Sennheiser HD 598 6.3 mm stereo jack with 3.5 mm adaptor (both gold plated) Connector Circumaural Hi-Fi Headphone Sennheiser HD 598 6.3 mm stereo jack with 3.5 mm adaptor (both gold plated) Connector Circumaural Hi-Fi Headphone

Pros: I have these paired with an ASUS Xonar Essence STX as well, and they are very pleasing to listen to. I see why these can's are advertised as having a more "natural" and "neutral" listening experience. They really shine on acoustic tracks and easily distinguish between the instruments and vocals. Electronica/trance/techno is very nice on these as well.

Just finished a few hours of Planetside 2, these + the xonar was worlds different from my onboard + HD 485 combo. Everything was so clear and these represented the explosions in the distance well.

Cons: Bass is a tad on the low side but that is adjustable if desired.

Other Thoughts: Very good cans for the beginning audiophile. I would argue the best you can get in the sub $500 market.

Pros: I paired these with an ASUS Xonar Essence STX with the primary focus being for gaming. I was absolutely floored when I first tried these. With Dolby Headphone, it was like an entirely new world of gaming. The sound quality is of such high fidelity it sounds just like I'm listening to my 5.1 speaker setup on my TV! If you're a gamer looking for that extra immersion, these are worth every penny.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: The quality of these headphones will make the quality of your sound source painfully obvious, especially when using Dolby Headphone. Make sure you're giving them a high quality source to truly enjoy them.

Pros: The headphones sound terrific and they look great. I listen primarily to Jazz, however I noticed that since I have had these I've gained a greater appreciation for other genres, specifically classical.

They are extremely comfortable to wear for an extended period of time. There is no fatigue after several hours like I got with other headphones.

The other reviews cover the more technical aspects better than I could so I will defer to the audiophiles.

Cons: Here's my biggest suggestion, get an extended adapter, even if it's ten or fifteen dollars extra.

Here's why: Out of the box these headphones will have a 1/4" connector (big plug for stereo systems) and a 1/8" adapter that connects directly to the 1/4" (what your IPhone uses). So if you are connecting this to your laptop or iphone you are adding the equivalent of a solid 3-4 inch lever on a fragile output jack.

This is such a big oversight I was tempted to give the headphones 4 stars. This is the Sennheiser accountants trying to save a couple bucks per headphone by going cheap on the adapter, nothing more. So I would highly recommend any number of extended adapters that don't put so much pressure on the jacks.

Other Thoughts: These are not for listening to music on a metro. They are an open design headphone so while they sound terrific the sound will bleed out.

I'm still waiting for my amplifier to come in. I may update this review after I head them with additional power.

Pros: A great pair of headphones. To start with Sennheiser is a name that I have come to trust in headphones. They tend to make 'phones with a very clear tonality and great sound stage. These headphones, I am happy to say, fit this trend.
These head phones present an accurate representation of the sound being fed them. Any noise or problems heard with your music are most likely caused by poor sound files (in the year and a half I have owned these I have yet to have a problem with a song be their fault). That said a surprisingly low impedance allows you use them accurately with any source (no amp required).

Cons: None

Pros: awesome and accurate soundstage presentation. works really well with warm DAC/AMP combo. however, might be a bit too bright on DAC/AMPs that emphasis's too much on the treble or mid. the soundstage is extremely accurate that it gives more depth and distance attenuation to the recording. even better than my AD700. in comparison to AD700's soundstage, the AD700 definitely sounds wider, but lacks frontal and rear depth. the resolution of soundstage is also better with the HD598. the Bass is also accurate but not overpowering. Treble is just right without being too bright. if you have a brighter source like the Fiio E17 with the Wolfson WM8740 DAC, it'll sound a bit bright and dry. but if you have a warmer source like the Asahi AK4396 or the JRC4580 opamp it can sound great, lush, and generous. the headphone will bring out the flaws in most bad recordings. most recordings with high compression and poorly mastered can demonstrate clipping and compression artifact easily with this headphone. on great recordings with great soundstage like many of the well recorded classical music will bring out tears in your eyes. check out "classicals that make you go wow" playlist on spotify. the Mid is also one of the biggest highlight of this headphone aside from the great soundstage. the mid is forward and generous, without being hazy. it's very clear without being too bright or nasal. the headphone works extremely well with well recorded classical, pop, Jazz, and SOME techno house. unless there is a track that emphasizes heavily on drums throughout, this headphone will be a good all-rounder for most. i can't emphasize enough on the awesome soundstage. on one particular track of jazz, i was able to hear the reflected sound from a sax coming from one opposite end of the room, it just shows how detailed the soundstage really is. although the soundstage is incredibly wide and detailed, it doesn't feel as Airy as you would get from a typical Audio Technica headphone.

i wouldn't worry too much about running this fone without an separate amp. i find the sonic punch is well presented even on portable sources. however, it does spike to 250ohm at around 100hz.

