Sennheiser HD 579 Open Back Headphone (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I initially bought the 599s (you can find my review of them on their Amazon page) because I wanted an upgrade to my 558s that would last me for years. The 558s were an amazing "for its price" purchase and I'll always keep them in the closet just in case something happens. Anyway, the Sennheiser 599s were a tad "over-engineered" for me. They spent a lot of time making the drivers pump out more bass and treble than the drivers would normally make. The result was a slightly boomy bass that drowned out other parts of pretty much whatever song I was listening to. Great for hip-hop and rock, but not great for most other things. The frequencies all clamoring for superiority made the soundstage smaller than I was hoping for.Anyway, after I sent back the 599s, I picked up the 579s. Reviews made it seem like Sennheiser spent less time "over engineering" these and that they offer a more...Sennheiser-y sound. I'm certainly glad I did.Pros1. The sound is warm. The bass is good, but controlled. It won't overtake other instrumentation in songs (unless they mastered it that way, like "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5). The mids are forward and clear. The treble is rolled back at the highest frequencies which gives these cans the classic "Sennheiser sound". However, the treble is a fair bit brighter than the 558s ever were. They're closer to being on par with the 598s.2. The color and design looks good. The gray/black style gives it an industrial look. It stands out from a row of black-on-black headphones but not in a bad way. I like the cream/brown of the 598s and 599s, but gray is more neutral and modern. These look nice is what I'm saying.3. The 50ohm impedance is higher than average, but still not super ridiculous. Virtually any third party dac/amp combo can power these without a problem. However, they still sound pretty good without an amp. The bass loses some of its thump and the treble rolls off even more, but the clarity is pretty much still there. My V20 powers these with no problem as does my Xonar DGX sound card.4. These are mostly comfortable. The earpads are velour covered foam, but not memory foam. They hold to your head well enough. There's some movement if you whip your head around, but these aren't for exercise so you should be fine. Not as comfortable as the 558s, though.5. It has a removable cable. Easy (if a tad expensive) to replace.6. The ear cups are also removable and replaceable. Fun fact, the same pads that fit the 558, 555, 595, etc also fit these exactly. I tested it myself. That makes replacement about $35 on Amazon (with prime) at the time of this review AND you can put black ones on here for a fun two-tone look (I recently replaced the ear cups on my 558s and removed them to put them on these black-on-gray-on-black, nifty!).7. Back to the sound to wrap up the pros. These cans have very good instrument separation across the frequency range. Even complex music like large metal bands (Avenged Sevenfold and Slipknot) sound as concise as they can be. Symphonic numbers (Final Fantasy XV soundtrack) sound great and detailed. Stuff like pop and even ska/punk sound as precise as you can get. Nothing overpowers anything, everything is where it should be. The detail is fantastic. Miles above the 558s. Especially in the lower bass regions, where the 558s were traditionally muddy and messy.Neutral1. The cable is the same old Sennheiser 2.5mm with a lock mechanism. You'll have to order replacements from Sennheiser directly at a premium. There is also another company that sells them on Amazon called NewFantasia. They do decent replacement Sennheiser cables with the 2.5mm locking mechanism in a variety of lengths. No, I am not a paid shill (I paid full price for these cans too lol), just letting you know that there is at least one other decent option aside from Sennheiser.2. The build is made entirely out of plastic. This is to help keep them lighter, or so I've heard. Some people feel some kinda way about spending $200 on plastic. However, they are flexible and feel well made. My 558s were made out of inferior materials and lasted 4 years with only the occasional blemish. The frame of these should last much longer. However, plastic builds are highly subjective so I'll place this under Neutral. I think they're fine, you might not. We're both right.3. It is difficult to find replacement pads. I found one seller on eBay with the gray earcups and even finding 555/558/595 replacements these days is a little rough/expensive. The 558 replacements are sold here on Amazon and they fit these, just in case you decide to buy these and need spare parts: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Replacement-Cushions-SENNHEISER-Headphones/dp/B081SRYVF5?ref_=ast_bbp_dp4. The sound signature of these is neutral and warm. The bass thumps just a little bit, but not nearly enough to drown out other music. The treble is precise and not harsh, but rolled back compared to all of the other sounds. The result is a very relaxing, semi-flat sound that isn't overly fatiguing over long listening sessions. These are not great for bass heads, or those who enjoy the "V" sound (high bass, high treble, less mids, for music like rock and hip hop). I think they're great, especially for listening while doing work at the office, but I can understand those wanting something a little more "exciting". These aren't reference monitors by any stretch, but they're closer than the 599s all day.5. These have very good clarity and definition. Badly and poorly mastered tracks are going to sound not so great with these. For instance, I listened to a poorly mastered live performance of a lovely individual on YouTube and I could