[nicholars]

In my humble opinion the 598 do not even compare to the HE400, different league, 598 to me sounded grainy, thin, zero sub bass, not my cup of tea, depends what genres you like I guess, also I only had a 30 min demo on them in shop... HD600/HD650 however, great headphones, for slow relaxing type of music, not great for anything fast or bassy.
 
I may come across as an electronic music bass fiend on these forums, but I am actually not, although I like that sort of music I also listen to a lot of classical, rock, metal, OST these sorts of things.... But the HE400 definatetly EXCELL at electronic music, whilst being decent at other genres, as usual pretty much anyones opinions on head-fi are next to useless really, because people have VASTLY different hearing, preferences and music tastes. Only way to know for sure is to get a general idea from head-fi and then try them asap.

 

[Saoshyant]

I love the 598 for classical, but that's about it.  I find the bass too lacking for anything else I listen to except maybe some soft stuff like Tom Petty.

 

[ben_r_]

  I love the 598 for classical, but that's about it.  I find the bass too lacking for anything else I listen to except maybe some soft stuff like Tom Petty.

After getting the HE-400 and HE-500 I knew there was no place for the HD-598 in my line up and more and sold them.

 

[Saoshyant]

I think I'll keep mine for now, while I'm not a huge fan of the looks of it.  I have to admit the weight difference is nice tho for long classical listening sessions.

 

[nicholars]

To be honest for classical and the like, sell your 598 and get some HD600... The HD600/HD650 really are classics and sound good compared to pretty much any headphone in existance ( for classical, vocals, slow music etc)

 

[Saoshyant]

Well, I also use Ety HF5 for classical.  So I might want to consider selling the HD598 anyways.

 

[beaver316]

  This is going to be the last time I repeat myself.....
 
1) The HE400 out of the box sound basically a bit crap.

 
That's putting it a bit harsh I think. Sure the treble is a little wild but crap isn't a word I'd use to describe the HE-400 in general.
 
 

2) A large chunk of these issues can be solved by jergmodding the pads (better balanced, better bass, smoother treble, less midrange glare, almost no echo)

 
I don't agree with this. I think the whole jergpad being some kind of magical fix is far from the truth. Yes you will notice a difference with the jargpads, but they certainly do NOT fix all those problems you mentioned. A pair of pads are not going to fix that huge spike in the treble, the HE-400 is still an HE-400 with or without jergpads. They do smooth out the frequency response a little but they're by no means a magical fix.
 
But what I will say is that the jergpads WITH eq can certainly alleviate a lot of the problems.

 

[nicholars]

   
That's putting it a bit harsh I think. Sure the treble is a little wild but crap isn't a word I'd use to describe the HE-400 in general.
 
 
 
I don't agree with this. I think the whole jergpad being some kind of magical fix is far from the truth. Yes you will notice a difference with the jargpads, but they certainly do NOT fix all those problems you mentioned. A pair of pads are not going to fix that huge spike in the treble, the HE-400 is still an HE-400 with or without jergpads. They do smooth out the frequency response a little but they're by no means a magical fix.
 
But what I will say is that the jergpads WITH eq can certainly alleviate a lot of the problems.

 
No problem at all old bean, you are entitled to your say in the matter and I agree with you to some extent, at no point did i say they solve the treble, I just said they smooth it out a bit and help the midrange glare, to properly fix the treble you need to EQ. They do make a difference though on a level which is a lot more than the velours or stock pleathers, but you see old bean they are part of the equation to achieve full goodness you need to go the proverbial "whole hog" and combine the pads mods with the EQ..... I would also like to say that even with every mod possible they are by no means perfect, just that they are about as good as it gets for the money. I hope there is no offense here and I would like to give you a big hug about it ok? I think the reason these are sounding so good to me at present is the copious quantity of opiate, benzodiazipine, alchhol and other dopamine inducing substances I have consumed this evening, so I may very well realise that my "magical EQ" was just a slight tweak when I wake up tomorrow morning. I must say tho, with any given headphone, by far the best way to increase the sound quality is to take psychoactive substances. Have an issue with upper mids? too much treble? 300mg opiate, 30mg valium, a few gin and tonics and some chain vaping, problem solved, they sound better than ever, although I am not sure this is really relevant or allowed on this forum, just some advice to improve sound quality on your headphones.

 

[Za Warudo]

We should have a thread about what psychoactive substances pairs best the HE-400.

 

[Saoshyant]

   
No problem at all old bean, you are entitled to your say in the matter and I agree with you to some extent, at no point did i say they solve the treble, I just said they smooth it out a bit and help the midrange glare, to properly fix the treble you need to EQ. They do make a difference though on a level which is a lot more than the velours or stock pleathers, but you see old bean they are part of the equation to achieve full goodness you need to go the proverbial "whole hog" and combine the pads mods with the EQ..... I would also like to say that even with every mod possible they are by no means perfect, just that they are about as good as it gets for the money. I hope there is no offense here and I would like to give you a big hug about it ok? I think the reason these are sounding so good to me at present is the copious quantity of opiate, benzodiazipine, alchhol and other dopamine inducing substances I have consumed this evening, so I may very well realise that my "magical EQ" was just a slight tweak when I wake up tomorrow morning. I must say tho, with any given headphone, by far the best way to increase the sound quality is to take psychoactive substances. Have an issue with upper mids? too much treble? 300mg opiate, 30mg valium, a few gin and tonics and some chain vaping, problem solved, they sound better than ever, although I am not sure this is really relevant or allowed on this forum, just some advice to improve sound quality on your headphones.

 
Not sure if serious or joking, but either way, advice Sherlock Holmes would endorse!

