[Arin7]

Hello everyone, I recently have purchased HD600s which are amazing for music but I am really not satisfied with its gaming performance, which I think its quite normal since they are not a gaming headphones and should not be used as one, so I decided to buy a 598 for gaming because of the really good reputation and my friend has them they are absolutely amazing for gaming! I tried Crysis 3 with 598, the sounds were really realistic! but there is a problem ...well I can't find 598 in here where I live they only have 599 and the sells person have told me they are all the same they differ only in looks, so I e-mailed Sennheiser asking them, which I am surprised how responsive and helpful the support of Sennheiser is! so there is what they have told me:

"The HD 598 and HD 599 are extremely close in sound performance, with a slightly tweaked driver. Indeed the specs are the same – it’s mostly a facelift with different colour scheme and materials used.
In fact we have a pair of HD 599 demo unit in our office which, in my opinion, sounds slightly better than the HD 598. I can say that the sound signature of the HD 599 is the same, if not better, than the HD 598. Do keep in mind that due to burn-in and HD 598 will initially sound different than brand new HD 599. But if both are brand new, then they will sound very similar."

So I wanted to know as a user whats is opinion of you guys on this matter, many thanks is advance.

 

[cossix]

Thanks for the quote from Sennheiser! That's certainly very interesting. I've heard elsewhere that the two are very similar. I own the 598 and the only gripe I have with it is that the headband cushion feels cheap. The 599 style headband material looks like much higher quality.

 

[Arin7]

Thanks for the quote from Sennheiser! That's certainly very interesting. I've heard elsewhere that the two are very similar. I own the 598 and the only gripe I have with it is that the headband cushion feels cheap. The 599 style headband material looks like much higher quality.

Oh you're very welcome yea it looks like everyone agrees they are both same sound vise, but although I am new to the sound and headphone world, I know there are some sneaky details that can change sound drastically, and this scares me a lot

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hello everyone, I recently have purchased HD600s which are amazing for music but I am really not satisfied with its gaming performance, which I think its quite normal since they are not a gaming headphones and should not be used as one, so I decided to buy a 598 for gaming because of the really good reputation and my friend has them they are absolutely amazing for gaming! I tried Crysis 3 with 598, the sounds were really realistic! but there is a problem ...well I can't find 598 in here where I live they only have 599 and the sells person have told me they are all the same they differ only in looks, so I e-mailed Sennheiser asking them, which I am surprised how responsive and helpful the support of Sennheiser is! so there is what they have told me:
"The HD 598 and HD 599 are extremely close in sound performance, with a slightly tweaked driver. Indeed the specs are the same – it’s mostly a facelift with different colour scheme and materials used.
In fact we have a pair of HD 599 demo unit in our office which, in my opinion, sounds slightly better than the HD 598. I can say that the sound signature of the HD 599 is the same, if not better, than the HD 598. Do keep in mind that due to burn-in and HD 598 will initially sound different than brand new HD 599. But if both are brand new, then they will sound very similar."
So I wanted to know as a user whats is opinion of you guys on this matter, many thanks is advance.

(It could just be the HD600 are not being used with a powerful enough headphone amplifier?)

But anyway, how about the Sennheiser HD558, should offer you the same "gaming features" as the HD598/HD599.
Get the HD558 (used) and remove the black rubber tape from inside the cups, makes it almost like the HD598.

Otherwise I say to just go and buy the HD559.

 

[Arin7]

(It could just be the HD600 are not being used with a powerful enough headphone amplifier?)

But anyway, how about the Sennheiser HD558, should offer you the same "gaming features" as the HD598/HD599.
Get the HD558 (used) and remove the black rubber tape from inside the cups, makes it almost like the HD598.

Otherwise I say to just go and buy the HD559.

Thanks for the reply, I am using the amplified headphone output of Creative Sound Blaster ZX, the HD600s sound very magical for music, but since they are not made for gaming I think its perfectly normal that they cant offer what a gaming headphone can offer, anyway, I have to check with the Sennheiser dealers in my country to see which models they have, I tried 598 and they were really good I wish I had a opportunity to also try the models you mentioned.

