[phaenius]

OK, I can't read all the pages and I am sorry if this has been drawn to attention before, but I have a problem with my 598s, problem I didn't have with my 595s. After just one hour of listening, I sweat quite a lot around the ears. Cabinets look more or less the same as 595. Anyone have this problem as well ? Thanks.
 
By the way, I am very happy with the sound.

 

[RochRx7]

  OK, I can't read all the pages and I am sorry if this has been drawn to attention before, but I have a problem with my 598s, problem I didn't have with my 595s. After just one hour of listening, I sweat quite a lot around the ears. Cabinets look more or less the same as 595. Anyone have this problem as well ? Thanks.
 
By the way, I am very happy with the sound.

Not to sound condescending/rude/insulting.... but do you have AC on? Are you wearing them outside? Are you just sitting around? Do you sweat and sit often? I haven't had issues with sweat unless I'm outside (I'm a Floridian) or if my AC is off.. or if I throw them on after some physical activity.

 

[flipper2gv]

  OK, I can't read all the pages and I am sorry if this has been drawn to attention before, but I have a problem with my 598s, problem I didn't have with my 595s. After just one hour of listening, I sweat quite a lot around the ears. Cabinets look more or less the same as 595. Anyone have this problem as well ? Thanks.
 
By the way, I am very happy with the sound.

I don't have this problem and I sweat a lot with my m-100.

 

[phaenius]

  Not to sound condescending/rude/insulting.... but do you have AC on? Are you wearing them outside? Are you just sitting around? Do you sweat and sit often? I haven't had issues with sweat unless I'm outside (I'm a Floridian) or if my AC is off.. or if I throw them on after some physical activity.

 
I don't have AC, but the temperature inside the room is around 25 degrees, not much. Inside, sitting down.
 
I don't remember on the instructions sheet you must have AC to listen to this headphones.

 

[RochRx7]

   
I don't have AC, but the temperature inside the room is around 25 degrees, not much. Inside, sitting down.
 
I don't remember on the instructions sheet you must have AC to listen to this headphones.

You don't.. but it helps when I wear some closed backs.. (UE6k's in particular make my ears sweat.. ugh)

 

[phaenius]

May be, but I didn't have the problems with 595s, which look very similar with 598s. Let AC alone, not all people support this, it can cause problems to some people. I just wanted to know if others found this problems with those headphones model.

 

[joshwalnut]

25 degree's is considered hot for me. I've never had any problems with sweat and headphones unless i'm using them during exercise. Maybe headphones aren't for you!

 

[streetdragon]

The new earpads are much stiffer and ventilate less than than used ones, which results in more sweatyness. When yours softens it will be a lot better.

 

[phaenius]

  Maybe headphones aren't for you!

 
Sure, headphones are only for you.

 

[joshwalnut]

   
Sure, headphones are only for you

 
Well i'm not the one with a sweat problem, maybe take some anti-perspirant deodorant and rub it around your ears, that might help. Plus look on the bright side, you'll also smell good! Good luck with that. 

 

 

[painted klown]

Hello all, good to see the 598 getting some love on here. I assume this is due to the recent sale prices leading to actual sales increases and more interest.
 
I have been listening to mine for almost a week now and I can say that they have really grown on me. I have worn them for extended periods while listening to music/surfing the web, watched a few movies with them, etc and have experienced zero comfort issues at all.
 
With my Grado SR80i and Skullcandy Aviators, I always have to readjust the 'phones and eventually have to cut my listening session short, due to extreme discomfort. I am sure moving from on ear to over ear 'phones is the reason for the extended comfort of the 598. I will never buy another pair of on ears again, unless something comes along that I MUST have.
 
At this point, I can't see myself going back though. This is the first time I have ever been able to truly enjoy using headphones. Never before have I craved the idea of listening to 'phones over my full size system. However, all week long, I have been coming home and excitedly putting on my new Senn's for a night of music/movies!
 
Now on to the sound.
 
I believe these are probably about as "burned in" as they are going to get at this point, so I feel comfortable with my opinion at this point.
 
I want to preface this by saying that I had auditioned these cans a very little bit by way of a Rockboxed ipod 5th gen video, and found them to be a bit bright. SO much so, that I never would have bought them at full price. However with the great deals popping up on these as of late, I thought I may as well take a chance, and see what they really have to offer.
 
As noted in my early impressions, I found these to be a bit light on the bass. Now, after a lot of playing and listening, I have to say they have definitely improved in the bass dept. Not the deepest extension, nor very powerful IMO, but more than "serviceable" for the price I paid, and where they sit in the Sennheiser lineup.
 
