[senndroid]

...I'm going to clear up some misnomers about the E7/E9. Firstly, this combination *can* drive the HD650 with room to spare. The E9 puts 80 milliwatts into 600 ohms; that is a TON of power. You can blow the 650s off someone's head easily with the E7/E9.

Now, other amplifiers can drive the 650s "better" in the sense that they may increase the soundstage, presentation, extension in the lows/highs more substantially, etc, but that doesn't mean that the E9 *can't* drive the 650s; it just means that other, more expensive amps do it better (huge surprise).
 
As someone who owns the E7/E9, the 650s, and is a former owner of the HD595, I STRONGLY urge you to return your 598s and go for the 650s. If they are in the same tier as the 595s, you will hear a difference. The 650 was Sennheiser's flagship headphone for quite some time; if you choose not to upgrade, you will get upgrade fever and want them soon enough. Better to just bite the bullet now. 

There is a nice synergy with the E7/E9/HD650 in my opinion. Also worth noting: if you like the sound signature of the 598s (more distinct treble, brighter, etc) then you may actually prefer the HD600 (there's nothing wrong with that). It is a more detailed, analytical phone. The 650 sounds like a dark jazz club, has less in the treble (some say veiled), and is overall a richer headphone. With either one, you won't go wrong.

Hope this helps!
 

 

[senndroid]

Oh, one more thing--if you need a portable can, the 650s will NOT do the job. Last night, I set my headphones on my desk and went to take a pee in a bathroom that was ~20 feet away, and I could hear the 650s pretty easily. lollercoaster.

 

[dnmtsn]

Hi. I have the 595 which is the same can as 598 except the beige color/wood/velvet. In sound they seem to be the same according to many people on this forum. 
 
The 650 sounds better than 595/598, I think 80 bucks for the upgrade is a no-brainer, you should do it especially if you plan to buy an amp. 
 
With the 595 I hear no difference between un-amped (straight out of the soundcard of a Lenovo T61 laptop) or amped by the E7/E9. I mean NO difference whatsoever and I did listen hard. If your soundcard is really awfull, meaning that you hear pops and clicks and buzzes, then you will probably hear a difference: all these will go away, because of the E7.
 
With the 650 I definitely do hear a difference between amped/unamped, so I would say that if you want to get the amp's worth, it makes perfect sense to upgrade the cans as well, especially if it's for only 80 bucks. 
 
Now, I know that in theory the E9 pumps up loads of power that should be sufficient for the 650, etc. BUT, they do sound better in my opinion, from any of my two amps I have at home: a TEAC receiver (can't remember the model now) and a Harman Kardon 650 integrated amp. I can't hear a difference between those two, but there is a difference between any of these and the E9: I get WAY more bass with the big amps. I use the E9 at the office and everytime I use them at the office I wish I could hear the same bass I hear from the amps I have at home. So, some may say that what I hear from the two big amps is coloration, I don't care, it just sounds better: the bass is stronger, while retaining punch and tightness, without affecting the rest of the sound range. So if you can use the 650 out of some decent integrated amp or receiver I would say give it a try first, you may not even need the E9. 
 
Portable the 650 are not, but your definition of portable may vary. You won't keep them in a pocket, but they are ok to wear around your neck when not listening. I did use them on planes without problems (powered by E7). The E7 has the bass boost that gives you more bass than the E9, but it also colors the overall sound, I am not crazy about the bass efect, it doesn't sound "clean" to me... if sound isolation is not a problem I would say they can be used as portables; if isolation is a problem, then you need closed cans and this is a separate discussion. 
 
I hope this helps. 

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Hi. I have the 595 which is the same can as 598 except the beige color/wood/velvet. In sound they seem to be the same according to many people on this forum. 
 
The 650 sounds better than 595/598, I think 80 bucks for the upgrade is a no-brainer, you should do it especially if you plan to buy an amp. 
 
