HD 598

Sennheiser HD598. I think I got them on offer for around £150 a good 15 years ago. They opened my eyes (ears) to how headphones could offer greater fidelity than HiFi speakers at a much much cheaper price point. I've since upgraded to the 6XX which is a clear step up for music even if not quite as comfortable. Seeing the 599SE on Amazon for £99 today makes me happy that a lot of people are going to be experiencing that same feeling for the first time.

ive been giving friends that are over 3k elo sound info for the past decade cause their "gaming" headsets dont pick sound up. Sennheiser HD598SE is goated

I just checked. I bought my 598’s in 2017. I’ve used them for all sorts of stuff including gaming. They still look and sound like new. I use a cheap compression mic I got on Amazon and it sounds better than any of the headsets I’ve owned with built in mics.

I'm by no means an audiophile, I just like to waste money on the next "upgrade", be it PC hardware, or headphones. However, I recently rediscovered my HyperX Clouds (they are "gaming headphones", but phenomenal for the price back in 2016), they actually sound good. I think I paid around £60 for them 10 years ago, I wouldn't be disappointed with them if I were dropped on a desert island with a decent battery bank. I prefer them to my mid range wireless BT Sony headphones that I typically use for travelling. My first pair of real headphones after the Clouds were the HD598SR, I only bought them because of the soundstage, and I was obsessed with CS:GO at the time. I was a bit disappointed with those, but the HyperX clouds were actually decent. I just expected more from a non gaming oriented product like the 598SR. And sure, my HD600s, Sundara and now Arya Stealth shit on all of them, but I still pull them out now and again. EDIT; Just to my nostalgic brain, the Clouds were my favourite headphone of all time. Not because they were great, but because they were such a leap over my previous £10-20 actual crap budget headset I found on Amazon because my previous one died.

Can’t say I’m familiar with them. I’ve just tried the HD600 and really liked them. I personally have been using a set of HD598s for about ten years and really loved them with no intent to upgrade. The HD600 is generally considered sort of the headphone for accurate sound reproduction. At that point the choice is going to be preference. I’d be seeking out everything I was considering and trying them out to see how I personally like them. Both sets are going to be similar quality in most ways.

My Sennheiser HD958s have been happily at my desk working perfectly for 12 years now with zero sign of any issues. Replacement pads are readily available and I’ve done that as they’ve gotten gross from being on my head all the time. 

Bluetooth has latency issues and wireless adds considerable cost and engineering especially if there's a microphone involved. So a $100 wired headphone like Sennheiser HD598 SE will sound a lot better than a $100 wireless headset. You will need to pay more to get equivalent sound quality + wireless bonuses without BT latency issues.

Sennheiser 598SR headphones bought 2017 Pleather earpads and headband flaking. Earpads are easily changed out and wrapped the headband with grip tape. Both done twice.