[Blaalad12]

Hey guys, I have recently bought a pair of sennhieser hd 598's and i love them, However, Iam wondering could a portable amp improve them further? Or if theres any other equipment that can improve them further please inform me  
 
Iam unsure if i personally would benefit from an amp because most of the music i listen to actually comes from youtube!! I also use them for movies on my imac!
 
Also, IF i decide to upgrade in the near future what would be a good choice? Or would it be a waist of time/money given what i will be using them for?
 
Thanks in advance guys 

 

[KCxSmacker]

If you are able to use usb for a dac, I would suggest getting a portable dac/amp combo. Amps really help out the 598 IMO, however a good dac could really help as well. 

 

[Blaalad12]

What do you mean when you say if i am able to use usb for a dac? And any suggestions on a good amp/dac combo that is not too expensive and will work with my imac?
 
By the way , Will an amp/dac combo make a noticeable difference particular improving the bass? 

 

[Blaalad12]

Bump!!
 
Just to be clear guys, Alot of info i have read is confusing, Some say you don't need an amp with the hd598s, Others recommend one, Others suggest a dac .... god iam so confused ha
 
All i want is a "device" that connects to my imac, and will improve the sound quality for music listening (even though generally i listen to most music on youtube - no idea if that matters?) 
 
What would you guys recommend in terms of adding a little bass and if possible improving the soundstage and adding a more refined/cleaner listening experience?.... at an affordable price

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Bump!!
 
Just to be clear guys, Alot of info i have read is confusing, Some say you don't need an amp with the hd598s, Others recommend one, Others suggest a dac .... god iam so confused ha
 
All i want is a "device" that connects to my imac, and will improve the sound quality for music listening (even though generally i listen to most music on youtube - no idea if that matters?) 
 
What would you guys recommend in terms of adding a little bass and if possible improving the soundstage and adding a more refined/cleaner listening experience?.... at an affordable price

...that's a tall order.
Probably an E17...? It has bass & treble boost. It has a DAC w/ amp which will help refine it a little bit.
And youtube quality is terrible. It's somewhat like a 96kbps file due to multiple compressions in various processes.

 

[Wolfskie]

What people mean by the headphones not needing an amp is just that, they don't don't require an amp to sound good as they're fairly efficient.
However, with a good source and amplification the sound can be improved.
 
I'd also suggest before putting money into a dac/amp - review your music collection(or source), you don't want to be listening to low quality files and be disappointed.

 

[streetdragon]

Agreed, upgrade your source first. Youtube as i stated earlier is terrible.

 

[davidsh]

^Yup. You shouldn't expect night & day with an amp. Mostly just a more refined sound or something like that

 

[eron]

You are in a dangerous territory. A DAC and Amp will improve the SQ. Before you spend money you thought you didn't have, consider the O2+ODAC combo which will still be relevant when you upgrade your headphones.

 

[KCxSmacker]

Quote:

What do you mean when you say if i am able to use usb for a dac? And any suggestions on a good amp/dac combo that is not too expensive and will work with my imac?
 
By the way , Will an amp/dac combo make a noticeable difference particular improving the bass? 

Like others are saying get a good source first. Then get something resonable like the fiio e17. The 598s do not need an amp, but do help it. By usb I mean is your main source going to be from your mac? if so then you can use the dac feature on most portable dacs. idevices like the iphone have trouble with dacs so that why I was asking. 
 
Again fiio e17 would probably fit you the best. The dac converts the music while the amp helps run the headphone better so they both help the overall sound. 
 
As for a source even just itunes with lossess apple burns from cds sounds amazing if you have the hard drive space. 

 

[Blaalad12]

Thanks guys, Would you guys still recommend the e17 despite portability being a non issue or would the e10 be just as good ? 
 
Most of my music in itunes comes from downloads as oppose to cds so not sure of the bitrate but alot of the stuff i listen to on youtube sounds just as good as any cd i own, In some cases i think it even sounds better to be honest!! 
 
Alot of music doesnt seem to be available for download in flac/lossless format either so how do i go about having the music i want in that format? Would downloading music at its highest bitrate be equally as good?  

 

[jwusoccer]

If you plan on upgrading to headphones that are harder to drive later on, then i would say go for an amp. However, if you don't plan on upgrading, the 598s are fine without an amp. The difference between having one and not having one is so small that you'd hardly notice the difference, and it wouldn't be worth the cost. As for the music, you can try a music streaming service such as mog or spotify. The bitrate for those two services is plenty, and you probably wouldn't be able to hear a difference between them and flac. They should both sound better than youtube, which I believe streams at 192kbps at 1080p.

 

[Blaalad12]

I don't understand, If i wont benefit from an amp/dac then why are people recommending a dac/amp? lol If the e10 or e17 would add a little bass and add a little more detail/crisper sound then i would be more then happy to purchase either

 

[streetdragon]

Because it does help refine the sound in bass,treble ans soundtage. (at least a little bit) It just most probably helps higher end headphones just as much or more.

 

[Blaalad12]

Quote:

Because it does help refine the sound in bass,treble ans soundtage. (at least a little bit) It just most probably helps higher end headphones just as much or more.

 
 
Quote:

Because it does help refine the sound in bass,treble ans soundtage. (at least a little bit) It just most probably helps higher end headphones just as much or more.

So do you feel buying an e10 or e17 will improve sound quality enough to be worth the purchase or do you feel it will be so minimal that its not worth it? 
 
An other alternative would be to sell my headphones and put the cost of an amp/dac towards a new pair but then iam assuming they would certainly need an amp so it would cost much more then just adding an amp/dac to what i currently have!