[saikat1729]

I also own ATH-M50x and compared to that 598 SE sounds more airy and open that's for sure and separating instruments is easier with 598 SE but as most of the people say this has one of  the largest sound stage, I can't really understand that part.
 
I have never owned an open back headphone before and for those who care I have burned these(598 SE) for not more than 3-4 hours. I listen to jazz, blues, classical, bluegrass, r&b, folk, latin. Now the problem is that I never hear the sound stage in-front of me. It's always in back side of my head.
 
Like when listening to Black Bear by Railroad Earth, yes I do feel like the sound is coming from outside the headphone but I never get the surround feeling. I do not own any good speaker so it's not like I have been spoiled by a stereo system's sound stage and I am running them through my laptop. I guess the headphone is original because of that magical mids and flat frequency response, unlike anything I have ever heard before.
Please if anybody can help me? Am I missing something here? I should be able to experience that great sound stage in-front of me that everybody talks about without an amp. Is there something wrong with me? As I am not used to sound stage, I don't know what to listen to? Or do I need more burn-in/time to get used to these or being able to tell the difference?
I would appreciate any response. This is my first post here so please forgive me if I didn't post it in the right forum and hello everyone.
Thank you.
I am Saikat from India.

 

[milosingh]

With HD 598 you don't get the sound stage in front of you. I don't always get that even with my HD 650. Headphones are headphones.

A headphone with a bigger SS will have a slightly bigger SS. But it won't be magic.

 

[saikat1729]

Yes, I do agree with that but as lots of people say there is a huge difference, Like M50x have one the worst sound stage even when compared to closed cans and 598's sound stage is supposed to be bigger(as others have mentioned, I don't own the legendary HD 650) than HD 650. I don't even hear "a lot" difference with M50x as far as sound staging goes.
Is that all? Is this the "great" sound stage every people talk about while reviewing it? Then I am really disappointed. .

 

[saikat1729]

With HD 598 you don't get the sound stage in front of you. I don't always get that even with my HD 650. Headphones are headphones.

A headphone with a bigger SS will have a slightly bigger SS. But it won't be magic.

And also can you mention a song with which you can get the sound stage in-front of you with HD 650. I may try that.

 

[serman005]

  And also can you mention a song with which you can get the sound stage in-front of you with HD 650. I may try that.

You might give them some time. They may open up as you put more hours on them.

 

[saikat1729]

 
You might give them some time. They may open up as you put more hours on them.

Yeah I am not going to return or give up on them because as I said the mids with these are truly magical but others mentioned it doesn't really need burn-in to experience the sound stage. So I was wondering are my specific pair faulty. I am kinda lost here.

 

[milosingh]

You might give them some time. They may open up as you put more hours on them.

Wrong. The type of change he wants is unlikely to happen with burn in.

Many songs with my HD 650 and Ember have a centre like or sometimes slightly in front soundstage.

But out of my HD 598 from an iPhone that doesn't happen.

It is a mix of song, headphones, amp and source. And partially mental cues.

 

[saikat1729]

Wrong. The type of change he wants is unlikely to happen with burn in.

Many songs with my HD 650 and Ember have a centre like or sometimes slightly in front soundstage.

But out of my HD 598 from an iPhone that doesn't happen.

It is a mix of song, headphones, amp and source. And partially mental cues.

Can you suggest me any song to test the sound stage? Might even mention a specific portion that you hear "that way" with 650. I am not asking for any Holographic or binaural recording btw as I can experience huge space with those even when using my 14$ Amazonbasics on ear. By the way I am using only Flac or 320kbps mp3 though I don't have any DAC or Amp.
 
On a different topic this is a great holographic sound and a great sense of space to experience if you haven't already. Try this http://www.naturespace.com/index.php with your 650.

 

[milosingh]

Ok. I did some testing for you.

A few songs.

Ember with HD 650 and HD 598.

The soundstage is more or less cantered, slightly behind the head in both. The HD 650 is a slightly less behind. And more coherent.

The vocals in the HD 650 sound more centred and more in front, relatively. With HD 598 this effect is nowhere near as strong. Vocals don't seem as in front in the HD 598.

The difference is audible and noticeable but neither compare with even entry level speakers for the kind of effect you're asking for.

 

[saikat1729]

Ok. I did some testing for you.

A few songs.

Ember with HD 650 and HD 598.

The soundstage is more or less cantered, slightly behind the head in both. The HD 650 is a slightly less behind. And more coherent.

The vocals in the HD 650 sound more centred and more in front, relatively. With HD 598 this effect is nowhere near as strong. Vocals don't seem as in front in the HD 598.

The difference is audible and noticeable but neither compare with even entry level speakers for the kind of effect you're asking for.

Ah.. That cleared the air. Thanks a ton. So sound stage in even a reputable headphone is nothing great. Disappointing really!! I was truly expecting magic.
Seems like it's time to give some speakers a try. But they are costly.
 
Suggest if you have something in mind or you own in 250-300$ range.

 

[Dickymint]

Hello, yes I have some HD 598's but I don't think they are as good as some people say. The sound stage is quite good but not brilliant, one of the things I did do was shorten the standard cable, that improved the sound, IMHO but you need to get a good quality plug to make the end off, a cheap one just won't do. I even bought an after market silver cable, it brightens things up a bit but you tend to lose out on the bass. Recently a friend of mine has lent me a transformerless single ended valve amp to try them with, now they work good but still not completely brilliantly. Personally, I think the secret for these babies is to make sure you have a good amp to drive them. But this is my opinion only!

 

[saikat1729]

Thanks for the reply. Really helpful. I will try them with some amp and let you know my findings.

Sent from my 2014818 using Tapatalk

 

[milosingh]

That is wrong. HD 598 doesn't benefit much with amping. Unlike HD 600/650.

 

[milosingh]

Invest in a pair of Swan M series speakers. Don't buy their H or X series. You'll get a good M series set within your budget.

No headphone will give you the presentation you want. Not even HD 800.

 

[DangerClose]

HD598 soundstage is very wide, good not great height, and practically zero depth.  It's like sitting in the front row of a movie theater, or even closer.
 
It can be a fun sound, depending, but, yes, its soundstage is overrated.  The not-big ear pads don't help either.