Sennheiser HD595 Headphone Reviews

Manufacturer Sennheiser Model HD595
Headphone Type Open Circumaural Headband Type Single
Weight (g) 270 Driver Type Dynamic
Enclosure Material Plastic Isolation (dB) 0
Impedance (ohms) 50 Cable Length (cm) 300
Frequency Response (Hz) 12 - 38500  
Connector 6.5mm with 3.5mm adaptor Street Price US$190
Buy from Amazon.com  
Average reviewer scores
Bass Extension 6.8 Bass Impact 5.4
Bass Quality 6.7 Mids Quality 7.1
Highs Quality 6.7 Soundstage 7.3
Detail 7.3 Portability 2.7
Isolation 0.0 Comfort 8.0
Durability 6.4 Improvement With Amplification 6.0
Value for Money 7.1    
Overall Score 7.0 Total Reviews 10

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Reviews by our members

Review by Senior Member spike33 on 12 Apr 07  16:47
Individual review
Bass Extension8
Bass Impact6
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality8
Highs Quality7
Detail7
Comfort10
Durability8
Value8

My old HD595's earcups used to creak and the cable was microphonic. My new HD595s (bought late 2006) do not exhibit these problems and feel more solidly built. Sennheiser must have addressed the issues and improved quality control.

The biggest difference between HD595 and its little bro is speed and clarity. While HD555 lacked the speed for rock, HD595 handles it very adequately. HD595 also sound much crisper and clearer. The bass is noticeably tighter and extend further. Again these are not for bassheads, they lack the punch.

The mids are where these excel. They have a dreamy ethereal quality to them. They are amongst the best at conveying emotion, especially in vocals. They are intimate and upfront. I can actually envisage the movement of the singer's lips.

The highs are smooth but extended. There's a dip at 5hz like most high-end sennheisers which dulls the edge off the music. This is great for those who are very sensitive to this region while people accustomed to grado will not enjoy this.

The soundstage is also another thing to point out. The angled drivers make the sound come from in front of you instead of all around you. This will make some people feel the soundstage is compressed, while it is true the stage is narrower, it also has more depth.

These are hands down the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. They are ultra light and the earpads are pillowy soft. It fits my head like a glove, sometimes I catch myself forgetting I have them on!

Amplification is a must, they sound terrible without amp. That said, they don't really need an expensive amp. A sub-$100 amp will do fine.

HD595 is one of the most versatile headphones in existence. They perform well with every musical genre. They are great for movies and gaming. They are comfortable as hell and easy to drive. Add the fact they come with a spiffy headphone holder... you have a winner! ^_^

Review by Senior Member SickMouthy on 17 Jan 07  23:51
Individual review
Bass Extension6
Bass Impact5
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality6
Highs Quality6
Detail7
Comfort7
Durability7
Value6

Excellent detail, really good spatial placing (with good but not enormous soundstage), very musical, good bass extension and quality (although not much impact / slam compared to Grados and other Sennheisers) - these are a really nice, very evenly balanced pair of headphones, a total jack-of-all-trades.

Supposedly the HD595s are more forwards than other high-end Sennheisers, but there's still a slightly reserved nature about them when compared to Grado or Alessandro models - they please without overly exciting. When you consider their excellent comfort, they make very good long-listening cans for this reason. Perhaps a touch polite (dynamic leaps aren't as thrilling as they could be), but very classy nonetheless.

I got mine for £80 new in the UK, and considering that they normally retail at £110 or so, I'd say if you can get them for around the same price as I did then they offer excellent value for money.

Review by Senior Member ijan on 31 Dec 06  23:27
Individual review
Bass Extension6
Bass Impact6
Bass Quality6
Mids Quality7
Highs Quality6
Detail6
Comfort6
Durability7
Value7

A very minor upgrade from my 555, spent 2 days A-B the 555 and 595 only to get a non-distinct winner, the 595 in term of a more extensive lows. Everything else, just about the same as a 555. If you can afford the extra over a 555, its still worthy since the 595 does look more classy than a 555 with a white senns logo at the grill and the vinyl head strap cover.

Amplification factor is high. I don't get it why ppl rate that these cans do not improve with amplification. My PPA and portable PIMETA works absolute wonders, without amplification, 555 and 595 are really not that decent even.

