[HideousPride]

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Should I cancel my Amazon order if I'm going to use them with my computer?

They sound just fine straight out of a comp.

 

[derbigpr]

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They sound just fine straight out of a comp.

 
 
Just fine, yeh, but not nearly as good as they can.

 

[HideousPride]

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Just fine, yeh, but not nearly as good as they can.

I don't understand the "not nearly as good" part.
 
They sound fine/great/pleasing out of a computer playing music files that aren't horribly lossy.
 
Adding a decent amp/DAC is nice but certainly not required to be happy with the way they sound. If in your personal opinion, an amp/DAC makes the 598 more involving that's perfectly okay, but it's silly to make it sound like the 598s are borderline unlistenable without all the fancy stuff.

 

[CDewey]

I think that is the danger of this website.  Someone that is new to the audio world may be turned off by all of the conflicting information.   Please try to remember audio is subjective.  We all hear differently.
 
In my humble opinion, the HD598 does perfectly fine out of a computer or MP3 player.

 

[enoyzzaj]

I concur.
 
You know the old saying:  "Use the right tool for the right job".
 

 
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Frankly, I don't really trust the OP's judgement here. He sounds like a bass freak to me, and that isn't what upper echelon Senn phones are about. I would even go so far as to say they're not about "electronica/regae/rock/blues", but about the natural, open reproduction of acoustic instruments in jazz and classical. For the type of music mentioned, there are many more suitable cans, many of them cheaper.    

 
 
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 I agree, im coming over from car audio and i can say im a basshead but that doesnt mean ill shoot down a certain headphone for what its not made for, there are bassy headphones and headphones that are made for a different music spectrum.
 

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

I don't understand the "not nearly as good" part.
 
They sound fine/great/pleasing out of a computer playing music files that aren't horribly lossy.
 
Adding a decent amp/DAC is nice but certainly not required to be happy with the way they sound. If in your personal opinion, an amp/DAC makes the 598 more involving that's perfectly okay, but it's silly to make it sound like the 598s are borderline unlistenable without all the fancy stuff.

 
1. I never said they sound "borderline unlistenable" without an amp / DAC, please don't put words in my mouth.
 
2. I said they sound fine, but not nearly as good as they CAN sound, what is hard to understand here? They will sound fine if you plug them into your computers motherboard headphone jack, a cheap mp3 player or a smartphone, but not nearly as good as they can when used with a good source and a decent amp that can power them properly. Why is that important? Because, if you're gonna buy headphones like HD598's, then you want them to sound like 250-300$ audiophile headphones, not like much cheaper headphones. If you're happy with how they sound without a good DAC and amp, fine with me, but you've just wasted about 100-150$, because that's how much money you could have saved by buying cheaper headphones in the first place, like HD449's or HD459's which would sound just as good as the HD598's, if not better, out of that same low quality source.
 
That was the point of my original comment in the first place. People buy these headphones and then they plug them into gear that's not even remotely capable of powering them properly of feeding good enough quality signal into them. I will repeat this for I don't know which time, just because it says "50 Ohms" on the box, it doesn't mean you can plug them into anything with a 3,5mm hole on it and expect good sound, because you will not get good sound. I will repeat again, these headphones (and that goes for HD558's as well) are virtually as demanding of a source as the HD600's, or HD650's, or K701's, DT880's, DT990's, or any other headphone in that sort of price range. All of those headphones will sound ok no matter where you plug them, they won't be unlistenable, but for their price, they will sound bad, and nowhere near their full potential.
 
Its like buying a huge 1080p hi-def plasma TV, and then watching 20 year old VHS tapes on it. Sure, the picture will be ok, but nowhere near as good as the picture can be if instead of a VHS you play some full HD Bluray discs on it.

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

I think that is the danger of this website.  Someone that is new to the audio world may be turned off by all of the conflicting information.   Please try to remember audio is subjective.  We all hear differently.
 
In my humble opinion, the HD598 does perfectly fine out of a computer or MP3 player.

 
 
Plugging them into a mp3 player and then into a nice setup with a DAC and a headphone amp, even an entry level one, is going to bring improvements that are not about subjectivity. It's a fact that they sound considerably better that way. I could plug my HD650's into Samsung Galaxy S, it sounds fine out of it, it can get loud enough for normal listening, with FLAC's on it, sounds fine. But when I take the HD650's and plug them into a headphone amp powered by a soundcard or a DAC, or a integrated speaker amp,  its a completely different story. It goes from "fine", sort of a 5/10 and not worth the price of the headphones, to excellent, sort of 9.5/10, worth every penny and more.  Same for HD558's, which I currently own, but are identical in terms of required power and source demand to 598's. Sounds ok out of anything, even a cheap laptop, but plugged into even something like Asus Essence ST soundcard, they transform into something that is on a totally different level, and only then they can show what they're really capable of. The biggest thing is, HD558's and HD650's sound almost no better than HD438's out of the laptop or smartphone, yet, they cost several times more.
 
In my opinion and experience, one should always buy a cheaper headphone that will be properly powered instead of a more expensive headphone that will be plugged into much lower quality gear, with some exceptions. Why? Because you will at the end get about the same sound quality, but save a lot of money.

