Sennheiser HD 599 SE Around Ear Open Back Headphone – Black

8 reviews for Sennheiser HD 599 SE Around Ear Open Back Headphone – Black

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   seajay – 14/07/2025

   great sound on these, though the volume will not feel as substantial as with closed back headphones. it goes a long way for my anxiety because i am able to hear what is around me and not be caught unawares. these are lightweight and very comfortable, fitting around the ear in a way that doesn’t bother my piercings (of which i have several going all the way up both ears and an industrial). it’s been an hour and so far no fatigue, no sweat in or around my ears, and no soreness from my piercings. i also wear glasses and no issues there either.

   the original cord is extremely long, and it’s a bit tricky to swap to the smaller one. you have to twist then pull, it should come out easily so if it doesn’t then twist the other direction and try again. if you like your music loud, then everything will be heard outside your headphones. at mid volume it’s less noticable, but if you blast it, these headphones more or less will sound like an old 90s stereo to everyone around you. great for at home, but not public transport, planes, or gym.

   sound off, i can hear everything just the same as if i weren’t wearing headphones. in use, outside sound is muffled and nearly disappears at higher volume, depending on what it is. for example my voice sounds muffled but clearly understanable when i speak while listening to Bach’s Cello Suites at volume 60 on my mp3 player. but at the same volume listening to Papercut by Linkin Park, i can just barely hear my voice when speaking at normal volume.

   MUSIC and MOVIES: music sounds great with these, i’ve tried classical, EDM, acapella, rock, pop, cinematic, metal. not true basshead level but can be made so with eq or DAC. movie audio is awesome, as long as you slightly modify your bass level on equalizer and turn off all “enhancement” settings/plugins on your device. sounds nearly like being right there in a movie theater, it’s awesome! Dune, for example, sounds absolutely insane. as do the Marvel movies and the original Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Nope, and The Thin Man (1934).

   GAMING: surround sound in games works with these! using Genshin as a lowest-denominator example, in-game i set audio and SFX to maximum and muted vocals and music, surround sound and full dyanmic range with my PC (Win11) volume set to 50. being right in front of a waterfall keeps the sound in both ears no matter the camera direction. but moving away, and slowly moving the camera as the waterfall sound very clearly in different directions. muted when camera is fully away(waterfall behind me), fully in one ear when left or right and quieter in opposite ear, facing the camera full toward the waterfall brings the sound forward in both ears again. the further away, the lesser the sound but the degree of difference remains the same. slowly panning the camera in a circle gradually alters the direction of the audio in sync with where the waterfall is.

   directly plugged into PC has full, crisp clear audio. when connected to a PS4 DualShock controller (via USB, not wireless), the surround sound effect is less substantial. it’s comparable to limited/stereo where all sound is either left/right ear, behind, or in front with not much in between.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Carlos – 08/08/2025

