Sennheiser HD598 amp/dac

Quote:

Originally Posted by crisro996 
Hi there, I don't really know a lot about audiophile equipment, but I've read (mainly on this site, but not only) that for the best experience I'd need an amplifier. So far I've seen a lot of people(maybe not a lot, but enough to have a basic impression) talking about the E09K/E17 combo. I'm currently using the mobo sound card and I'll be using the headphones only on my PC(no laptop, iPod, phone). My questions are:

Is that E09K/E17 combo good for the Senn's?

Will the E17 help me with anything or is it just for portables(their site got me a bit confused)?

Do I need a sound card or will the AMP/DAC suffice(if not what would the XONAR DX be good - pretty cheap and available at my favourite shop :D)?

If I didn't post in the correct section excuse me, I wasn't sure where to post.

The Senn HD598s are 50-Ohms

The Fiio E17 can drive headphones up to 300-Ohms

The Fiio E09 can drive headphones up to 600-Ohms.

So the Fiio E9 is overkill.

If all your doing is music, then the E17 by itself is enough.

The Fiio E10 would also do fine with the Senn HD598.

If you using the computer for movies or gaming, then the Xonar DX is a good choice, but is ability to drive headphones is not that great (barely decent).

Quote:

Originally Posted by crisro996 

Damn that was fast :D So If I only need the E17, this means I can spend a little more on a sound card. What would you recommend?I've also seen the D2X but it was quite expensive given the 2 Fiio units. Is that any good? What would you recommend me?

 

Edit: Almost forgot. I read that the HD598 doesn't have excellent bass. The E17 will "fix" this, right?

First off, if all your doing is music, then just get the E17 and you do not have to add a sound card.

The E17 has everything built into it for good stereo (2-channel) audio for your computer

The cheaper Fiio E10, USB-DAC-Headphone amplifier would also do the job for music.

Just have to plug the E17 into a digital (USB or optical) port on the computer and plug the HD598s into the E17.

You can do minor tweaks to boost the bass a little, but the HD598 is only decent bass at best.

Otherwise if you want a bassy headphone, maybe get something beside the HD598.

Being low impedance, the 598's dont need a lot of power. Fiios should be alright. 

Yes the 598's don't need a lot of power but if you ever end up getting other cans that do you might need a bigger amp.  I would suggest the Schiit Asgard.  I got it hooked up to mine and love it.

.................. amp is not only about impedance, ............................ Rrr... for soundstage, for bass deep(extention to.) for clear the sound, for everything...! more you pay , more your headphones sound good.

I just used the HD 598 and E17, and the bass is very limited (used the bass boost @ 4).

Currently I'm using Q701 and E17 - and the bass is a bit more punchy (people have described the Q701 as a very bass light pair of cans)

The E17 made the HD598 a bit more bassy, but remember it's only colouring of the cans - it's not going to be a massive overhaul, you wont have a revelation or something. The cans will stay the same, but with a hint of added bass.

Also, the E17 is a portable product, but you can use it as a soundcard with your PC - and it's enough to drive the HD 598's. If you ever are planning on getting another pair of cans, or don't intend on using the fiio as a portable unit for music on the move I would strongly recommend a desktop AMP/DAC setup (or maybe a combined unit) I did the mistake of buying the E17 thinking I would keep the HD 598, now i'm stuck with it til I actually get the money of buying a new DAC/AMP. (I don't use it for portable use, it's not worth the space it takes in my pockets!)

When you say the bass is limited, you mean after using E17? Compared to your mobo?

Other than that, I'd say bass can be affected by two factors, one, an underpowered source, and two, the headphone itself. If you feel the bass decreased after using E17, then its a power issue.

Hi Mr. 007,

Sorry it's merely bad wording from my side, just disregard that sentence! What I wanted to say is that the HD 598's aren't really heavy bass cans, and it won't turn into one by the E17.

(the bass did increase, but it did not turn the HD 598's to a bassy pair of cans in my opinion!)

Get E17 and use on gain 12...there have been some sayings that 12dB gain does have improvements in CLIEOS's graph and most of those improvements are a punchier bass....598 bass does impove with gain 12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misios 

Hi Mr. 007,

 

Sorry it's merely bad wording from my side, just disregard that sentence! What I wanted to say is that the HD 598's aren't really heavy bass cans, and it won't turn into one by the E17.

 

(the bass did increase, but it did not turn the HD 598's to a bassy pair of cans in my opinion!)

The HD 598's bass is very neutral. The problem though is that a headphone with a neutral bass just isn't enough. Bass in real life affects every cavity of our body, while a headphone is limited to transferring sound solely to the ear. I think given this limitation, the HD 598 is quite a good can. The Q701 I've also owned for a while but it was lacking even more bass than the 598, which is a big no-no. 

The 598 will never be considered a bassy can, even with sufficient EQ. It's just the limitation of the designs. You could hardly expect the same from even higher end cans, depending on the brand of course. 

In regards to the Fiio E17, I think it's a great affordable amp/dac. People can't even tell the difference between this and higher end amps/ dacs under a double blind test anyways. What you get is a very cheap - well, relative - amp/dac combo that has many convenient functions, and looks sexy to boot. Unless you're using a pair of 600 ohm cans, the FiiO E17 should be good enough. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misios 

Hi Mr. 007,

 

Sorry it's merely bad wording from my side, just disregard that sentence! What I wanted to say is that the HD 598's aren't really heavy bass cans, and it won't turn into one by the E17.

 

(the bass did increase, but it did not turn the HD 598's to a bassy pair of cans in my opinion!)

Ok, thanks for clarifying. 

In my opinion, usually its the negative EQ that works well (turning down treble/bass), positive EQ will usually give mixed results, because you're getting the headphone to do something not in its design. 

If you're a bass lover, you need to go for headphones that are naturally bass heavy.

This.

I was convinced as well that amp was only a matter of power, but Fiio E11 has plenty of power to drive my HD 598 and I can swear it doesn't sound nearly well as my Asgard!

My actually configuration is made by iPod-->iStreamer-->Asgard-->HD598 and I could not be happier!

When I hear people saying there is little or no bass in HD 598 I feel a bit surprised: maybe is just a matter of taste but, even if I do not have a benchmark to beef up my opinion, I can swear there is plenty of bass here, obviously nothing more than needed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eleathar 

 

 

This.

 

 

I was convinced as well that amp was only a matter of power, but Fiio E11 has plenty of power to drive my HD 598 and I can swear it doesn't sound nearly well as my Asgard!

My actually configuration is made by iPod-->iStreamer-->Asgard-->HD598 and I could not be happier!

When I hear people saying there is little or no bass in HD 598 I feel a bit surprised: maybe is just a matter of taste but, even if I do not have a benchmark to beef up my opinion, I can swear there is plenty of bass here, obviously nothing more than needed.

While it's true that more expensive amp do squeeze out more SQ, the FiiO lineup is good for starters. And what you think as "plenty of bass" may mean "no bass at all" to others.