Sennheiser HD590 Over-Ear Full Size Headphone

by Sennheiser

Product Details

• Item Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004SD89
• Item model number: HD590
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Sennheiser HD590 Prestige is a full-size headphone designed for high sonic performance. Audiophile-grade components, lightweight voice coils, Duofol membranes, an open-ear design, and a frequency response of 12 to 38,000 Hz add up to music that's stunningly alive--be it classical, jazz, or rock. In addition, the HD590 works beautifully with both home and personal stereos, offering deep, natural bass without the need for bass boost equalization.

The HD590s feature large-surface Duofol diaphragms--special diaphragms consisting of two foils welded together to reduce standing waves (buildups at specific frequencies that unfavorably color the sound) to an absolute minimum. A new transducer orientation ensures better localization of sounds for a wide, spacious sound stage and generally natural sound reproduction.

A 10-foot OFC (oxygen-free copper) cord connects to the left earpiece only, reducing tangles and giving you room to roam. The 0.25-inch phone jack also comes with a miniplug adapter, making the HD 590 compatible with any size headphone jack.

The HD590's innovative BioNetic headband is key to its amazingly light weight. This headphone is designed to adapt to the shape of your head, and the adjustable band rides on an airy, plastic cushion for added comfort.

Sennheiser's HD590 Prestige has replaceable parts and a two-year warranty.

Product Description

The Sennheiser HD 590 Prestige headphones are the topmost entry in the company's revered "500" series, and were designed with absolutely unalloyed listening pleasure in mind! These open-back headphones are assembled from first quality materials, featuring large-surface "Duofol" diaphragms. The Duofol consists of two foils welded together to reduce standing waves to an absolute minimum. A newly configured transducer orientatin ensures better localization of sounds, and superbly natural sound reproduction. Connection Cable - 3 meter OFC copper cable

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite good for the price, May 15, 2004

By 

Spiff (Europe) - See all my reviews

These are great, great headphones, at bargain price. I've used them mostly with a NAD C340 amplifier but also did some listening with cheap portable players. They are extremely comfortable, which is always a plus if you plan to listen for a long time. The structure looks good, very lightweight, but I still think some of the plastics used look too cheap, I guess build quality in general looks cheap, the glue under the Sennheiser rubber strip on the top, etc. Maybe Sennheiser decided to focus the cost on the transducers, because they sound a lot better than they look.

Even so, not all that fragile, design is very effective, the headband is large and adjustable, the soft cloth pads are very pleasant. Overall, these headphones are EXTREMELY comfortable, probably the most comfortable headphones I have ever tried. The longevity of the HD590 is assured since all vital components can be replaced when damaged. The OFC cable has the usual detachable mini-jack (one wire only, attaches to left transducer) always useful if you keep tripping on the cable or need an extension. The velour pads are also easy to remove (which is good since they seem to pick up dust like a vacuum cleaner). Also, keep in mind that they are very permeable to ambient noise because of the open design. If you plan to use them in noisy environments, that might be a problem.

When it comes to sound, some people think the treble is inexplicably sharp and intrusive, probably making these more adequate for jazz and classical. They are indeed very bright, but I don't find them fatiguing or excessively harsh. True, these excel in detail with classical and all acoustic, but also sound pretty decent with completely different sounds from Rage Against the Machine to Bauhaus. Very high resolution, with natural bass, not too punchy, but enough to please most listeners.

Yes it is true, the Sennheiser HD 600 are also amazing headphones, a lot darker than these, but still great. There is a catch however, at 300 ohms the 600 need lots of juice, definitely not easy to drive with maximum quality unless you have a dedicated headphone amp or a very good integrated amp. The 590 don't need a dedicated amp, at only 120 ohms nominal impedance, they are easy to drive, even from laptops, portables and other low output sources. When it comes to sound quality, there's really nothing like picking a few models and listening before choosing (to the right CDs). Your opinion might be completely different. To me, while not perfect, these are definitely in my list of favourite non-electrostatic headphones. I also own the pricier Sony MDR-CD3000 (a fairly high-end model often considered superior to such beasts as the Grado RS-1, the HD 600/650 and the AKG K1000) and comparing the two I can say that at about 33% of the 3000's price, the 590 sound very, very good. Ok, so not as good as the 3K, but still great value for money in the market of circum-aural open headphones.