   Tras romperse mis antiguos cascos decidí romper la hucha y optar a algo de más calidad en la gama de los 140-200. Un poco perdido en el tema navegue y tire de web de audiofilos, aficionados, músicos y de ahí saque mis propias conclusiones y opciones.
   Por ello, compré varios cascos que ahora procederé a comparar y resumir mis valoraciones hasta decantarme por fin con estos Sennheiser HD599:
   -Beyerdynamic dt 770 pro: unos cascos cerrados con bastante renombre y recomendables dentro de la gama de los 100 y poco euros. Los encontré demasiado plasticosos y con un sonido demasiado frio y plano. Su unico punto positivo es que son muy cerrados y te aislan de un ambiente muy ruidoso, pero no era lo que estaba buscando ni tampoco mis necesidades.
   -Soundmagic HP200: Mejores sensaciones que con los Beyer, ya que se trata de unos auriculares abiertos y por ende el espacio sonoro es mucho mas grande, pero tampoco disfruté con lo que escuchaba. Un sonido metálico, demasiado frio y hasta desagradable. Mejor construcción y calidad que los Beyer pero tambien acabaron de vuelta.
   -Phillips Fidelio X2HR. Ahora si, palabras mayores. Sin duda, los cascos con MEJOR SONIDO que he escuchado. Impresionante. Sonido sobrecogedor. El espacio sonoro es el mayor que he escuchado y aún lo sigo añorando. Graves presentes y potentes (quizas hasta demasiado para ser unos cascos abiertos, pueden llegar a agobiar). La calidad de construcción y acabados es de lujo. El cable, la diadema, las esponjas…parecen más unos cascos de 1500 que de 150. Su pega: su incomodidad. Ya que son unos auriculares enormes y pesados. Al rato se me hacian incomodos y notaba una presión incomoda por la zona inferior del oido y la mandibula. Si para ti los encuentras comodos pues no busques otros cascos, pero en mi caso los tuve que devolver con todo el dolor de mi corazón.
   -AKG k712 pro. El gama mas alta de todos los anteriormente mencionados. Un lujo ya solo en la presentación, materiales, distintos cables, accesorios… No son baratos pero hay que reconocer que estos austriacos saben hacer muy bien lo suyo. El espacio sonoro es tambien muy bueno, similar al de los Filedio, pero no impresiona tanto su sonido. Este es mas plano, mas natural (analítico lo llaman los expertos). No son unos cascos para disfrutar del sonido sino para profesionales que necesitan escuchar la mezcla sin aditivos ni eq. En mi caso, que no trabajo de la música ni tengo un estudio los devolví ya que no necesito una escucha plana.
   -Senneiser hd599. Bien, por fin el que nos concierne. Al final me decanté por estos cascos por una sencilla razón de peso, tenian un sonido cálido, orgánico y son increiblemente comodos. Quizás no tienen el soundstage o espacio sonoro de los Fidelio, ni el lujo de acabados de los AKG pero son un promedio positivo en todo. Tienen buenos graves, tienen buena separación de planos y escenario sonoro, son agradables, comodisimos, no pesan….y como dicho, invitan a ponerselos y disfrutar de la música. Su unico punto negativo quizas sea los cables que trae, que tienen un tacto a goma rigida algo fea, pero lo importante, la calidad sonora, es que me gustan mucho.

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Pierfrancesco – 08/08/2025

   Cuffia leggera, confortevole ed esteticamente gradevole. Buona qualità del suono. Utilizzata molto con musica leggera / Jazz e poco con musica classica (mancanza di tempo). Soddisfatto dell’ acquisto. Qualità del suono compatibile con quella della musica in streaming. Inutile spendere di più

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   xammy0 – 18/08/2025

   Fantastic sound for the price. Extremely comparable to my original Sennheiser HD 555s that I’ve been using since 2006. I think the 555s sound a little bit more natural and the plastic was nicer feeling back then, but the sound quality is nearly identical. The plastic shell on these feels slightly cheaper than the 555s but they are still quite nice and possibly more durable, they just feel cheaper to the touch. The 3.5mm adapter that they come with is terrible and provides poor sound quality compared to a gold-plated corded one I purchased years ago. It was quite a difference comparing the adapters, so I would definitely recommend buying a better one. They fit fairly tight on my big head but are incredibly comfortable for long sessions. I will always purchase Sennheiser as my main headphones for music and gaming.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Angel M. – 11/09/2025

   Hola, quiero aclarar que he probado una gran variedad de audífonos de la misma marca y los he usado de referencia para realizar esta reseña (HD 600, HD 560s y HD58X de Drop). En resumen, si eres nuevo en el mundo del audio HIFI estos audífonos son una excelente opción. Son la perfección en lo que respecta a comodidad, no necesitan demasiada amplificación y ofrecen varios pasos adelante respecto audífonos Bluetooth del mismo o mayor precio. Ahora, brindando un poco más de detalle les explico como suenan estos audífonos. En frecuencias bajas tenemos una calidad decente, nada sorprendente pero tienen una ganancia y poco exagerada en el high bass que mancha un poco las frequencias medias y altas (Hay un roll off, por lo que los subgraves son casi inexistentes). Respecto a estas frecuencias , son limpias y tienen buen detalle; ambas tienen un pequeño velo que ayuda con las malas grabaciones pero limita un poco la capacidad real de estos audífonos. La separación instrumental y la escena sonora son increíbles por el precio y no podría pedir más en ese aspecto. Los materiales no son de lo mejor pero se sienten bastante durables y no se ven mal. Lo recomiendo mucho si son tus primeros audífonos de buena calidad porque los podrás disfrutar tanto en películas, música y videojuegos. Comprar un DAC/AMP no es del todo necesario pero te dan un pequeño extra de calidad.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Adam Akers – 17/09/2025

   I primarily use these for gaming or watching videos, listening to music on YouTube. I’m not an audiophile but I really enjoy my “me time” on my PC so I want it to be a high quality experience. These deliver on every level.

