stillhart said:

   
So if you actually know a bit about these, it's always better to ask a more specific question.  Nobody wants to bother with a "which is the best" question with no context around it.  Just a tip for next time.
 
As I haven't heard the Senn's, I can't comment on which is better for competitive gaming.  I'll make a bold prediction, though, and state that you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind test.  Just get one and enjoy yourself.

Click to expand...

 
 
I already own all 3 headphones.
 
I bought the X1's and HD558's brand new and the HD595's second hand.
 
The HD558's should be arriving tomorrow. I have been using the 595's for 2-3 months now for competitive and the X1's for music/movies only.
 
The 595's are far better for competitive gaming than the X1's.
 
I was told I could mod 558's to 598's but I now believe that isn't true, or that the mod makes their bass loose and it's better stock even though soundstage improves with the mod.
 
The fact is I want to get rid of the 595's as I bought them second hand. I was wondering if the 558's would be better/worse or the same as 595's, when stock without the mod.
 
I paid £15 more than I did for my 595's for brand new 558's. The X1 cost me the same as both of those headphones combined brand new.
 
I love the X1's but for competitive gaming they suck compared to the 595's.
 
I suppose I will need to just test them for myself and see but apparently the 558's require 100 hours of burn in before they really open up and sound their best.
 
I suppose I should've just asked for competitive gaming what is better the HD558's (stock) or HD595's?
 
I should of also maybe asked for opinions on modding 558's and whether or not I should mod them?
 
http://www.headfonia.com/old-and-new-hd555-hd558-hd598/
 
they say HD558 should be left stock and it's better than the HD598 for gaming, music and movies but I think that's because the HD558 has more bass than the HD598's.
 
Either way I think they will be my new gaming set and sell the second hand HD595's meaning I "upgraded/sidegraded" to brand new 558's for £15 if I manage to sell them for what I paid for them.

stillhart said:

  I'll make a bold prediction, though, and state that you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind test.

Click to expand...

 
 

sonnya85 said:

   
 
I already own all 3 headphones.

Click to expand...

 
Looking forward to hearing the results of your blind test.

Well, the main difference between the HP200 and K612, so far, is that the HP200 has more bass presence at the exchange of soundstage depth and width. SoundMAGIC came real close, but to no avail due to the immense soundstage that AKG manages to pull off. As a result, the HP200 sounds like a semi open rather than fully open when compared to something as such. I wonder if that is due to the stock pleathers and alcantaras I use on the HP200, which don't allow as much air to pass through like velours. I may have to buy some Shure velours in the future to try out...

The rest of the timbre is surprisingly very similar, however. Big ups to SoundMAGiC on this wonderful headphone.

*comparison was done with stock pads on both*

K612 is up for sale, and so are the K702 pads. Save a couple bucks and get an extra cable if bought as a bundle.

I'll be doing more analyzing and comparing as the days pass. I know the classifieds have been slow, as of late...

Edit: Also, the K612 is almost twice as hard to drive.

stillhart said:

  Oh it's ON! 
 
http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/9/5791360/turtle-beach-ps4-headsets-coming-this-fall
 
http://corp.turtlebeach.com/media-resources/releases/releases-detail/153/turtle-beach-brings-new-line-of-feature-reach-playstation4-headsets-to-e3
 
Turtle Beach is putting out a bunch of headphones DTS Headphone X and a controller unit, which doesn't specifically state whether or not it does DTS.  But man, that $300 unit is insane on paper.  It must have **** sound to pack in all those cool features (DTS, magnetic charging, Bluetooth for phones, active noise cancelling, wireless, etc).
 
From the Forbes page:  "Turtle Beach also has a slick answer to Astro’s MixAmp in the form of the Elite Tournament Audio Controller (TAC). Compatible with PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Macs, it has a ridiculous list of features tailored to professional gamers and gameplay broadcasters. Stuff like Dolby AC3 decoding, DTS Headphone:X 7.1 surround, sliders for mixing game and chat audio, background noise limiters, audio presets, and auxiliary inputs for plugging in a mobile device or mixing in music from an external source. Interestingly, Turtle Beach says they plan to integrate the audio controller’s features into future tournament-level headsets. So the TAC is designed primarily for gamers with existing headsets who want the extended functionality."
 
Notice it's compatible with Consoles AND PC/Mac, which is rare.  Very cool!

Click to expand...

oh wow, cant wait for that, hopefully it works well

Cool news!
 
