( 74 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 10 2009
This is the 4th pair of sennheisers that I have owned. I first owned the EH 1430's that sounded pretty good and lasted a while. Then I upgraded to the EH 2200's which were about 65 dollars. After about 11 years and a few part replacements they still work pretty well. I needed another pair that were not so bulky so I bought the HD 202's. They were ok but the wearing time was hard because they felt quite tight on my head. Two years ago I decided to do myself a favor and upgrade to some audiophile headphones. The HD 595's are unbelievable. I use them with my Ipod Touch and a cmoy headphone amp. In my opinion open air headphones are the way to go because of the sound quality. You don't fee like you are listening inside a box. You have to at least listen to music that is 192 kbps or higher to make them worth the money. The highs are crisp and clear and the bass is full but not overpowering. I had them for about a year and decided to get a headphone amp for a bit more power because of the headphones high ohms. The headphone amp adds so much more to your listening experience than you think it will. I am certainly happy that I made the jump to audiophile headphones and the HD 595's for the price will melt your face off.
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Posted: Aug 6 2009
There are excellent reviews in this column that describe the sonic aspects of these headphones; I have a critical ear, and I find them to sound natural and open. But where they truly prove their mettle to me is in how I use them. My early mornings begin on a stationary bicycle, listening to music or watching DVD's or Blu-Rays while I work out. Not to disturb the family, I wear these headphones. Vigorous biking often involves action-adventure films, and these headphones stand up to all of the aural violence that my AV Receiver can pump out. Secondly, the open air design allows me to hear the telephone and doorbell ringing, as well as someone calling your name. Truly astonishing when you feel that the volume is pumped up, but you can also clearly hear the snap of your fingers. They are also exceptionally comfortable (far more comfortable than the Sennheiser HD-650's I also use which cost three times as much) for extended wear, and finally, they have held up very well to wear and tear, and seem to have absorbed no unpleasant odors despite the fact that they can be quite damp after a workout. Highly recommnded.
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Posted: Jul 20 2009
Let me start by saying that I'm no audiophile, so there will be little or no technical jargon or creative audiophillic descriptions. That cliche out of the way, here's my review of the Sennheiser HD-595 that I recently purchased right here on Amazon. I have never spent more than $20 on headphones, and have only owned either proprietary earbuds (e.g. iPod, Sony), or those cheap on ear portable headphones. This is my first set of "cans", or audiophile quality over-the-ear headphones. In Honolulu, there are few places to actually be able to listen to a good array of cans and the stores that do have them have only a few for "sampling" (e.g. Best Buy, Apple Store). The only cans I have been able to sample were the Bose on-ear BOSE (R) TriPort On Ear Stereo Headphones , a cheaper pair of Sennheisers (don't know the model), and the Dr. Dre/Monster collaboration Beats Beats by Dr. Dre Studio High-Definition Headphones from Monster . So it was extremely difficult to choose headphones online, not being able to hear them first and basically just going by the reviews of others. My first listen to the 595's was on an iPod powered through my Onkyo TX-SR804 AV receiver. Having spent $177 and seeing rave reviews of these cans, my expectations were quite high. Initially, I must say, there was a little disappointment. But, after listening to a variety of genres (rock, metal, easy listening, jazz, classical) for a couple of hours, my appreciation for these cans emerged. Never have I heard such clarity, separation, and warmth. There are "items", in songs that I've listened to hundreds of times, that I never heard before. The bass doesn't blow you away like the Beats, but it adequately works in harmony with the highs and mids, which are very crisp. There were, however, a few times where the speaker in the headphone seemed to bottom out. I don't know if it's because the phones aren't "broken in" yet or it just plain can't handle the power. Listening to these cans through my netbook is marginal. The sound is there, but doesn't get loud enough for the full effect. Hopefully this can be remedied by the use of a headphone amp. I'm currently looking at the FiiO F5 (under $30) and will update this review with the results. As far as build is concerned, it seems to be pretty solid with mostly hard plastic construction of the main enclosure and headband which has a padded pleather cover, and padded velour-covered ear pads. The cord is quite sturdy with gold-plated connectors on the main cord as well as the 3.5mm adapter. Hopefully this build method will withstand the test of time. I'd say that the headphones are moderately comfortable. The velour-covered earpads are soft and plush, although they may be a little too shallow as my ears sometimes touch the inner mesh cover which vibrates and tickles my ear(I don't think my ears stick out that much). The headband is not too bad as its pleather-covered pad is soft but may annoy some who are concerned about their carefully primped hair being pressed down. Overall, these are a great sounding pair of cans. However, if you are looking for something that can boom like the Dr. Dre Beats, these aren't for you, but you will pay $120 more for the Beats. They'll probably last a good many years with some TLC and are comfortable enough to wear for hours on end. A final note for those of you who don't know the difference between 'open-air' and 'noise-reducing' cans (which is a whole other discussion);these are open-air, which means ambient sounds can be heard and vice-versa. So, I wouldn't recommend wearing them on a plane or at work in a quiet office, and also wouldn't use them in a noisy room as the sound might mix in with what you're listening to. Update: I purchased a headphone amp E5 Headphone Amplifier (see my review for purchasing advise). It works quite well in boosting the volume and sound quality. A good pairing with the Senn's HD 595.