 

[Malfunkt]

..., but since they are not made for gaming I think its perfectly normal that they cant offer what a gaming headphone can offer.

Don't give up on your HD600 for gaming just yet. A headphone doesn't need to be 'designed for gaming'. If you read such a thing that is pretty much marketing.

The HD555/595 design that the 558/598/599/etc are based on were never designed for gaming, they were designed for music, movies and media devices.

The best gaming headphones IMO, are the ones that are best at reproducing binaural soundfields accurately. Newer game engines are becoming more realistic with spatial audio and headphones such as the 600 can actually create a more realistic sounding reproduction of a binaural sound field over the 598. It's the reason both HD700 and HD800 are good for gaming as well.

Not saying the 598 won't pull ahead or be more enjoyable in some respects. i just find that even though the hd600 is a bit darker, I find it more linear, natural and refined over the 598.

It is nice to have a few pairs for gaming. You might find hd598 great overall, but for a gaming like Witcher 3 may prefer the 600. For games like Batlefield using a bassier headphone like the D2000/THx00 becomes visceral.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thanks for the reply, I am using the amplified headphone output of Creative Sound Blaster ZX, the HD600s sound very magical for music, but since they are not made for gaming I think its perfectly normal that they cant offer what a gaming headphone can offer, anyway, I have to check with the Sennheiser dealers in my country to see which models they have, I tried 598 and they were really good I wish I had a opportunity to also try the models you mentioned.

Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the SB-Zx card?
Have you tried plugging the HD600 directly into the SB-Zx's headphone jack, without using the ACM module?

 

[AudiophileJesse]

Thanks for the quote from Sennheiser! That's certainly very interesting. I've heard elsewhere that the two are very similar. I own the 598 and the only gripe I have with it is that the headband cushion feels cheap. The 599 style headband material looks like much higher quality.

The cushion on my 598 came unstitched from the headband 2 times over. Sennheiser sent me a brand new pair of 599's as my 598 was still in warranty. And yes, the 599 headband cushion does seem higher quality!

 

[Arin7]

Don't give up on your HD600 for gaming just yet. A headphone doesn't need to be 'designed for gaming'. If you read such a thing that is pretty much marketing.

The HD555/595 design that the 558/598/599/etc are based on were never designed for gaming, they were designed for music, movies and media devices.

The best gaming headphones IMO, are the ones that are best at reproducing binaural soundfields accurately. Newer game engines are becoming more realistic with spatial audio and headphones such as the 600 can actually create a more realistic sounding reproduction of a binaural sound field over the 598. It's the reason both HD700 and HD800 are good for gaming as well.

Not saying the 598 won't pull ahead or be more enjoyable in some respects. i just find that even though the hd600 is a bit darker, I find it more linear, natural and refined over the 598.

It is nice to have a few pairs for gaming. You might find hd598 great overall, but for a gaming like Witcher 3 may prefer the 600. For games like Batlefield using a bassier headphone like the D2000/THx00 becomes visceral.

of course I am not giving up on them I love'em too much too give up on them. but I tried to watch movies with them they are not impressive as they are when I am listening to music whit them, I just though I should buy a new one just for movies and gaming even if I have to spent all the money I can earn in 2 months it would be still would worth it.

HD700 and HD800 are way out of my league they are far too expensive and are nearly impossible for me to buy them at the moment but I see your point and that is the reason I choose to buy 598 or 599 for now, sadly my PC is a bit old and cant run games like Witcher 3 but in fact they are on my list to play after upgrading my PC so I am really looking forward to test HD600 with that game. thanks for stopping by and leaving a reply.

 

[cossix]

The cushion on my 598 came unstitched from the headband 2 times over. Sennheiser sent me a brand new pair of 599's as my 598 was still in warranty. And yes, the 599 headband cushion does seem higher quality!

Glad to see my hope is confirmed! The 598 headband just seems glued on, not very sturdy. I wasn't expecting crazy build quality but damn

 

[Arin7]

The cushion on my 598 came unstitched from the headband 2 times over. Sennheiser sent me a brand new pair of 599's as my 598 was still in warranty. And yes, the 599 headband cushion does seem higher quality!

