Thursday, February 24, 2011

Sennheiserhd 598 headphone review


Sennheiser hd 598

We typically scoff and  prepare for the worst  whenever we see the word "audiophile" in the marketing for any headphone that we see cross our desks, because we've been exposed to some of the crazy things that people will buy simply because it's branded as such. That being said, the Sennheiser HD 598s are actually a very decent set of cans for home use. Their open backed ear cups allow for an open soundstage, and they are certainly easy on the eyes. Their pricetag is a little high, but their performance might be enough to justify the cost for some discerning audiophiles, as many shudders as that word may give us.

I’d always wanted a pair of HD650s or HD800s but at the time couldn’t swing it financially. I opted instead for these - the HD598s - which, on paper at least, looked like a very viable alternative at a fraction of the price. sound quality is very important to me, and I have an exceptional audio system which will bring out the best and the worst in both music and audio gear 

The headphones are very well packed. In the box you get a couple of cables and a screw-on quarter inch adapter. Build quality is exceptional as you would expect from sennheiser; and they’re certainly very comfortable, with plenty of soft plush padding.



The Sennheisers have an impedance curve that varies significantly with frequency. This is true of most headphones, but it's more pronounced with the HD598s. This means that you need a headphone output with low impedance to ensure the headphones sound their best. Most amplifiers and receivers, even expensive ones, skimp on the headphone output by using a cheap resistor circuit that results in a high impedance output


The problems start, however, when you plug them in. I left mine running in for a week, playing constantly via the headphone out of my preamp. Consequently they were run in for a period of roughly 168 hours, using various pieces of musical material including test tones of various frequencies, burn-in discs and many genres of music.




Right off the bat, I noticed a very forward, harsh mid range, coupled with a bright tremble and a distinct gap between the low end and the lower registers of the mid range. The 598s can do low end, but with the mids being so overpowering it’s something you rarely get to appreciate. They sound tinny and boxy, with a hint of the openness inherent with them being an open back design.

I couldn’t listen to them for long periods of time, and certainly didn’t enjoy listening to an album through them. Contrary to their advertising I did not feel like I had a front row seat at a concert; rather like i was listening to a cheap hi-fi system with a woollen hat covering my ears.

Fortunately, another week past before mine developed a dodgy connection in one of the cans and i was able to return them. 2 stars because they’re well made and come with a detachable cable and because, for the most part, I like the sennheiser brand. But these headphones were a major disappointment.