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very detailed. Very bright, but still very good., June 8, 2001

By 

Spiff (Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sennheiser HD590 Over-Ear Full Size Headphone (Electronics)

These are great, great headphones, at bargain price. I’ve used them mostly with a NAD C340 amplifier but also did some listening with cheap portable players. They are extremely comfortable, which is always a plus if you plan to listen for a long time. The structure looks good, very lightweight, but I still think some of the plastics used look too cheap, I guess build quality in general looks cheap, the glue under the Sennheiser rubber strip on the top, etc. Maybe Sennheiser decided to focus the cost on the transducers, because they sound a lot better than they look.

Even so, not all that fragile, design is very effective, the headband is large and adjustable, the soft cloth pads are very pleasant. Overall, these headphones are EXTREMELY comfortable, probably the most comfortable headphones I have ever tried. The longevity of the HD590 is assured since all vital components can be replaced when damaged. The OFC cable has the usual detachable mini-jack (one wire only, attaches to left transducer) always useful if you keep tripping on the cable or need an extension. The velour pads are also easy to remove (which is good since they seem to pick up dust like a vacuum cleaner). Also, keep in mind that they are very permeable to ambient noise because of the open design. If you plan to use them in noisy environments, that might be a problem.

When it comes to sound, some people think the treble is inexplicably sharp and intrusive, probably making these more adequate for jazz and classical. They are indeed very bright, but I don’t find them fatiguing or excessively harsh. True, these excel in detail with classical and all acoustic, but also sound pretty decent with completely different sounds from Rage Against the Machine to Bauhaus. Very high resolution, with natural bass, not too punchy, but enough to please most listeners.

Yes it is true, the Sennheiser HD 600 are also amazing headphones, a lot darker than these, but still great. There is a catch however, at 300 ohms the 600 need lots of juice, definitely not easy to drive with maximum quality unless you have a dedicated headphone amp or a very good integrated amp. The 590 don’t need a dedicated amp, at only 120 ohms nominal impedance, they are easy to drive, even from laptops, portables and other low output sources. When it comes to sound quality, there’s really nothing like picking a few models and listening before choosing (to the right CDs). Your opinion might be completely different. To me, while not perfect, these are definitely in my list of favourite non-electrostatic headphones. I also own the Sony MDR-CD3000 (a fairly high-end model with a $... MRSP often considered superior to such beasts as the Grado RS-1, the HD 600 and the AKG K1000) and comparing the two I can say that at about 30% of the 3000’s price, the 590 sound very, very good. Ok, so not as good as the 3K, but still great value for money in the market of circum-aural open headphones.

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the 580s, December 1, 2003

By 

Chris (Martinez, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sennheiser HD590 Over-Ear Full Size Headphone (Electronics)

I have read practically every review on the net for high-end headphones and narrowed by selection down to the Sennheiser 580 and 590. I set out to put the two to a head to head competition but could not find a store which sold both. Consequently, I had to buy the 590s at one store (30 day money back guarantee of course) and bring them to a different store which had the 580s.

As a disclaimer, I must state that neither headphone had been "burned" in, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I guess I figured that they were both under the same disadvantage. Now I must admit that going in I had preconceptions about the two. I expected the 580s to sound better and the 590s to be a little "too bright" comparatively but be much more comfortable and easier to drive with a portable cd player.

I listed to the headphones using the same amp and cd player (Marantz) at the same level. I was shocked because the 580s actually seemed a bit louder than the 590s which has a 5db higher SPL. The sound: these headphones have a VERY different sound. Both were great but the 580s seemed to blur the music together more. Conversely, the 590s seemed to have better distinction and an even sound. Strangely enough, however, some songs did sound better on the 580s (I was there for awhile), but overall, the 590s won out on sound.

Not convinced of my own judgment, I had my wife (a classically trained violinist) to listen to the two headphones. She didn't know anything about the headphones and did not come to the table with preconceived notions based on others opinions (like I had). She liked the 590s better. When I asked her which were brighter, she did say the 590s were a little brighter but it was not a negative and the sound, again, was overall better than the 580s.

Now as far as comfort, as everyone else has written, the 590s win hands down over ANY headphone. They are amazingly comfortable which is important for me because I will listen to them for hours on end at the office. I absolutely cannot stand getting a headache from headphones. Also, as everyone else has written, the 590s are much easier to drive. I am not sure what happened with the Marantz receiver fluke but stick these two headphones in a portable cd player and WHOOOAAA. I brought my cheap portable AIWA and the 590s were 10x better. I mean there was no comparison. If you want to spend the extra money and inconvenience of a headphone amp to push the 580s, be my guest.