Review by Senior Member gunnar on 28 Dec 06  15:37
Individual review
Bass Extension5
Bass Impact5
Bass Quality6
Mids Quality7
Highs Quality7
Detail7
Comfort9
Durability3
Value9

I was truly surprised by the quality of these phones having not like the 570 or 580 at all. The 595 are by comparison very easy to drive (even off iPods), much more comfortable, more detailed, better balanced and far more musical. The midrange and treble have a bit of Stax-like quality in that they present textures much better than most similarly priced headphones. The easy-fit and generous soundstage helps to lessen the in-your-head feeling. Overall, I found these to be superbly balanced and very enjoyable.

Review by Senior Member Towny on 09 May 06  09:29
Individual review
Bass Extension5
Bass Impact6
Bass Quality6
Mids Quality7
Highs Quality5
Detail6
Comfort7
Durability7
Value7

Very good headphones for starters... especially if used w/o an amp... in my opinion the HD595 sounds fantastic right out of the source (CDP, Notebook, IPod)..using an amp gives a little more details but an amp is NOT necessary to enjoy the 595...

Review by Senior Member 3lusiv3 on 03 Jan 05  21:42
Individual review
Bass Extension7
Bass Impact6
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality6
Highs Quality6
Detail7
Comfort8
Durability6
Value7

I have the August 2004 120 ohm Made In China version of these headphones. These have a 6.3mm stereo jack with 3.5mm adapter. Headphone caliper pressure is ~ 3.5 N. Max SPL is 104 dB. Long term max input power is 500 mW.

These are great overall headphones that are easy to drive and suitable for a wide variety of music genres. They are a bit forward sounding while keeping a neutrality about them that would make them suitable for monitoring purposes. I don't think they excel at anything but the total package make them an above average headphone, if their open design is not an issue. They are very open so almost all sound goes in and out. The bass extends quite well into the lows, the mid bass and mids are quite neutral and the highs are a little bit recessed. I would say they are on the slightly warm side of neutral rather than the flat cold sound that some monitoring headphones possess. The bass is not bloated or exagerated. The soundstage, detail and comfort are great.

A great overall package and highly recommended; if you're after a high quality, easy to drive, circumaural, open headphone for home use, suitable for many music genres.

Review by Senior Member Aman on 26 Dec 04  23:00
Individual review
Bass Extension9
Bass Impact5
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality7
Highs Quality7
Detail9
Comfort9
Durability6
Value6

The Sennheiser HD595s were my first REAL headphones.

First, they are gigantic. Not portable at all. The comfort, however, is excellent. Definitely the most comfortable headphones that I've ever worn.

Sound quality is what got me to sell these, however. They are simply too neutral. Their forward presentation in addition to the neutral sound really makes them just too boring. These would make great monitoring headphones, but there is no real excitement when listening to these headphones. It sound very much like the Sennheisers are trying to make Grado sound-a-likes but they failed in my opinion.

Detail and soundstage are very good, however. Soundstage is almost too good - it sounds very three-dimensional and it feels almost as if the different stereo channels are mixed together to create a mono sound. Every detail of the song can be heard - VERY detailed.

But I do have a problem wit hthe soundstage. I rated it a 9 because for most people this will be a huge selling point for these cans. However, I found personally that the soundstage almost was able to turn a stereo song into mono. Again, detail and soundstage is AMAZING, but I think that the soundstage is almost too good for some peoples' tastes.

Review by Member anonymous on 14 Nov 15  15:00
Individual review
Bass Extension6
Bass Impact3
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality8
Highs Quality8
Detail9
Comfort8
Durability8
Value7

The HD595 is highly detailed and produces a very good soundstage. I've had this set of headphones for over a year and it's been great.

I like to use it for listening to movies and music late at night, and it's great that I get to turn up the music loud and get immersed in amazing enveloping sound. I plug it into a Little Dot MK III amp and the sound quality really improves. Bass is tighter and has more impact, and the soundstage is increased. The HD595 also comes with an adapter plug so I'm able to use it on my MP3 player.

The quality and build is good. It's made mostly of plastic, which makes it light yet quite strong. It looks and feels cheaper than it really is though. I feel the adjustment band should have been made of metal, which it isn't. I don't care too much for the champagne color. The ear cups are soft and comfortable surrounding the ears. I like the weight of it on the head... it's not heavy, and the headphone are not tight or pinch.

This is my most expensive headphones. The sound quality is a big improvement over my other headphones (Grado SR60, Sennheiser PX100), and I would say that it's definitely worth the extra money to get these for someone who enjoys detailed sound with a large soundstage. It's sound quality is much more neutral and refined than the other two headphones.