I was afraid these would be too bright for my taste and make me regret making the purchase. I will now say that those fears were completely unfounded. Yes, they are a bit "sparkly" on top, but even my over sensitivity to sibilance has not been able to pry these off my head. I have played them with my laptop's built in sound card (RealTek HD Audio Card), through my Emotiva XSP-1's 'HP output (that is fed with a Cambridge Audio DAC Magic as a source), and the aforementioned ipod without issue. No listener fatigue, even at high volume for an extended amount of time. Good news for me, to be sure.
 
I do not have a lot of 'HP experience, so I cannot comment with any sort of authority regarding the sound stage (no idea of what to compare it to, or how to explain in audiophile language) so I will not embarrass myself by trying to get into all of that.
 
Detail retrieval seems to be pretty good IMO. When listening intently to something, I can pick out details such as vocal chords rubbing together, get an approximation of how close they were to the mic, etc. One thing I have found, is that when listening to modern pop CD's that were mastered too loud, the extra distortion sticks out like a sore thumb. However, I do not fault the Senns for an issue that was clearly created by the mastering engineers.
 
When it comes to dynamics, I have to admit that I am a bit "up in the air" in regards to how I feel. My full size setup is Bowers & Wilkins being fed by Emotiva XPA-1 mono blocks, and they are SUPER dynamic. Almost to the point that when I listen to less beefy amps, I feel everything sounds a bit flat, or less lively. Not as dynamic, as it were. The reason I am not sure how I feel about the Senns in this area, is because I have never actually used them with a true headphone amp.
 
With full size gear, an amplifier choice can add/remove dynamics, in a dramatic fashion. So, is the lesser dynamics I am hearing (and used to with my full size setup) due to these phones not being super dynamic, or is this simply an unfair comparison? I don't know for sure, so I will reserve a critical judgement.
 
At the end of the day, I will say that these even do some things better than my full size setup. I find them to be more intimate, and the high end is FAR better than my B&W's aluminum dome tweeters...which do drive me out of the room at high volume levels. I just wish they could reach deeper, and have more bass impact. One quibble, and this may come from up stream, is that they have a tendency to sound a bit "congested" when the source material becomes "busy". There isn't that last bit of delineation I am used to with my home setup. As stated, though, this may (or may not) be a fault of the 598's. I am not 100% sure on that. 
 
This post has now become a novel, so I will leave it as is, and sum it up.
 
The Sennheiser HD-598 is a winner for the sale price, and easy outclasses my other 'phones in all categories, especially comfort. If they only had more supple bass, I could imagine that my lust for the HD-650 could be cured. I can easily recommend these to any non-bass head, especially if they can be had at a sale price.
 
Thanks for reading!

 

 

[NZheadcase]

Great impressions there.

This will be useful for those still on the fence.

 

[streetdragon]

If you remove the lining the inner lining of the earcup (that thin black cloth mesh under the earpad) the bass texture and extension improves. The risk is now the driver dome is exposed to dirt and hair.

 

[RochRx7]

  If you remove the lining the inner lining of the earcup (that thin black cloth mesh under the earpad) the bass texture and extension improves. The risk is now the driver dome is exposed to dirt and hair.

Is it possible to replace that with a thinner filter?
 
..and great impressions PK! What you're hearing is pretty much the consensus on these cans.. lack of low end.. great mids.. just enough sparkle on top.. congestion on some really busy tracks.. ultimate comfort.. can't compare soundstage to a B&W loudspeaker setup.. that's just not going to happen.
 
But compared to the SR80s you can hear or get the sense that you're amongst the crowd a few rows back watching a performance.. instead of being on stage in front of the singer. (I like Grado's but their midrange is just toooo forward for my liking)

 

[painted klown]

Thanks for the kind words all. I am not well versed in headphones at all, so I was a bit concerned that I would get some "strange looks" for posting an off the wall review that flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Good to know, that my experience with these is similar to the general consensus.

One other thing to note, that I forgot during my write up, is the supplied cable. I have nothing negative to say about it at all, and (I cannot stress this enough) LOVE the generous length. It allows me to comfortably move around the room, and sit back from the t.v., to watch movies comfortably with these on.

I am undecided about the twist to lock end however. While it seems like a great idea to avoid accidentally pulling the cable out, I also worry about accidentally stepping on it, or otherwise jerking it way too hard, and causing breakage. I am hoping this is a good design, but only time will tell on that.

The thickness and pliability of the cable seem to be quite good as well. Even with the length of the cable, I haven't experienced any issues with tangling. Kudo's to Sennheiser on that.

Having said all that, I am a bit surprised that Senn did not include an additional shorter cable for portable/on the go use. Sure, open back 'phones aren't generally considered to be portable phones, but the 598s seems to be driven decently well with an ipod, so you would think that Senn would want to try to take advantage of that segment of the market as well. Especially in this day and age, where personal/portable audio players are king.