tell it was recorded in a living room. Punk rock, very old music (like 1960s and prior), and "loudness wars" recordings like Imagine Dragons "Radioactive" can sound rough.6. These are open headphones. That means very little (if any) noise isolation. Sounds will come into these and sounds will leak out of these. That is not a con, it is the way they're built on purpose. I like them this way. I can listen to music and still hear my environment. I appreciate being able to hear when my dogs bark, girlfriend talks, or the doorbell rings. Plus, it does contribute to the sound stage of these (they don't have as much as the 558/598s did, but it's still pretty decent soundstage). If you're looking for something to wear on planes, trains, and automobiles...or you're looking for something that will drown out noise or has noise canceling technology, these are not what you're looking for. Again, not a bad thing, these are just not for those kinds of people :)Cons1. The headband could've used more padding. It's not terrible and likely won't cause a ton problems once my head gets used to it (and once it loosens up a little bit with normal wear and tear), but it would've been nice to have a little more padding up there. This is high level complaining. They are very comfortable, just saying that they could've been more so with a little more padding up top.2. The pads and cable are replaceable. The headband padding is not. When it inevitably wears down, I'll have to get more creative on replacing that. Likely some third party sock thing or something. I'm not stoked at the possibility. The 559, 569, 558, 555, 600, 650, etc all have replaceable headbands. Not sure why Sennheiser didn't do the same for the 579 and 599, but it kind of sucks if you plan on keeping these forever like I do. The headband could've been a little wider too. Considering it's definitely the weak point of these headphones, I would've loved to have seen a little more effort put into them.3. This thing comes with a 10-foot monstrosity of a cable (like the 558s did). It ends in a 6.3mm cable. It does come with a 3.5mm cable but having dealt with this thing before before, I can tell you that it doesn't fit into anything comfortably. The connector is longer than some smartphones with the adapter on it. Why Sennheiser didn't include a 3 meter cable with a 3.5mm jack like the 599/598SE/569 is beyond me. You will almost certainly have to buy a shorter cable with the proper connector if you plan on using these anywhere aside from a stereo setup. Until I get my refund from returning the 599s, I'm just using the cable I had been using on my 558s (one of those NewFantasia ones, it's okay). That is the one good thing about those 2.5mm locks. They're the same on all the HD series phones.The soundTreble:The treble is present and clear. However, these cans roll them back a little bit. The result is a treble response that is crystal clear. However, it also falls behind the rest of the music. Female vocals and high male vocals are fine. However, high hat hits and similar sounds are just a tad subdued. They still sound clear though, just not loud. Admittedly, the highs are the least exciting part of these headphones. They're there, they serve their purpose, but they're never the front and center. Great for sensitive ears, fans of relaxing/warm sounds, and long listening sessions. Not so great for accuracy or those who like exciting, dynamic headphones.MidsThe mids are fantastic. Piano, instruments, and voices shine through loud and clear. This is definitely a mids-forward pair of cans. However, they do not dominate most tracks. You can still very clearly hear things like the high hats and bass guitar. This is where music lives and it's where these cans live, but they make sure to not make anything over powered. The upper mids have a bit of a pinch to them, most noticeable in male vocals. Songs like "Wherever you go" by Sublime with Rome and most Maroon 5 songs, it's noticeable if you listen for it. However, it's slight and that same pinch doesn't seem to affect instruments in the same frequencies. Must just be something with voices.BassBass has noticeably more thump than the Sennheiser 558s (as much if not a little more than the 598s). It's nowhere close to bass heavy headphones. Bass heads will not like this. However, that isn't to say that there isn't any bass at all. The bass sounds controlled, full, and well developed, even down into the lower frequencies. It just doesn't rattle your ears/skull/headphones. I'm not 100% certain what muddy bass is. However, I know the 558s were described as having muddy bass and the bass in the 579s sound nothing like the 558s. Very controlled, clear, and even a little punchy. More bass than I was expecting for open cans.Okay, that's about it. For $200, these sound pretty fantastic. They're more neutral (and a bit warmer) than the 598s, although their clarity and fidelity is a fairly close (the 579s win, but just for comparison sake). Anyone who tells you that the 599s and the 579s sound alike either didn't listen close enough or didn't try them with a large enough set of songs. The 599s are definitely bright, loud, cluttered, and mainstream. The 579s are warmer, more analytical, and more relaxed. They're both great headphones with great clarity, but when it comes to listening to stuff for hours and hours a day, I'll take these all day long.For $200? Sure, why not. They'll no doubt last me as long as the 558s did at least and that was about 5 years. Technically, my 558s are fine, I just wanted something that sounded a little clearer. It cost me a pretty penny but I found what I was looking for. These are excellent upgrades from the 558s, but those looking for a more mainstream "V" sound should probably check out the 599s first.