Review by Member rundllexe on 14 Nov 15  15:00
Individual review
Bass Extension7
Bass Impact6
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality8
Highs Quality7
Detail8
Comfort8
Durability6
Value7

The Sennheiser HD595's are my first foray into Audiophile quality headphones - I have paired them with my Asus Xonar Essence ST stereo soundcard with headphone amplification.

Soundstage: These headphones have an incredible soundstage - It's like im sitting right in front of the stage of a small hall, with all the musicians spread out in front of me each putting on a performance for my ears only, I can't help but smile at this effect!

Seperation: The seperation with these cans is very good, and helps produce the great soundstage I have experienced, I can easily pick out the bass guitar from the mix along with any other intruments that are usually very hard to hear eg; backing piano's, lyrics, guitars and samples, everything that was recorded can be noticed and easily focused on.

Bass: The bass isn't phenomenal, it does the job well enough to make Rock and Metal enjoyable, but fans of electronic music that are used to deep and powerful bass will be disappointed from the lack of punch these cans deliver in this department. Although bass detail and extension are quite good, it just lacks a bit of muscle.

Mids: Excellent! Guitars and Vocals are simply breath taking with these cans, It's almost as if I can feel the singers voice wash over me and carry me away with it, it'll take you are couple of moments to notice you are smiling like an idiot when you experience this for the first time :)

Treble: Very detailed, a little bit recessed but does the job very well, not harsh or fatiguing so you will be able to enjoy long listening sessions with these cans.

Comfort: Give yourself a few minutes with these on and you'll soon forget you are wearing headphones at all. By far the most comfortable headphones I have worn.

Durability: These are stronger than they feel/look, structure feels brittle and that it would shatter into a hundred pieces if you so much as drop it, that said ive more than a couple of times hastily thrown these a few feet away from me when my (possibly faulty) soundcard decides to blast a 11khz signal at me at whatever volume I have it set at (usually pretty loud). They have survived with no noticable damage.

Listening experiences:
ROCK: Eargasmic, I rate these very highly for any kind of rock, be it very vocal focused with acoustic guitars, or hard and fast paced rock with electric guitars, it performs and delivers a very enjoyable experience everytime.
METAL: Enjoyable, but it sometimes feels like these cans are struggling to keep up with the brutal double kicking and blast beats that any metal lover needs.
ELECTRONIC: Does very well with handling all the synth and keys, just don't expect a punchy and moving bass from these cans.
All other genre's I cannot confidently comment on as I don't have enough experience listening to them with these headphones.

Overall: Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Rock and is looking to treat their ears for the first time on some Audiophile grade headphones. Be careful though as due to their open design; sound travels very freely to and from the headphones, so noisy rooms and public transport is a no-no.

Review by Member Citizen Z on 28 Nov 05  01:11
Individual review
Bass Extension9
Bass Impact6
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality7
Highs Quality8
Detail7
Comfort8
Durability6
Value7

High end Sennheiser cans have been criticized for lacking nimbleness for rock and bass punch perhaps rightfully so. They do not, however, lack bass. I usually listen to my music collection randomly rotated and was caught off guard to hear extremely low dips while listening to Averil Levigne's Skater Boy. I'm not a Levigne fan but was pleased to hear such a well mixed song and even more pleased to discover bass that had been hidden even with my 5.1 Klipsch media system. While listening to a few bass tracks the bass was clear and very very deep, delivering a significant percentage of what my JL 10W6v2 pounds out in my car, which is why I've rated these head phones so highly for bass extension and performance. They are not headphones for the bassheads, but they will suprise you after you've given them proper break-in time.

The 595's benefit tremendously from amplification but I was none the less pleased to hear rather good fidelity and livelyness from my iPod shuffle. Soundstage is dramatically widened with amplification and the mids and highs experienced improved detail and the Sennheiser "veil" lifted to some extent. I am slightly dissapointed at the amount of constant EQ manipulations I have to do to get good soundstage and a sense of space with these headphones. Even the PX100's I used to own gave a greater sense of space, more than once causing me to turn my head to place a sound in the room, something these 595's have not yet done.

I paid 129 Euro in Schweinfurt, Germany and for that they are an excellent value for money. Others probably won't be able to find this price any time soon so I didn't give it an 8 or 9.

Sennheiser HD595