HD 599 SE Open-Back Headphones, Premium Design, Natural Balanced Audio, Comfortable Fit, Wired Headphones for Music, Gaming, School, Work, Black

I primarily use these for gaming or watching videos, listening to music on YouTube. I'm not an audiophile but I really enjoy my "me time" on my PC so I want it to be a high quality experience. These deliver on every level. I don't really play many games that need a mic so I just bought an in-line mic add-on from a 3rd party made specifically for these headphones and attached it. It's a cheap boom mic but it picks up fine. The MOST important thing for me is comfort. I have fallen asleep with these on multiple times. It never leaves my ears or scalp sore. I used to have a pair of Astro A40s because of how comfortable they were, but these are superior in just about every way. These are absolutely worth the price if you can afford them. I've had mine for about 5 months. They're the best headphones I've ever used. I bought a nice little SoundBlaster DAC/soundcard to go with them to make sure I got the full range of the headphones and it made a big difference. These are phenomenal. I couldn't be more pleased with them. I plan on using these for as long as they will last, which judging by the high quality materials, I think they'll last many years just like my Astro A40s did. COMFORT: These fit OVER my ears. So many headphones are called "over-ear" yet lay on top of my ears. I have detached ear lobes so most headphones lay on my ear lobes slightly and after a few hours will make my ears sore. The clamp strength is also a huge factor. I have a big fat head (because I'm so smart) and most headphones start to feel too snug after awhile. These never do. I've fallen asleep for 6+ hours before at my PC and woke up, forgot I was wearing these, and never felt any discomfort. It's like they were made by a benevolent God just for my cranium. The top of the headphones never press down on the top of my scalp in an uncomfortable way either. The head cushion on my Astro A40s would get uncomfortable after extended sessions but I swear these NEVER do me wrong. These are a gift from heaven and I love them dearly. If you care about audio quality and comfort above all else, you will be pleased with these.

I got these headphones as a upgrade to my Bose Soundtrues I got 3 plus years ago. I heard about Sennheiser open headphones being one of the audiophile standards when wanting great audio, and I read lots of reviews on different ones on RTings.com. So when I decided to venture into the so-called realm of audiophiles, I wanted to do so without breaking the bank. So I looked and looked until I came across these Sennheiser HD599s. These are an upgrade to the HD598, a very popular premium, entry level open back headphone. However, one of the complains about the 598s is that it lacks in bass, this upgrade is supposed to correct that. The design is very premium looking, and I like the color pattern. Many people claim they don't it and prefer the standard black look most headphones have, but I like the cream and silver look. It reminds me of luxury cars like an Audi or a Bentley. The pads are very comfortable and look like the kind of material used in car seats further giving that luxery look. The pads never get irritating after hours of use, nor does the ears get sweaty from the inside, which most plastic foam materials cause. the build is also very sturdy. You'd have to drop these from a decent height more than once to seriously damage them. So how do they sound? In one word, great. These headphones have a well balanced sound with just enough deep bass to standout without being overwhelming. The mid-range is nearly perfect, meaning vocals are not to high and intrusive and not too low where you can't hardly hear them over the music. The treble is excellent. Symbols and other high sounding instruments come through clear without sounding distorted and ear piercing. The sound stage, which open back headphones are best at, is very immersive adding body and fullness to the music. It's for this reason that these headphones are also great for watching movies and playing video games. So are there any cons? Yes, but only a few. One, the headphones do not come with a carrying case, like most headphones do once you start paying well over 100 dollars for them. Second, the headphones come with two cords, a small standard 3.5mm cord for cell phones and the like, and a long 10ft stereo cord. The stereo cord, however, is kind of flimsy and has a receiver style jack at the end. Luckily, there's an adapter included that can change it into another 3.5mm output. Final note: I didn't use any fancy headphone or stereo amps, because these headphones has an impedance of 50, so it doesn't take much to drive. My review is based on using this like any other average headphone in different applications like my PC and Television. Bottomline: These are great open headphones for the price, especially if you are just starting to get into this whole audiophile thing. I know I won't be going back after these babies. My next pair which likely won't be for a while, will be something ever more premium like a Sennheiser 600 series, or a HiFiman, Focal, etc. I checked in and I can't check out.