I expect good SQ for that price. 

Last time I asked You guys whether the 558 are better than K612 for competitive and You told ,e that k612 were a better choice. So now I gotta ask are 598 better choice than the k612? I have an amp to drive both of them so that is not a factor

yethal said:

Last time I asked You guys whether the 558 are better than K612 for competitive and You told ,e that k612 were a better choice. So now I gotta ask are 598 better choice than the k612? I have an amp to drive both of them so that is not a factor

Click to expand...

Lot's of guys on here simply regurgitate what they have read rather than what they know for a fact.
 
The 598's suit competitive gaming to a T, it's in their sound signature.
 
For competitive gaming you want a can with very little bass, clear and detailed mids and not an overly bright treble.
 
The 598's , AD700, 595 and Q701 are some of the best competitive gaming cans you can buy. The Q701 require a very powerful amp so they aren't really recommended, they are also very expensive.
 
595 and ad700 are the cheapest and easy to drive but they are only available second hand.
 
I wanted the 598's but I opted for the 558's to save 1/3rd off the price. The 558's use the same driver as the 598's just different housing which changes the sound they produce slightly.
 
It's not worse than the 598's just different and can be modded. I should have the 558's today and compare them with 595's (the older brother of 598's). The 598's blow my fidelio x1's away for competitive gaming yet people on here think the X1 is amazing. It's good as an all rounder if you can only afford one headphone for gaming, music and movies. but people who can buy more than one phone should only use it for music/movies and get one of the others I have mentioned.
 
Headfonia say the stock 558 beats a stock 555 and a modded 558 beats a stock 555 too. It's a pity they didn't test against a stock 595 or a modded 555, but the stock 555 is similar to a 595 anyway.
So I think a stock 558 is all you need for competitive gaming. I will know for sure within the next 24 hours. Postie is bringing them any second now.
 
The 558 uses the same drivers as a 598, your paying extra for the housing on the 598 which tightens everything up slightly.

I was about to start a thread but I guess this would be a better place to ask my question, which is simply which sound card/dac/amp should I buy purely for competitive gaming? And any of these dolby/EAX software etc. do they really help?
 
I do have AD700 but one of the cups went bad last month, used to move around the cable and it started working but now it has stopped working completely. Currently using ATH-M50 but they are not suitable for gaming at all. Though I would have asked for headphones as well, but after reading this thread I guess I got a decent picture of what to pick. Still if you have a suggestion please feel free to provide.
 
For music and movies I have a whole amp/receiver/speaker setup sorted out.

thebanik said:

  I was about to start a thread but I guess this would be a better place to ask my question, which is simply which sound card/dac/amp should I buy purely for competitive gaming? And any of these dolby/EAX software etc. do they really help?
 
I do have AD700 but one of the cups went bad last month, used to move around the cable and it started working but now it has stopped working completely. Currently using ATH-M50 but they are not suitable for gaming at all. Though I would have asked for headphones as well, but after reading this thread I guess I got a decent picture of what to pick. Still if you have a suggestion please feel free to provide.
 
For music and movies I have a whole amp/receiver/speaker setup sorted out.

Click to expand...

I take it you game on PC?
 
You don't need a DAC/AMP unless you want to use the PC for music/movies.
 
If you using 100ohms or less then just get an asus xonar dg.
 
The M50's are overhyped on here, they are rubbish, well not rubbish but you can get a lot better headphones for the money.
 
Competitive headphones look no further than ad700(x), hd595, hd558, hd598 tbh for your needs.
 
For music and movies get fidelio X1's.
 
If you want a decent all rounder then get DT770's

Just to post a quick update.
 
There is a difference in sound between the HD595 and HD558. I have never tested the 598 but I reckon I know what it sounds like going off reviews and listening to the 558 and 595.
 
Basically the 598 has all the good points of both the 595 and 598 with none of the bad.
 
 
For competitive gaming 598>595>558>X1 but the difference is small.
 
I would rate the 598  a 9/10 for competitive gaming, 595 a 8.75/10, the 558 a 8.5/10 with the Fidelio X1's a 8/10 there's not much in it as you can see.
 
For music/movies I would rate the Fidelio X1's as a 9/10, 558 as a 8.75/10, 598 a 8/10 and the 595 as a 7.5/10.
 
