With a replacement headphone cord, these are hugely involving cans.

You really need that replacement cord for these 'phones to reach their full potential.

I'm quite pleased with my HD-590s--but before I describe what my experience has been, let me first point out that I'm using the 590s with a heavy-duty headphone cable from a small company known as Stefan AudioArt. The replacement cord, which plugs easily into the jack normally used by the stock cord, makes these 'phones more efficient and harmonically ample than they otherwise would be. With this cord, I've got a pair of 'phones that sound pretty spectacular with a variety of headphone amps-- even a portable amp that runs on two AA batteries. For example, the bass, which is kinda boomy and uncontrolled with the stock cord, tightens up with the Stefan AudioArt replacement. The signature "relaxed" Sennheiser sound is a little more close-up with the 590s. Maybe they don't put you up on the stage as Grado headphones do, but they definitely move you forward a few rows in the hall. They have provided hours of fatigue-free listening to classical music as well as some rock, jazz and world music, while leting in plenty of detail, both micro (musicians turning pages on their music stands) and macro (subsidiary melodies, harmonies, etc. I didn't know were there--or if I did know they were there, I couldn't hear them in the particular recording I was listening to). The "headstage" is maybe a little narrower than the very wide "stage" you get from the AKG K-501s, but the 590s' stage is wide enough, and these 'phones allow you to listen much longer, largely because the 590s' frequency response is better integrated across the spectrum (the 501s, I've found, were light on bass and heavy on upper frequencies).

Similar Products Used:

Grados (from SR-60 up to SR 225), Sennheiser HD 570 and 580, AKG K501

Incridable sounding, Great seperation. Easy to wear very comfy.

None

I have had the 590 for over 2 years. They have been a great purchase. I think that they sound smoother the longer you own them. I liston to them all the time. I don't know how the 595 could sound much better. I thought that when I bought them that they wouldn't be durible but they have been very durable.

EVERYTHING! they sound great! paired with the class A Shellbrook Labs amp, they are spectacular!

That they're not marketed as much or known as well as the 580/600/650's!!! these are a hidden treasure...

WOW! these things are awesome. I went from sony mdr-v700's to AKG K240's to these Sennheiser HD-590's after listening to the 580's and 600's... These by far had the best sound. More realistic and warm, compared to the 580/600's and the 590's definately have more bass. Don't get me wrong, they're not excessive in that regard, but rather just right. The 580/600's sounded too dry and thin. And the best part is that as we speak, I have Drew from Moon Audio looking into building the first high quality cable upgrades for the 590's !! from dragon wire. So, my sweet 590's will be even sweeter!

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-V700 AKG K-240 Sennheiser HD-580 Dennheiser HD-600

Musical, lively headphones with a quite "upfront" sound. Most comfortable headphones imaginable

Not as colorless and slightly muddier compared to the HD580/600/650 products

I have owned the HD580s for 2 years, and while I've loved them, I've always wondered if the sound could be better. A local dealer let me borrow the HD650s, which I expected to rock. They didn't. The 650s have exactly the same sonic character of the 580s (and the 600s), and while being a tad cleaner, the differences are extremely subtle, and in my opinion not worth the large price difference. I then went out and bought the HD590s on a recommendation from friends. Now this was a night and day difference! The 590s are really musical. They are upfront and punchy, but not too bright when using a good amp. Bass is deep and strong. For me, this is the experience I've been looking for and I will sell my 580s. I can see how purists might prefer the 580/600/650s--they are cleaner and more faithful to the recording, but for me, these cans have the most life of them all, and thus are the most rewarding to listen to. It is also fair to point out that the HD590s are far more comfortable than the other models, and the single-side cable is also a nice touch. Audition these cans--they just might be the headphone fix you're looking for!

