HD598s can't handle lower levels of bass?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronR 

I'm using a PlayStation 3 as my source, Sony STR DH520 A/V receiver with EQ as my amp, and HD598s.

When listening to certain pieces, I've noticed on the lower sounds in the piece, the HD598s seem to suffer. Where the sound almost seems to break down/ distorts/ becomes muddy.

 I usually keep my EQ at +5 bass and +3 treble. I don't usually listen to anything louder than 30.

Am I missing out on performance/ quality having a cheaper setup, compared to the performance/quality of a higher end setup.

Are my ears graduating to a higher quality of listening enjoyment from what I'm used to.

Maybe I'm turning into a real audiophile.

Note*

The song I experience the most trouble with is The Healing off of The Lady In The Water Soundtrack. You can buy it off of amazon for .99c.

I only experience said issue with certain pieces of music. not everything I listen to.

How is the PS3 connected to the Sony? RCA? optical? HDMI?

Are you using DDL with the optical connection?

The HD598 are not heavy bass, just decent bass.

The problem might be the impedance, receivers usually have a headphone jack with a high impedance.

(Impedance is resistance, measured in Ohms).

It's preferable to have the impedance (Ohm rating) of the headphone be 8 times or more the impedance of the headphone jack they are plugged into.

The headphone jack of the Sony could be somewhere from 30-Ohm to 75-Ohm.

The HD598s are only 50-Ohm, poor bass quality (muddy) can be one sign of an impedance issue.

Have you tried plugging the HD598 into another source and see if the songs sound better or worse.

Maybe buy a FiiO E11 and see if you like that better.

+5 bass EQ sounds quite hardcore. Could be it's just the headphone drivers distorting. HD598's aren't meant to be bass monsters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronR 

I probably should have never bought the receiver in the first place. When I come into more money, I'll be upgrading anyways, don't know when that will be.

You can always buy some nice speakers to make up for this loss

I'm a new owner of a pair of HD558s for the last month and have owned the HD595s for 2 years now. Its definitely in your best interest to run some pink noise through these cans for 20 hours or so. When I first powered up my 558s over a month ago (same driver as 598s) I experienced the exact same thing that your describing. The drivers seemed strained with any amount of bass. This will definitely change over time. Run some pink noise through them for 20 hours or so. Do it while your asleep and at work. I think these cans have great bass. I find that after the burn in process, which is very real on these specific drivers, they tighten up a little down low and can handle higher volume levels. The quantity is certainly nowhere near DT990 but it still has satisfying, robust and punchy bass. If you're expecting these to have that pressurized bass that overwhelms the rest of the frequency range you might be better off with a closed can like the DT770.

Nope. They can't. The hd650 has better bass quality, and still falls short and sounds muddy. Just less so. It's a problem ubiquitous among open dynamics. The ones that can keep it under control are the sole exceptions.