Sennheiser HD 598 Appreciation Thread - Page 136

yea, but the files are huge (of coure) thats why i prefer ipod classic 160gb over any other player due to its large memory.

Since all my portable devices are Apple, I just stick with ALAC. Couldn't put everything I wanted onto the 32gb iPhone though but I guess there's always a tradeoff
 

i just download as FLAC then use them with fb2k in computer and then convert them into ALAC for portable use, its lovely 

Quote:

Originally Posted by chimmycham 

I've been using XDA (on my Mac) to covert all of my FLAC files to Apple Lossless, so that I could play them with big music players like iTunes.

Now that I will have my first audiophile phones (Sennheiser HD598), would re-downloading the original FLACs benefit me?

All lossless audio formats will have the same quality. You can also convert lossless to lossless as many times as you'd like without loss of quality versus lossy formats like mp3, where converting back on forth will mean a loss in quality each time you convert. There is no reason to re-download the original FLACs if they were converted to ALAC with the proper program. 

Man, certain music with these is just incredible.

...The Doors, for instance.

I've noticed some blown-speaker-sounding rattling in a lot of music too though, which frightens me a bit.

I have not turned my audio source past 50%, so I couldn't have blown the drivers.

I don't use an amp yet either, just Macbook Pro -> HD598s.

Have you guys experienced anything like this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by chimmycham 

Man, certain music with these is just incredible.

...The Doors, for instance.

 

I've noticed some blown-speaker-sounding rattling in a lot of music too though, which frightens me a bit.

 

I have not turned my audio source past 50%, so I couldn't have blown the drivers.

I don't use an amp yet either, just Macbook Pro -> HD598s.

 

Have you guys experienced anything like this?

Sometimes that is just a hair in the driver. Or something got loose inside the cup and is rattling about. Take a close look at it. Take off the driver cover if you need to. Otherwise, Sennheiser will fix or replace it under warranty usually at no charge.

Listening to some Live Zeppelin from 3/17/1975 is pretty revealing of their capabilities. Live sounds live with an admitted bit of smoothness layered over it all. The Beast sounds like one. You can feel those heavy ass sticks killing his drums. John Paul Jones keyboard sounds clean as well as the searing guitar and you can hear the personality in Roberts voice. Nice. Balanced.

I'm listening to the Sun King Medley in 24-bit FLAC, and my... god....

These phones are great.

edit:

I've got my itunes/audirvana plus on shuffle, and im rediscovering music that i didnt necessarily love before, but with these phones, it is GREAT.

It's weird.

A lot of music I didn't necessarily like before is jumping out at me, and I'm learning to love it bcuz of these phones.

BUT

Most of my favorite music, and the music I love does not sound the way I like it

...at all.

I think these are going back.

I might try them with an Amp/DAC first.

But I think i'm going to send them back.

I'm listening to some of the songs I listened to with them right now, but with my earbuds that came free with my Galaxy S 3.

And I like my music better through these cheap earbuds.

I wonder if an Amp/DAC can bring some sort of balance b/w the way it makes certain songs sound, and the way I want my music to sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by weirddub 


What is it about the headphones sound you don't like? Is it the soundstage? I had to get used to them after my Grados which don't really have a soundstage, I love the HD598 with ambient music I think they shine with that genre

edit: The number one thing these phones lack is the volume of electric guitar

They are absolutely breathtaking with acoustic guitar music, and with music from the Beatles, the Doors, lots of good 90s tunes, etc..

My issue is that my 2 favorite 'types' of music come from Radiohead/Thom Yorke and The Red Hot Chili Peppers (Specifically John Frusciante's guitar fills and solos, especially on the album 'Stadium Arcadium'.)

I am a huge Radiohead fan, and some songs by them sound great with these, while others sound wayyyyyyyy better with my cheap earbuds that I got for free with my Galaxy S III.

..I listened to a few songs from RHCP's Stadium Arcadium, in which my favorite aspect is John Frusciante's guitar fills and solos.

With these phones, the guitar is not at a volume level where I can enjoy it. The other instruments are far louder.

I'll turn the volume up, for this reason, but the other instruments become too loud to tolerate

With my earbuds the guitar is one of the most audible aspects.

Could the lack of bass be what's 'deflating' some of these songs?

I like a lot of this futuristic percussion that Thom Yorke has been using in his music, which you'd think would sound great through such Hi-Fi phones,

and some of it does,

But, there is just something off in the majority of the music I love.

