[jthom320]

  Sometimes when I listen to music or watch a movie with the HD598 I have to double check if I switched the X7 to headphone mode because it sounds as if the sound is coming from the speakers and not from the drivers right next to my ears. I'd like to upgrade sometime this year but I don't want to lose on that feeling. I'm kinda on the fence between HD700 and Shure SRH1840 (they cost about the same in Poland). Any thoughts, or opinions?

I've owned HD 700's and I'd recommend against them.  Like heavily.  It's a weird headphone because in a sense you can hear why they priced it originally at 1000 dollars.  Incredibly resolving and detailed.  FAST bass.  Fast decay.  Incredible.  For SBX or DH great.  Not only that but they're ultra comfortable.  Better then Alpha Pads.  Better then anything I've used.
 
But if you are sensitive to treble at all they will hurt after an hour or so.  The headphone is bright and it makes thing's sound off.  You almost can't place your finger on it but music just doesn't sound good despite the fact that it's got a lot of top tier qualities.
 
If you ran it through tubes or something it may be better I don't know but I really regretted buying them.  Luckily I got them when they were close to 400 dollars and I made out okay in then.
 
As always YMMV.
 
Never heard the 1840's.

 

[Yethal]

 
I've owned HD 700's and I'd recommend against them.  Like heavily.  It's a weird headphone because in a sense you can hear why they priced it originally at 1000 dollars.  Incredibly resolving and detailed.  FAST bass.  Fast decay.  Incredible.  For SBX or DH great.  Not only that but they're ultra comfortable.  Better then Alpha Pads.  Better then anything I've used.
 
But if you are sensitive to treble at all they will hurt after an hour or so.  The headphone is bright and it makes thing's sound off.  You almost can't place your finger on it but music just doesn't sound good despite the fact that it's got a lot of top tier qualities.
 
If you ran it through tubes or something it may be better I don't know but I really regretted buying them.  Luckily I got them when they were close to 400 dollars and I made out okay in then.
 
As always YMMV.
 
Never heard the 1840's.

Thanks for the input. I'm really looking for headphones that will offer me soundstage at least as big as the 598 but more detailed and with a little more bass (which 598 lacks unfortunately).

 

[jthom320]

 
Thanks for the input. I'm really looking for headphones that will offer me soundstage at least as big as the 598 but more detailed and with a little more bass (which 598 lacks unfortunately).

I'm of the opinion the 700's are really close to being a 10/10 headphone it's just the problem they have is incredibly irritating.
 
I was looking for the same thing you were and ended up on Fidelio X2s.  I'd highly recommend them.  They are more resolving then 598s.  Some very slight grain to the treble but nothing you can't live with.  I find the midrange just as pleasing as the bass but I've seen some people say it's slightly pushed back.  May depend on amplification.  I don't know that there is a more subjective tech type of hobby then audio so you know how that can go.  
 
1840's do look like a cool headphone though.  If you do end up with them I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

 

[Yethal]

If the only problem with them is the treble then I don't know if it's such a big deal. It can be fixed with proper EQ, can it?

 

[Change is Good]

Sometimes when I listen to music or watch a movie with the HD598 I have to double check if I switched the X7 to headphone mode because it sounds as if the sound is coming from the speakers and not from the drivers right next to my ears. I'd like to upgrade sometime this year but I don't want to lose on that feeling. I'm kinda on the fence between HD700 and Shure SRH1840 (they cost about the same in Poland). Any thoughts, or opinions?

Though I haven't heard the HD700, I'd recommend it over the 1840. The Shure is a wonderful, pleasantly detailed open headphone. It has a flawed distortion, however, in the lower frequencies that is very unnatural. It's almost unnoticeable because it's a bass light sound signature, but once it grasps your attention it becomes annoying (considering it's going price).

