Sennheiser HD 598

Product Overview

Meet the beautiful Sennheiser HD 598s.

Speakers

Guarded by a translucently thin fine cloth mesh is the speaker element of the Sennheiser HD 598.

Back

Here we see the detailed back of the Sennheiser HD 598s, with the open back of the ear cups accented with luxurious-looking burlwood and metal mesh.

Band

The band of the HD 598s is padded with a soft plasticine leather wrapped around soft foam, cradling your skull nicely.

Cable

The cable of the Sennheiser HD 598s is a rather long 10 feet, but it seems to be robust and insulated well enough to withstand a few accidental kicks, chair rollovers or tugs.

Diverging from the norm of many of the headphones we’ve reviewed, the Sennheiser HD 598s are capped by a straight 1/4^th inch plug. Should you need to change this up, included in the packaging is a 1/4^th to 1/8^th inch adapter.

The cord guard of the Sennheiser HD 598s is robust enough, though a bit small. Do not fear though, as the reason for this is quite good: You can pull the cord out of the ear cup to replace it if you elect to do so, or if there is a breakage issue later on down the line.

In the Box

When you unpack your box of Sennheiser HD 598s, you’ll pull out your cans, a 1/4^th to 1/8^th inch adapter, and a small amount of documentation regarding your tailor-made “audiophile” headphones.

Durability (6.75)

As the Sennheiser HD 598s are open-backed, there are certain precautions that you need to take in order to preserve your high-priced cans. Because the electronics are essentially bare to the elements, you should not take the Sennheiser HD 598s outside, nor should you let them come into contact with humid air, as this may over time damage your cans.

The good news? Even though cables are often the first things to break on headphones, the Sennheiser HD 598s allow you to re-cable your cans easily should they break or suffer unacceptable internal wear and tear. This is a great feature to have, as we can tell you from horrible, horrible experience.

Aesthetics (8.75)

Sennheiser really sunk a lot of time and effort into making the HD 598s appear as opulent as their pricetag would suggest. With a creamy beige casing with burlwood accents, the Sennheiser HD 598s look like they were carved out of an audiophile’s dream, and sold online. This rather extravagant detailing may not be for everyone, however, especially if you have a rather strong distaste for the bourgeoisie.