For instance,

A song by Atoms for Peace leaked a couple days ago, and I listened to it a few times through my new HD598s, and thought, 'Meh.. this is pretty mundane, and mediocre'.

I just sat down at school and listened to it with my earbuds, and loved it.

What do you think the issue is? Are these just not the right headphones for my musical taste?

edit:

I'm going to purchase a Fiio E17, so that I can equalize the sound as much as I can, and see if that helps.

Would you suggest a better Amp/DAC for this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by chimmycham 

edit: The number one thing these phones lack is the volume of electric guitar

 

They are absolutely breathtaking with acoustic guitar music, and with music from the Beatles, the Doors, lots of good 90s tunes, etc..

 

My issue is that my 2 favorite 'types' of music come from Radiohead/Thom Yorke and The Red Hot Chili Peppers (Specifically John Frusciante's guitar fills and solos, especially on the album 'Stadium Arcadium'.)

 

I am a huge Radiohead fan, and some songs by them sound great with these, while others sound wayyyyyyyy better with my cheap earbuds that I got for free with my Galaxy S III.

 

..I listened to a few songs from RHCP's Stadium Arcadium, in which my favorite aspect is John Frusciante's guitar fills and solos.

With these phones, the guitar is not at a volume level where I can enjoy it. The other instruments are far louder.

I'll turn the volume up, for this reason, but the other instruments become too loud to tolerate

With my earbuds the guitar is one of the most audible aspects.

 

Could the lack of bass be what's 'deflating' some of these songs?

I like a lot of this futuristic percussion that Thom Yorke has been using in his music, which you'd think would sound great through such Hi-Fi phones,

and some of it does,

But, there is just something off in the majority of the music I love.

 

For instance,

A song by Atoms for Peace leaked a couple days ago, and I listened to it a few times through my new HD598s, and thought, 'Meh.. this is pretty mundane, and mediocre'.

 

I just sat down at school and listened to it with my earbuds, and loved it.

 

What do you think the issue is? Are these just not the right headphones for my musical taste?

 

edit:

I would love to be able to find a set of phones that are as close to these as possible, but that emphasize the electric guitar more,

or better yet,

to make it so these ones do it.

Mmm, weird. Listening to The Power of Equality on BSSM reveals awesome guitar, on the 598, with a nice sense of decay moving laterally. This is actually the first time I'm listening to RHCP on the 598's instead of the hd650 and the guitar riff at around the 3m10 mark gave me chills.

It is in no way an inferior experience. I think it sounds excellent with the 598, truely excellent. It seems to work really well with the 598's soundstage, noticable for instance during the small solo at the end of Suck My Kiss.

Lead guitar has a very strong and clear presence on basically all tracks and seems to mostly have a place in the sound stage reserved to the right. I also noticed Kiedis' voice tended to sound clear and natural (you can actually hear he sings "City of Angel" rather than "City of Angels" on Under the Bridge) - again, very good.

Maybe Stadium Arcadium is a different sounding album (I only got into RHCP recently and care more for their funk stuff), but Blood Sugar, Sex, Magic sounds extrordinarily good to me on the 598. It might have something to do with the impact of the loudness war on SA... BSSM has some decent dynamic range and maybe that means I'm barking up the wrong tree. I just don't see how any of the instruments would lack impact, though. They're all very pleasantly upfront when they need to be. The soundstage is big and it's typically immediately clear which part gets emphasized at what time. Most of all, I fail to see how some run of the mill earbuds could even come close to this. The rendering of guitars, including the acoustic one on I Could Have Lied, is in your face like good IMO. The electric guitar that comes in during that song has great presence and it sounds so sweet...It's great IMO.

Admittedly on Give it Away (and a few other instances), guitar takes a little more back seat and trades places with Flea's bass somewhat (bass moves to the center and guitar somewhat subdued to the left), but this seems to be a clear and intended exception.

Edit: Just checked a youtube version of Dani California... Wondering, does the guitar during the chorus seem too quiet? And would you say you can't hear it clearly during the verses? FWIW I have to stand by my initial opinion; it sounds very good to me (even if the dynamic range is supposedly bad). The intro part of Snow, when the bass comes in, again gave me chills... And the vocal harmonies - heartwarming, very nice. Do you maybe mean, on Charlie for instance, the rhythm guitar on the left being a bit subdued? Because I'm pretty sure that's the way it's supposed to sound (it's the same on the hd650 and 600 as well); the rhtyhm guitar most likely wasn't very closely microphoned and there's no point in looking for hearing the plectrum pick/strum the strings and stuff like that. But on Hump de Bump, the guitar is very prominent.