Upgraded from some old Logitech wireless headphones, The difference is night and day, i can easily pin point enemy locations in games. They have great sound definition to the point it actually scared me a few times hearing people walking behind me with such clarity it sounded real, They are very light i have caught my self checking that im still wearing them fully, they only thing some people may not like is that you can hear very well through the headphones, so someone calls for you or you have a loud keyboard you will hear it. that's why i got them though, so that's just a plus for me. TLDR/overall -Great surround sound -Great bass -open back, no noise cancelation -Comes with 2 cords, and an adapter for the longer one to work with your pc -VERY light and VERY comfortable -No Setup needed just plug and go, no connection issues so far -Lightweight but they don't feal cheap

I’ve been eyeing seinheisers for about 10 years after continually hearing they are the standard for the audiophile community. I wanted to see if there is truly a noticeable difference in sound or if we were just dealing with sound snobs. However, I never pulled the trigger because of the price point. When i saw them at 45% off i decided to take the plunge on some entry level HD 599SE. So that being said, here is my opinion. Comfort - A+ Sound - They sound good, but not as good as the hype surrounding them (maybe because these are the low end side of things). The bass seems artificially dampened. Highs and mids seem on point. And overall is a good listening experience. It all depends on what you are listening to and how it was produced. So there are some releases that sound mind blowing and some sound just like your car radio. Durability: they seem to be decent quality, not flimsy Great purchase for $100. I don’t think i would be happy with them at full price. For the average music listener, I doubt these will blow your mind. If your primary style of music is hip hop, i would go with with a different headphone that emphasizes the lows/bass.

great sound on these, though the volume will not feel as substantial as with closed back headphones. it goes a long way for my anxiety because i am able to hear what is around me and not be caught unawares. these are lightweight and very comfortable, fitting around the ear in a way that doesn't bother my piercings (of which i have several going all the way up both ears and an industrial). it's been an hour and so far no fatigue, no sweat in or around my ears, and no soreness from my piercings. i also wear glasses and no issues there either. the original cord is extremely long, and it's a bit tricky to swap to the smaller one. you have to twist then pull, it should come out easily so if it doesn't then twist the other direction and try again. if you like your music loud, then everything will be heard outside your headphones. at mid volume it's less noticable, but if you blast it, these headphones more or less will sound like an old 90s stereo to everyone around you. great for at home, but not public transport, planes, or gym. sound off, i can hear everything just the same as if i weren't wearing headphones. in use, outside sound is muffled and nearly disappears at higher volume, depending on what it is. for example my voice sounds muffled but clearly understanable when i speak while listening to Bach's Cello Suites at volume 60 on my mp3 player. but at the same volume listening to Papercut by Linkin Park, i can just barely hear my voice when speaking at normal volume. MUSIC and MOVIES: music sounds great with these, i've tried classical, EDM, acapella, rock, pop, cinematic, metal. not true basshead level but can be made so with eq or DAC. movie audio is awesome, as long as you slightly modify your bass level on equalizer and turn off all "enhancement" settings/plugins on your device. sounds nearly like being right there in a movie theater, it's awesome! Dune, for example, sounds absolutely insane. as do the Marvel movies and the original Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Nope, and The Thin Man (1934). GAMING: surround sound in games works with these! using Genshin as a lowest-denominator example, in-game i set audio and SFX to maximum and muted vocals and music, surround sound and full dyanmic range with my PC (Win11) volume set to 50. being right in front of a waterfall keeps the sound in both ears no matter the camera direction. but moving away, and slowly moving the camera as the waterfall sound very clearly in different directions. muted when camera is fully away(waterfall behind me), fully in one ear when left or right and quieter in opposite ear, facing the camera full toward the waterfall brings the sound forward in both ears again. the further away, the lesser the sound but the degree of difference remains the same. slowly panning the camera in a circle gradually alters the direction of the audio in sync with where the waterfall is. directly plugged into PC has full, crisp clear audio. when connected to a PS4 DualShock controller (via USB, not wireless), the surround sound effect is less substantial. it's comparable to limited/stereo where all sound is either left/right ear, behind, or in front with not much in between.