Comfort:
VERY comfortable. i typically wear it for hours and hours straight, sometimes up to 8 hours straight without fatigue. it's VERY light weight.

Design:
feels like you're driving a Porsche. love the wood trim accent.

Gaming:
This is one area where it's becoming more popular. i highly recommend this headphone for gaming. i even would recommend it over the well popular AD700. the issue with AD700, although a great gaming headphone, is that its mid is recessed and hazy in comparison to the HD598. if you've never heard the HD598, and have the AD700, you probably won't know the different i am talking about, and likely won't care. but once you tried the HD598, it's hands down no comparison. more clear sound presentation, with better depth, attenuation, resolution. better soundstage, although not as Airy

Cons: Can't think of any

Other Thoughts: i was looking for a pair of fons that has better mid than my ATH AD700, but not as bright and forward as ATHD AD900. HD598 fits the spot perfectly. not only that, the soundstage is also much more accurate than AD700, and complets with a better bass extension.

Overall:
i would highly recommend this Mid-Fi headphone if you have a decent source. it sucks that you'll spot all the flaws in many bad recordings, but on well mastered recordings will bring tears to your eyes.

Pros: Great Headphones, open air design makes for excellent extended listening. I use while gaming with a lapel mic.

Cons: Depending on your sound card these may need an external DAC. A little under-powered when plugged directly into a computer or mp3 player.

Pros: Sound Stage, high, mids, lows, all perfect, overall unbelievable... ESPECIALLY FOR CLASSIC MUSIC!! For the price I paid, which is around $180, IT WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY OF IT! Great design, luxury sports car style, at least it is for me.

Cons: NONE, well, if they are able to provide a case or something so I can carry it around without worrying breaking it.

Other Thoughts: If you want to know where sennheiser can reach within $200, go for it! If you are looking for something that like Monster Dr.Dre, this might not be for you.

Pros: Gorgeous, sexy looks, lightweight and supremely comfortable, wide open sound stage and pinpoint accuracy. Well defined bass without being muddied. They sound great with everything I've fed them up to this point, especially Jazz and female vocals.

Cons: At first they kind of pinched my huge melon a bit but that didn't last long. They are without a doubt exceptionally comfortable to wear for long listening sessions but they WILL fall off your head if you bend over.

Other Thoughts: Newegg has been out of stock on these so I had to go elsewhere as I wanted them NOW. I chose to buy them refurbished and am very happy with my decision as they did come with standard warranty and look to be brand new. The sound quality of these headphones is just so good that it's been difficult to set them aside. Perhaps not the deepest of bass response I have heard but that doesn't hurt them at all, these are plenty sufficient and I'd much rather listen to something that is accurate than something that is overly boomy. At $130 for the pair I'd call them a downright steal and suggest that you could do FAR worse than these. They sound terrific connected to my Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card but even better powered by my bridged Adcom power amplifiers. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these headphones for one minute, they are really that good.

Pros: These headphones are the best sounding headphones I have ever owned. Now that I have them all I want to do is listen to my music. The bass is deep but not so low as to unbalance the sound-scape. the mids are lush and rich and the highs are crystal clear and sharp. I can hear things in my music that I have never noticed before.

The velour pads are amazingly comfortable. I can listen for hours without ear strain.

They also look amazing, like a luxury car... because these are luxury headphones.

These are open back headphones; let me state this again to make the point THESE ARE OPEN BACK HEADPHONES, if you do not know what that means please do some research. however in short they will not isolate you from your surroundings and those around you will be able to hear what you are listening to.

Generally (but not always) the better headphones are open back.

Do you want luxury headphones? do you want to wade into true audiophile territory? look no further...

Cons: I have not found any cons as of yet

Other Thoughts: getting these headphones has reawakened my love of music. Because of these I am now researching a proper audiophile home system, sound cards and the like...

Pros: Great reviews and great sound stage.

Works well with virtual surround sound

Cons: Channel imbalance out of the box.

Frequent cracks and pops even at mid range.

Other Thoughts: Mine was bad out of the box.

But HD598 has gotten great reviews and extremely positive feedback from users.

Please do try it out; probably I just got a bad one due to bad luck.