[Keelo117]

just did some research and if you look at my last thread you know I am looking for an upgrade for my HD598. All I want is increased bass, without loosing any of the pros of the HD598.

The cheapest solution from what I can tell or the viable option for me would be the HD700 or the HD800. (90 percent chance I wil buy the HD700, however if the HD800 ever go on sale for like 30 percent off will buy the HD800.) 

Hear is my set of questions, 

I got the Asus phoebus sound card, would this setup be alright for using the headphones near/full potential? I game alot, mainly FPS such as BF4, Counter Strike, however do play the occasional RPG e.t.c, 

I listen to alot of music, I dont listen to heavy metal, rock, and classical, I tend to listen more bass stuff like, RnB, Hip Hop, Rap, pop, 80's music e.t.c. So which headphones will give me best performance HD700, or HD800. (bare in mind I am so happy with my HD598 and the way they sound, its just that the bass is a tad lacking, and not punchier enough for me, but the vocals are amazing, all my MP3 are 320kbps) 

If my sound card wont be the ideal solution can you link me an ideal setup for my PC, I dont want to spend loads on the setup, just enough to have a good experience with the headphones, or a better one that my sound card will offer me. 


please if you guys own a pair or have tried the headphones please let me know how they were. 



 

 

[GaryWA]

Edit: for some reason I skipped over that part. It should be decent enough to power the HD800's.
 
I believe the 650 is actually a lot better than both of those in the bass department, so you may want to look into those.

 

[Keelo117]

wont my Asus Phoebus sound card be plenty enough? It can power uptop 600ohm headphones, Or shall I just get the HD700, and use them with my sound card?

 

[Kernmac]

  wont my Asus Phoebus sound card be plenty enough? It can power uptop 600ohm headphones, Or shall I just get the HD700, and use them with my sound card?

Impedance (ohms) does not equal efficiency.
 
EG:
Impedance: 62 ohm
Sensitivity: 105 dB
 
Look for the sensitivity of the headphone, not just the impedance to make judgments about the efficiency (need for a more powerful amp) of the headphone.
 
If you want a 598 with more powerful bass out of your Asus Phoebus sound card, I wouldn't invest in a HD800; likely an expensive disappointment.
 

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

Ok there is no kind way I can put this. I am a gamer too, and that sound card is literally the biggest waste of money in the gaming/audio scene. There are much cheaper sound cards that sound and preform better. So plan on getting rid of that thing asap to get maximum resale value. 
 
If you want bass, the HD700/800 is not for you by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, they would probably have less bass than the HD598s. So scrap that plan. 
 
I would highly suggest you look at getting a dedicated DAC and AMP. There is even a good chance that a decent amp will give the headphones you already own a better bass response. 
 
I fully agree with gary about the HD650s, but honestly, I think the smartest way to go about your sound problems would be to go with a schiit magni and modi and then get the beyerdynamic DT990s. 
 
The DT990s are not as good as the HD650s, but my thinking is that by the time you sell your sound card and your headphones, you would only have to spend maybe ~100 bucks on your upgrade. Probably less. 
 
With the HD650s, you would be looking at a schiit vali and modi plus some headphones that cost around 300 dollars used. So maybe a total investment of about 200 bucks. 

 

[Keelo117]

You guys are missing the point, I dont want Alot more bass, JUST a little more, so it dosent drown out the vocals, and the HD650 have a smaller soundstage then the HD598, which is Why I dont want to upgrade to the HD650.

Can you guys recommend me a amp and dac to go with the HD700?. 

Or can you guys reccomend me a good sound card? Xonar STX?

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

  You guys are missing the point, I dont want Alot more bass, JUST a little more, so it dosent drown out the vocals, and the HD650 have a smaller soundstage then the HD598, which is Why I dont want to upgrade to the HD650.

Can you guys recommend me a amp and dac to go with the HD700?. 

Or can you guys reccomend me a good sound card? Xonar STX?

 
You are missing our point too. The HD700 and HD800 has less bass than the HD598. The HD700/800 was designed to sound really transparent and clear, but there is almost no bass what so ever. 

 

[Keelo117]

oh my bad, so there is a trade off, If I want a bigger soundstage, more clarity the HD700 or 800 is the way to go, If i want a smaller more accurate soundstage with more bass go with the HD650? is that what you mean? 

looks like I will be buying the HD650, is it a worthy upgrade from the HD598? 

and also can you recommend me a good amp and dac to use with the set-up? with the chance to upgrade to the HD700 in the future! 

 

[Keelo117]

Knowone says I cannot own BOTH the HD650 AND the HD700 xD


For gaming, in general I will use the HD700 for that wide soundstage and that clarity, 

For music I will use my HD650  

Will that be a good setup? 

