Sennheiser HD 599 SE Around Ear Open Back Headphone - Black

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD438's, but I hadn't used them much in the recent years. I was more into TWS earbuds and then transitioned to wired IEM's. I recently dug out my old Sennie's for a change and really appreciated the forgotten comfort and sound signature. So, I decided to research today's headphones. The HD 599 SE was in the right price bracket (I've spent way too much already, according to my wife!!) and the reviews gave it high marks for soundstage, comfort, sound signature and open-back bass. I knew Sennheiser was durable. My HD438's are still in excellent condition after 11 or 12 years. The SE traditional coloring is much better suited to my taste than the HD 599..DESIGN & BUILD:The Industrial Stylist at Sennheiser must have a really tedious job. I was surprised how similar my 11-year-old HD 438 is to the HD599. No major styling change there in all that time! At least that shiny spoke pattern, which reminds me of my truck wheels, is gone! The headphones are equally comfortable, with a touch more pressure on the HD599. My glasses are not forced onto my head though and I can wear these for hours. The oval earcups are quite large vertically, like the HD 438, and fit my big ears perfectly to be truly ‘over-the-ear’ ‘phones. I have room to spare, but not much!.While these headphones are made of plastic, they are very strong and you’ll struggle to break them. You can twist and spread these around and not crack anything..I’m not a fan of the dedicated 2.5mm (?) twist-lock connector into the headphone, but at least there are aftermarket replacements available. I have no idea why the adapter on the longer cable is a large female to small male and the large male 6.35mm connector is on the cable. The cable should be 3.5mm and the adapter should enlarge the connector. With the adapter on, the cable end is just too honking big!.My only criticism would be the headband adjustment. I liked the SHP 9500 with its strong detent and numbering system. I find the headband can go out of adjustment too easily handling the headphones and I have to judge the gap in the headband visually for my best fit..SOUNDSTAGE & IMAGING:When I got the HD 599 SE, I plugged them straight into my phone and was totally blown away. The frequency curve is essentially neutral with a hint of coloration. The bass rolls off below 40Hz but the treble stays strong right up to the 20kHz limit. The mids are slightly cool but are certainly not ‘recessed’.I felt like…- I was in a room with the musicians. The reproduction was totally natural.- The bass was really solid, surprisingly so for an open-back headphone. Maybe not bass head worthy, but punchy, crisp, and realistic.- The treble was clear, detailed and ‘Sennheiser smooth’. I really liked my Momentum TW2 earbud sound signature, but as buds go, they are dated (app and ANC) compared with other brands and I ended up returning them. ☹‘Hold me now’ by the Thompson twins, ‘Honey and the Bee’ by Owl City, and ‘Appetite’ by Prefab Sprout can be quite harsh, even sibilant, at the upper end on all my IEM's and some of my TWS buds. I like a bright sound, but not sibilant and grainy. The HD 599 SE was so natural sounding and just… gorgeous.- The soundstage is what I've been seeking and missing with closed back and in-ears. Hotel California - Live on MTV 1994 by the Eagles sounds amazing. That punch at 32s is awesome. ‘Strive’ by Amber Rubarth, ‘Killing me softly…’ by Roberta Flack, 'Unearthed - Orchestral version' by Wildpath, and ‘Your Grace is enough – Live’ by Matt Maher are just sublime. There’s both width and height with correctly mixed tracks. Try listening to “Best 8D song EVER with headphones 2021 – HD” on YT. Awesome!- Imaging is also superb and it’s easy to pick out the location of instruments. ‘Buck Dance’ by Dick Schory’s New Percussion Ensemble has your senses tracking all over the stage!.I’d not used open back headphones before trying the SHP 9500 and I actually liked the feel and openness, compared with closed-back. However, the SHP 9500 did not have the sound staging I was after. The HD 599 SE certainly does.Of course, you need to use these in a quiet room to save your ears. With the 106dB sensitivity and 50 Ohm impedance, I do have to use 70 to 80% volume directly connected to my phone, compared with 40% on my IEM’s. Still plenty loud enough for me, but you may not agree. Please take care of your hearing though!.I have a collection of Earbud Test Tracks, which I use to assess my earphones….https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/6c1a03929ed947ab82cc33db24d7c001sune?ref=dm_sh_c7f9-3dba-7009-a4cd-8323a.I usually use a Qudelix 5K DAC/AMP. I loaded Oratory1990’s HD 599 PEQ and with the HD 599 connected, I noticed that it cleaned up the lower/mid bass just a tad. On some tracks, the bass can get a little muddy.I felt that a little more treble was needed and slightly less bass though to suit my taste. So, I adjusted the PEQ and I now have my final settings (see photo)..CONCLUSION:For a consumer-friendly price, you are truly entering Audiophile territory with the HD 599. I have no reticence in stating that.When the HD 599 go on sale, they are an absolute must-have. I bought these for the current price of $150. I still think that’s a steal!The HD 599 SE are now my go-to for serious listening late at night and I think they could be yours also!