I'm not some kind of advocate for the 598 by the way; this is not some outrageous attempt to make the 598 look good. I jumped over to the 650 about a year ago, but I have to be honest in saying that to me, the 598 is outstanding with this music (although I agree that it's even better with acoustic).

Well, you probably use an Amp/DAC, right?

I'm thinking this had got to be my problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chimmycham 

edit: The number one thing these phones lack is the volume of electric guitar

 

They are absolutely breathtaking with acoustic guitar music, and with music from the Beatles, the Doors, lots of good 90s tunes, etc..

 

My issue is that my 2 favorite 'types' of music come from Radiohead/Thom Yorke and The Red Hot Chili Peppers (Specifically John Frusciante's guitar fills and solos, especially on the album 'Stadium Arcadium'.)

 

I am a huge Radiohead fan, and some songs by them sound great with these, while others sound wayyyyyyyy better with my cheap earbuds that I got for free with my Galaxy S III.

 

..I listened to a few songs from RHCP's Stadium Arcadium, in which my favorite aspect is John Frusciante's guitar fills and solos.

With these phones, the guitar is not at a volume level where I can enjoy it. The other instruments are far louder.

I'll turn the volume up, for this reason, but the other instruments become too loud to tolerate

With my earbuds the guitar is one of the most audible aspects.

 

Could the lack of bass be what's 'deflating' some of these songs?

I like a lot of this futuristic percussion that Thom Yorke has been using in his music, which you'd think would sound great through such Hi-Fi phones,

and some of it does,

But, there is just something off in the majority of the music I love.

 

For instance,

A song by Atoms for Peace leaked a couple days ago, and I listened to it a few times through my new HD598s, and thought, 'Meh.. this is pretty mundane, and mediocre'.

 

I just sat down at school and listened to it with my earbuds, and loved it.

 

What do you think the issue is? Are these just not the right headphones for my musical taste?

 

edit:

I'm going to purchase a Fiio E17, so that I can equalize the sound as much as I can, and see if that helps.

Would you suggest a better Amp/DAC for this?

The HD598 lacks subbass but has quite a bit of mid-upper bass. 

I think the problem here is that you are too used to the sound of earbuds, which emphasize a certain part of the frequency response. Meaning, even if you listened to a pair of $1000+ headphones, there's always this possibility that you'll be disappointed in some ways until your brain adapts to the new sound. The HD598 is relatively neutral for the most part, meaning you are hearing the recording as it was intended. 

A lot of people tend to think that what they want to hear is the way it is supposed to sound. But this is rarely the case. Take for instance, a typical basshead. People who love bass will listen to a particular track and prioritize the bass over other aspects of sound (structure, rhythm, melody, etc.) although their subjective preferences may not directly correlate with the balance in sound that the artist tried to achieve. 

I suggest sticking with the HD598 until your brain adapts to the sound. Don't worry about getting an amp/ DAC... it is not a huge difference. You'll learn over time that the HD598, if you analyze all its strengths, is actually a damn good headphone for its price range. 

Well, I just connected my macbook pro to my surround sound amp via a cheap Y splitter , and set it to 2 ch Direct Stereo.

2 ch stereo = not 'HiFi'

5 ch stereo = 'HiFi'

but 2 ch sounds a lot better

Yamaha CinamaDSP Digital Natural Sound AV Receiver HTR-5835

Now, I've got the sound I was missing, but it also made it much less clear.

I'm gonna mess with the settings a bit to see what I can get out of it.

How do I bypass the internal DAC and Amp built into my Macbook Pro?

Or does this just happen automatically?

edit: I've decided that there is no way on Earth I could give these headphones up.

They are just ******* perfect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headstar 

I don't own an Apple device, but in my case, the headphones sound better (especially with more bass) on my stereo integrated amplifier than on computer alone (with no amp) or portable devices. If you own it, it's probably a good idea to place the reciever between the laptop and headphones acting as an amp.

Is there a way to bypass the amp/dac on my computer manually?

Or should plugging the Yamaha into my computer's headphone jack be enough to do it?

And also, why couldn't I just buy something like the ODAC, and no amp at all?

Would that not work for some reason?

Does the DAC come before the amp in the chain of life?