Are the Sennheisers HD598's worth the money? - Page 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by chimmycham 

I've read that using a better cable than the one provided by Sennheiser makes a world of difference.

I'm a musician and have got 3-4 Monster Cables from Guitar Center.

Would one of these suffice, or would you guys recommend something else?

 

edit:

nvm, the 2 ends of the cable are different sizes.

I haven't personally checked out the conductors of the "5" and "6" series of Sennheiser headphones, but I have with their "4" series.  Once you get through the rubber insulation, their gauge of wire used is about as thick as a piece of thread.  They then coat the strands in some sort of colored resin to provide some thin insulation over the conductors, and for the assembly process to move along quicker so that the correct polarity (as indicated by color of coated strand) can be soldered to the right connection within the cup.  I can't imagine the "5" and "6" series being too much greater.  In going from the standard cable to a custom or semi-custom one, you can have some more flexibility on length as opposed to just accepting the standard length.  But, when going with a different cable, it also might be wise to re-wire the internals of the headphones all the way to the drivers.  If you are moving to a better cable, it's better to resolve any choke points inside the cups, too.

To answer the title of this thread.

YES!

I just got them yesterday and they are AMAZING!

just to put my 2 cents into this thread about eh HD558 vs HD598 foam modding etc debate. i have the HD558 and i modded it in quite a number of ways, (removed foam from the grill, removed the 'transparent' lining from the earcup, and stuffed a bit of cotton into the back of the earcup. now the the difference between the modded HD558 and the stock HD598 is that the HD598 is very slightly clearer than the HD558, thats about it. of course the difference is much bigger if both of them are stock.
soundstage on both of them are spendid btw

HD-598 is a bit lacking in the area below 70 hertz (subbass). However, it has plenty of midbass and upperbass, clearly obvious from the piano tracks I listen to. 

The HD-598 has noticeably more clarity in the midrange than the HD-595. Clearly, people who have found only subtle differences between the two were not able to distinguish between these in details. Timbre is also drastically improved, and the easiest way to test this difference is by listening to classical tracks. It's probably due to the grills. Comfort is improved as well. Clamps less and has more cushion on the headband. 

I've read a long time ago a statement from a Sennheiser official that the 595 uses a different driver from the 5x8 series. And it is unlikely that Sennheiser created another HD555 fiasco again. What the hell would have been the point of creating two new headphones with the same driver? 

Of course, the HD-595 is the better value. Honestly, the difference between a HD-650 and HD-595 is not one-sided. The HD-595 (or any of the 5xx series) have a far superior soundstage and imaging performance than the 6xx series. And I always found the lack of treble on the HD-650 to make it less of an all-arounder than any of the 5xx series. The HD-600 on the other hand have better bass impact than the 5xx series but I found it less involving in the midrange and as I mentioned before, a worse soundstage. Not to mention it costs substantially more than a HD-595. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Voldemort 

The HD-595 (or any of the 5xx series) have a far superior soundstage and imaging performance than the 6xx series. And I always found the lack of treble on the HD-650 to make it less of an all-arounder than any of the 5xx series. The HD-600 on the other hand have better bass impact than the 5xx series but I found it less involving in the midrange and as I mentioned before, a worse soundstage. Not to mention it costs substantially more than a HD-595. 

Just a different viewpoint - from an HD600 owner who extensively compared the two side-by-side before making my choice ....

Agree that the HD598 has far better / wider soundstage - but disagree on the imaging.  Imaging on HD600 (IMO) is definitely a step above - and more realistic also.  Agree on your comments on bass also - I've often wondered if the difference between the 598 and 600's impact is due to the small notch between about 80-120 Hz (where the 598 dips) - see graph:

The funny thing about our different perceptions regarding mid-range ...... I personally found the HD598 could be sometimes grainy in the treble and upper mids - whereas the HD600 is very smooth.  And while I agree the HD598 does sound more forward (perhaps because of the treble peak?) - the mid-range on the HD600 is far more believable and natural to me.

IMO the HD600 is well worth the money (compared to HD598) - but that does not discount that the 598 is a very comfortable, and very good sounding headphone.  Either are winners in my book.  I do strongly suggest to try both side by side before making any purchase decisions though :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooko 

 

Just a different viewpoint - from an HD600 owner who extensively compared the two side-by-side before making my choice ....

 

Agree that the HD598 has far better / wider soundstage - but disagree on the imaging.  Imaging on HD600 (IMO) is definitely a step above - and more realistic also.  Agree on your comments on bass also - I've often wondered if the difference between the 598 and 600's impact is due to the small notch between about 80-120 Hz (where the 598 dips) - see graph:

 

 

The funny thing about our different perceptions regarding mid-range ...... I personally found the HD598 could be sometimes grainy in the treble and upper mids - whereas the HD600 is very smooth.  And while I agree the HD598 does sound more forward (perhaps because of the treble peak?) - the mid-range on the HD600 is far more believable and natural to me.

 

IMO the HD600 is well worth the money (compared to HD598) - but that does not discount that the 598 is a very comfortable, and very good sounding headphone.  Either are winners in my book.  I do strongly suggest to try both side by side before making any purchase decisions though :)

I would have to disagree with you on the imaging. But I'd agree with you on the upper mids. They are smooth but I can see how people may find the upper mid of the HD598 to be a bit too forward. Of course this isn't always a bad thing, the same way a boosted bass isn't always unappealing, but it is not a neutral frequency response. If the upper mids were very slightly toned down by 2-3 decibels, it would sound fantastic. Overall, the HD600 were a bit boring for me - probably the most common complaint- but it does have notable advantages over the HD598. As for the HD650, I could not recommend those at all. The HD600 and HD598 are simply superior to me imo. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schonen 

Turns out I got an OK price on 598 so am now qualified to comment on dif between 595 and 598. I also happen to have KSC75 sitting right here beside me too so know for a fact you are FOS.

Anyway, dif between 595 and 598 is a subtle difference and nothing massive so all those claiming 598 are way better than 595 are also FOS. 598 are slighty better (clearer bass) but not worth the upgrade price if one already owns 595. I shoulda held out for HD650 IMO.

 

So...in conclusion,

the best bang per buck would be the HD555... below $100 nowadays

Foam mod it to get it up to HD595

and the difference between that and the $250 HD598 is tiny...

Less than $100 is better than $250