I have a hard time finding hats that fit. If this sounds like you than you may be in luck. These headphones fit my head just fine with a little space to spare which is perfect for getting them positioned just right. I needed a headset for streaming purposes that was comfortable enough to wear all day. I also wanted something open backed so I could speak easily and ideally something that sounded good. I wanted all of this at the bare minimum budget price because I've decided I'm done spending a bunch of money on nice headphones. These have checked all of the boxes except the bare minimum budget box but it was worth paying a little more for these. I won't go too far into sound since others have already described it well but here are my one week pre burn in thoughts: 1) These headphones are tuned to feel engaging out of the box. They are not as clinical as a set of AKGs. This is an excellent set to turn on your favorite album, close your eyes, and get lost in the music. 2) As a lifelong basshead these headphones may not satisfy sub-bass enthusiasts. They're open backed so they're not meant for that. However the bass they do reproduce is clean and fills nicely out of the box. It's just not gonna bump hard enough to get your booty shakin. To do that you'll need an amp with bass boost or to play with an EQ. The headphones take well to mild equalization on the low end. If I EQ the sub-bass a bit too high they'll crackle. But if I EQ to just where the sub-bass starts to overpower the track somewhat and then step it down to where it blends these definitely got my booty shakin. If you absolutely must crank your bass then you really need go with closed back sets or IEMs. Some IEMs don't seem to care how much you EQ bass. They'll reproduce it happily without a crackle. Most importantly let's talk about comfort. These headphones are a dream to wear. After I put them on I forget I'm even wearing them throughout the course of a 6 hour stream. After I'm done I usually just keep them on and continue listening to music or working on things. I got done with a stream an hour ago and I'm still wearing them right now. The earpads are truly over ear and I have a big set of ears. No part of my ear touches the earpad or the driver so there's no pressure point other than the cloth pads resting on my head. Clamp force is perfect and doesn't cause any pain either. This is particularly nice since I wear glasses. If you have a big dome and need a set of all day work headphones buy these and you won't be disappointed! You may find you want to keep wearing them and listen to music after you're done working...

These are by far the best headphones I’ve ever used. I’ve been using a pair of B*se quiet comforts, which I originally bought for airplane trips. Those work well for noise cancellation but they have no range or depth compared to these. The Sennheiser’s go on sale from time to time, and if you can get them under $90 then they’re a no-brainer. Someone who wants the best possible sound for the lowest cost of acquisition and who is going to be using these at home in a quiet / private environment will be very happy with this purchase. I would not recommend these for airlines or other forms of public transportation, as the open back model allows others to hear what you are listening to, at the same volume. These are not appropriate for public places. Likewise, you will hear everything around you, and not in a good way. The wire makes these inappropriate for any sort of exercise as well. You would be better served with a bone speaker which is wireless and which allows for the ambient noise around you to still be audible. These are very appropriate for someone who is listening/mixing/producing music at home, or for someone who is playing video games or watching movies in a private room. The surround sound is spot on and clear, the range is vast, and the sounds are crisp. Moreover the ear muffs themselves are very very comfortable. The microfiber lining allows for hours of wear. The holes for your ears are very large, so if you have big ears then these are good. Note, these are good for ears which sit close to the head, if you happen to have ears like dumbo the elephant which are seated far from your head then these may not be for you, as I can feel them rubbing one of my ears not from the top, bottom or sides but from the outside and it is uncomfortable from time to time. These also fit people with large heads, I have a large head and a lot of hair and these fit very nicely for long stretches of time (IE several hours without removing them). The last thing to note is that the volume on these at “10” is equal to my Bluetooth headphone when the volume is set to “60”, so you’ll get a much louder headphone. If you have very very sensitive hearing then that could be an issue, but if you are not super sensitive these will be better than Bluetooth in that regard. At $200 they’re alright, but under $90 they’re really something. I would rate these as a buy, but unless you have money to burn then wait for them to go on sale and you’ll be very happy indeed.

