Sennheiser HD590 Full Size Headphone

 Best high end headphones for portables...
I love listening to music on headphones to either relax at night or while I'm in the middle of household busy work: projects, cleaning, bills...etc. Unfortunately, this means I do most of my at home music listening through a portable cd player. After having lived with a outstanding pair of Definitive Technology floor speakers paired with a very nice Yamaha tuner and Phillips dual-well cd player for two years the output from most portable player set ups wasn't even close to being on the same level. After a large amount of research I decided I wanted to upgrade to a set of high end headphones to maximize the portable cd player experience. The HD-590's sound fantastic, easily on par with the 600's and with a lower impedence, they perform great on portable players without the need for a cumbersome headphone amp. They are extremely comfortable, lightweight and sound fantastic. Pair them with the iRiver IMP-550 cd/mp3 player as I have, and you will have the best sounding portable cd set up available.

 Best high-end headphones for the average stereo
I bought the Sennheiser HD 590 Prestige headphones after I became dissatisfied with my admittedly low-end headphones, and what a difference these headphones make! Sure, they are brighter than the older HD 580 Precision and HD 600 Avantgarde headphones, but the HD 590 works well on normal stereo equipment (unlike the HD 580 and HD 600, which require a separate, expensive, high-powered headphone amp just to obtain much sound quality out of them) - and the HD 590 even works quite well directly from many portable CD players (again, unlike many of the other Sennheiser full-size headphones, some of which are far less sensitive than their smaller size implies). The bass is quite deep without any hint of boominess; the mids are as open as any headphone I have ever listened to.

These headphones are so comfortable that I can wear them almost forever - if I ever listen to music that long. The only problem of these headphones is that they are so detailed, you will notice all the flaws in your recorded media! That means if you feed them crap, they'll sound even more like crap. On the other hand, well-mastered CD's sound better than they ever did.

So, if you want a taste of the high-end Sennheiser sound but don't want to spend thousands of dollars on super-high-end equipment, the HD 590 is the way to go. People who want an exaggerated stereo presentation may be disappointed with these headphones - in that case they should buy a pair of Grado headphones (but be prepared for an ear-ache after an hour of listening).

 Better than the 580s
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 amazingly 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.

 Close, but for this price, no cigar
These are great headphones, and extremely comfortable. But to add real life into your music, especially out of the confines of the clasical genre, grab a pair of Sennheiser HD-600's...The sound those headphones create is near perfection. They are often used as a reference for recording engineers, and audiophiles. The extra [price] is very much worth it. ...these headphones are great for classical music, but if you are primarily a rock listner you might want to check out the Grado SR-325's. I would also recommend going and auditioning this type of headphone before you buy.

 Fantastic Sound
You have to try these headphones to understand how fantastic they are, listening to Classical music the sound is so precise you can practically hear the orchestra breathing, and listening to jazz is an unbeleivable experience, close your eyes and the musicians are there in front of you. Plus there is the added bonus that the headphones are so comfortable as well. A wonderful experience and treat for your ears. Please give them a try

 Great headphones for the money..........
I got these headphones from J&R at a great price($99.99)and would sum up my review in two words...GET THEM......

 Great value for the money, if you can find them cheap
I bought the Sennheiser HD590 headphones from J&R for $129, free shipping and it arrived within days after ordering. This is my first "higher end" set of headphones, having had several pairs of lower end Radio Shack and other brands. I found the Sennheisers to be of adequate quality construction, very light and comfortable, and has excellent sound reproduction. I have used the 590s only with an MP3 player. In terms of music, I listen mostly to rock and blues (acoustic guitar and harmonica) and I must admit I am amazed each time I play a song that I formally used to listen to through my home theater system. With the Sennheisers, I can literally hear the harmonica player lick his lips while playing. Although at first I found the great detail to be distracting, now I can appreciate the talent of the musicians even more. It's like being in the studio. The Sennheisers also work well for voice reproduction when listening to foreign language lessons such as Pimsleur. After using the 590s for one month, I am satisfied with the purchase and would recommend them to anyone looking for the most bang for the buck.

 I'm very picky, but HD 590 RULES
I recently bought the HD 590 after researching on internet to see which headphones would be the best. I've used it for a few weeks and they are excellent. They are very comfortable and i've worn them for 3+ hours without getting a headache or feeling pain from the pressure. The ear cushions are made out of some kind of cloth that is very comfortable, more comfortable than leather probably. I mean, who's ever seen leather ear muffs. Keep the leather on jackets and chairs, but not on headphones.

The headphones are also very light and do not fall off easily. Also, they look very cool, a lot better than Sony ones. Sennheiser is German made and everybody knows German products are solid (Harman/Kardon, Porsche, BMW). The best thing about the headphones is it picks up sounds from movies and songs that I wouldn't normally hear when using speakers, which adds a newness to all the songs I listen to now.

These headphones are good but I'd have to say, speakers are still way more better obviously. HD590 has excellent base, but a subwoofer can shake the house. My point? The headphones are perfect for what its purpose is, good sound without bothering other people, but don't expect it to be super impressive compared to regular ground speakers. When I first used them, I was like, "Wow, the quality of sound is pretty crazy for headphones." But I wasn't like, "WOW, these headphones are a lot better than anything i've ever heard!" I'd still prefer speakers over headphones but, a lot of people complain about my loud volume in the dorms, so I'll just make myself deaf with the cool HD 590.

 JuicedUp
The Sennheiser HD590s rock. After carefully evaluating dozens of cans - these are my personal favorites. Bass is mellow and strong, midrange is aptly present and highs are crystal clear. The detail is superb - I can hear Bono breathing between lyrics. For me, the deal was sealed after listening to the "Goodby Yellow Brick Road" album - Funeral for a Friend NEVER sounded this good.
If you love music, if your getting older and your hearing is "slipping", if you've got the money to spend - buy these headphones. They definitely are getting better after each listening feast.

 Not less than the HD 600!!!
I bought these two weeks ago, and let me tell you something: I am a serious audiophile and I would like my CD collection to sound at its best. I've heared lots of sennheiser models and the HD 600 is among them (Yes, yes, all of them were after a good brake-in period. Around 50 hours of real good action...) and the HD 590 did a fab job! The HD 590 is NO less than the highly praised 600's, and in some aspects it is even better. The bass is full, very deep and extended. And the mids (Aspecialy the high mids(1.5-6khz)) are pin-point presice (..with good integrated amp or headphone amp).some may find the treble a bit to sharp, but I find it flat. It is just very very detailed( and It's great when It's detailed).

The HD 590 will bring all of your music collection alive.It is a best buy with sky high value (HD 600 alike at sound quality and costs much less) and the HD 590's DOES NOT have the cable problems like the 580's and the 600's!

Give it a good brake-in (30 music hours will do just fine)and you'll start smiling again.I promise you that!