I had both it and the 1540 at the same time. The 1540 was a bit distorted down low, as well, but that was because of the alcantara pads. Once I put alpha pads on there, it sounded MUCH better and no longer distorted. The same could no be said for the 1840, because it was a grain-like distortion from the drivers (which led me to assume the 1540 and 1840 use different drivers). The alpha pads on the 1840 only made it more noticeable.

 

[Change is Good]

If the only problem with them is the treble then I don't know if it's such a big deal. It can be fixed with proper EQ, can it?

I've come to learn that treble is the easiest frequency to fix without EQ, and can be done by either dampening or using doggie treats from MrSpeakers.

 

[jthom320]

  If the only problem with them is the treble then I don't know if it's such a big deal. It can be fixed with proper EQ, can it?

 
 
Sure.  Of course.
 
I'm not really into EQing headphones myself.  I just tend to think that there are better cheaper options.  X2's, K7xx's, DT 880s, MA900's  etc etc.  

 

[Change is Good]

Sure.  Of course.

I'm not really into EQing headphones myself.  I just tend to think that there are better cheaper options.  X2's, K7xx's, DT 880s, MA900's  etc etc.  

Those are 'cheaper' options, 'better' is highly subjective.

 

[Yethal]

I've come to learn that treble is the easiest frequency to fix without EQ, and can be done by either dampening or using doggie treats from MrSpeakers.

https://mrspeakers.com/shop/3-accessories/doggie-treats-tweaking-kit/
 
This thing? I've read the description but I don't really get how inserting a disc underneath the ear pad would smooth out the treble.

 

[jthom320]

Those are 'cheaper' options, 'better' is highly subjective.

 
Clearly.  It's a discussion forum.
 
The HD 700's were a failure for Senn.  It's why the price has plummeted.  I understand the temptation coming from a gamer perspective when you read about them they sound like they could be your end game set.  But I've been there and done that.
 
I'll not argue the point any further but I will say that you really ought to try and listen to them before you buy. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I wish it were easy to go out and try headphones before buying. We don't really have many outlets to experience popular headphones, save for a few special stores here and there, which are few and far between.

Most of the time, we are definitely buying blindly.

I almost always recommend on just waiting on other's impressions on basic terminologies of sound, from soundstage, bass, midrange, etc. I hardly ever listen to the hyperbolic stuff like "OMG this headphone has the best bass, mids, treble, detail, soundstage, etc. You have to have a fair amount of skepticism and just try and pay attention to sound signature comments, and easy stuff to understand. Well balanced, bassy, bright, etc.

 

[Evshrug]

Is the sennheiser HD 598 still up there in terms of competitive gaming? I need a headset that is good for positional hearing for games like FPS. I don't need immersiveness and bass. Would you guys still recommend the sennheiser HD 598 for competitive gaming? I know this thread is kind of old so I want to make sure the scores are still relevant.

And now we know why MLE decided to drop the scores altogether.

This is why we're dropping the scores on the new, wiki, beginner's guide version of MLE's gaming headphone guide we're working on. The scores are gone already.

IMO, if you can get the HD598 for $100, get it. Will be quite good compared to most $100 headphones. However, and also my opinion (based on listening), if you find AKG Q701's or K612 within $30 of the HD598, then the AKG's are a little less grainy, have more soundstage, and a better balance with bass extension and stuff. Both headphones won't let you down, however I'd pick an AKG.

Sometimes when I listen to music or watch a movie with the HD598 I have to double check if I switched the X7 to headphone mode because it sounds as if the sound is coming from the speakers and not from the drivers right next to my ears. I'd like to upgrade sometime this year but I don't want to lose on that feeling. I'm kinda on the fence between HD700 and Shure SRH1840 (they cost about the same in Poland). Any thoughts, or opinions?

Intro
I had the HD700 for about a month last year, did my X7 review while making the HD700 my main headphone for testing.

My Description
My listening notes talk about how I did find the shape, headband, and ear room very comfortable, but the slick feeling of the microfiber pads was odd and with hours of gaming the weight stood out. The HD700 weight was well-distributed but I could appreciate the 100g less of the K712, which would be even more different once you take into account the cables (the HD700 has thick, dual-entry cables).