Now need to sell MY HD598, and my sound card on ebay xD

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

  oh my bad, so there is a trade off, If I want a bigger soundstage, more clarity the HD700 or 800 is the way to go, If i want a smaller more accurate soundstage with more bass go with the HD650? is that what you mean? 

looks like I will be buying the HD650, is it a worthy upgrade from the HD598? 

and also can you recommend me a good amp and dac to use with the set-up? with the chance to upgrade to the HD700 in the future! 

 
Well other people and I differ on this, but I think that the sound stage on the HD700/800 is not accurate at all. Lots of people seem to think so, but after spending close to a year with the HD800s, you start to realize that the sound stage just sounds sooooo different, that people mistake it for sounding "better". 
 
They still have a better sound stage than the HD650s, but it is almost an apples to oranges comparison. Unless you get your hands on a pair of the HD800s to try out and simply fall in love with them, I would avoid them at all cost. 
 
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Is the HD650 a worthy upgrade over the 598s? Yes. The 598s are not all that great. They sound ok, but the HD650 sounds leaps and bounds better. Even if you choose the HD600, you would still be happy. In fact the HD600 might be a better option. There is more bass than your 598s and less bass than the 650s, BUT it does have a slightly larger sound stage and it sounds a tad more forward. So it could be the Goldy Locks headphone right between the 589 and the 650s.
 
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One last headphone you should look at is the LCD2. While it is way more expensive, it is a VERY nice headphone. It has full bass, a great sound stage, and very clear mids. It is super comfortable, and does not get too hot. I have used the HD800, HD600 (not 650), and the LCD2 for gaming before and I would choose the LCD2 any day of the week (other than some of my stax headphones, but lets not get into that 

). 
 
The problem is that they are 1K dollar headphones, and you WILL need a pretty decent amp and dac. So it might blow your budget, but if you can gather up some funds (approximately 1.5-1.6K), then that would be your best bet. 
 
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As for amp and dac, you can get the schiit modi and vali to start with. You can always upgrade later down the line, but that is a really solid starting amp and dac for ~220
 
If you can pull the funds together, and find a friend who knows how to solder and build circuits, then you can get a cmabridge audio dac magic and a bottle head crack amp for ~600. 

 

[StanD]

I have listened extensively to all of these cans. The HD650 has an elevated bass, however the treble is muted slightly which IMO is a combination that is not desirable. The HD700 has an elevated treble that will be fatiguing a during long listening sessions. The HD800's are outstanding but expensive and contrary to popular myth are not hard to amp. If you want some more bass without losing much elsewhere in SQ, consider getting an HD600 or an HD800 and EQing the bass up a drop.The HD600 is a real surprise and responds well to EQing bass when you have a decent amp with some headroom and can drive enough voltage for 300 Ohms, the HD600 is not so extreme in its requirements. Another consideration is to get a Planar Magnetic set of cans, but you would have to do some serious homework before making a selection.

 

[Keelo117]

looks like I will be buying the HD600 then

 

[StanD]

  looks like I will be buying the HD600 then

I own them along with many other cans and they are my favorites.They sound very much like the HD800's only the 800's don't sound anywhere near $1000 better,

 

[Keelo117]

Whats the sound stage like compared to the HD598? The HD598 sound like the music is playing infront of me and around me, the vocals are so clear it feels like im there. I will be using my Asus phoebus sound card with my HD600 for the mean time, then I will upgrade to a decent amp and dac. 


GUYS ONE MORE THING I GOT A OPTION HERE ! 

Keep my HD598 for music and just buy the HD700 for gaming for that wide soundstage, will use both on my soundcard for atleast 4-6 months before upgeading to amp and dac. 


Or buy the HD600, Sell my HD598, to get a good amp and dac to power the HD600 AND the HD700 in the future. Once I got the amp and dac will sell my phoebus, and just in my xonar DGX (onoard sound is disables) 

 

[Tjj226 Angel]

  Whats the sound stage like compared to the HD598? The HD598 sound like the music is playing infront of me and around me, the vocals are so clear it feels like im there. I will be using my Asus phoebus sound card with my HD600 for the mean time, then I will upgrade to a decent amp and dac. 


GUYS ONE MORE THING I GOT A OPTION HERE ! 

Keep my HD598 for music and just buy the HD700 for gaming for that wide soundstage, will use both on my soundcard for atleast 4-6 months before upgeading to amp and dac. 


Or buy the HD600, Sell my HD598, to get a good amp and dac to power the HD600 AND the HD700 in the future. Once I got the amp and dac will sell my phoebus, and just in my xonar DGX (onoard sound is disables) 

 
 
We have told you a number of times the HD700 is a waste of money. Find a way to try it before you even consider buying it.