This is the first over-$100 headphones I have ever owned and I love it. I initially was going for ATH-M50X (the red version is extremely attractive) but got this instead as Amazon is selling this at about half price, which is a great steal. This is easily one of the best sounding headphones I ever had experience. (I have tried before a ATH-M50X, Momentum over-ear, and the in-ear momentum 1, as well as own Jaybird X3 and Klipsch S3m, Asus Ceberus gaming headset and a cheap Sennheiser headphone a long time ago.)Sound: I am hearing a really balanced sound and the subtle details of the instruments as well as vocals are much sharper compared to before. I am hearing details that I've never noticed before in my favourite pop songs. (Do note that I prefer low volume levels to protect my ears )The soundstage is wider, giving a more cinematic audio experience likely due to it being open-back. My tracks on spotify seem to suddenly sound like a live band playing right in front of me as they suddenly have a sense of direction and dynamics.This is also really useful for gaming especiallly for FPS games like CS where you have to listen for footsteps and gunshots. LOL game and Batman Arkham Knight sound much better than Sennheiser Momentum in ear. It also has a clearer balanced sound compared to Razer Kraken Pro headset.The fact that it is a open headphone also mean that the following pro might be a con to others depending on your situation. Ambient noises can be easily heard as isolation is minimal here (meaning that I can hear the doorbell ringing or my family calling me even when listening to music).AKA I don't recommend this for noisy ENVIRONMENTS.Noise leakage at my usual volume seem to be minimal and I think using it at the library might be okay (My laptop volume is usually around 8-14) : I might just take it for a try.Design: I like that this is a lightweight, rather streamlined design with really comfy headband padding, large earcups, and plushy velour ear pads that I love. I can easily wear this headphone for hours of extended listening sessions without any discomfort. However, this is not a very travel-friendly headphones. Wearing it for long hours also does not heat up my ears as wind circulation within the cups are pretty good. However my ears get slightly warm when used for long periods on especially hot humid days. The headphones are not foldable and the cups do not turn flat. Despite its high price, it comes with only a 3m straight cable and no carrying case or pouch of any kind. The 3m cable comes with a 6.3mm jack (why make this the default?) and a super bulky adapter making it unfriendly to use with mobile cases.While it is made for home use, I would expect to still have acessories to store the headphones properly and be given cable options for more vesatility (A 1.2m or coiled cable would be nice)In conclusion, this is a great headphones for home use and extended listening sessions. At 99 it is a steal.

Estos son con diferencia, los mejores audifonos que he tenido. Son abiertos asi que quizas quieras investigar la diferencia con unos audifonos convencionales antes de hacer la compra.La musica se escucha con bastante fidelidad, sin colorear, sin ruidos y puedo estar con ellos literalmente horas sin molestia ni calor en el oido.Pague por ellos como $3k en Sep/2019. Ahora aparecen en $17k, no se si sea una broma de Amazon o un abuso. Te recomiendo busques otras alternativas o esperes a que el precio este normalizado. Los HD 599 en USA cuestan $199 USD

1. They sound so natural, its like what actual instruments sound like, nothing fancy for the millenials but for the people born in the '90s and have heard people play a guitar, you are sure to remember how it sounded like. bass is upto the mark how it should be..2. If you are a beginner or have no idea how to tune then i have attached equilizer settings which best for HD579. use a good equlizer like peace to apply them and see the difference.3. If you are planning to use with a PC or a laptop i recommend you to buy a DAC/Amp as there will be underpowered and you will hear a hissing noise otherwise. Fortunately my TCL TV has amp good enough to power these, also the cable is long enough to use it from a distant and watch movies which sounds awsome.4. Very uncomfortable with respect to the super high class, guess thats better as you would tabe a break after 2-3 hours as you will feel a slight strain on your skull.5.I found myself criticizing even call quality of other budget headphones after using these, nothing sounds better in life :D.6. If you are here that means you know what an open back headphone is, so dont expect noise cancelling, for the outside world they sound like those portable speakers, yeah so loud.7. For a deep review on sound i would recommend hear it for an audiophile.