Similar Products Used:

HD580, HD600, HD650

Let's get right down to the point. The HD-590's are absolutely superb headphones. They produce very detailed bass (not boomy) and very crisp highs. The resolution of the mid-range is quite amazing. It's difficult to compare to the ER-4P's, though. The sounds are quite different. The soundstage of the 590's is quite a bit wider than the Ety's. As a result, I tend to use the 590's for live music, classic and jazz. For pop and rock music, I would use the Ety's. The two create very different moods. Not to say that the 590's can't handle pop and rock....that would be far from the truth. It's just a different sound. I find the Ety's create a highly localized soundstage in the middle of your head and the Senn's seem to disperse the sound around you, enveloping you. One is not necessarily better than the other...it depends on personal preference and application.

In terms of weaknesses, the design of the 590's is such that it would "leak" a lot of sound to the environment. This may upset some people around you. I suspect that this design is necessary to achieve it's superb sound. I tried cupping the outer shell of the phones with my hands and I found that doing so adversly affects the sound quality. I would also like to comment on the "break in" period of these phones. Unlike the Ety's, which sounded great right out of the box, these Senn's needed quite a bit of break-in period before they started to sing. I must admit that, right out of the box, the 590's did not sound that great. The sound was a bit harsh and bright. I was initially a bit disappointed. Eventually, the more I used these phones, the sound gradually improved. And it improved a lot! After about 75 hours of listening to various types of music over the course of about 2 months, the sound became much more balanced. The bass became tighter and more detailed. And the higher frequencies became less harsh. The sound seems to have stablized and is now absolutely perfect.

First off, I'm going to let you know that I currently own 2 high quality headphones: the Sennheiser HD-590 and the Etymotic Research ER-4P. I tell you this so that you can have a better appreciation of the comments that I will make on the HD-590.

Similar Products Used:

Etymotic ER-4P

Very detailed highs

Sound was hollow and wide with stock cable.

Had just gotten these cans about a week ago. My first quality headphones I had were the Grado SR60 which I loved. But for some reason, I just had an itche to upgrade to something better. What I decided to get are the Sennheiser HD590. I mainly use my headphones on my computer running an Audigy 2 soundcard. When I first recieved the HD590 I was so excited to listen to it. On first listen I was very disappointed, the sound was very hollow, bass was way too tight/boomy, mids sounded like it was very far away, and finally the highs were somewhat killer to the ears. So I gave it a straight up 10+hr non-stop burn-in. Playing music from classical, rap, rock, to techno. After about 15hrs, the sound mellows down alot and you would learn to appreciate the details this headphone gives out. The detail is superb, you can hear stuff in the mid-highs that you can't hear from some cheapo cans. Switching back and forth from my HD590 to my Grado SR60, I noticed that the sound is very different in a way. The grados tends to have a very upfront sound while the HD590 have a wider soundstage because the mids sounds farther away. The HD590 also have very nice highs compared to the SR60, songs tend to sound alot cleaner in the HD590 especially when listening to classical. Comfort wise, this can is the bomb!!...Another reason I did not like the Grado SR60 was the comfort, my ears would sweat after about 1-2hrs of listening. Also the wire design on the SR60 tends to tangle alot and always seem to bring one side lower then the other when wearing it while moving around. The HD590 feels like theres nothing on your head because it just cups on and the 1 wire design is great. Overall was semi-impressed so far because I still have not gotten use to the far and wide soundstage. So what I decided to do was to build some custom cables for this baby. I looked and read around at head-fi.org and started to buy parts online to build my cable. What I purchased to build my cable was the Canare Starquad wire. After finishing up my wire I then swaped it with the stock cable. OMG!! what a difference a cable can make, the soundstage was not as wide, the hollowness of the sound was gone, bass was deeper, mids were more upfront, and the highs somewhat mellowed slightly. For the amount I paid to make this cable (under $30) this is a must have upgrade to the HD590. Made about 8ft of cable from Canare Starquad, wraped around with some techflex and my wire looked hella PRO! very proud of the work I put into it. So this is basically my review of it, semi-impressed at first but after upgrading the stock cable then this baby really starts to shine.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR60