That's odd! same has happened to my friend who also has 598 but he had no choice but to fix it himself somehow with a duct tape. bad idea I know but he didn't had any other choice.

 

[Arin7]

Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the SB-Zx card?
Have you tried plugging the HD600 directly into the SB-Zx's headphone jack, without using the ACM module?

Yes but I disabled it from the windows not the Bios but as the matter of fact it was the first thing I did when I installed Zx, oh I never have used the ACM module I just tried it once and I felt the sound was getting somehow distant and weak, I am really didn't want anything between the sound card and HD600 cause I know there are many little sneaky factors that can effect sound, So let me explain what I think is the problem of HD600 'only' and only for gaming, in the games like Biocshock Infinite and Crysis I can hear enemies but they seems to be really close I freaked out many times before I found out that the cause was the headphones, the other problem I am having is in the games like Tomb Raider Underworld there is an amazing sounds all around while you are in jungle but I did't felt I was in a jungle I felt like I am listening to a recording of a jungle sounds, meanwhile with the 598 of my friend I tried Crysis 3 and when they talk to each other through their headsets ( I mean characters communicating through their own headsets) I felt I was the one actually wearing the headset not my character and God, when I fired a gun in game I felt like I fired it in real life, the high sound at first and then spreading in environment I could feel the source of the sound was the center and the gun and then it was spreading exactly around me like an English letter "M" that I was in the middle lower point of the letter, I know these sound bit crazy lol, I mostly listen to Epic, Classical, Jazz and sometimes Pop and Rock, The HD600 never has dissipated me in music, I really love how they sound with music.

 

[cossix]

Yes but I disabled it from the windows not the Bios but as the matter of fact it was the first thing I did when I installed Zx, oh I never have used the ACM module I just tried it once and I felt the sound was getting somehow distant and weak, I am really didn't want anything between the sound card and HD600 cause I know there are many little sneaky factors that can effect sound, So let me explain what I think is the problem of HD600 'only' and only for gaming, in the games like Biocshock Infinite and Crysis I can hear enemies but they seems to be really close I freaked out many times before I found out that the cause was the headphones, the other problem I am having is in the games like Tomb Raider Underworld there is an amazing sounds all around while you are in jungle but I did't felt I was in a jungle I felt like I am listening to a recording of a jungle sounds, meanwhile with the 598 of my friend I tried Crysis 3 and when they talk to each other through their headsets ( I mean characters communicating through their own headsets) I felt I was the one actually wearing the headset not my character and God, when I fired a gun in game I felt like I fired it in real life, the high sound at first and then spreading in environment I could feel the source of the sound was the center and the gun and then it was spreading exactly around me like an English letter "M" that I was in the middle lower point of the letter, I know these sound bit crazy lol, I mostly listen to Epic, Classical, Jazz and sometimes Pop and Rock, The HD600 never has dissipated me in music, I really love how they sound with music.

Yeah, the 6xx brothers have a very intimate soundstage which is what you're noticing in games. I never game on my 650 and instead use my 598 because the soundstage is much wider and deeper. Apparently the Fidelio X2 has the same great soundstage as the 598 but has more bass impact resulting in a better immersion into the game. It also has better build quality. I'd love to try a pair out one day! Maybe when my 598 breaks I'll get one

 

[Arniesb]

I remember my ex DT990 blown hd598 out the water when it comes to gaming . 598 might be a little better for competitive, but it is very bad for single player... Soft, slow, zero impact, every sound just lack power. If i were you i would pick dt990 or x2. If budget is higher then hd700.

 

[Arin7]

I remember my ex DT990 blown hd598 out the water when it comes to gaming . 598 might be a little better for competitive, but it is very bad for single player... Soft, slow, zero impact, every sound just lack power. If i were you i would pick dt990 or x2. If budget is higher then hd700.

How about DT880? I tried the 32ohm version of them and I loved them, I was looking for the DT880's 250 ohms, which is sadly unavailable in where I live.