Sennheiser HD 598
| Over-Ear | Open-Back | Neodymium Magnets | Burl Wood |
Sennheiser HD 598, the open-back version of the HD 598 series.
The Sennheiser HD 598 features single dynamic drivers with Duofol diaphragms and aluminum voice coils on an open design – the brand specifies that this headphone makes use of their with “Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement” (E.A.R.) design.
This headphone model is placed as the 2nd top of the line headphone of the HD 5 series, sitting right below the Sennheiser HD 599 and the Sennheiser HD 600.
The Sennheiser HD 598 are the first generation of the HD 598 open-back models (ivory color) with attractive retro looking aesthetics and a form factor inherited from nearly all the HD series.
As we mentioned during our Sennheiser HD 598 CS review, the 598 series are probably one of the most popular yet one of the most confusing of all Sennheiser headphones due to their versions variants and extremely similar names.
Some of the models of the HD 598 line are:
- Sennheiser HD 598 – open-back headphone in ivory color and wood details (being reviewed now)
- Sennheiser HD 598 CS – closed-back variant of the Sennheiser HD 598 line
- Sennheiser HD 598SR – a open-back variant of the HD 598 model in black color, that Sennheiser promotes as a “special version“
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Sennheiser HD 598 Review
Tests & Scores
A
Accessories & Packaging
The Sennheiser HD 598 comes packed with a detachable cable and a 1/4″ to 3.5mm adapter – not much else is usually expected on 1st brand’s full-sized, wired headphones.
The packaging is a quiet simple rectangular box with with a transparent front and a precise size to fit the headphone inside.
7/10
CB
Cable
The cable of the Sennheiser HD 598 is detachable, with Sennheiser’s standard twist & lock connector that uses a 2.5mm stereo plug; the source end of the cable, instead has an universal 1/4″ connector – the cable attaches to the bottom of the left earcup.
The cable has an OFC design, straight connectors, a rubberized finish and fairly thick girth.
As a picky critic, the black colored cable breaks up the harmony of the aesthetics of the ivory/brown headphone but owners can easily replace it with any other compatible cable whenever wanted.
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W
Weight
Sennheiser HD 598 weight in Ounces and Sennheiser HD 598 weight in grams.
CQ
Construction Quality and Build
Nearly all the construction of the Sennheiser HD 598 is plastic, from the earcups up to the headband structure, which might not make it the most rugged headphone but they do not feel extremely flimsy – truly, they are inline with every other plastic-made headphone from the Sennheiser HD series.
Despite this, the big grids on the rear section of each cup are made of metal and the shiny-brown details found through out the headphone are actually true burl wood.
Certainly, the Sennheiser HD 598 do not feel build like the harman/kardon NC, Bowers & Wilkins PX nor AKG K553 PRO but they look quite nice.

B
Bass & Sub Bass
The Sennheiser HD 598 has a punchy mid-bass personality and surprisingly deep sub-bass for a fully open-back headphone.
Despite their punchy mid-bass, they are not excessively out of control nor too bouncy.
Still, do not expect a super clean and refined bass like on the AKG K701, AKG K612 PRO but do not get surprised if you feel a bass style more inline with the Philips Fidelio X2, Fostex T50RP mk3 or Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO.
With an EQ, a crazy amount of sub-bass depth was unleashed and some extra punch was able to be added.
8.5/10
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M
Mids & Vocals
The Sennheiser HD 598 exhibit noticeably warm mids with a non-aggressive vocals approach but, also, some perceivable mid-bass bleed that adds a bit of congestion to their lower mids – yet, this is not overly accentuated.
Moreover, their upper mids are not too forward nor too rolled-off, remaining coherent with their lower midrange and never becoming harsh.
Overall, their midrange presented a relaxed, gentle and smooth personality with a pleasant and warm feel to them that will be welcomed by people sensitive to harsh mids.
The use of an EQ can help out their lower mids and male vocals to sound remarkably clearer and less laid-back, while higher mids can be tuned for a crispier response without getting harsh spikes.
Just beware of not overdoing your EQ bump for vocals or some tinny sounds might start to show up, if you reached this level just dial down the EQ dB a bit.
8.5/10

