I love Markiplier – not because of his super-entertaining videos, or his immense success, his ridiculous pink mustaches or his beautiful deep voice. No, I love Markiplier because he, like me, is a Sennheiser man!
He is also a Bose man, and in fact seems to generally have pretty great taste in headphones – he has, for sure, made pretty great choices with both his Bose and Sennheiser picks. So let’s take a look at just what headphones Markiplier uses, and how you can find and buy them for yourself.
Who is Markiplier?
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last ten years or so – especially a rock that blocks your internet reception – Markiplier is one of the most popular YouTube content creators of all time.
Markiplier was born Mark Edward Fischbach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 28, 1989, making him now 33 years old, He began his YouTube channel in Ohio ten years ago, and broke the 10 million subscriber mark in 2015. He is now based in Los Angeles, California.
As of this moment, Markiplier’s YouTube channel’s page shows 33.7 million subscribers and 18,971,719,225 views, and he made over 38 million dollars in 2021 alone.
In addition to his ultra-successful YouTube activity, Markiplier is involved in podcasting and streaming, movie production and comic book publishing, and has recently launched a fashion line called Cloak.
What Headphones does Markiplier Use Most?
As one of the most successful – and richest – Youtube personalities ever, Markiplier could buy and use any headphones he wants – literally! As a Sennheiser fan he could, for example, purchase their flagship model – the stunning 60,000 dollar Sennheiser Orpheus – without batting an eye.
Instead, the Markiplier headset of choice is the much (much, much) more reasonably priced pair of Sennheiser HD 598 headphones – which are now discontinued, and have recently been replaced by the very similar, less expensive and in many ways better Sennheiser HD 599.
Both these old-school wired Senns – the older and the current model – are, in fact, pretty amazing for the price, and both have often been referred to as among the best values in all of high-end audio, with an indescribable knack of combining exceptionally neutral, accurate and detailed sound with warmly sweet musicality, but with a price no where near the “high end.”
Markiplier also uses, although apparently quite a bit less frequently, the ultra-popular Bluetooth wireless Bose Quiet Comfort 35 headphones, which have fantastic active noise cancellation, overall excellent tech and a smooth, sweet sound that – if not quite as beautiful sounding or audiophile-accurate as the Sennheisers – is also very musical, detailed and dynamic, with low distortion, extended frequency response and awesome bass.
Let’s look a little bit closer at each of Markiplier’s current headphones of choice.
Sennheiser HD 598 – a true classic among audiophiles – especially those who appreciate a great value – the Sennheiser HD 598 are a very accurate, high resolution wired open-backed headphone with wonderful detail and dynamic expressiveness, amazing deep bass extension, and very, very low distortion, and are especially known for their sweet musicality and their affordability. These open design headphones are also renowned for their effortless, wide-open sound, their eerily accurate imaging and their enormous and immersively holographic soundstage.
Although they are considered true high-end audiophile headphones, the 598 – and their new replacement, the even better value Sennheiser HD 599 – are remarkably inexpensive.
Here’s a bit of a pros and cons list (equally applicable to both the 598 and 599 ‘phones) based on industry opinion as well as my own experience – though I had to stretch a bit to come up with any cons…
Pros:
- True Audiophile Sound Quality
- Superb Resolution and Incredible Detail
- Sweet, Musical Sound Signature
- Incredible Deep Bass Extension
- Enormous, Immersive and Hyper-Accurate Soundstage
- Superior Build Quality, Fit and Finish
- Phenomenal Value
Cons:
- Less Bass Slam than Closed Headphones (though actually much better and much more accurate bass response than most)
- Less Acoustic Isolation and More Sound Leakage than Closed Headphones
Bose Quiet Comfort 35 – an enormously popular pair of over-ear wireless headphones, the more expensive “affordable premium” Bose Quiet Comfort 35 are known for their fast, powerful deep bass, their smooth but highly detailed and accurate overall sound signature, and their lovely musicality – in the way they make music sound so sweet and easy to listen to, they are somewhat reminiscent of the Sennheiser.
The Bose are also known for their superb overall quality and reliability, their beautiful fit and finish, their cutting edge technology and especially their active noise cancellation, which is considered by many to be the best and most effective on the market today.
And again here is a list of the upsides and downsides of the Bose QuietComfort headphones, drawn from my own experience and the opinions of about a gazillion other people.
