As a massive fan of good-value open-back headphones, the Sennheiser HD 599 SE purchase was the culmination of a lot of research within my budget range. A revamping of the original beige and brown HD 599, this Amazon special is a contender for the top spot when it comes to budget-oriented headphones.
Sennheiser has a long history of creating amazing audio products, and it shows with the HD 599 SE. These headphones are comfortable to wear and listen to for hours—they even contend with headphones double their price.
Sennheiser HD 599 SE
The Sennheiser HD 599 SE are an Amazon special in black and silver. They’re open-back headphones with 38mm dynamic drivers that offer a pleasing yet accurate listening experience. At its $129 price point with frequent sales, they punch way above their league.
What’s in the Box?
The HD 599 SE come in a recycled-looking box using cardboard tape to seal it shut, which is a nice sustainability touch. It’s easily recyclable; however, inside you’ll find a lot of plastic. The headphones themselves are wrapped in a plastic sleeve. The paperwork and cables come in separate plastic pouches of their own.
I’m unsure if this is intentional, but lifting the cardboard that flaps over the headphones tilts the item up and towards you as if in a presentational manner. Despite the modest packaging material, I’m surprised they thought to add some flair to the unboxing experience.
It comes with one pair of headphones of course, but it also comes with two cables; a 3m (~10ft) cable that ends in a ¼ inch jack, and a shorter 1.2m (~4ft) cable that ends in a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, these detachable cables are proprietary as the end that plugs into the headphones are tiny and have a locking mechanism.
Appearance
The Sennheiser HD 599 SE are mainly black with silver accents that are placed tastefully. The accents aren’t overwhelming, but the whole design is a bit understated compared to its non-SE older brother in beige and brown. However, the beige and brown/wood of the non-SE was quite polarizing; some loved it and some hated it. Sennheiser played it safe with black and silver, but I do wish it had a bit more character.
I like the flowy earcup arm and the way it blends into the oval of the earcup. The silver oval accent around the slightly offset metal mesh is also quite pretty. There is some branding in the middle of the oval, but it’s not too much to be distasteful.
It’s a very simplistic design with not much drama. As someone who isn’t a fan of the typical “gamer” aesthetics, I appreciate this being on my desk instead of something flashy.
Build Quality
For something that’s priced this low, you shouldn’t expect to find the highest-grade materials in its construction. Everything is made of plastic except for the metal grills outside the earcup.
However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t built well. The plastic is solid and scratch-resistant and it’s not the type to get sticky after being in the sun. It just doesn’t feel very exquisite when you’re holding it.
My only complaint about its construction is the paint they used on the silver accents. While the plastic underneath is great, the silver paint chips off quite easily, as you can see in the image above.
The silver accents are also in a vulnerable area, as the parts that touch the table the most and are the most likely to get nicked by your nails.
Before I had the HD 599 SE, I used the Philips SHP9500 and the Hifiman HE400se. I wore them for hours at a time, but I had my fair share of complaints about them both.
The SHP9500 foams were too shallow, so my ears would touch the diaphragm and become sore unless I adjusted them. The HE400se earpads were too itchy on hot days and the hinge would sometimes pull my hair.
The HD 599 SE didn’t have any of those issues. The earcups are deep enough to give my ears space; they don’t get too hot, nor do they tug on my hair.
The clamping force is also not too tight. It is tighter than the other headphones I mentioned, but those headphones were so loose that just looking down to pick something up from the floor would make them fall off my head. The HD 599 SE are lightweight, and the tightness of the band is just enough to not fall off my head.
You can bend the headband a little tighter or looser if you want to adjust the clamping force, but do this at your own risk. However, I think this is unlikely, considering how flexible it is.
Sound Quality
The HD 599 SE aren’t the most expensive pair of headphones around, and the price puts them in the lower mid-range bracket along with the cans that I’ve mentioned previously—the SHP9500 and the HE400se, both of which are open-back headphones.
The HE400se have planar magnetic drivers though, which is incredibly impressive for something in the $120-ish price range. It’s hard to beat the speed and accuracy at which the HE400se deliver sound, but the HD 599 SE are much more comfortable to listen to compared to the HE400se, with a slightly warmer and more enjoyable sound, which I’ll get into detail about below:
The lows are raised up a bit and good for a mid-range pair of open-back headphones. The lows are usually where open-backs are weak. I’m not a bass head, but I appreciate punchy bass where appropriate.
The bass is actually more present on the HD 599 SE than the HE400se with planar magnetic drivers, which are known for having better bass response. So long as you aren’t listening to it outdoors with a lot of interfering sound, the lower frequencies are excellent.
The mids are well balanced on the HD 599 SE, but similarly to the HE400se, they tend to drop off at around the 1.2-2kHz range, though not nearly as much. I suppose this is done on purpose to reduce the “shouty” frequencies that tend to make the listening experience a bit harsher.
Vocals are clear for the most part unless there are a lot of instruments just before the 1kHz mark that can overpower female vocals like guitars.
The highs are clear and sparkly without being painful to listen to. I appreciate good high-frequency response and the HD 599 SE satisfy me there. I enjoy a lot of detail in the higher frequencies in my music, which is why my first pair of open-back headphones were the SHP9500 because of the “bright” frequency response. However, over time, I found that it was just a bit too much.
The HD599 is well-balanced in the higher frequencies, providing plenty of detail that you don’t have to listen to so closely to identify but isn’t harsh. These are definitely the open-back headphones I’ve been looking for in my quest to find headphones that suit my taste.
Sound Stage
The sound stage is quite good on these. I won’t talk about it in terms of listening to music, as it’s rarely ever recorded in a way that makes you appreciate the sound stage of headphones.
But I do want to talk about the sound stage when it comes to media where positioning matters, like in gaming and movies. These shine in that regard. I usually do sim racing in Assetto Corsa Competitizione and play FPS games like Valorant and Counter-Strike.
Assetto Corsa Competitizione has amazing sound design, and you can really appreciate it with these headphones, especially using the in-car view. It feels like you’re in the car, and you can accurately hear the curbs, other cars, and even how your tires are doing based on the sound alone. Grenades exploding in the distance, footsteps, and gunshots around you in Counter-Strike are goosebump-inducing with how wide the sound stage sounds on these headphones.
I’ve been spoiled by the HE400se with its planar magnetic drivers, so transitioning to the HD 599 SE wasn’t that exciting when it came to imaging.
Planar magnetic drivers are just on another level when it comes to distinguishing between different instruments and locating them in the sound space. However, the HD 599 SE are no slouch either.
Listening toFrank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, you can still identify all the instruments surrounding you. The deep bass on the right, the flute on the left, the trumpets, saxophones, trombones—all while Frank Sinatra’s voice is crystal clear despite other instruments within the same frequency range as his voice.
It may not be as quick as planar magnetic drivers, but the dynamic drivers on the HD 599 SE can still deliver excellent separation.
Should You Buy the HD 599 SE?
The HD 599 SE are incredible value for the money. I’d even say they’d still be worth it at $200 with just how great the whole experience of owning this pair is.
These are often on sale for just $119-129 on Amazon, and at that price, they’re one of the best headphones you can get for your money.
