Questions about Sennheiser HD598

Quote:

Originally Posted by willitblend 

Hi, I plan on getting these but I have a few questions about them.
The main reason I want these is because if the soundstage and clarity that they're suppose to offer but it's my understanding that these rely on an decent amp? Well I use my iPod for music so the tracks aren't super high quality and I can't afford a desktop amp so a portable amp will have to do so I need to know which one would offer the best amplification for these cans? And if these will be good for my music, I listen to mainly rock,pop and a liiitle dubstep. I'm not concerned with the bass I just want something that sounds good with my music. I have the the M50's now but the sound isn't clear enough and it's too warm sounding and the electric guitars in my music all sound pretty poor in quality

well these will sound slightly softer than your usual headphones but then they run pretty well unamped at only 50ohms
well the soundstage, seperation and midrange are amazing but the only fault is the subbas lacks impact (can be boosted,with eq or amp, when amped these produce better bass) 

basically with an amp the soundstage will widen to some degree and the bass will be more full bodied, treble also sounds a little more refined

Are your audio technica's amped?

They should definitely not sound poor with anything reasonable, they are very highly regarded headphones.

Going from the M50 to a HD598 will be a sidegrade much more than an upgrade. 598 is open so only if you really wanted the change from closed to open would I recommend this change. But the M50's definitely should not have anything sound "poor".
 

HD598 is a huge upgrade over the M50s. The soundstage is obviously wider, imaging is much better, and the sound is more refined and balanced across the frequency. It's really no comparison. Apples and oranges and I do like the M50.

FWIW I prefer the HD598 over the HD600. The fact that it's easy to drive is icing on the cake.

The 598s are a simply excellent pair of headphones. I think it's a great choice. I've had mine for a while now and honestly they're one of the best headphones I've owned. Like others said, a desktop amp will make them sound the way they were meant. If you want a good portable amp, try taking a look at the Fiio E11. They're reasonably priced and I think they might suit you well. Of course like I and others said, these won't make the headphones sound they way they are supposed to, but it'll do better than nothing.

well i felt too that the M50 soundstage was not good, it was a deal breaker for me

The FiiO E10 and E11 will power the HD 598s just fine. I asked the same question yesterday, and FiiO is an excellent portable brand. I own the Q40's and my E11 drives them amazingly well.

I'm getting the 598's because I want clarity and a pair of open cans for my beginner collection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McPatD 

HD598 >M50

HD558 > M50 too

I think the 598s with an e11 will work perfect for what you need. The 598s are clear, open, and sexy. I feel the e11 gives a tad bit of a warm sound which I feel the 598s need to help with the bass. ( I feel the 598s lack a bit of bass to be neutral.)

cheers

p.s. I love my 598s. I even take them mobile when where im going is quite. LOVE them^_^

The m50 is like justin bieber 

while the hd 598 is like Norah Jones 

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxDobermanxX 

The m50 is like justin bieber 

while the hd 598 is like Norah Jones 

huh? lol how did you come up with that analogy? just curious

*gets ready to see M50 rave fans approaching*

In soundstaging terms, 598 is clearly ahead of M50