[Mad Lust Envy]

The HD598 is one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned.

 

[Alghazanth]

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I really didn't find the mids to be as recessed on the DT990 as much as your experiences.  The way you make it sound, their mids are not only recessed, but take a huge dive, which just isn't the case.   I could hear just as much detail as I could with the AD700.
 
Here's a response graph of all 3 headphones when their treble spikes are matched for level of hearing:
 

 
 
The DT880 barely has any more midrange than the DT990, while the AD700 remains a bit more neutral in the midrange.  So give or take the AD700 gives 5more db than either of the two beyers, which shouldn't be enough to completely render some gunshots inaudible-- and that was my experiences with the AD700 vs the DT990.  I also used a warm tube amp, and we're not even taking into consideration how tubes can subdue highs by up to 5db etc.  My experience for music with the DT990 and AD700 is the same as well.  The mids of the DT990 are a bit more laid back, but they're still as detailed and audible as ever.

If you happen to still possess the DT990 and Modern Warfare 2, I can show you exactly how I discovered what's up with the midrange. Hell, at the time, I didn't even really know what recessed midrange was until I got these, and I was using the D2000's unamped w/ a treble and bass EQ. Anyways, if you go into the "Of Their Own Accord" mission, the lows and highs are very prevalent there with orchestral music and constant explosions and whatnot. Gunfire is obviously in the midrange. When in the building, your own gunfire is almost inaudible with the DT990s. I thought what the hell, put on my D7ks, and realized something was definitely up. Listened to some more music with the 990s and realized that it is indeed very recessed. There's also no denying the highs are painful for music,but they're fine in DH mode. Perhaps you listen to music where midrange isn't upfront? It's certainly noticeable in Metal. A possible caveat is I had the 32ohm version.
 
The DT880 is balanced but unexciting imo, but as MLE says in the gaming headphone thread, they have a positioning issue between 5-7 O'clock and I like my dolby headphone surround complete so I couldn't stick with them. The AD700 is really all anyone needs for competitive FPS gaming, unless you're willing to spend over a grand and cop some T1s or HD800s. Truly amazing single-player performance I found only in a few cans.
 

 

[Alghazanth]

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The HD598 is one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned.

For sure, and one of the sexiest. Great for the price but definitely not my favorite for any usage really.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't know about it being sexy. I personally thought they were gaudy as all hell in person. They look better in images, and look cheap as hell in person.

That's just me. I didn't find them attractive in the least. I'm very picky though. I think the LCD2 and AD700 are eyesores too. The very well loved ESW9 wasn't all that good looking in person either.

 

[Alghazanth]

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I don't know about it being sexy. I personally thought they were gaudy as all hell in person. They look better in images, and look cheap as hell in person.

That's just me. I didn't find them attractive in the least. I'm very picky though. I think the LCD2 and AD700 are eyesores too. The very well loved ESW9 wasn't all that good looking in person either.

I agree with the LCD2 and AD700 looking terrible. The ESW9 looks meh. The HD598 I still think looks like something way above it's price point, like a less luxury D7000 almost.
 
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The cream colored plastic just didn't look too luxurious to my eyes. I think plastic needs to be a very dark color to pass the 'cheap' look.

 

[TMRaven]

Yeah I do agree the 598s are rather gaudy and plasticy/cheap in person.
 
As far as the DT990 and recessed mids discussion, I tend to stick away from cod games.  I used to play them for a while, but me and the people I roll with eventually shifted to battlefield.  There's also the fact that cod never had the most realistic and accurate sound and positional cues either from my experience-- Battlefield's much better for that in my opinion.  If you have any experience with any of the bad companies I could perhaps compare that with you.
 
It also might be an amping thing.  I know a lot of people tend to shy away from huge treble spikes because they either don't like it or are sensitive to treble, but there's only been a few songs that I found fatiguing with the DT990's treble on my current setup, and that was moreso because of they way they were recorded and mastered.  The same could be said with sibilance being more of a record/master thing, as very few songs I've listened to have excessive sibilance (ie eminem)
 
Also, I tend to not like most metal because of how it's recorded and mastered as well, but I do have a fair amount of grunge and metal on my iTunes.  I have everything really.  If you had any specific song in mind to compare with AD700 I might have it.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I loved the DT990 for gaming, even games like MW2. I had zero issues hearing footsteps and locating enemies. I find the mids to be just as loud as on the DT880s with the DT990 bass and treble being stronger. Calling them recessed is an overstatement. People automatically think recession means that the they will sound muted or far away. That's not true. The mids aren't in the spot light, but they aren't lost either. Your ears are just paying more attention to the stronger bass and treble. Mids volume level was like the DT880 for me.

I did own the 600ohm version though.

 

[Alghazanth]

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Yeah I do agree the 598s are rather gaudy and plasticy/cheap in person.
 