The 595's are brilliant for the money, sadly the ones I bought were second hand and therefore in the end I always wanted brand new. If i could get the 598's for cheap I would but they are £125 here new (one day only) otherwise £150+ usually.
 
I paid £80 for my 558's new which is 2/3rds of the price of 598's. Paid £65 for 595's second hand. Paid £140 for my Fidelio X1's brand new.
 
 
If I could get brand new 595's for £80 I would kept them but they have a slight crack, wear and tear on the headband, etc due to being second hand. The 558's though are very similar and for me better (i like bass and it has slightly better bass), brand new in mint condition. They also look a lot better.
 
The only reason to get the 598 over the 558 is if you really do prefer the look of them and want to pay extra for the look the difference in sound is slight and subtle.

sonnya85 said:

Lot's of guys on here simply regurgitate what they have read rather than what they know for a fact.

The 598's suit competitive gaming to a T, it's in their sound signature.

For competitive gaming you want a can with very little bass, clear and detailed mids and not an overly bright treble.

The 598's , AD700, 595 and Q701 are some of the best competitive gaming cans you can buy. The Q701 require a very powerful amp so they aren't really recommended, they are also very expensive.

595 and ad700 are the cheapest and easy to drive but they are only available second hand.

I wanted the 598's but I opted for the 558's to save 1/3rd off the price. The 558's use the same driver as the 598's just different housing which changes the sound they produce slightly.

It's not worse than the 598's just different and can be modded. I should have the 558's today and compare them with 595's (the older brother of 598's). The 598's blow my fidelio x1's away for competitive gaming yet people on here think the X1 is amazing. It's good as an all rounder if you can only afford one headphone for gaming, music and movies. but people who can buy more than one phone should only use it for music/movies and get one of the others I have mentioned.

Headfonia say the stock 558 beats a stock 555 and a modded 558 beats a stock 555 too. It's a pity they didn't test against a stock 595 or a modded 555, but the stock 555 is similar to a 595 anyway.
So I think a stock 558 is all you need for competitive gaming. I will know for sure within the next 24 hours. Postie is bringing them any second now.

The 558 uses the same drivers as a 598, your paying extra for the housing on the 598 which tightens everything up slightly.

Click to expand...

I get it, but as I've said before where I live 558are priced identically to akg k612 which afaik are also very good. Since I can only afford onepair of really good cans I'd like to be sure that I'm getting the best pair for my money. There is a small price gap between 598 and k612 so between these two pairs, which one is more competitive? I know i'm probably annoying but I'm just entering this crazy new place calle audiophile.

sonnya85 said:

  I take it you game on PC?
 
You don't need a DAC/AMP unless you want to use the PC for music/movies.
 
If you using 100ohms or less then just get an asus xonar dg.
 
The M50's are overhyped on here, they are rubbish, well not rubbish but you can get a lot better headphones for the money.
 
Competitive headphones look no further than ad700(x), hd595, hd558, hd598 tbh for your needs.
 
For music and movies get fidelio X1's.
 
If you want a decent all rounder then get DT770's

Click to expand...

 
Yup on PC. Are you sure Xonar DG will work for positional surround sound for headphones? Thats all I want. Would be great, would save me hell lot of money.
 
Well looking at HD598, so just checking again, Xonar DG + HD598 would work decently for gaming???

Do most people agree on the rating given to Sennheiser HD-280 Pro monitoring headphones in the OP? I use them with ASUS Xonar DGX with UNi drivers & updated Dolby Headphone 7.1 Shifter profile. Before that I was using X-Fi Titanium with Astro A50 and A40 with Dolby Digital Live. To my ears, Sennheiser HD-280 Pro + ASUS Xonar DGX combination sounds massively better than X-Fi Titanium + Astro A50/A40. I know many dislike Dolby Headphone, but aside from that, stereo quality from HD-280 Pro's is just clearer, making me hear sounds I haven't heard before from the exact same games.
 