   I don’t really play many games that need a mic so I just bought an in-line mic add-on from a 3rd party made specifically for these headphones and attached it. It’s a cheap boom mic but it picks up fine.

   The MOST important thing for me is comfort. I have fallen asleep with these on multiple times. It never leaves my ears or scalp sore. I used to have a pair of Astro A40s because of how comfortable they were, but these are superior in just about every way. These are absolutely worth the price if you can afford them. I’ve had mine for about 5 months. They’re the best headphones I’ve ever used. I bought a nice little SoundBlaster DAC/soundcard to go with them to make sure I got the full range of the headphones and it made a big difference. These are phenomenal. I couldn’t be more pleased with them. I plan on using these for as long as they will last, which judging by the high quality materials, I think they’ll last many years just like my Astro A40s did.

   COMFORT: These fit OVER my ears. So many headphones are called “over-ear” yet lay on top of my ears. I have detached ear lobes so most headphones lay on my ear lobes slightly and after a few hours will make my ears sore. The clamp strength is also a huge factor. I have a big fat head (because I’m so smart) and most headphones start to feel too snug after awhile. These never do. I’ve fallen asleep for 6+ hours before at my PC and woke up, forgot I was wearing these, and never felt any discomfort. It’s like they were made by a benevolent God just for my cranium. The top of the headphones never press down on the top of my scalp in an uncomfortable way either. The head cushion on my Astro A40s would get uncomfortable after extended sessions but I swear these NEVER do me wrong. These are a gift from heaven and I love them dearly. If you care about audio quality and comfort above all else, you will be pleased with these.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   mjk – 17/09/2025

   Super comfy can wear all day. I mean all week!
   Open back means I can listen all day. No worries about the ears. I also found the open back fine outside on quietish walks, did not need to switch to my ANC earbuds.
   Sound quality is excellent. You will need a good EQ, most important is amp settings to really bring out the over ear sound fullness.
   With HD source music, and a 32 bit usb-c adaptor I could hear great detail, I was pleasantly surprised. Lovely richness from bass into the mids after adjusting levels. ( Not a Bass heavy set, would of bought Bose if I wanted that)
   As a reference I have Marshall, Harmon Kardon, Boss, etc…
   Happy man here…

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Book reviews – 03/10/2025

   Tested with ifi Zen Dac

   These are just amazing, they are very light and with little clamping force, it is easy to forget you have them on and you can wear them forever with no discomfort, the pads a re the first I have ever owned that do not touch my ears at all. They even look gorgeous in ivory and brown. There is no wireless option here, nor any noise cancelling, you just get amazing sound from them.

   At 50 Ohms, these are easy enough for a phone to drive but you may also want to consider a headphone amp to really give these phones the best signal to work with.

   Sound wise, the sound is very relaxed, I was concerned that after previous Sennheisers, these would have a very boomy bass, they don’t, they have sufficient bass though they probably wouldn’t be suited to bass heads. mids and highs are relaxed which I like for the evening when I am just listening. I have headphones and earphones which have far livlier highs but these I find to be tiring. One thing to note is they are not forgiving at all of poorly recorded or mastered tracks. You can stream the high bit rates from spotify or tidal and they will sound great but if there is source is poor and has too much dynamic compression these will let you know about it so things like China in Your Hands will sound like garbage even from vinyl or SACD.

   The sound stage is not the widest I have heard but things do exist outside your head whilst listening, I have sometimes found myself wondering and checking that my speakers were not also playing the music.

   As these are open backed, you will hear the world around you and they will hear your music, so they are best listened to alone.

   I listen to most types of music and have found that whilst most types do well on these, classical really shines out on them and you can picture the instruments around you. These are not heaphones for dancing with, or wearing for a workout. They are also not really suited for analytical work in the studio but they don’t try to be for any of those things, they are for relaxing in comfortable chair with a glass of good single malt whisky and for that purpose they are amazing.

   Update, can I make these 6 stars? They have an undocumented feature, in that they are internally wired as balanced, and if you can find a compatible balanced cable teh sound goes to the next level, it is incredibly clear and the sound stage is wider. Search around for a cable (warning some that claim to be compatible may need slight modification to make the groove in the 2.5mm plug deeper) and you get great sounding balanced headphones for a ridiculously low price.