As far as the DT990 and recessed mids discussion, I tend to stick away from cod games.  I used to play them for a while, but me and the people I roll with eventually shifted to battlefield.  There's also the fact that cod never had the most realistic and accurate sound and positional cues either from my experience-- Battlefield's much better for that in my opinion.  If you have any experience with any of the bad companies I could perhaps compare that with you.
 
It also might be an amping thing.  I know a lot of people tend to shy away from huge treble spikes because they either don't like it or are sensitive to treble, but there's only been a few songs that I found fatiguing with the DT990's treble on my current setup, and that was moreso because of they way they were recorded and mastered.  The same could be said with sibilance being more of a record/master thing, as very few songs I've listened to have excessive sibilance (ie eminem)
 
Also, I tend to not like most metal because of how it's recorded and mastered as well, but I do have a fair amount of grunge and metal on my iTunes.  I have everything really.  If you had any specific song in mind to compare with AD700 I might have it.

I loved Bad Company 2 at first but I got tired of it pretty quickly. MW2 actually has some pretty damn good sound design. But believe me, I know how right they got the audio in BC2, it's incredible. Considering gunfire is always in the midrange, you should have comparable results if you can get yourself into an area with loud low and high end. It's not too noticeable in MP as you're concentrating on other things, but I noticed it on the very first SP test I gave it. Maybe something's up with the 32ohm version+mixamp, idk.
 
I never dislike music because of the way it was recorded. I listen to Black Metal probably recorded in a cave, then switch to Opeth without issue. All of this high end equipment enhances my enjoyment no matter the recording quality, provided its lossless at least. I would never advise anyone use the AD700s for music unless you listen to something where bass matters little, which afaik limits you to Classical and light rock. That said, the AD700's massive soundstage does make any atmospheric music sound incredible, but when the fast parts come in it's way too "all over the place". I don't hold anything against it though, $80 is robbery for them regardless.
 
 

 

[Alghazanth]

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I loved the DT990 for gaming, even games like MW2. I had zero issues hearing footsteps and locating enemies. I find the mids to be just as loud as on the DT880s with the DT990 bass and treble being stronger. Calling them recessed is an overstatement. People automatically think recession means that the they will sound muted or far away. That's not true. The mids aren't in the spot light, but they aren't lost either. Your eyes are just paying more attention to the stronger bass and treble. Mids volume level was like the DT880 for me.

I can't explain to you how badly I wished this was true. My first few hours with the DT990s were simply orgasmic since all I ever wanted was open can soundstage and strong bass combined. It's really not the bass drowning it out, as the D2000 has muddier bass and it's midrange is still more upfront. The highs, maybe, but like you said they're tamed in DH mode. There are countless DT990 threads that talk about the midrange and high issues, so it isn't just me. The DT880's midrange was always front and center. MLE, which OHM version did you have?

 

[Alghazanth]

Btw, if you'd like I could show you some tracks where the recession is easily noticeable for me.

 

[TMRaven]

Yeah sure you can name off a couple!  I got the DT990 with tube amp and AD700 plugged into my computer right here ready to a/b!
 
Also I'm only doing my gaming tests while doing multiplayer, it could very be an issue hearing mids during the campaign when there's lots of explosions and music galore.  I even turn off music for multiplayer to maximize my soundwhoring.  I'll have to boot up bc2 and give some of the campaign a try one of these days.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I know the mids are 'recessed'. But you guys make it seem like they're a gaping void. They're not. Yes, compared to a midcentric headphone, the difference is there, but alone, they're fine. This is why I hate headphone comparisons.

 

[TMRaven]

A lot of things tend to get overly exaggerated and come off as esoteric, I agree.

 

[Alghazanth]

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Yeah sure you can name off a couple!  I got the DT990 with tube amp and AD700 plugged into my computer right here ready to a/b!
 
Also I'm only doing my gaming tests while doing multiplayer, it could very be an issue hearing mids during the campaign when there's lots of explosions and music galore.  I even turn off music for multiplayer to maximize my soundwhoring.  I'll have to boot up bc2 and give some of the campaign a try one of these days.

Alright man, here ya go:
 
Woe, Is Me- Numbers
Dance Gavin Dance- And I Told Them I Invented Times New Roman
Dance Gavin Dance-  The Robot With Human Hair Part 1
Immortal- Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss
Agalloch- Falling Snow
Garden of Shadows- Oracle Moon
Mirrorthrone- A Scream To Express The Hate Of A Race
Windir- Todeswalzer
As Cities Burn- Terrible! How Terrible For The Great City!
Persefone- Fall To Rise
Ihsahn- After
Origin- The Aftermath
Dark Tranquility- Damage Done
Katakylsm- Sorcery or Mould In A Breed
 
Now, I don't know 100% remember how good the AD700's midrange is (Don't feel like slipping em on

) but it's definitely better than the DT990s. Try any number of these tracks, you should definitely see what I mean. If not, either our ears are drastically different or the 32ohm version has problems.
 
And with any other headphone I've tried, gunfire is never recessed with explosions and music or anything. Is it put in the back a little? No doubt. But believe me, there's a big difference.