[oats2012]

I own the X1 and can vouch its fantastic. Demo'd the AKG K550 in a best buy today (was looking for momentums) And unless theres something im just not getting about them I felt they were total garbage, like zero bass (as in literally none present). Now this may be that they were not being amped in which case they may sound like total crap and be a different story when amped. im not familiar enough with the k550 to know how much Amping affects them. The cup seal on the head was not very good ( i think this is a known issue).


I'm in a toss up right now between the HD598 and momentum right now and also vmoda m-100. Leaning heavily to the 598 for the good mids and super comfort. Momentum I'm sure sound fantastic but I think my plan will be to go HD 598 to suppliment my good bass cans the x1's for now and then m-100 later for mobile usage and "just for fun"


Don't know if that contributes to the convo going on at all but thats where im at right now


EDIT: posted my above response before I got completely done with the thread lol, guess I missed the party by a few days. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the opinion man. I'm pretty set on getting the momentums but I'm still possibly considering getting the hd598s since they are cheaper and I could use the money towards a better guitar amp(which I am also in the market for).

i pulled the trigger on some hd 598 and are inbound. hoping to get a listen this weekend or early next week. if you can wait that long i can post back here and tell you my opinion. i found v modas in mall this weekend. ill write about them for you here once im off work

 

[Kitten Mitten]

i pulled the trigger on some hd 598 and are inbound. hoping to get a listen this weekend or early next week. if you can wait that long i can post back here and tell you my opinion. i found v modas in mall this weekend. ill write about them for you here once im off work

 
Thanks man!!! My only reservations on the head phones is
Momentum- I heard they can be too small for some so i am going to try them out whenever I get the chance to make sure they fit.
V moda- I heard they can be kinda bass heavy
Hd598- Are open back so I couldn't really use them at school

 

[oats2012]

yeah i understand. i was trying to find the momentums but haven't yet to try the fit (which is what i wanna know too). I've heard they may actualy be smaller than the vmoda m-100 which is concerning to me.

The vmoda opinion I had: I tried them in the microsoft store at the mall which was very loud. but heres what i thought

sound isolation - pretty good! definately blocked out a lot of the background noise i was hearing

sound- vocals are good and clear, bass was definately heavy but not really overpowered as long as you like some bass. it seemed tight enough and like a good sound in most regards. couldn't commment on the mids because since the store was so noisy i think it was hard to make a good judgement. So i liked the sound of them. soundstage seemed decent, probably as good as could be expected from closed back headphone in this range

I think the bass and overall balance of my X1 is far better but its apples and oranges because the x1 is open and has a rep for having an interestingly balanced signature with good bass.

The fit- this is where i was unimpressed. these were light enough and comfy headband but they had definately not enough room in the ear cup to completely surround my ears. They rested on at least some portion of my ear no matter how i moved them. and the best place ment for sound was not even like 70% of my ear being in the cup. I have small ears! and a regular size head. so i was pretty pissed that these didn't totally go around my ears which leads me to believe the momentums would basically sit on my ears entirely.

vmoda is working on an XL pad which may address this size issue but for me it was a deal breaker. if they fit really well then $300 may be justified but as they sit from the factory i wouldn't pay $200 because it just seemed off in the ergonomics to wear for an extended period of time like my x1 or ath-m50. Take what i say with a grain of salt though because i feel my x1 was a good price at 200$ on massdrop but i dont think id pay the regular $300 for them on amazon. Bought my audio technicas for $110 and wouldn't pay the $160 they are going at now. So maybe im cheap but i expect a lot for my dollar when things carry a lot of hype like the x1, m50, vmoda, and momentums.

My suggestion for you is to hold out and see if the vmoda large pads are well reviewed once they come out and make the headphone completely fit around peoples ears. if thats the case then id say at that point go for them! they do sound good and built like tanks


My suggestion for you if you want something mobile and not leaking sound. get some m50 if you are cool with how they will look in public (not bad just bigger). if not then i'd say buy some hd 598 (havent heard mine yet but reviews say they beat momentums by a good bit in sound) use those at home for good comfortable listening. and buy something like noontech zoros as your school day portibles. $60 right now, fold up, good sound, sit on your ears (but thats what is marketed! unlike these others lol) and have alright isolation. only real caveat is that they aren't tank built but seem passable.

