Sennheiser HD590 Full Size Headphone
See it at Amazon.com for $269.99Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (5 out of 5)Quite good for the price
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.
(5 out of 5)Very detailed. Very bright, but still very good.
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.
(5 out of 5)Better than the 580s
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.
(5 out of 5)These are Godly!!!
I have had the HD590's for about 1 and a half years now, and i LOVE THEM... i have NEVER had a problem with them.
These surpase anything i have ever heard for such a reasonable price, even compared to Sony, AKG, and Beyerdynamic.
They are SOOOOOO comfertable... i sometimes wear them (even without listening to music) because they are so comfertable. I listen to music, movies, and use the Computer for LONG periods of time, and i don't even notice that they are on my head. This is partly because they are open headphones, they do not heat up your ears, and they do not Press upon your ears, they just cup them.
They are lightweight, and i love how the cord is detachable, that way if by accident i get the cord stuck, and i move my head, it does not break the headphones, it just simply pull's out the cord (which is a very cheap replacement).
As far as sound quality goes, im in heaven. I tend to be an audiophile, and i REALLY like to listen to good music, what ever it comes from. Whether it is from my Denon Amp, or my computer, i love to hear sound the way it should be heard. These headphones can run Very good on low power (Computer), and they work fine with Powerful amps. Right out of the box the sounds are perfect, and every sound sounds just like it should. The only thing these headphones can't do, is take the place of a good Surround system with a GOOD subwoofer, but what can you expect from such a small speaker? I also like how they are open, so as i can hear other things going on. My dad has some Sennheiser HD 280 pros, and they come no where near the HD590's. For the cheap pirce diffrence, get the good ones...
Like i said, These headphones will play all ranges of sound, flawlessly. From deap lows, to Pitch highs.
Don't let the price get you down eaither, If you can make these last, you will be Very pleased. Like i said, i have yet to hear a headphone that "I" can notice any better quality with, and i consider myself and audiophile.
If i could die with just one thing, ide take these, for sure.
~Hope this helps
(5 out of 5)Best high-end headphones for the average stereo
I bought the Sennheiser HD 590 Prestige headphones after I became dissatisfied with my admittedly low-end headphones, and what a difference these headphones make! Sure, they are brighter than the older HD 580 Precision and HD 600 Avantgarde headphones, but the HD 590 works well on normal stereo equipment (unlike the HD 580 and HD 600, which require a separate, expensive, high-powered headphone amp just to obtain much sound quality out of them) - and the HD 590 even works quite well directly from many portable CD players (again, unlike many of the other Sennheiser full-size headphones, some of which are far less sensitive than their smaller size implies). The bass is quite deep without any hint of boominess; the mids are as open as any headphone I have ever listened to.
These headphones are so comfortable that I can wear them almost forever - if I ever listen to music that long. The only problem of these headphones is that they are so detailed, you will notice all the flaws in your recorded media! That means if you feed them crap, they'll sound even more like crap. On the other hand, well-mastered CD's sound better than they ever did.
So, if you want a taste of the high-end Sennheiser sound but don't want to spend thousands of dollars on super-high-end equipment, the HD 590 is the way to go. People who want an exaggerated stereo presentation may be disappointed with these headphones - in that case they should buy a pair of Grado headphones (but be prepared for an ear-ache after an hour of listening).