Pros:
- Remarkably Smooth and yet Highly Detailed Sound
- Arguably the Best Active Noise Reduction Available
- Slamming Bass
- Great Battery Life
- Beautiful Material and Build Quality
- Super-Advanced Tech – including superb noise-rejecting microphones, Bose AR (augmented reality), assistant compatibility, a great app, and on and on
- Bragging Rights – Bose, don’t you know?
Cons:
- The Sennheiser, which are quite a bit cheaper, have better sound
- But, for a wireless ANC (active noise cancellation) headphone at this price level, no real downside…
Where Can You Buy Markiplier’s Headphones?
Where to Get The Best Deals on Sennheiser Headphones
Markiplier’s main headphones, the Sennheiser HD 598, are no longer available from the legendary German audio manufacturer, having been replaced by the even more impressive Sennheiser HD 599, which is also an open back design, with the same sweet, musical, incredibly detailed and accurate sound, the same enormous and immersive soundstage and the same overall quality, and which is, if possible, an even better value.
If you really want to have the exact same headphones Markiplier uses, you can purchase a used pair on Amazon for a reasonable price – Sennheiser HD 598 Pre-Owned – but to me the much better idea is to get the latest and greatest, with essentially the same sound and at an even lower price new than the 598 costs used – the current Sennheiser HD 599 Headphones, which are often even available at a bit of a discount by following my link.
Yeah, it’s hard to believe that the substantially less expensive HD 599 are as good as the HD 598 they replaced, but in fact, a Sennheiser executive is known to have said in a personal memo that the HD 599, though cheaper than the 598, offers essentially the same sound signature and overall quality, and after a bit of use (what we call the burn-in period) will sound even a bit better than its predecessor.
I will say from my own personal experience that I have used both the Sennheiser HD 598 and HD 599 a lot, and to me they sound pretty much identical, and I think the 599 is a much better value. I will also say that, any associations with Markiplier aside, the 599 are just amazing cans, and are definitely the wired headphones I would recommend most highly in this price range.
One final note – if you are a gamer, and really want that stunning Sennheiser sound but in a pair of top-tier gaming headphones, I very highly recommend the Sennheiser EPOS Audio H6PRO Open Back Headset, which is around the same price as the HD 599, has a similar open-back design and a very similar sound, and can easily be ranked as one of the finest gaming headphones on the planet – quite cheap in that company, but truly superlative and a brilliant choice for the serious gamer.
Where to Get The Best Deals on Bose Headphones
Like the Sennheiser HD 598, Markiplier also uses a discontinued model of Bose – the Mark I version of the QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones. He does seem to know, and to hold onto, a good thing once he’s found it.
As such, those first generation QuietComfort 35 headphones can be difficult to find these days, although when you do they can be had at pretty great prices – this Amazon listing for Pre-Owned Bose QuietComfort 35 I Headphones, for example, is a bit less than half the price of the new Version II.
Still, unless again you really want exactly what the Markimoo is using, or are on a pretty tight budget, I would strongly consider getting the new and improved Bose QuietComfort 35 II Headphones, which are admittedly a bit expensive but as good as it gets at their price level.
I will say that there is essentially no difference in sound quality between the discontinued I and the current II, and if you don’t mind not having a factory warranty, you really trust the seller and have a good feeling about the headphones themselves, second-hand QuietComfort 35 Series I can be a pretty good deal.
But why are the newer ones better? Well, they aren’t hugely better, and my bias towards them is based largely on my personal preference for getting new products, full dealer support, latest tech, software and firmware, and a full factory warranty.
Although the original QuietComfort 35 headphones are known for their extreme wearing comfort as much as their awesome sound, the QuietComfort 35 II are even a bit lighter and more comfortable, and I have worn them for hours and hours without a hint of discomfort.
A more significant difference can be seen in the technology, with the series II offering better, and more fully adjustable, active noise cancelling, slightly longer battery life and improved interfacing with voice assistants, including a nifty Google Assistant button, which directly activates the assistant without having to access your smartphone.
Neither the series I or series II are quite as smart with Apple, though, and often Apple people – even Markiplier fans – greatly prefer the (much more expensive but admittedly quite superb) Apple AirPods Max Headphones, or the (similarly priced, also superb) Apple AirPods Pro Earbuds, which are in-ear headphones, and so a bit of an apples vs oranges affair.
And for the gamers, Bose actually make a wonderful gaming headset in the Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset – essentially the exact same thing as the Series II above, but with a superb boom mic and some clever engineering – especially around sound and volume levels – that make them one of the finest and most desirable pairs of gaming headphones on the market today, and an equally good general use headphone as well – in this second respect, fully the equal of their non-gaming brothers.