So for my money if i was you i'd spend my $300 on two pairs of headphones each with seperate use while in school (598 = home, noontech = on the go). or wait for vmoda to get their act together on the fit of the m100 then buy those and should be happy.

hope that helps. that opinion may not be popular with some folks in here but from my view of stretching a buck and getting what a product is desinged and marketed for I was not very happy that the m100 didnt go aorund my ears or feel like it'd be comfortable for longer than 30 minutes. And mind you i have been chomping at the bit to buy a set of m100 bc they seemed so awesome. so for me at this point im just gonna wait and see how the larger pads get reviewed just like i advised for you. and ill also probably pick up some noontechs to take with me to work for listening. So ive advised nothing im not probably going to be doing myself lol

 

[Kitten Mitten]

yeah i understand. i was trying to find the momentums but haven't yet to try the fit (which is what i wanna know too). I've heard they may actualy be smaller than the vmoda m-100 which is concerning to me.

The vmoda opinion I had: I tried them in the microsoft store at the mall which was very loud. but heres what i thought

sound isolation - pretty good! definately blocked out a lot of the background noise i was hearing

sound- vocals are good and clear, bass was definately heavy but not really overpowered as long as you like some bass. it seemed tight enough and like a good sound in most regards. couldn't commment on the mids because since the store was so noisy i think it was hard to make a good judgement. So i liked the sound of them. soundstage seemed decent, probably as good as could be expected from closed back headphone in this range

I think the bass and overall balance of my X1 is far better but its apples and oranges because the x1 is open and has a rep for having an interestingly balanced signature with good bass.

The fit- this is where i was unimpressed. these were light enough and comfy headband but they had definately not enough room in the ear cup to completely surround my ears. They rested on at least some portion of my ear no matter how i moved them. and the best place ment for sound was not even like 70% of my ear being in the cup. I have small ears! and a regular size head. so i was pretty pissed that these didn't totally go around my ears which leads me to believe the momentums would basically sit on my ears entirely.

vmoda is working on an XL pad which may address this size issue but for me it was a deal breaker. if they fit really well then $300 may be justified but as they sit from the factory i wouldn't pay $200 because it just seemed off in the ergonomics to wear for an extended period of time like my x1 or ath-m50. Take what i say with a grain of salt though because i feel my x1 was a good price at 200$ on massdrop but i dont think id pay the regular $300 for them on amazon. Bought my audio technicas for $110 and wouldn't pay the $160 they are going at now. So maybe im cheap but i expect a lot for my dollar when things carry a lot of hype like the x1, m50, vmoda, and momentums.

My suggestion for you is to hold out and see if the vmoda large pads are well reviewed once they come out and make the headphone completely fit around peoples ears. if thats the case then id say at that point go for them! they do sound good and built like tanks


My suggestion for you if you want something mobile and not leaking sound. get some m50 if you are cool with how they will look in public (not bad just bigger). if not then i'd say buy some hd 598 (havent heard mine yet but reviews say they beat momentums by a good bit in sound) use those at home for good comfortable listening. and buy something like noontech zoros as your school day portibles. $60 right now, fold up, good sound, sit on your ears (but thats what is marketed! unlike these others lol) and have alright isolation. only real caveat is that they aren't tank built but seem passable.

So for my money if i was you i'd spend my $300 on two pairs of headphones each with seperate use while in school (598 = home, noontech = on the go). or wait for vmoda to get their act together on the fit of the m100 then buy those and should be happy.

hope that helps. that opinion may not be popular with some folks in here but from my view of stretching a buck and getting what a product is desinged and marketed for I was not very happy that the m100 didnt go aorund my ears or feel like it'd be comfortable for longer than 30 minutes. And mind you i have been chomping at the bit to buy a set of m100 bc they seemed so awesome. so for me at this point im just gonna wait and see how the larger pads get reviewed just like i advised for you. and ill also probably pick up some noontechs to take with me to work for listening. So ive advised nothing im not probably going to be doing myself lol

 
I like the way you think!!!! lol I I'll try out the momentums at bestbuy or somewhere and if they don't fit I'm going to do like you suggested and get the hd598s and a more inexpensive pair of close headphones for school(I don't know why I didn't think of that). Thanks for all the help!

 

[oats2012]

No problem! let us know how it turns out

 

[oats2012]

Alright Sir prepare yourself because here it comes.....guess what came today I'll write something up and tell you soon

 

[oats2012]

Ok so today in the mail I got my HD 598 in the mail today along with a pair of monoprice DJ headphones 8323. My thoughts:

MONOPRICE 8323

First opened the monoprice ones lol ( priorities out of wack maybe?) any way I was excited to see how good $35 from amazon could sound lol. I have the same gripes most have that you will see, out of the box they are severely uncomfortable.BUT......I removed the stock ear pads and replaced them with my old audio techinica m50 pads. vast improvement! more comfortable but the m50 pads are still pleather and i replaced them on my M50's originally because they heat up.

