[jesh462]

598 response curve

 

[jordannn15]

I would consider myself kind of new to this audiophile world but the 558 looks more neutral and has more of a bass presence doesn't it? What am I giving up versus the 598, sound stage?

 

[jesh462]

One of these was done by innerfidelity and one done by a guy who modified his own headphones. I wouldn't say that they are directly comparable. If you look up modified 558s vs 598s you will see that the 598 stays more airy in the higher registers. Not sure about bass comparison.
 
But I think you maybe should look at different phones than you have been if you want a slight bass boost.

 

[jordannn15]

  One of these was done by innerfidelity and one done by a guy who modified his own headphones. I wouldn't say that they are directly comparable. If you look up modified 558s vs 598s you will see that the 598 stays more airy in the higher registers. Not sure about bass comparison.
 
But I think you maybe should look at different phones than you have been if you want a slight bass boost.

 
The most important thing is neutrality if I can't get a mid/high neutral can with a slight bass boost and great sound stage then the I don't need the bass boost, I just don't want it to be too bright. 

 

[jesh462]

DT880+990
 
The 880 still has a slight boost while the 990 looks like it gets close to +8db or so.
Headroom has more response curves if you want to see other phones.
They both look more up your alley rather than a drop off in bass like the HDs.

 

[jordannn15]

The only thing I'm afraid of on those is that big peak at 10khz and the mids look to be a little recessed on the dt990's which have that slight bass boost. The 880's are more neutral looking but still have a peak at 10khz and the bass looks quite a bit lower.
 
Edit: Okay lets forget about the slight bass boost and just go for the most neutral/natural sounding headphone that isn't bright . Also could I get a suggestion on an amp with whichever headphones are recommended unless I should just go with the O2 or magni like I said before?

 

[jesh462]

How about the Focal Spirit Pro?
 
Full Review
 
"The Focal Spirit Professional is simply one of, if not the most, "neutral" sounding headphones I've ever heard. It's not just me either, check out this thread on Head-Fi, or this one on GearSlutz.com (a pro audio gear forum). Most listeners have the same reaction: 'O.M.G! These headphones are sooooo neutral!' "
 
"One area the Focal headphones seem clearly a notch ahead of the HP50 is in terms of their dynamics—the Focal headphones can PUNCH! It's not quite as obvious on the Classic due to it's slightly laid back character, but both these headphones have excellent dynamics."
 
There is even a video with White Ugly Fat Man That Everyone Likes down on the last page.
Note that I just skimmed the article and didn't see any mention of the sound stage. At this point I am researching for you. I just want to say that if I were you, I would stick to what you know you want - that little bit of bass emphasis. Will you really be happy spending $350 and not have the headphones sound like what you want?
 
There is a headphone out there for everybody. It's just up to you to put in a little blood, sweat and tears to find it. Good luck.

 

[jordannn15]

  How about the Focal Spirit Pro?
 
Review here:
 
"The Focal Spirit Professional is simply one of, if not the most, "neutral" sounding headphones I've ever heard. It's not just me either, check out this thread on Head-Fi, or this one on GearSlutz.com (a pro audio gear forum). Most listeners have the same reaction: 'O.M.G! These headphones are sooooo neutral!' "
 
"One area the Focal headphones seem clearly a notch ahead of the HP50 is in terms of their dynamics—the Focal headphones can PUNCH! It's not quite as obvious on the Classic due to it's slightly laid back character, but both these headphones have excellent dynamics."

 
I bet you feel like I hate you by now lmao, but I don't remember if I said this in the OP but I should have if I didn't. I would like an open headphone and have velour or something very similar .
 
Edit: I just looked and I did not say that so obviously that one was my fault. One other thing I think will be a problem with the focal's is the size of the earcups which I think will be too small for my ears.

 

[jordannn15]

Okay I find myself going back to the AKG K712 Pro's mainly because of this graph:
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2861&graphID[]=2851&graphID[]=4163&graphID[]=853&scale=25
 
I have owned the HD600's, HD650's both of which I thought were lacking in bass even with the modi/vali setup. This graph tells me that their is a decent amount more bass in the K712's than the HD650's and definitely more than any of the others. It does have that decently big spike at 10khz which I'm not sure about once again. They also look to be pretty neutral. Still tempted to try the HD558/598's just to see if I like them. I don't know for sure, I wish I had a place to try them, this is so hard to decide.

 

[jodgey4]

Most I've heard that compare the K712 and HD6X0's come out preferring the K712 for a more extended, neutral, and detailed sound. There should be plenty of comparisons for you to check out between them, which could help you decide. The HD598's are like a baby HD600.

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

Try the AKG K612. Its basically a warmer and less analytical K702.

 

[jordannn15]

Try the AKG K612. Its basically a warmer and less analytical K702.

How warm is it compared to the hd650 and k712? And I think I might want something with a detachable cable. Are the pads the same as k712's?

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

How warm is it compared to the hd650 and k712? And I think I might want something with a detachable cable. Are the pads the same as k712's?

didn't compared to either of those when I tried one... Here's the review page. http://www.head-fi.org/products/akg-k612-pro-reference-studio-headphones

 

[jordannn15]

I have found myself moving away from hip-hop/rap, listening to a lot more rock and classic rock still listening to the other genres I listed in the OP though. Do I need much bass for rock and classic rock? Is there a different recommendation than what I was going to pick (AKG K712) now that they aren't going to be used for much hip-hop?

 

[jesh462]

I find bass is still nice for the percussion. It's nice to have that thump and it brings more light to good bass guitar playing.
Not referring to a 'basshead' type bass but yeah. I wouldn't want to give up more than I had to if you are listening to music. It even adds depth to classical and symphonic type things.
The response curve on the 701 looks pretty nice.