Did my research and narrowed it down to these, the HD599/HD598, and the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X. As someone who wanted to primarily use them for music, these are apparently very close in sound and comfort to the pricier HD599/HD598's (and can be improved with the 'foam mod') but quite a bit cheaper, especially with the Amazon Warehouse deals.From my first few hours with them I was grinning with joy listening to my favorite songs for what seemed like the first time. I've never experienced such a wide and detailed sound before. For the price, these are justified by the sound quality alone. As for the construction, it is a decent amount of plastic and can seem a little rattly when picking them up due to the pivoting earcups, but by no means feels like they're delicate. It'd be worth looking into a replacement cord as well due to the length and type (6mm with 3.5mm adapter) which can be a little much when you're just using these at your computer. The padding on the earcups is very comfortable, and the headband is pretty good.Only issue I ran into concerning the fit are the little protruding notches within the earcup (due to the design of the pivoting point on the earcup). If I place the headphones where they feel most natural, they would dig into my one ear which stuck out more. Fortunately I was able to place the cups lower down so this would be less of an issue. From what I've read this isn't a concern for most people but it is something to consider.

ist wie die Suche nach DEM perfekten Kopfhörer. Oder umgekehrt. Jeder - und ich meine jeder! - der sich auf die Suche nach einem Kopfhörer gemacht hat, der alle anderen KH überflüssig macht, weiss wovon ich spreche. Hier passt der Klang nicht so ganz, da ist der Sitz nicht optimal und er nächste sieht einfach nur sch***** aus. Manchmal eine endlose Suche. In meinem Fall ging es darum, dass ich für zuhause einen offenen KH gesucht habe. Offen nicht mal so sehr wegen des evtl. noch saubereren Klangs, sondern einfach nur deshalb, dass ich auch das Telefon hören kann oder das Läuten an der Türe. Ein offener KH für unterwegs bringt rein gar nichts, klar. Denn damit bekommt die Umwelt so ziemlich jeden Ton mit, den man selbst auch hört. Und speziell S-Bahn und Bus Benutzer tendieren dazu, es nicht lustig zu finden, irgendwelche Musik mithören zu müssen. Und das kann schnell mit Ärger enden. Nein - für unterwegs nur und ausschliesslich geschlossenenSysteme; keine Frage.Der HD579 jedenfalls ist mein ganz persönlicher Gral geworden. Er sitzt nahezu perfekt auf dem Kopf, die Ohrpolster sind angenehm groß (und austauschbar!), der Klang ist wunderschön und in dem matten Grau mit den silbernen Akzenten sieht er ausgesprochen edel aus. Es gibt auch noch eine geschlossene Version im selben Design - die ist etwas billiger Und eben auch S-Bahn tauglich. Die gibt es dann aber auch „nur“ in Schwarz. Mir persönlich hat es aber dieses elegante Grau angetan 😎. Geschmacksache. Apropos Geschmacksache. Der Klang des HD579 ist sehr ausgewogen. Soll nicht heissen, dass er langweilig und farblos wäre. Im Gegenteil. Der 579 ist (soweit das möglich ist) so eingestellt, dass er die Aufnahmen möglichst originalgetreu wiedergibt. Mit anderen Worten: Wo kein mächtiger Tiefbass aufgenommen wurde, da wird der HD579 auch keinen draufzaubern. Bässe sind ohnehin immer ein sehr sensibles Thema. Wer die wirklich böse Bassdröhnung möchte, der ist mit dem Skull Candy „Crusher“ recht gut bedient. Aber das nur am Rande.Der HD579 ist ein wunderbar klar klingender und dazu noch sehr edel aussehender Kopfhörer, den ich gerne empfehle. Und noch ein Tipp. Wer keine Kabel mag, der kann sich hier bei Amazon auch gleich den FiiO BTR1 ansehen. Ein winzig kleines Teil, mit dem man aus jedem kabelgebundenen KH ein Bluetooth Gerät machen kann. Man braucht also keine direkte Kabelverbindung zum Handy. Aber das ist nur eine feine Sache um den Spaß abzurunden 🤗Der Sennheiser HD579 ist eine gute Investition, wenn man sich gerne mal hinsetzt und seine Musik in Ruhe geniessen möchte.

Ce casque Sennheiser HD 579 est une petite merveille technologique adaptée aux sources HIFI. La scène sonore est étendue et sans se dégrader dans la dissection musicale le rendu homogène et impressionnant donne avec finesse la couleur des timbres pour les instruments et les voix humaines. Je ne parle pas des basses cathédralesques quand il le faut, j'invente le mot ça en vaut le coup et le coût aussi. Ce casque est pour les passionnés qui ne laissent pas couler le café durant une audition et qui investissent sur la qualité des supports audio.