How does this match up against the HD598?
I've only run in about 60 of the suggested 150 hours of burn in so far but will offer my decidedly non-expert opinion. If I wait until the full 150 are done the original post will probably be
at least 10 pages back in the thread & possibly forgotten So I'll go with what I can give you thus far. Most of my audition pieces may be fairly weird for a lot of people's taste but we all have our different strokes. The testing was done running FLACs through Foobar 2000 into an iFi micro DSD.
First up is "I've Got You Under My Skin" from Monty Alexander's Echoes of Jilly's recording. The high hats on the 598 emphasize a bit more of the "chh" frequencies to the 400's "tss" ones.The piano is fairly strong in the lower-mids so I like to see how the ride cymbal peeks around the corner of that camouflage, so to speak, when in the mix. Granted those are different frequencies but the dominance of the piano mids tends to overpower some of the other frequencies. The ride seems to render equally for the most part although the 400's freq response is a little more neutral on the piano. John Pattituci's bass line has a little more solidity & authority with the 400's. The bass drum is a bit quicker & more powerful with the 400's too.
Next up , "10 Minutes Til The Savages Come" from Manhattan Transfer's "The Offbeat of Avenues" recording. A recording that had some of that 80's brightness, the 400 smoothes that out a little more than the 598. The vocals have even less grain but the grain makes the brushes in the intro a little more clear on the 598.
Moving on, a couple from Dr. John from his "Back To New Orleans" cd. First up, Big Chief. This is a pretty "busy" cut, featuring a brass band. The bass horn is a little more deep with the 400's & for the tambourine the "chh" vs "tss" freqs. also apply - which one you prefer is up to you. There are 2 4-string banjo strum parts panned lt & rt. They might be a bit clearer & more distinguishable on the 400's. The snare is a bit more present on the 598's. One way might be to describe the 400's as a touch cleaner, which does seem to be a trend comparing the two. Second up is Litanie Des Saints. This one has a section toward the end of the long instrumental intro where the lead violins are a little harsh - more a fault of the recording than anything else. Surprisingly the 598's tame that a little more than the 400's. Since it's inherent in the recording nothing will eliminate that entirely. The string ensemble does feel a little more round with the 400's although just a bit more distant. You can distinguish Dr. John's voice a little better in the vocal ensemble on the verse better with the 400's.
Next is "One Life To Live" from Lou Rawls' "When You Hear Lou, You've Heard It All" lp. Actually an lp I converted to FLAC. Some classic Gamble & Huff era Philly Sound here. The closed hi hat can be heard a little a little better with the 598, again, "chh" v as opposed to "tss" probably, However Lou's glorious baritone is definitely better served on the 400's and the bass has more pop. Instrumental separation is a bit better on the 400's too.
Next up, "Route 66" off of Natalie Coles' "Unforgettable" cd. I listen to this one to see how it reproduces brushes, among other things. As seems to be the overall picture, the "chh" vbs "tss" makes them a little more present on the 598's, a little more crisp on the 400's. The bass line (when you hear the late, great Ray Brown enough you can always pick him out when you hear him again) is deeper, stronger & a little more snap. Monty Alexander is on this one too although on this recording the piano eq curve is better balanced.
I could go on but am running out of time at this point. Although the 400's are harder to drive than the 598's surprisingly I didn't have to turn it up much on the micro DSD (power mode - eco, IEM match - off). Using the clock face analogy it only took about a half an hour increase to get them to match. Granted this isn't a scientific level of matching. I didn't find the bass to be lacking with the 400's & thought it to be a little louder (and tighter) than the 598's. Granted, the genres I've listed here aren't bass heavy ones. So while my selections might be as useless as the proverbial teats on a boar hog to readers who don't listen to this type of music and aren't acquainted with the artists & selections, it's as close to a useful comparison as I can give you so take it with that particular grain of salt.
