[215476]

Hey there everyone,
 
I am new to the forums but felt that this was one of the best audio related communities out there so thought i would throw my question here .
 
so here goes.
as the titles says i wanna buy a headphone and i dont know which one to choose out of 4 models which are;
Sennhesier
-HD 555
-HD 558
-HD 595
-HD 598
 
atm i am in the netherlands and apparently it seems they dont sell the HD 555 here anymore, or atleast i cant find it.
 
so i have read 3 articles about these headphones on this website, but there is something i am not getting,
according to the sennheiser's website and their product sheet i understood that the HD 515/555/595 are one series and the HD 518/558/598 are another series, which leads to the HD 598 being the successor of the HD 558 and the HD 595 being the successor of the HD 555.
according to the article it says otherwise, but i am not sure of my speculation anyways so if ppl could enlighten me .
 
so now according to the shops i can get these 3 headphones from, i got these prices
-HD 558 ---> 125 euros
-HD 595 ---> 145 euros
-HD 598 ---> 150 euros
 
so the price is not that much of a difference so i am looking on quality and i am trying to not go for the HD 598 as i dont really like the looks that much but if its superior in quality and the difference is big i might change my mind and go for it.
i will mostly use it for Music, movies and gaming, i might go out with it sometimes so home it is durable enough .
 
so what i basically wanna know;
1) whats the difference between them and which one would be better. 
2) if u know, i would also like to know which one is the newer model and which series each belongs to.
3) do i need an amp for any of them? will it work fine with my ipod 60GB classic? (knowing that i only used Sony earphones Bassboost up till now ).
4) for gaming do i need a good soundcard for it or will the soundcard on my Asus P5N-T deluxe , and on my Medion X6813 preform good enough?
 
Any other information or details needed or i need to know just ask me
thank you for your time, and sorry for the long read.

 

[MegaMushroom]

Seems you got your information right.  
1) 555 and 558 are the lower end headphones and both can be modded to sound almost like their higher end brethren the 595 and 598 respectively.  The biggest difference other than the sound qualities would be the actual color of the 598. (It is beige as opposed to black)
2) The higher numbered 558 and 598 are considered to be the better, newer headphones.  Granted some people may prefer the sound of the 555/595 series. 
3) None of the headphones listed really need an amp though the 598 does benefit from both a better source and an amp. (Only one I can actually vouch for.)
4) Not too sure to be honest. 
 
-My opinion would be to go for the 558 and do the mod on them if you really dislike the 598's color so much.  The 598s did end up growing on me, and I frankly could not imagine them in any other color. 
 
EDIT: I personally recommend the 598s... None of these headphones are things I would wear outside due to both bulkiness and sound leakage.  If you do plan on taking these outside, I must warn you that people WILL know what kind of music you like. 

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

4) for gaming do i need a good soundcard for it or will the soundcard on my Asus P5N-T deluxe , and on my Medion X6813 preform good enough?

A good sound card will give you access to surround sound emulation software, like CMSS-3D for Creative and Auzentech cards and Dolby Headphone for ASUS and HT Omega cards. For most gamers, this greatly enhances the experience by improving immersion and imaging. A good sound card will also be a much better DAC than your motherboard, and in many ways better than your iPod. They will also provide more power for the headphones than either your motherboard or iPod. If you have a PCI-E slot and money to spare, I'd look at the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD or the ASUS Xonar Essence STX. The Creative is designed mostly for gaming, the Essence STX is designed mostly for audiophiles and contains a powerful headphone amp. Both appear to be very solid products, and both will offer advantages for gaming and music. There's cheaper alternatives as well.
 
If you want something that works with your laptop as well, you might want to look at the ASUS Xonar U3. I don't know how it performs, but it's cheap.
 
For the prices you listed I would get the 598 and not worry about modding.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
If you cannot learn to accept the looks of the HD598, if it's out of the question, then HD595. Otherwise, start looking at another brand of headphones. Sennheisers are not it.
 
Very best,

 

[215476]

Quote:

A good sound card will give you access to surround sound emulation software, like CMSS-3D for Creative and Auzentech cards and Dolby Headphone for ASUS and HT Omega cards. For most gamers, this greatly enhances the experience by improving immersion and imaging. A good sound card will also be a much better DAC than your motherboard, and in many ways better than your iPod. They will also provide more power for the headphones than either your motherboard or iPod. If you have a PCI-E slot and money to spare, I'd look at the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD or the ASUS Xonar Essence STX. The Creative is designed mostly for gaming, the Essence STX is designed mostly for audiophiles and contains a powerful headphone amp. Both appear to be very solid products, and both will offer advantages for gaming and music. There's cheaper alternatives as well.
 
If you want something that works with your laptop as well, you might want to look at the ASUS Xonar U3. I don't know how it performs, but it's cheap.
 
For the prices you listed I would get the 598 and not worry about modding.

 
is the difference between the USB and internal soundcards very big?
 
which external USB soundcards would u recommend?
i found these
Creative;
-Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro
-Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Go!
-Creative Soundblaster Play 70
 
@MalVeauX
 
its not that i cant accept their looks its just that i like black a lot more

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

@MalVeauX
 
its not that i cant accept their looks its just that i like black a lot more

Get the hd598, newer driver and you avoid cracking issues. And everyone love the new look ... Otherwise get the hd558,  and mod it to make it sound more like hd598. ( there are still difference on the sound, can't find where I've read this at headfonia)
I  didn't notice big changes by moving from my realtek onboard soubd to asus xonar but I  think that  my  hd595 is not that much sensitive to the source.
I've never used that eax thing, I should try to enable it.
 
 

 

[215476]

Quote:

Heya,
 
If you cannot learn to accept the looks of the HD598, if it's out of the question, then HD595. Otherwise, start looking at another brand of headphones. Sennheisers are not it.
 
Very best,

what do u mean by sennheisers are not it if i dont get a HD598 or 595 ?

 

[extrabigmehdi]

- removed -

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

what do u mean by sennheisers are not it if i dont get a HD598 or 595 ?

There are many other headphones, other than Sennheiser. Explore all options before settling on a single particular brand.
 
Very best,