So this year I really wanted to try open back headphones, it was a new world I found out about. I have bluetooth aukey and anker earbuds, Sony XB900N, HyperX Cloud PS4 (same as pc,xbox versions), and other wired earbuds. A big plus is I can hear my surroundings with open-back. This fall I did research, and learned so much about audio that I didn't care for before, but now fascinated. I'm still not doing the amp thing. SO I hope this review helps someone.My ultimate two choices came down to Sennheiser HD599se and Philips X2HR. These two are so opposite when it comes to available information on the web. Tons of X2HR forums, reviews, videos, etc., and HD599se not so much. I wanted an open back headphone, for primarily games, and secondary music and movies.I almost decided to keep both headphones because it was so hard to choose. Here are the differences first:- X2HR too heavy for me. I thought it wouldn't matter. Very comfy but gets heavy soon after and too noticeable.- X2HR definitely a boomier bass. Think deep rich smooth.- HD599se, super comfy, probably my most comfy headphone. Ears don't get hot or sweaty like my Sony ANC headphones. Can wear for hours which others I kind of need to take breaks.The first headphone I opened was X2HR. First song was a Paul Taylor's Push to Start. I almost cried, I don't think I've experienced a wide sound stage before. Deep bass and open audio experience like no other. It was like listening to song you knew but in a different way. Everything sounded great. Then I listened to more Paul Taylor, then Tobu, Axero, etc. Yeah there's awesome bass.Then I couldn't contain myself I had to try the HD599se. First I was underwhelmed. Not wide, actually felt almost like closed back headphones. But I was surprised to hear bass, I was worried it would be non-existent. There was bass, but not as much as X2HR. Then I tried both on my PS4 controller. Both can were loud enough so no issues here.Two days later I tried them again, but put on the HD599se first and listened. They were actually really good, not as bad as I remembered. Then I put on X2HR. Now I noticed the differences clearer. In Jazz, the sax was so much more clearer and cleaner. Guitars sounds beautiful. So much more balanced, not neutral, but everything is presented well. X2HR, bass does cloud the instruments, as its more pronounced I feel.Ultimately, after listening to more music from tobu, axero, gramatik, jack johnson, nora jones, paul taylor, haywyre, etc., and playing ps4, I really wanted to keep both for different purpose. But in the end I chose one because I knew I'd only use one most of the time. Here's why I chose the Sennheiser HD599se:- Audio is very balanced, and easy to listen to most genres. I like the bass doesn't overwhelm everything. Everything is pretty much at the same level. The instruments sounds much clearer. Its like if the artist wants more bass in the song, you'll definitely notice it. Its seems more a match for what the artist probably wanted you to hear.- I don't know if burn-in happened, or what exactly that is, but over time I feel like the bass and audio quality of HD599se got significantly better. Or maybe its that it sounds better on my PC than phone, and that's when I notice it.- Hip hop, jazz, blues, etc was a pleasure. Only edm sounded better on X2hr to me.- Gaming was much more enjoyable on HD599se. In FPS like call of duty, I could hear my surroundings better and anticipate people around me. In sports games, I felt like crowd noise was overwhelming on X2hr, such as FIFA.- Super comfortable and light.- I spend alot of time already listening to music on the HD599se because its really good. I appreciate these more and more as I listen to music. I'm not analyzing, just listening and doing my thing.In closing, I wish I could keep both. But won't. I wish Sennheiser had a little more bass, but its enough. You will hear the boom, bass hum, the usual, but just not as much or rich as X2HR. I wish HD599se had wider soundstage, which the X2hr had. Really like that openness... alot. If you like lots of bass and don't mind to sacrifice some of the audio of the instruments such as sax, piano, guitar, and ok with heavier headphone, then X2HR is amazing. I went back and forth so much between the two, and was hard to pick. I had to really listen alot. In the end I'm really happy with my decision and awesome black friday price. Maybe next year we'll see what options are available in the market.