H
Highs & Treble
The Sennheiser HD 598 highs resolve a substantial amount of detail and offer enough brightness as not sounding muffled nor too dark.
Yet, similar to their mids personality, their highs are not aggressive and tend to a bit of recession with a darkish tint.
On the other hand, this grants them a smooth and non-fatiguing sound where piercing highs will never be a problem and sibilance that will be rare or mild.
Treble sensitive people will love their mids and highs.
Applying an EQ, highs will benefit from clear improvement over brightness and the level of detail resolved; with a vast general optimization of their highs and opening up of it’s sound.
We can see why the Sennheiser HD 598 is a massively loved open-back headphone by general consumers; as the HD 598 are relaxed and warm sounding open-back headphones that will be loved by people liking a less technically “perfect” frequency response and whose predilection is towards warmth, non-fatiguing/fun sound and full bass over analytical or aggressive mids/highs.
8.25/10
SL
Sound Leak
Sound leakage on the Sennheiser HD 598 is high and very hearable, as every good open-back headphone should.
Nonetheless, this model’s leakage is still marginally lower than on other fully open-back models.
2.75/10

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SI
Sound Isolation
The sound isolation provided by the Sennheiser HD 598 is nearly non-existent, as expected from a well-designed open-ear headphone.
As you might imagine, this is not the right headphone to get if you are looking to have music listening sessions isolated from the noises of your surroundings.
1.5/10
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C
Comfort
Nearly any editor in our team has ever loved that the brand always (mostly) opts for an all-plastic construction, even on their high-tier product lines; still it needs to be admitted that this decision makes their products light-weighted and particularly comfortable for hours.
Aided by their large earcups, soft padding and velour ear cushions, the Sennheiser HD 598 is a phenomenally comfortable headphone that can be worn endlessly without any discomfort.
In addition to this, the top headband offers a generous amount of padding (and area) while the oval-shaped cups are large enough to even fit Dumbo’s ears.
9.75/10
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EQ
Response to Equalization
The response to EQ of the HD 598 has demonstrated a very efficient capability for reorganizing and retuning many frequency ranges with nearly no issues.
9.25/10
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SF
Size & Fit
Sennheiser HD 598 size and Sennheiser HD 598 fit.





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Sennheiser HD 598 Frequency Response Curve

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Sennheiser HD 598 Technical Specifications
Type | Dynamic |
---|---|
Driver Unit | Unknown |
Sensitivity | 112dB/mW |
Power Capacity | Unknown |
Impedance | 50 ohms |
Frequency Response | 12-50,000Hz |
Diaphragm | Duofol |
Magnet | Neodymium ferrous |
Cord | Y-type, round cord |
Cord Length | 3m |
Plug | Stereo mini plug |
Weight | Approx. 270g |
Supplied Accessories | cable; 1/4″ adapter |
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Sennheiser HD 598 Scores
- Design - 10/1010/10
- Bass - 8.5/108.5/10
- Mids - 8.5/108.5/10
- Highs - 8.25/108.3/10
- Comfort - 9.75/109.8/10
- Response to EQ - 9.25/109.3/10
- Value for Money - 10/1010/10
Summary



✅ Punchy and deep bass (in comparison to many open-back headphones)
✅ Warm and smooth mids
✅ Gentle, relaxed vocals
✅ No harsh higher mids
✅ Attractive and elegant retro design
✅ Detachable single-sided cable
✅ Light weighted
✅ Super comfortable
✅ Non piercing highs
✅ Easy to drive, even with smartphones
✅ Very responsive to EQ with vast general SQ improvement
✅ Excellent value for money
❌ All plastic construction (like, nearly, every Sennheiser headphone)
❌ Somewhat darkish tinted highs
❌ Mid-bass bleed is present.
The Sennheiser HD 598 make part of the highly recommended open-back headphones for people wanting to get into the better sounding headphones world and/or getting an open-back headphone for the first time and want to start with an excellent model but that are still not used to flat and conservative-tuned studio monitor/headphones.
Moreover, their easy to drive capacity and non-dependency on an external amp make them a great initiating headphone for people not wanting to spend money on an amp.
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