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Well, would a HD598 have better treble quality than HD650s? Keep in mind that treble quantity is not the problem with the HD650. I add a small 15+khz treble boost on my HD650, and the sound signature is absolutely perfect IMO. It's just that the HD650 highs are a bit blurry compared to the SRH940. Not bad, but not as good. Would the HD598 really be better than the HD650 in the upper highs? That seems unlikely but I really don't know.
I definitely think so. It seems most people think the old dark and muffled HD-650 is a thing of the past (silver screen?). I was actually surprised that when I had an HD-650, the pair I had, had more treble quantity than my HD-600! Seemed like it anyway. It seems most people say it's the other way around. When you use an HD-650 cable on the HD-600, it's a closer match though, but you sacrifice some mids on the HD-600. To my ears, the HD-650 does many things better than the HD-600, but I still prefer the HD-600 for my music. I think I did prefer vocals on the HD-650 from what I remember and it was a bit less grainy than the HD-600 with some music.
I remember when I first got my HD-598, what jumped out at me was how much more clear, detailed and less muffled it sounded than my old HD-650/600. I must be weird, because there's a ton of people who never find the HD-650 muffled. I don't want to say "veiled" since I'm sick of that word! I just think one strength of the HD-650 is that it's not excessively detailed and fairly forgiving, but to a point.
It took me about a month to realize I wanted more treble quantity than what the HD-650 had. Just a preference, but I didn't learn to just like it the way it was. I even bought a new amp for the HD-650! What's weird is that I didn't realize the HD-650 didn't have enough treble for ME (without EQ) for me until I used them for gaming. Never realized the K601 was close to being a dark headphone until I used them for gaming too. That was a big surprise! K601 definitely doesn't have the treble of the K702! I think some versions have a lower treble peak though.
Best advice is to try the HD-598 if you can. At a meet or whatever. It seems people who dislike many of the other Sennheiser headphones love the HD-598. IMO it's a much more engaging and fun headphone than the HD-600/650, but it all comes down to preferences. They say the HD-650 is technically better, but I haven't figured out why. Maybe because it scales up better with more expensive amps
I remember one time comparing the HD-600, 650 and HD-598 side by side all at once. That was pretty fun. HD-600 and HD-650 really does sound much different to me than what everyone says. HD-650 with some music felt like it was much more clear than the HD-600. Took specific music though.
I remember once getting my HD-650's mids to sound like my HD-598. Don't have a clue how that happened and it wasn't with an EQ!
Sorry..i'm bored and this is all off-topic. I'm surprised there's not more comparisons of the HD-598 to the SRH-940.