Sennheiser 598 Headphones

I don’t know about you but I definitely don’t enjoy the scratchy headphones given out by airlines that sound like nails on a chalkboard. Now I wouldn’t exactly call myself an audiophile but I think I can tell the difference between a quality sounding MP3 and a broken record. A few weeks ago my old Skullcandy ear-buds actually broke down on me so I went on a journey for a new pair of high quality cans. This time I wanted to pick up some full size, ear surrounding, and hopefully comfy headphones. One of the largest names in high quality audio is Sennheiser having been in business for many years and producing everything from average ear buds to gaming headsets to $1,500 studio quality headphones. My funds didn’t quite add up to that last example, so I picked up the modestly priced Sennheiser 598’s which retail anywhere between $200 to $300 depending on where you purchase them from.

My first impression on the 598’s is the quirky color scheme, this is the kind of styling that could look like a million dollars to one person and the next person could hate it. The best way to describe these headphones is large, extremely comfy, with a brown and cream color scheme. They look and feel luxurious, in and out. I find myself putting these on my head even when I don’t feel like listening to music because of the warm and comfortable feeling they give off. Being extremely light you can almost forget that you have them on your head, and they turn into little pillows on your ears. One interesting attribute to these headphones is that they are actually open-backed, which is the complete opposite of the noise-cancelling/closed-back headphones that normally rule the mainstream market. The reasoning behind this is that having an open style to the headphones allows the sound stage to be large and fully encompassing. Let me tell you, the first time I tried out these cans I was absolutely amazed to say the least. They produce this warm sound that just seems to engulf you within the music. It is almost impossible to transcribe just how unbelievable these headphones are, and coming from someone who has never owned a high quality pair before these are absolutely worth the seemingly large price tag. Before pulling the trigger on this purchase I did have my doubts about how much better one pair of headphones could be after a certain point but I find myself hearing songs in a completely different light these days. I hear vocals that absolutely did not show up when using the typical Apple headset that comes standard with most iProducts.

In the package along with the actual headphones comes a typical 1/8th adapter and a 1/4th audio plug in case you have a home stereo system, or high quality audio amplifier/DAC. The packaging looks just as luxurious as the headphones themselves, and leaves nothing out. On a scale of one to ten I would absolutely give these headphones a solid nine, and I recommend that you check out one of the headphones in Sennheiser’s large collection as they seem to have a different headphone for every price range; be prepared for amazing audio that will leave you speechless!