I’m still relatively new to collecting headphones, but I do have a small collection for reference. I have used the Samson SR850s, SR860s with after market earpads, Moondrop Chu’s, Moondrop Chu II’s, Tanchjim Zeros, and both iterations of the AirPod Pros. These in short the HD599s are good enough that I can easily tell the difference in quality from listening to an MP3 on a iPod verses the same MP3 on my phone. So if you want these for listening to your old iPod you are overspending. I can also tell the difference in quality in certain FLAC files verses their MP3 counterparts, though I will admit the difference is slight to my untrained ears. I bough these on sale for ~$120 which I feel is more than a fair price for the product I received. Now for the compare and contrasting… In terms of audio quality the HD599s and the Chu II are my favorite sounding headphones. (If you want less bass and a more sparkly sound get the original Chus or the Zeros. Lofi, classical instruments, and female vocals in particular sounds amazing with them) They are both fairly balanced with a warmer bass. They both have a very different quality of sound thanks to these being an open back headphone and the Chu II’s having more of a passive noise cancelation. I can’t put it into words. Some say open backs sound fuller thanks to their open nature, but that word doesn't hit the spot for me. Needless to say, I find myself switching between both frequently to scratch the itch each of the qualities provide depending on my mood. The HD599s are naturally a harder to run so I have to crank the volume on my phone more, but they are still perfectly drivable without a dedicated DAC/AMP. The Chu II’s start at $20, but if you are cursed with small waxy ear canals, like myself, then you will have to replace the filters fairly frequently (every ~5 days) which would cost me around $4 a month with my average use case. That is a bit of a hassle and a hidden cost that is rarely mentioned. The HD599’s always sound good since they are not subject to the same moist conditions. Can you get competing sound for cheaper if you go the IEM (in ear monitor) route? Yes, but sometimes you just want over the ear headphones for the sake of comfort, lack of hassle, and sharability. If your not interested in IEMs like the Chu II’s then here is a comparison to the SR850s (the SR860s are basically identical, but have another color way and are usually more expensive). In terms of comfort the HD599’s are far more comfortable out of the box. The pads of the SR850’s touch my ears which felt fine until I experienced better, now I don't care for them and wouldn’t wear them for long periods of time. The HD599’s actually sit around my ears with the inner pads being deep enough that they don’t touch my ears. The ear cups also swivel to conform to my head which also improves the experience. Where things get interesting is if you splurge for after market velour pads for the SR850s which cost an additional ~$20 (I got mine from TRANSTEK). These increase the total cost to around $60 but feel equally comfortable (if not slightly more so) than the HD599s. I haven't seen any aftermarket pads that look as thick and soft for the HD599s yet, but if I do, I will definitely give them a try and update this review. The sound quality is a matter of preference between the two, I like the warmer and slightly fuller sound of the HD599s and I think the top end sounds slightly more crisp/accurate. In terms of sound leakage the HD599s are definitely worse. You don't want to use these if you don't want people to listen in to your content. With the SR850s you can tend to avoid people listening in if you’re at a moderate volume. If you are in a noisy house with children then both of these may not be right for you. You would want to look into closed back or IEMs. I personally like open backs because you can still hear the world around you when you’re working. You are not in your personal bubble. The removable cable is the greatest quality of life feature of the HD599s. It comes with two cables out of the box: a long boi with a chonky 6.3mm jack with a step down adapter to 3.5, and a reasonably sized 3.5mm cable. The SR850s in contrast have a non removable long 3.5mm cable with a step-up 6.3mm adapter. As a result the SR850’s don’t leave my desk and the cables stay cable managed underneath it. The HD599s offer way more flexibility. I use my short cable for around the house listening on my phone, handheld game consoles, and occasionally on my AMP/DAC on my PC while reserving the long cable for watching TV on my sofa or bed. If you’re looking for solid stationary desk headphones for work and general use with a flat sound get the SR850s with the aftermarket earpads are fantastic for the money and will beat pretty much any “gaming” headphone on the market in terms of sound quality. They also dont have much audio leakage so they may work well in an office setting as you can still hear what is going on around you. If you want convenience buds for daily use that you keep on you 24/7 get the AirPod Pros (the first gen had better connectivity and range but the second gen sound slightly better). If you want great affordable sound (with some maintenance) go the IEM route and snag the Chu’s or Zeros for a flat accurate sound or the Chu II’s for a warmer sound that maintains the accuracy on the top end. If you want excellent open backs that can be driven without an external DAC/AMP that are slightly warm then the HD599s are great. I don't think I would buy the HD599s at the retail cost of $250 considering the HD600s (the de facto benchmark for over 20 years) often drop down to $300 on sale or $250 in used like-new condition, but at $120 I think they are a fair price for what they offer as a package. They are versatile, comfortable, and accurate enough that you can hear the differences between good and bad mp3 playback and (depending on the file or the quality/accuracy of your hearing) the difference between a FLAC and MP3. Welcome to audiophile country, open your wallets and enjoy the process of nitpicking sound quality to justify your purchases. I hope you enjoy your descent.