So good I bought them three times!
These are awesome in every sense of the word. I have owned a very wide range of headphones and could be considered a collector. Current pairs include: HD580, HD650, HD599, DT880 Pro, DT770 80 ohm, AKG K712 Pro, Philips SHP9500, Fostex T50RP Mk3. Running a Schiit Modi Multibit DAC and a Schiit Asgard 2 amp.
My first somewhat Hi-Fi headphones were the HD598s years ago. They were very underwhelming for me at the time, and I sold them for some more exciting Beyerdynamic headphones. Over time my tastes got more refined and I revisited the HD598 in its newer brother, the HD599. I LOVED them instantly, and going back to the 598s borrowed from a friend, finally loved those too. My friend with the HD598s loved the HD599s as well and offered to buy them from me. So I cut him a deal. However I ended up missing the HD599s so badly that I bought another pair, lol. HD598, HD599, HD599. I can't get rid of these things, haha.
I fell in love with the HD599 very quickly. To me they are every bit the equal to the HD580 and HD650 in my collection. Kind of differently tuned, soundstaged and voiced, but similar overall ability. Definitely not flat. More of a shallow V shape like the HD650s but with more mid presence and smoother treble. They have less peaky treble than the HD598s despite even more extension, and their mids are absolute perfection. Despite definitely having the "Sennheiser Veil" these headphones do a stunning job rendering detail. The more extended treble mixed with the veil creates an amazingly smooth response. Super pleasant to the ears. Bass is likewise noticeably improved from the HD598 with better dynamics and a little stronger punch. Build quality is also better than the HD598 and they are just a little bit more solid with a better headband. The cups are super wide and fit perfectly on my ears and the wide angled drivers mean they have a much wider and more active soundstage than the HD6xx series. Not artificially massive but spacious with great dynamics and imaging. They are also dead easy to power so most phones, sound cards, and PC headphone jacks will do a pretty good job running them. That said they really benefit from an amp, as they have impedance spikes through out their range up to 300 ohms.
Superior comfort and nearly perfect sound mean these headphones punch far above their weight. For me they totally replace the HD650 as the "exciting" Sennheiser in my collection while the HD580 keeps its spot as the "boring reference" Sennheiser. Will be selling the HD650s. That's how good the HD599s are for me.
For the prices these can be got for on discount there is no reason to look further than these headphones for most people. They offer performance nearly on par with a lot of higher end dynamic headphones, and have awesome tuning. I can't recommend these enough, and see them as an equal to the more expensive headphones in my collection. The HD599 is a perfect refinement of the classic HD598 with all the right boxes ticked. Get a pair now.
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