Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Sennheiser has truly created something special here. It just goes to show how far headphone technology has come that you don’t need to spend hundreds on headphones, DACs, and amps, to get great sound. Although these are a great value for $99 and even $150, I think there are areas where Sennheiser could improve the sound quality. As a point of reference, I currently own the Philips Fidelio X2, Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 (which are being replaced by these), and previously owned the Sennheiser HD 600 and HD 598 SE. The build of the HD598Cs is all plastic and an unusual feeling velour/pleather material on the earpads and on the outside of the earcups. The plastic is high quality though and has a good feel in the hand so I’m not complaining. The headband has a good amount of cushion but does put more pressure on the top of my head than the HD598SE. Overall, I think the HD598Cs are one of the most comfortable closed-back headphones. Let me begin by saying that these are NOT audiophile headphones. Anyone who buys these expecting extreme detail and resolution will be disappointed. The HD598Cs provide a relaxed, yet balanced sound. There is absolutely nothing obtrusive about the sound. You can pump these at high volume and you won’t find a song that has piercing highs or disturbing lows. If anything, the mids are a bit forward making vocals very pleasant. Another thing I noticed was the soundstage, which is quite big for closed back headphones. I’d say the soundstage is close to that of the HD 598 SE (which are open-back). That’s an impressive accomplishment by Sennheiser. The HD598Cs also have good spatial resolution (or imaging). When listening to good recordings, you can tell where vocals and different instrument are positioned. Again, props to Sennheiser on accomplishing this in a closed-back, $99 headphone. However, the reason I said these are not audiophile headphones is because the HD598Cs lack frequency separation. The bass leaks into the mids and mids leak into highs. Some might say this makes them sound “muddy”, whereas I describe the sound as relaxed. It’s pleasant to listen to and for someone who hasn’t heard HiFi headphones, it will be amazing. However, for me, it was a bit distracting particularly in classical music. For instance, in a piano concerto, during a cadenza, I expect to hear the bassists, cellist, and drums in the low end; brass and woodwinds in the mids; violas and violins in the highs, and piano throughout these ranges. With the HD598Cs, the bass frequencies heavily bleed into the mids so it sounds like a loud smear of frequencies. This isn’t a deal breaker for me because I have the Philips X2s, which is one of the best at instrument separation, but if someone is looking for a single all-around headphone, this is not the one. The HD598Cs does many other things right and I loved listening to jazz, rock, R&B, hip hop, dance, and soundtrack music in them. I’m keeping these because at $99, the HD598Cs are a steal and are still worth it at $150. They fixed all the issues I encountered with the HD598SE. With the open-back version, the highs were piercing and lows were abysmal. In my opinion, the HD598Cs are better than the HD598SE although some might say otherwise. Also, the HD598Cs do sound better than the Momentum 2.0 (wired); the HD598Cs have a bigger soundstage, better imaging, and the same clarity. Obviously, the Momentum 2.0 are more portable but that’s not a concern of mine. So, if you’re looking for a fantastic sounding, closed-back, comfortable headphone, the HD598Cs are the ones to get.