 

[beaver316]

   
No problem at all old bean, you are entitled to your say in the matter and I agree with you to some extent, at no point did i say they solve the treble, I just said they smooth it out a bit and help the midrange glare, to properly fix the treble you need to EQ. They do make a difference though on a level which is a lot more than the velours or stock pleathers, but you see old bean they are part of the equation to achieve full goodness you need to go the proverbial "whole hog" and combine the pads mods with the EQ..... I would also like to say that even with every mod possible they are by no means perfect, just that they are about as good as it gets for the money. I hope there is no offense here and I would like to give you a big hug about it ok? I think the reason these are sounding so good to me at present is the copious quantity of opiate, benzodiazipine, alchhol and other dopamine inducing substances I have consumed this evening, so I may very well realise that my "magical EQ" was just a slight tweak when I wake up tomorrow morning. I must say tho, with any given headphone, by far the best way to increase the sound quality is to take psychoactive substances. Have an issue with upper mids? too much treble? 300mg opiate, 30mg valium, a few gin and tonics and some chain vaping, problem solved, they sound better than ever, although I am not sure this is really relevant or allowed on this forum, just some advice to improve sound quality on your headphones.

 
Well you did actually say that that those problems could be solved with the pads which is a little misleading 

 

[Mobilex]

  http://speedy.sh/EPvB9/NORMAL-NEW-UBER-BASS.e-q
 
Try it.... If you don't like the bass then lower it... Maybe I just had too many mind altering substances today

Foobar can't open file with those extension. If I should open it with electri-q I have two problems, the plugin for foobar every time I try to load a preset it just crushes and I can't use the actual program for some reason because every time I open it, it starts sending current to the headphone causing spikes (it doesn't matter if there is something playing) 

 

[electrolover]

Ladies and gentlemen, I am so happy to say that I now have the legendary Headstage Arrow (4N)! 

 

 
My quick impressions / 2 cents:
 
In terms of SQ and features it is exactly as I expected: excellent!
It amplifies with authority and both bass and treble can be boosted. The boosts are not "fake" or "boomy" as is the case with many products out there and the difference would be noticeable even to a 90-year old that is almost deaf  

 
The layout of the controls and I/O ports is great, the unit is very compact and the battery packs quite a punch while also being able to power the amp circuit for a good amount of time.
 
The logos are laser engraved, which means they won't fade over time. 

 
Finally it comes in a simple white plain cardboard box with no graphics or text. I like this, it's simple, no-nonsense packaging. Many manufacturers design fancy boxes and (naturally) pass the cost on to the consumer. The box sits in a closet somewhere and I don't care about it, and I'm sure many feel the same way as I do.
 
Cons? In terms of cons there's only one for me: the build material. It's aluminium, and yes it's a premium material to the touch, but unfortunately very prone to damage. This is a trend that I think is being fueled by smartphone consumers who scoff at "plastic" for being "cheap". However the plastic typically isn't as cheap as people think and it's much more durable.
I dropped my Arrow on the floor from a pretty short height while sitting on a chair, and unsurprisingly it now has a corner that is both chipped and bent 

This would not have happened had it been made of a polycarbonate material or something similar.
 
But overall it's a fantastic portable amplifier. I'm going to try and answer the questions that I think are the most important:
1. Is it worth the 300$ asking price? Yes, I think it definitely delivers the performance one would expect for that kind of money.
2. Is it a good pairing with the HE-400? Yes. I don't have the technical specs so I don't know exactly how much power it can output, but it can drive these orthodynamics well beyond comfortable listening levels.

 

[Citizen13469]

  To be honest for classical and the like, sell your 598 and get some HD600... The HD600/HD650 really are classics and sound good compared to pretty much any headphone in existance ( for classical, vocals, slow music etc)

Funny, while I would say I overall prefer my 650's and thought they would be better for classical I'm actually liking the 400's better for classical. Not what I expected. Still the 650's are more all rounders for me though (right now).

 

[amigomatt]

In my humble opinion the 598 do not even compare to the HE400, different league, 598 to me sounded grainy, thin, zero sub bass, not my cup of tea, depends what genres you like I guess, also I only had a 30 min demo on them in shop... HD600/HD650 however, great headphones, for slow relaxing type of music, not great for anything fast or bassy.

I may come across as an electronic music bass fiend on these forums, but I am actually not, although I like that sort of music I also listen to a lot of classical, rock, metal, OST these sorts of things.... But the HE400 definatetly EXCELL at electronic music, whilst being decent at other genres, as usual pretty much anyones opinions on head-fi are next to useless really, because people have VASTLY different hearing, preferences and music tastes. Only way to know for sure is to get a general idea from head-fi and then try them asap.

I love the 598 for classical, but that's about it.  I find the bass too lacking for anything else I listen to except maybe some soft stuff like Tom Petty.

 
I love the 598 for classical, but that's about it.  I find the bass too lacking for anything else I listen to except maybe some soft stuff like Tom Petty.

After getting the HE-400 and HE-500 I knew there was no place for the HD-598 in my line up and more and sold them.

The 598s may be a bit slow but they are definitely not out of their league in the company of the HE400s. Both headphones have a place in my collection. For metal, most harder-hitting EDM and some larger scale orchestral stuff, I'd reach for the HE400s. For slower rock, prog rock, small scale jazz, chamber music, acoustic/vocal stuff, I'd go with the 598s. 598s for gaming too.

The Hifimans are impressive played loud with loud music and have a brilliant, textured bass, but they don't have the liquid smooth midrange of the 598s, nor the comfort or soundstage.