I am not an audiophile and can't tell if there is a minor/mild difference between two sets of headphones, but I can tell when there is a big difference. Although headphone specs alone don't represent the overall sound quality, they do matter and Astro A50/A40 specs are worse than Sennheiser HD-280 Pro specs. As far as being competitive, I can always tell where the sound is coming from and how far away it is with UNi drivers that include a corrected/much improved 7.1 Shifter Dolby Headphone profile. I know A50's cost way more than HD-280's and X-Fi Titanium is also higher-priced than Xonar DGX, but a lot of "gamer" components and hardware are mainly over-priced gimmicks. In addition to all that, I've practiced piano in an evening after-school music school for 5 years that trained my hearing, but obviously didn't train it enough as I was a good, but a clinical/technical player, unable to ever play a movie tune from memory...Anyway, IMHO, Sennheiser HD-280 Pro > Astro A40 > Astro A50. I do think that Astro A50/A40 greatly benefited from the DAC/Amp that they came with. It is why I exchanged X-Fi Titanium on ASUS Xonar DGX - to better match HD-280 Pro 64ohm impedance.
 
Surround sound/positional sound is also more vivid on HD-280's than on A50's/A40's, although A50's/A40's did not produce as much echo/reverberation, but performed the same old Dolby Headphone downmixing from 5.1 to stereo that Xonar DGX performed. Without UNi drivers, Dolby Headphone sounded rather bad though.

yethal said:

I get it, but as I've said before where I live 558are priced identically to akg k612 which afaik are also very good. Since I can only afford onepair of really good cans I'd like to be sure that I'm getting the best pair for my money. There is a small price gap between 598 and k612 so between these two pairs, which one is more competitive? I know i'm probably annoying but I'm just entering this crazy new place calle audiophile.

Click to expand...

 
 
See below, I would get HD 558's and mod them.
 

thebanik said:

   
Yup on PC. Are you sure Xonar DG will work for positional surround sound for headphones? Thats all I want. Would be great, would save me hell lot of money.
 
Well looking at HD598, so just checking again, Xonar DG + HD598 would work decently for gaming???

Click to expand...

 
I have the Xonar DG and it has an option for dolby surround sound, it has a built in amp for headphones up to say 100ohms.
 
By the way the HD558 and HD598 use the same drivers.
 
They are essentially the exact same thing in a different package.
 
Also you can mod the 558's to sound like HD598's. Headfonia made this article
 
http://www.headfonia.com/sennheisers-new-hd558-and-hd598/3/
 
So, for those of you who dig black color, or want to save some money, here is how you can turn the HD558 to a HD598 twin brother (very close, but not quite a 100% identical).
 
Opening up the HD558 and the HD598, I noticed that the two drivers looked very similar. And looking at the part number, they are indeed identical! Then I moved my attention to the housing. The housing construction is mostly similar, with the biggest difference being the black rubber tape material in the middle of the HD558 driver screen. So I tried to remove that. After removal, you’re left with a very similar housing screen that differs slightly in their honeycomb structure. I left the rest of the housing intact, and installed back the housing and the pads.
 
 
So how does it sound? Removing the black tape material gives the HD558 the boost in midrange that it didn’t have before. It’s almost similar to the HD598, except that the HD558 now has just a tad more midrange than the HD598. Just a tad more, and it’s probably better in my opinion. The two headphones now sound like they are the same model but offered in different color schemes!

Update:
After more listening, I can outline the main difference between the stock HD598 and the modded HD558. The HD598 is slightly brighter sounding, and the treble feels more open with more linear extension to the top frequency. I don’t know why this is so, considering they have the same driver, the better housing construction of the HD598 doesn’t get in the way of the driver potential of showing a more open treble. On the other hand, the modded HD558 has slightly more bottom end body for a weightier vocal and more punchy bass. I think the advantage of the modded HD558 will be more beneficial for the majority of music listeners, while the more open HD598 treble only for instrumentals and classical listeners.

The soundstage performance of both headphones are very similar, and also very good. 

 

 

they then a few weeks later released this

 

http://www.headfonia.com/old-and-new-hd555-hd558-hd598/

 

it's funny how the completely backtracked here, notice how they also don't compare modded 558's to 598's at the end like they did before? I think they were told off by sennheiser and had to release this basically.

 

modded 558's = very close to HD 598's

the difference will be very very very small
 
unless you like the colour of the 598's buy 558's and mod them it's the same thing, in a blind test you wouldn't know the difference.

yethal said:

I get it, but as I've said before where I live 558are priced identically to akg k612 which afaik are also very good. Since I can only afford onepair of really good cans I'd like to be sure that I'm getting the best pair for my money. There is a small price gap between 598 and k612 so between these two pairs, which one is more competitive? I know i'm probably annoying but I'm just entering this crazy new place calle audiophile.

Click to expand...

 
You have the amp to easily drive the K612. I would take those for a spin. You're not likely to be disappointed.