With the 595 I hear no difference between un-amped (straight out of the soundcard of a Lenovo T61 laptop) or amped by the E7/E9. I mean NO difference whatsoever and I did listen hard. If your soundcard is really awfull, meaning that you hear pops and clicks and buzzes, then you will probably hear a difference: all these will go away, because of the E7.
 
With the 650 I definitely do hear a difference between amped/unamped, so I would say that if you want to get the amp's worth, it makes perfect sense to upgrade the cans as well, especially if it's for only 80 bucks. 
 
Now, I know that in theory the E9 pumps up loads of power that should be sufficient for the 650, etc. BUT, they do sound better in my opinion, from any of my two amps I have at home: a TEAC receiver (can't remember the model now) and a Harman Kardon 650 integrated amp. I can't hear a difference between those two, but there is a difference between any of these and the E9: I get WAY more bass with the big amps. I use the E9 at the office and everytime I use them at the office I wish I could hear the same bass I hear from the amps I have at home. So, some may say that what I hear from the two big amps is coloration, I don't care, it just sounds better: the bass is stronger, while retaining punch and tightness, without affecting the rest of the sound range. So if you can use the 650 out of some decent integrated amp or receiver I would say give it a try first, you may not even need the E9. 

 

 
Can't agree with your assumption that the 595 and 598 are identical in sound; I've read far more posts about how different they are. I would be very wary of making huge assumptions about the sound of certain headphones based on what's posted here.
 
I do agree with you about the use of integrated amps to drive headphones. It's generally frowned on here but I've had great success with integrated amps and I'm currently using a Marantz PM5003 to drive my HD650s. Certainly anyone with a stereo integrated or receiver lying about should try it first before considering a dedicated HP amp.

 

[olegausany]

I tried HD650 with my Denon 2310 receiver but they don't sound as good as from Auzen X-Fi Prelude sound card comparing to the sound sent from optical output of sound card to optical input of the receiver and then to HD650

 

[pp312]

 
 
 

[*] olegausany, I'm not sure if you're replying to my comments but citing individual examples that do or don't work isn't especially helpful. Any combination of integrated or dedicated amp or sound card coupled with any given headphone may or may not sound good, better, best to one or another individual, but my point is that anyone who has a good brand integrated or receiver (I'm talking stereo, not HT equipment) would be foolish not to try it with their phones before investing in a dedicated amp.

 

 

[jd4091]

 
Quote:

...I'm going to clear up some misnomers about the E7/E9. Firstly, this combination *can* drive the HD650 with room to spare. The E9 puts 80 milliwatts into 600 ohms; that is a TON of power. You can blow the 650s off someone's head easily with the E7/E9.

Now, other amplifiers can drive the 650s "better" in the sense that they may increase the soundstage, presentation, extension in the lows/highs more substantially, etc, but that doesn't mean that the E9 *can't* drive the 650s; it just means that other, more expensive amps do it better (huge surprise).
 
As someone who owns the E7/E9, the 650s, and is a former owner of the HD595, I STRONGLY urge you to return your 598s and go for the 650s. If they are in the same tier as the 595s, you will hear a difference. The 650 was Sennheiser's flagship headphone for quite some time; if you choose not to upgrade, you will get upgrade fever and want them soon enough. Better to just bite the bullet now. 

There is a nice synergy with the E7/E9/HD650 in my opinion. Also worth noting: if you like the sound signature of the 598s (more distinct treble, brighter, etc) then you may actually prefer the HD600 (there's nothing wrong with that). It is a more detailed, analytical phone. The 650 sounds like a dark jazz club, has less in the treble (some say veiled), and is overall a richer headphone. With either one, you won't go wrong.

Hope this helps!
 

x2  The E9 (no E7) drives my HD600s with plenty of muscle.  And for that matter it takes my Beyer DT880s (250) to a new level.  $130 very well spent.
 

 

[scophone]

nice