Question about the Sennheiser HD 598

I don't know if anyone around here is familiar with this headphone, but i was looking to pick one up, and i have heard they sound great. The only thing for me is that they are open, and i am someone who spends a reasonable amount of time at the library and in computer labs. I don't mind so much about me hearing other people, but other people hearing my music. So to the question; how bad is the sound leakage on these? is there an alternative for a closed headphone you recommend in the same price range if this would not be appropriate? Thanks for any input!

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any open back is going to be rough when it comes to sound leakage. I would build a set of ear buds for the library. However, if you listen at a reasonable volume and sit apart from other people, there should not be too much of a problem.

Sound leakage is not that bad. Just don't jack the volume up all the way. They are nowhere near the K701 or Q701 with sound leakage, so you should be fine.

I have listened to them, and sent them back. They sounded good, but have a fairly large dip in the frequency response in the higher frequencies. This causes some of the detail to be missing. I sent them back because I did not find that that hole in the detail made them worth the money. I would look at the HD 600s. They are a bit more money, but are heralded as a fairly neutral sounding headset.

Also RBH is releasing a new closed back set of headphones, and an electrical engineer who runs a high end audio review site said they sound better than the HD 600s for a cheaper price: http://rbhsound.com/hp2.php . I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop and holding off getting them until I see a proper technical review (which should be coming soon).