 

[MegaMushroom]

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I don't know if it's that bad. But the headbands tend to crack. 

 
I'm not even sure why this is brought up anymore.  The cracked headband issue was fixed quite a long time ago.  I've bought my headphones about 2 years ago now.  Not a single issue.  I am not gentle at all with my headphones.  There have been countless threads on this, and I think that a decent percentage of the Appreciation thread has the notion of cracked headbands dispelled in all 598s made after a certain point.  
 
As for the sound quality.  I've found the bass to be perfectly satisfactory in the 598s.  I prefer their more neutralish presentation for genres such as Blues, Rock, and parts of Metal.  I tend to go to my Amperiors and HFI-580s for electronica.  The OP stated that his preference goes to more bass-centric headphones.  Isn't dissent nice?  We get companies making more headphones to cater to more people. 
 
 
 
So should anyone cancel their orders for their headphones?  Do you want that thumping bass that rattles you tooth fillings?  Yeah.  

 

[minsik]

Glad I didn't see this thread before purchase.Of course this is a personal opinion which is any of this really is anyway.
Not having all the dough to buy many types and amps I settled on the HD598's which have so far excited me in the fact that they are clear and concise. No booming bass but smooth bass, accurate mids and clear highs.
The whole record and playback is really to enjoy music as she is played. To me these headphones give a quality sound from everything I have connected them to allowing me to enjoy all genres in a confined area with sounds that seem to be coming from a stage.

So far they are my ideal headphones.

 

[Frosty3258]

I tried the hd598 in different settings (ipad, udac 2 off laptop and ipad, receiver in pure audio mode, ...) and it produces mixed results, especially on low frequencies.

Despite the 50 ohm spec, my experience is that you need a decent amp to get the bass right on these cans. I ordered a tube headphone/preamp to complement my udac 2 for this reason.

A review based on a single setup can be very misleading.

hey i don't have any personal experience with tube amps,i was looking at some for my 598's and am saving for the shiit modi set up now because i heard tubes don't have enough current... if their are other opinions or recommendations i would still like to try some tubes with them

 

[Inselaffe]

Just stumbled across this.
 
I bought an Arcam rPac yesterday and still getting used to it but already quite impressed.  The only headphones I have to use with it at the moment are some Goldring NS1000's that I got for a series of long haul flights a few years back.
 
I'm now thinking about getting some new headphones (I'm in the UK, budget around £150, suitable for a variety of music, if pushed I'd say mainly rock).  I initially was looking at Grado SR80i and AKG550's.  I tried them both but preferred the Grado's, mainly because I have a small head and found the fit better.  Having researched further the 598's have come into the picture as they can be had for £150 at the moment.
 
So the question is does my rPac have sufficient power to drive them?

 

[moali125]

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1. Black people created hip hop music.  At first they didn't even acknowledge it was music.  Now it is one of the most popular genres in the world.
2. Black people created jazz.  At the time, they didn't acknowledge it was music.
3. Black people created the blues.  The 1-4-5 chord progression was taken and commercialized for a different audience:  for them, by them.
4. When punk rock was created, they said it wasn't music.
5. When the major scale was invented:  what we know as Do-Re-Mi-Fa.... they said that it was music fit for animals and not fit for God.
 
Who are they?  Well, they aren't white people if that was your assumption having seen just 1 to 3.  Rather, It's the myopia of a privileged minority that likes to define what they think is music and what is not music.  To place that which is worthy within the "in-group" and exclude that which is not worthy as the "out-group."  That motivation can be driven by race, class, gender, religion, whatever.

Forgive me OP, for admittedly going off topic, but this person's powerful opinion grasped my attention. 
 
You see, I feel no one has the right to define what is music. I personally find the abstract orchestral pieces horrendous, but can see how others would call it art. I'll admit I'm not totally neutral saying all this to you: I'm an advocate of Hip Hop. Whilst you may dislike it, it has musical notes, follows a certain order (which many would actually find repetitive), and so would technically be music. I realise most of the 'mainstream' ''Hip Hop'' you see is terrible, downright awful.. but there is much which I call spectacular, masterpieces of poetry and music working in synergy. Don't mistake me for simply being an ''underclass'' member of the ''out-group'', hah. I equally enjoy much classical music, whether it be Baroque or Romantic, or even.. Modern. Indeed, the point I'm trying to convey is that rather than attempting to seperate ourselves using an art form, we should unite ourselves with it. Frankly, to me you did seem to be part of 'the myopia of a privileged minority that likes to define what they think is music and what is not music.' I'm not going to put that against you, I respect that opinion. But that's all it is: opinion, much like mine here.
 
To the OP, I tried the Sennheisers and actually really enjoyed the detail they offered when unamped, but I understand that lack of energy you were describing. It does certainly call for an amp. 

 

[pp312]

Well written post, moali125, but the people you're addressing it to are probably in a nursing home by now.  

 

[Frosty3258]

So back to the headphones...

Well written post, moali125, but the people you're addressing it to are probably in a nursing home by now.  

 

[ooo137ooo]

i want to get the HD598's and i will get the Fiio E07k to drive them out of my PC and MP3 player (sanas clip) will this be a good enough amping for them ??