It's much bigger than the HD-555 and maybe the HD-600! I haven't compared them with the HD-600 though. Imaging is also good. Because of all this, these are very, very good for gaming. I actually prefer them for gaming over my ATH-AD2000, but the ATH-AD2000 has more forward sounding detail and a bigger soundstage, but probably poorer imaging. For gaming I even prefer these to the K702. I absolutely hate those for gaming and prefer the K601 for gaming over the K702. Obviously for highly competitive gaming, the ATH-AD2000 would be a better option.

Bass on these is just fine for me. I hate bass heavy headphones unless it's very well controlled bass. For example, I love the Denon D2000, but ONLY when connected to a desktop amp! These are not anywhere near bass heavy. The sound is balanced and bassheads definitely should skip these headphones. HD-650 might be a better match. I think these have more bass than the HD-555 and about the same amount as the K240 Studio perhaps. Those are another favorite and they're dirt cheap but need a good amp.

As it is right now these are tied as my favorite headphone under $200. My Koss Pro DJ 100 is the other favorite. It has more bass, more forward mids, but more rolled off highs. Imaging is also better, but the soundstage obviously isn't as good. That headphone does need a good amp to sound it's best though. This does also, but is much picky and still can sound decent unamped. The DJ100 also seems to be a tad more clear and have more detail and better quality bass.

These are worth the full retail price, but I don't feel it's a good deal. I'd suggest shopping around or waiting for a good price. Again, if I knew how good they sounded before buying them I'd have no problems paying the full price.

If you need the perfect headphone for gaming, music and movies, this just might be it. It's good for almost any genre except it's not a good match for metal or bass heavy music. Strangely I've found this headphone doesn't have the typical Sennheiser sound, but pretty close. I wasn't a huge fan of the HD-555 or HD-600, but I love the HD-598. Now if only Sennheiser would do an upgrade of the HD-600! I'd buy it in a second if they made similar improvements.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo Sennheiser! New Verified owner. A happy one at that!, October 31, 2011

By 

Timothy Bennett "Electronics dreamer t.j." (pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones (Burl Wood Accents) (Electronics)

If you're reading this review, it's probably because you've either stumbled upon the HD 598's while looking for headphones on Amazon, or you've been to head-fi.org which is a website where you can read all about the legacy of all different headphones wether each headphone has been criticized negatively, has awesome reviews or some, both. In the case of the 598, there has only been awesome reviews.
For those of you who have just stumbled upon this headphone, i will spare you the time it takes to read about headphones becuase you will get hooked. Simply put, these are AMAZING headphones. Let me first off say that what drew me into liking these headphones was their ability to sonically reproduce anything i threw at them accurately and without distortion. I absolutely love acoustic recordings. These headphones will make you feel like you're actually getting a personal perfomance from any performer. If there are any other performers in the mix then there is an attribute of the headphone called soundstage that helps seperate the instruments or different sounds anyways. This helps create a mental image needed to feel the capability of a headphone. These headphones excell with soundstage and mental imaging. As for bass, it's tight and well controlled. There really isn't a focal point on the bass if through electronic music it's kind of like just there. With bass from an instrument, there is a very good focal point that adds to the headphones imagining. Brilliant.
These headphones do need a minimal 40 hours of burn in and they sound good through an mp3 player. I do suggest highest bitrate possible such as 320kbps or FLAC and cd's because the 598's are so good at reproducing what is given to them. Also a better digital to analog converter (DAC) will really help these headphones come to life. I personally use the headphone amp on my home theater receiver on the 598's and it really does help but from what i've read, a really expensive amplifier is unecessary with these headphones. I do always suggest an amplifier though.
I really think anyone will be happy with these headphones no matter what genre they listen to. Between their sparkly highs (really quite beautiful and even the best audiophiles have noted the truly magical highs and how they can't believe it,) the amazing soundstage and imaging all without having to buy an expensive headphone amplifier.
PLEASE RATE THIS REVIEW!!!