So I also have a set of berhdynamic pads ( the ones people usually put on m50's, bought them for my M50 originally but opted for the "Shure" pads that are also a popular replacement for the m50's) just amazon and reach M50 reviews and you'll see the two sets i mean. the shures fit a bit loose on my M50 but like them alot the monoprice ones might be slightly smaller so the Shure will fall off, berhdynamics fit great "just right"

I then took the stock head pad off from the headphones. literally just sticky taped to the inside of the headphone so just find and edge and peal it off. I took a wrist sweat band and ran some string through and over the top and secured it like a small pad for the only point where it contacts the head. now i can say they are decently comfortable. good enough for a few hours of wear probably

SOUND- really quite remarkable for $35. vocals clear and crisp for the most part. mids and soundstage kind of lack but it is a closed back headphone lol. Bass is excelent but not over powering. Essentially at least in the quick comparison i got in the store these monoprice are roughly as good and similar balance as the vmoda's (most will take major issue with that statement) but i just honestly don't hear much of a difference in the sound. Vmoda in comfort and cool factor hands down though


HD 598

I opened and began using these second and for a few minutes was not impressed bc i was adjusting from the bass of the monoprice lol. so i listened to a few neutral songs as a "palatte cleanser". and then THEY CAME ALIVE! lol these are legit headphones. very very comfortable because they are so light. They feel a little flimsy but i think its just a perception thing. I'd say these are the perfect compliment to my X1's. The 598 are great clear crisp vocals and instruments like you've never heard....horns, violins, guitars, etc. all is really neat to hear things from songs that are subtle but ive not really heard before. The bass is tight and definately there but i feel it is just neutral (like true to the recordings intent or very very slightly reduced like barely) So i feel at least out of the headphones i now own

phillips x1
ATH M50
Monoprice 8323
HD 598

that the 598 are the most neutral "audiophile" type headphone in that it gives n acurate presentation of each song from the source. Rap and other things will kick in them but where they shine is anything with actual artists that can sing, and intrusments that arent computer generated . so country, classical and rock sound fantastic!

Comfort they are fighting my X1 but they win barely because being lighter does make them better, ear cups are only slightly harder so the ear fit the fidelio x1 may have a slight lead.

I still like my X1 for the fun listen of an open headphone with a bass punch still. So i think X1 & hd 598 are perfect marriage for me (bass vs. true to source with vocals and instruments and clarity)

The hd 598 are also much muuch smaller than i thought they would be when fully compacted, so they seem easily portable if you wanted to take them places.

So i think its a great versitile headphone and really glad i got it.


CONCLUSION:

I stick whole heartedly to the advice i gave you before. BUY the hd 598 and have a great all around for at home and listening to everything. buy a bass type closed headphone for your portable (basically be quick and dirty while mobile but clear and relaxed at home)

monoprice 8323 is an option but id probably still say go zoro just because the comfort is probably much better for extended use, look good, and have a likely similar bassy sound with good balance overall

I got the monoprice ones purely to have them to test to see what all the hype was (definately true in regards to sound, other reviews of it on this site pretty much hit the nail straight on). Now ill usew them as my crapper pair that i wont mind if they get tossed or abused.

Hope it helps any questions ask

 

[Kitten Mitten]

Ok so today in the mail I got my HD 598 in the mail today along with a pair of monoprice DJ headphones 8323. My thoughts:

MONOPRICE 8323

First opened the monoprice ones lol ( priorities out of wack maybe?) any way I was excited to see how good $35 from amazon could sound lol. I have the same gripes most have that you will see, out of the box they are severely uncomfortable.BUT......I removed the stock ear pads and replaced them with my old audio techinica m50 pads. vast improvement! more comfortable but the m50 pads are still pleather and i replaced them on my M50's originally because they heat up.