Tonally, it was thicker than my AKGs and honestly the treble didn't bother me (despite a few uneven peaks and valleys), though for longer sessions I did use my X7 to turn down the treble a bit... though I wished the X7's equalizer had more granular control over more frequencies. I got used to the HD700 so much that the K712 sounded thin... Brain burn in! However, it didn't do soundstage as well or wide or as convincingly as the K712. I was hoping for some of the HD800 soundstage DNA that I'd heard praised so much, but it failed to impress nor transport me to the orchestra hall, so I'd rate the soundstage as above average or maybe just average. A/B'ing it was obvious that the HD700 had elevated bass & lower mids, but also a little bloom and smeared out details I could hear on the K712, so I'd say in that respect the HD700 sacrifices a little mids and bass crispness for "musicality" and a thicker tone.

Thicker Tone?
This thicker tone has actually been on my mind lately, because I've been enjoying the body and timbre on the ZMF Vibro MKII I'm testing now, so it has some of the HD700's thickness but it's still got a fair bit of crispness... IIRC, the ZMF does tone & detail better. I feel like I'm sacrificing very little compared to my AKGs' detail while gaining a little more gutsy timbre.

Drawing Conclusions
I think the HD700 was designed to be very much an all-rounder and I think they hit "very good" in almost every area, plus it looks awesome. It was also an educational and enjoyable experience, and I could see someone using an HD700 for a few months or a year if they really liked it. Ultimately though, for it's price and weight, I would expect a Hi-Fi headphone to have a few excellent or amazing areas, but I just don't feel it had those, plus the treble was uneven. Though I got the HD700 for a very good market price, I didn't get that high-end wow feeling or even that it performed better than $250 alternatives, so I sold it.



TA DA! Mini review! Man, I'm actually having a harder time writing my Vibro review, because I really like it and want to do it justice by saying why.

 

[Zyker]

 
Basically, the X7 can only transmit the mic input over USB or Bluetooth. And since it can't work on PS4 via Bluetooth (it requires a proprietary driver) the other way is to pair it via Bluetooth with the BT-W2 adapter and use that for chat. The difference between the BT-W2 adapter and other BT adapters is that it is recognized as a USB Audio device and works on PS4.

Well, that makes sense... it's kind of funny that BT-W2 adapter works but the basic X7 doesn't.
 
What do you know about the Creative E-MU MX7 speakers?  They're free with a purchase of the X7 from Creative, right now... would they work well as a desktop PC speaker?  I'm currently sporting a set of Creative I-trigue L3800s.

 

[jthom320]

HD 700 can alternate between thick/warm and bright/thin.  You can see it in the frequency graph.  The big issue isn't so much elevated treble but the fact that it has two large peaks and equally as large valleys.  Depending on what you are listening to the headphone can sound very different.

 

[Evshrug]

Agreed, I also pointed out the treble peaks and valleys... why I called the treble uneven. Some pitches hit those highs and they can sound a bit too sharp, but it sounds weirder with an 8-band EQ reduction in treble because then the usual parts of treble seem recessed. If the audio has anything present in the lower-mids and lower, the thicker body/timbre (which IMO was a nice thing) is there. The bloom is also always there, not a huge amount of it but music on the AKG (or other stuff I've heard like my $300 vintage Stax, Oppo PM-3 and 2, my Custom Art CIEMs, etc) seem more complex because they don't taper off some of the finer nuances.

I bet the HD700 would be a good match (balanced especially) with the Liquid Carbon amp I have now, and again I could see the signature appealing to people, but I didn't detect great heights of technical prowess and subjectively I just couldn't leave money in the HD700 when I was enjoying a less expensive headphone more. I heard too what you said about "weirdness that's hard to put your finger on..." It hit the uncanny valley for me too.