Sennheiser HD 595 Consumer Headphones

Amazing sound for LPs and digital sources. These enhance the sound from vintage as well as my most modern equipment. Extremely light and comfortable. Recommend highly.

I had been researching circumaural headphones for the past few weeks when I came across good prices on these HD 595s. Originally set on some 555s, I picked these up before of the nearly negligeable price difference. I will start by saying if you've only used standard earbuds or default headphones that came with your MP3 player, you'll be overwhelmed.

The clarity on these headphones is amazing: clear highs, defined mids and accurate bass. Couple it's open, circumaural design with some high-quality encoded tracks (some recommend 160 kbps+... I just use lossless now) and you will hear your old music in a new light. In drum solos I can hear the clear left-to-right progression of the drummer actually hitting the toms in that very direction. Even grungy rock music will sound more vibrant: The clear tones define the music as a grouping of individual instruments instead of one muddled sound.

In terms of hardware, I have only had experience using these out of my PC motherboard (Realtek HD 885 codec) and my 1G iPod Touch. The sound does seem brighter/more vibrant coming from the PC -- surely a matter of the kind of juice a PC with a dedicated power source can bring vs. li-ion iPod. Contrary to popular belief, these headphones and a few other high-end 'phones can be driven by MP3 players to acceptible volume. Compared to my previous set of Sennheiser PMX-60's (by no means a slouch for their price), I have to use about 50-60% more amplification to drive the same volume on the iPod. The higher impedence can be blamed for that, but either way I wouldn't use open headphones on the go for obvious reasons... Nor is the 1/4" to 1/8" adapter very MP3 player friendly.

Overall, a welcome addition to my growing addiction and a great introductory set of headphones into the world of Hi-Fi. Would buy again.

Pros:
+ Great sound reproduction; accurate and smooth
+ Can be driven to great volumes
+ Good looking and practical; rugged
+ Comfortable to wear for extended periods of time; lightweight
+ Can be used by MP3 players if so desired (stand-alone amp. recommended)
+ Long cord
+ User replacable cord & ear pads

Cons:
- High MSRP (349)
- Requires a stand-alone amp. to really shine (same can be said about any high-end 'phones)
- Soundstage is a little lacking

Premières écoutes avec mes écouteurs Sennheiser HD-595 Films (Horton et Snakes and Arrows), Rock (Sound Pinata et Rush en format MVI), Jazz fusion (Tribal Tech), Big Band (Burning for Buddy), Classique (Stravinsky), Electro (Art of Noise, Yello & Oblik). Le son est détaillé et large, supérieur au Bang & Olufsen) Attention! haut parleurs ouverts (pas pour le bus, le bureau ou à proximité de quelqu'un)

Really good product for the price. Professional head phones that normally cost $300.00 for a 130.00. You cant go wrong.