Sennheiser HD 599 is one of the products in a rivalry in the entry-level category of high-quality headphones that are targeted at audio enthusiasts who are restricted by a budget. You are certainly here to know what the deal is with these headphones. This Sennheiser HD 599 review will be a thorough one. We will look into the construction, design, audio performance, and extra features of the Sennheiser HD 599. As a heads up, these are all superb. The great quality and excellent sound signature of this product make it deserving of an up-close view.
Sennheiser HD 599 Review
Design and Build
The design of these headphones follows the Sennheiser signature style. We like the way the headband sweeps downwards around the ear cups. It is a really nice touch and adds some uniqueness. The SE edition of the Sennheiser 599 has a mostly black color with little hints of silver that blends well with its subtle design. The color is the only distinction between the SE edition and the regular one. So if you don’t like the black color, you can go for the SE version which has a touch of Ivory. That said, we think the black color finish is cool. All the products from Sennheiser are known for their premium design, and the HD 599 is not otherwise.
The frame is constructed with plastic, which is not bad. It is sturdy and flexible even though it is made mostly of plastic. The headphones do not feel cheap in any way. You can put to rest any concerns about the build quality because these headphones are guaranteed to serve you a long time. They are extremely flexible and can take a lot of stretching before they cave. This is not giving you a pass to deliberately try and break them, though.
As a matter of fact, metal frames are mostly exclusive to high-end headphones that come with a matching price tag. For headphones less than $200, we think a plastic build is fine, especially if the plastic is of high quality like in this case. These headphones also meet the comfort standard. The Sennheiser HD 599 is a relatively lightweight pair, which makes them one of the most comfortable choices of headphones to wear for lengthy music seasons.
The headband is luxuriously padded and cradles your head very comfortably with no hassles. Though it would be nicer if memory foam cushioning was used on the ear cups, the padding is good enough to not bother much about it.
Sennheiser HD 599 Performance and Sound
If you have used any mid-range Sennheiser headphones before now, you would know that they sound great. Most of their products have a well-rounded sound signature and good low notes. It is the same as the HD 599. The audio quality is excellent. It is not wrong to say that they are among the best in their class. With a very wide frequency response, the sound signature of the Sennheiser HD 599 can be compared to the HD 600. Almost every music genre sounds great with a lot of detail when played through these headphones.
The mid notes of the Sennheiser HD 599 are very good, though little attention is given to the lower mids. When a track that has prominent vocals is being played, the headphones may not sound punchy enough but not to an unacceptable degree. It is the same with high notes and trebles too. They are highly defined and sound brilliant. Bass enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the headphones deliver low notes quite exceptionally. The bass is deep and striking and sounds very clear. If you are a lover of bass-heavy genres like electronic or rap, you should be satisfied with these.
Note that these headphones have an open-back design so they will leak sound to the environment when you listen to music at high volumes. However, this is not a specific flaw of the Sennheiser 599. It is just a result of the design of open-back headphones. It is advised to keep the volume low if you are going to be using these headphones in public. That said, we are very impressed with the audio performance of the HD 599. They sound really pleasant irrespective of the kind of song you listen to. They are also very easy to power with 5 Ohms and 106 dB.
Final Thoughts on Sennheiser HD 599
The Sennheiser HD 599 is one of the best pairs of headphones we have had the opportunity to review. For the price category it falls in, it has great construction, design, and comfort and it delivers excellent sound with balanced tones.