Easy to drive (don't need a dedicated headphone amp) Detachable single sided cord

The headband seems a bit flimsy

The best way to describe these is as the halfway point between the typical laidback sound of senns (580/600) and the grado line. These cans provide exceptional detail and a good soundstage. As mentioned by others, these sound overly bright, almost to the point of being harsh. However, after the burn in period (100+ hours) the treble calms down considerably (although still on the bright side). To really bring out the best of these phones though, I would recommend upgrading the cable. The best one seems to be the Stefan Audioart Equinox cable. With the equinox, the bass is a little tighter, the mids are not so recessed and highs are a little less bright. In my opinion, the cable upgrade does more for the hd 590 than an amp does

Comfortable, crisp lows, clear highs, can listen on these all day.

Could use a longer cord, could go deaf from having them on all the time, might miss calls from having these on.

What else is there to say about these headphones? Superb, outstanding and unparalleled come to mind. At the price I paid for them too, they were a steal. At more than half off the HD-650s they are an absolute bargain and unless you're an audio engineer or an extreme audiophile, you won't hear the difference. I use them for both my Pioneer receiver for movies and on my computer. In fact, they sound so good that the Klipsch 2.1 ProMedia speakers I bought a month before these have fallen more and more into disuse.

Similar Products Used:

AKG K-240 Monitor headphones

Very good to wear. Light, stick to the head without any fatigue.

I don't like the kind of wire, too small and light. The good is you can change it...

After at least a week of heavy use you start enjoying this headphones with their real deep and musical sound. The bass range is so deep yet clear and defined you really love it with acoustic jazz and with good recordings of church organs. The performance of the human voice is amazing as well (Pop Pop by Rickie Lee Jones) and the sound is very human and deep.

Similar Products Used:

Grado, Koss,

Sound Portablility Efficiency

Open air design keeps me from listening to them in bed with my sleep sensitive spouse.

I have read practically every review on the net for high-end headphones and narrowed by selection down to the Sennheiser 580 and 590. I set out to put the two to a head to head competition but could not find a store which sold both. Consequently, I had to buy the 590s at one store (30 day money back guarantee of course) and bring them to a different store which had the 580s. As a disclaimer, I must state that neither headphone had been “burned” in, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I guess I figured that they were both under the same disadvantage. Now I must admit that going in I had preconceptions about the two. I expected the 580s to sound better and the 590s to be a little “too bright” comparatively but be much more comfortable and easier to drive with a portable cd player. I listed to the headphones using the same amp and cd player (Marantz) at the same level. I was shocked because the 580s actually seemed a bit louder than the 590s which has a 5db higher SPL. The sound: these headphones have a VERY different sound. Both were great but the 580s seemed to blur the music together more. Conversely, the 590s seemed to have better distinction and an even sound. Strangely enough, however, some songs did sound better on the 580s (I was there for awhile), but overall, the 590s won out on sound. Not convinced of my own judgment, I had my wife (a classically trained violinist) to listen to the two headphones. She didn’t know anything about the headphones and did not come to the table with preconceived notions based on others opinions (like I had). She liked the 590s better. When I asked her which were brighter, she did say the 590s were a little brighter but it was not a negative and the sound, again, was overall better than the 580s. Now as far as comfort, as everyone else has written, the 590s win hands down over ANY headphone. They are amazing comfortable which is important for me because I will listen to them for hours on end at the office. I absolutely cannot stand getting a headache from headphones. Also, as everyone else has written, the 590s are much easier to drive. I am not sure what happened with the Marantz receiver fluke but stick these two headphones in a portable cd player and WHOOOAAA. I brought my cheap portable AIWA and the 590s were 10x better. I mean there was no comparison. If you want to spend the extra money and inconvenience of a headphone amp to push the 580s, be my guest.

Similar Products Used:

HD 580; other crappy headphones not worth mentioning