So I also have a set of berhdynamic pads ( the ones people usually put on m50's, bought them for my M50 originally but opted for the "Shure" pads that are also a popular replacement for the m50's) just amazon and reach M50 reviews and you'll see the two sets i mean. the shures fit a bit loose on my M50 but like them alot the monoprice ones might be slightly smaller so the Shure will fall off, berhdynamics fit great "just right"

I then took the stock head pad off from the headphones. literally just sticky taped to the inside of the headphone so just find and edge and peal it off. I took a wrist sweat band and ran some string through and over the top and secured it like a small pad for the only point where it contacts the head. now i can say they are decently comfortable. good enough for a few hours of wear probably

SOUND- really quite remarkable for $35. vocals clear and crisp for the most part. mids and soundstage kind of lack but it is a closed back headphone lol. Bass is excelent but not over powering. Essentially at least in the quick comparison i got in the store these monoprice are roughly as good and similar balance as the vmoda's (most will take major issue with that statement) but i just honestly don't hear much of a difference in the sound. Vmoda in comfort and cool factor hands down though


HD 598

I opened and began using these second and for a few minutes was not impressed bc i was adjusting from the bass of the monoprice lol. so i listened to a few neutral songs as a "palatte cleanser". and then THEY CAME ALIVE! lol these are legit headphones. very very comfortable because they are so light. They feel a little flimsy but i think its just a perception thing. I'd say these are the perfect compliment to my X1's. The 598 are great clear crisp vocals and instruments like you've never heard....horns, violins, guitars, etc. all is really neat to hear things from songs that are subtle but ive not really heard before. The bass is tight and definately there but i feel it is just neutral (like true to the recordings intent or very very slightly reduced like barely) So i feel at least out of the headphones i now own

phillips x1
ATH M50
Monoprice 8323
HD 598

that the 598 are the most neutral "audiophile" type headphone in that it gives n acurate presentation of each song from the source. Rap and other things will kick in them but where they shine is anything with actual artists that can sing, and intrusments that arent computer generated . so country, classical and rock sound fantastic!

Comfort they are fighting my X1 but they win barely because being lighter does make them better, ear cups are only slightly harder so the ear fit the fidelio x1 may have a slight lead.

I still like my X1 for the fun listen of an open headphone with a bass punch still. So i think X1 & hd 598 are perfect marriage for me (bass vs. true to source with vocals and instruments and clarity)

The hd 598 are also much muuch smaller than i thought they would be when fully compacted, so they seem easily portable if you wanted to take them places.

So i think its a great versitile headphone and really glad i got it.


CONCLUSION:

I stick whole heartedly to the advice i gave you before. BUY the hd 598 and have a great all around for at home and listening to everything. buy a bass type closed headphone for your portable (basically be quick and dirty while mobile but clear and relaxed at home)

monoprice 8323 is an option but id probably still say go zoro just because the comfort is probably much better for extended use, look good, and have a likely similar bassy sound with good balance overall

I got the monoprice ones purely to have them to test to see what all the hype was (definately true in regards to sound, other reviews of it on this site pretty much hit the nail straight on). Now ill usew them as my crapper pair that i wont mind if they get tossed or abused.

Hope it helps any questions ask

 
Do the hd598s need an amp? Do they work fine with an ipod?

 

[oats2012]

not that I can tell. Drive very nicely from an old sony cd player i plugged them into. so should be just fine (like cant forsee an issue) but if its a bit low for you then you can get a small cheap fiio and itll bump it up well or even something like a jds labs cmoy amp for $60 and that would allow you to add some bass if you wanted as well

 

[Kitten Mitten]

not that I can tell. Drive very nicely from an old sony cd player i plugged them into. so should be just fine (like cant forsee an issue) but if its a bit low for you then you can get a small cheap fiio and itll bump it up well or even something like a jds labs cmoy amp for $60 and that would allow you to add some bass if you wanted as well

How bad do they leak? I understand that these are open back headphones and they don't hold the sound in but if i have the volume up halfway or so and I'm sitting in my living room are my parents going to be able to hear every word of the song I'm Listening too?

 

[oats2012]

your parents in the same room? they can hear it for sure if your in the same room, its probably about 25% as loud outside the headphone as when they are on your head (ie sitting next to someone hearing it at 25% volume of if the person then took them off and you put them on your head. they leak sound for sure no doubt. but your not gonna hear it through any walls or anything if your in the next room

 

[Kitten Mitten]

your parents in the same room? they can hear it for sure if your in the same room, its probably about 25% as loud outside the headphone as when they are on your head (ie sitting next to someone hearing it at 25% volume of if the person then took them off and you put them on your head. they leak sound for sure no doubt. but your not gonna hear it through any walls or anything if your in the next room

 
Thats the only thing thats  got me worried about these headphones is the leakage/isolation