Sennheiser HD 598 Appreciation Thread - Page 100

I'm also not much of a bass-head (I listen mainly to classical). I am not a fan of punchy or overwhelming bass, but when I listen to things like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQAyFk66DTI, the 598's provide a sort of warm flood of bass. It's gentle but somehow always leaves me in awe.

I think the improvement is dependent on output impedance of the amplifier, for dampening of the bass.  Im not totally sure since I am pretty new. I have the Eximus Dp-1 which makes a great pairing. Im sure impedance isn't the only thing that matters... So .10 output impedance with a 50 ohm headphone makes for a damp of 500. Is that good, idk. Sounds good tho. Chart is from Golden Ears measurements of DP-1

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcullinan 

So .10 output impedance with a 50 ohm headphone makes for a damp of 500. Is that good, idk.

That is plenty good enough.

Lower is better.Any amp 5ohm or below will satisfy the HD598 well. Any DAC will satisfy it as long as there's a separate amp in the chain.

EDIT: Out of my O2, the bass is beautiful and the soundstage is tremendous. Really makes the headphones. They're amazing for gaming, I'll admit.

You know what, after wearing it for a while, I feel that I don't need that extra bass anymore :D. It actually feels great, because the bass seems "snappy" or "enough" already.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jugermaut 

You know what, after wearing it for a while, I feel that I don't need that extra bass anymore :D. It actually feels great, because the bass seems "snappy" or "enough" already.
 

Amp is not about bass quantity...it is about quality...much tighter bass is what you get with Amp...not bolted..

Just got my 598's today!!  All I can say is wow!  Out of the box with a Hifiman 101 DAC, Awesome!!  I have HD600, HD590, and HD580's.  New to the boards but read over 45 pages of this thread before purchasing these phones.  This forum and other reviews have lead me to my new, all time cans.  Honestly, the HD590's got most of the head time for the past 8 yrs or so.  Now they will take a back seat (or go to my brother) :) .  I never thought that another set of cans could make my music so exciting, new, and alive!.  The other Senns I own are too laid back for me, even with a HT amp.  They don't have the  "exciting" fun factor.  Thank you all so much for your comments and opinions on these phones.

P.S. Spotify Premium 320kbps is perfect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxAggie 

Just got my 598's today!!  All I can say is wow!  Out of the box with a Hifiman 101 DAC, Awesome!!  I have HD600, HD590, and HD580's.  New to the boards but read over 45 pages of this thread before purchasing these phones.  This forum and other reviews have lead me to my new, all time cans.  Honestly, the HD590's got most of the head time for the past 8 yrs or so.  Now they will take a back seat (or go to my brother) :) .  I never thought that another set of cans could make my music so exciting, new, and alive!.  The other Senns I own are too laid back for me, even with a HT amp.  They don't have the  "exciting" fun factor.  Thank you all so much for your comments and opinions on these phones.

 

P.S. Spotify Premium 320kbps is perfect.

Go aggies! cant wait for the upcoming season 

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicinmymind 

 

Amp is not about bass quantity...it is about quality...much tighter bass is what you get with Amp...not bolted..

After reading your comment, I realized I didn't quite understand the "tight" bass definition. So I went googling around and found some answers. I've been looking (and probably all of us) for an accurate bass with a little bit of "oomph". Not too much, not too little. Not too rumbling. So I thank you for giving me some advice :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by jugermaut 

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicinmymind 

 

Amp is not about bass quantity...it is about quality...much tighter bass is what you get with Amp...not bolted..

After reading your comment, I realized I didn't quite understand the "tight" bass definition. So I went googling around and found some answers. I've been looking (and probably all of us) for an accurate bass with a little bit of "oomph". Not too much, not too little. Not too rumbling. So I thank you for giving me some advice :D

This strength of HD 598 is a better-rounded headphone.… with little more emphasize on midrange… that makes it vocal oriented music great while also keeping the instrumentals enjoyable to listen to with its great imaging…With a great amp/ dac, the HD 598 actually has a neutral bass with decent impact…I do not think bass will rumble with these open headphone… with smooth signature and unfatiguing sound

Gah - the one thing I do not like about the 598 is the durability. They've yet to break, but they tarnish so easily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdockweiler 

These are sounding really good right now! For the past 6-8 months i've used them only for a few minutes for testing. Not sure why they didn't get used much. I guess the Q701 and DJ100 took up all my time. I also acquired the HD-580 (which isn't really better overall, just different).

 

I removed the old cable I had on them (CA-0363) and replaced it with the old Mogami wire (2893 starquad) and it's back to it's old self. The differences are pretty surprising. Felt that with the other cable you lose out on some of the mids and they're just not as full sounding. It might be nice on the HD-600 though.

 

Currently using them at the moment with the Fiio E11 and a Sansa Clip. I think the E11 might not be the best amp for them, but I'll need to compare it to my Airhead and E5. Maybe they'll sound better just straight out of the Clip.

 

I've recabled these about a dozen times now and no dead driver yet, but a few close calls! One of the few recables that feels like you're doing brain surgery.

Is recableing really necessary with these 598's? I'm currently leaning towards buying a pair of these cans but if I have to recable them so they will sound good I will look elsewhere as I am completely inept when it comes to tinkering. I've seen other posters mentioning recableing to improve these cans which I thought could perform great as built.

I really think that the style and price point of these cans makes re-cabling either an amusing exercises or a really dedicated head-fier.  I personally think they sounds very fine with the stock cable, and I couldn't imagine ripping them apart and spending more money on cables to make them sound anywhere from slightly better to a bit better.  I know some will disagree with me, but the question to ask about re-cabling the 598s is: "Do I REALLY want to do this?"  If yes, then please post some pics. 

Edit: In essence.  You do not need to re-cable to make them sound good.  They are just that from the get go.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by haguy 

Is recableing really necessary with these 598's? I'm currently leaning towards buying a pair of these cans but if I have to recable them so they will sound good I will look elsewhere as I am completely inept when it comes to tinkering. I've seen other posters mentioning recableing to improve these cans which I thought could perform great as built.

100% totally not needed. They sound fine with the stock cable.

When I recabled them I was surprised at how much clearer they sounded. Still had retained it's stock signature since the Mogami is fairly neutral.

Recabling the 598 is a pain and not worth it for most people. You need to drill a hole and then solder a fairly large wire onto a tiny soldering spot. Believe it or not drilling a hole was easier and faster than soldering it.

There's also a board in there you need to remove, so no going back to stock. You also void your warranty.

BTW I also tried an HD-650 cable on the HD-598..sounds terrible. Wonder why?

Mogami seems very similar to the stock HD-598 wiring. Everything else i've tried changed it's sound too much. Canare and Double Helix wire were especially bad. Double Helix is perfect on the HD-600 though.

Also..I think silver or silver plated copper would ruin the sound of the HD-598.