[Frosty3258]

Quote:

I'm sorry but I just can't agree with that. Just got myself an Fiio E7/E9 combo for Sennheiser HD 598 and....... I'M HUGELY DISAPPOINTED!!!.
 
It's just rubbish, I was listening to sennheisers for about 6 months just with my laptop ( Dell E4310 ) and I was/still am in love with them, but as I read all the hi-fi forums I was convinced that i should get myself somekinde of amplifter. So I went for that combo and it just .S^&(*#
 
Sorry about that but the stage is just unbelievably small compared to headphones and laptop fix. Obviously they play a lot quieter but i just don't care about that
 
Got no words for it.
 
But hey, at the end of the day, you just have to listen to it by yourself. It's just my opinion and I will keep on looking for right amplifter for my ears...

i really liked the benalli ha540 with them. it is 224 on ebay. it is a tube amp as well, i am personally not a fan of ss amps, at least with these cans.

 

[Frosty3258]

Quote:

Hi,
 
Total noob here and I just recently got my 598's (about 2 weeks) and love them so far. They are definitely better than the EH-xxx's that I previously used. I've gone through many of the 598 threads to look for this answer, but I don't think there is a definitive answer.
 
From what I've read the 598's do not necessarily need an amp for them to sound good and that if there is a decent amp, the improvement will be there but it isn't a night and day difference. 
 
I have a somewhat 'old' creative sound x-fi fatality sound card. It has a front panel for the 6.3mm plug. Is that sufficient for these cans? There is definitely a difference between the sound when I plug it in there vs the sound card from the motherboard. And is there an optimal sound level to play these at for music, games, movies etc.
 
Any guidance is greatly appreciated!
 
Steve
 

 

so i have a fiio E11 with them and notice very little difference but with a good desktop tube amp

 

[c64]

Having tried my girlfriends senn hd598 cant say I was impressed at all not a patch on my goldring dr150 or ns1000 they are overpriced for what they are.

 

[Zojokkeli]

I've been also wondering if my 598's would benefit from an amp. I have the Nuforce Icon uDAC 2 paired with the Senns and together they sound amazing, but if there is a reasonably priced amp which would improve the audio quality, I'd definitely be interested. By reasonable price I mean something around 100€.

 

[RochRx7]

I've found that 598's don't necessarily NEED amping (unless your player/dap has weak output) but it's best to pair it with a warm amp since the low end is severely lacking.
 
DACs and higher res files make the biggest difference in this lineup.
 
...this assuming you're not sticking it straight into a onboard soundcard which is just....... yuck

 

[LMNproyect]

I think, an amp is really necesary for these cans.
I already have an HD 600  and with my RME babyface audio interface it sound really good, and with my Mytek 96 converter / amp,  sounds heaven.   Now i received my new HD 598 , open the box, conect it to my Samsung Galaxy A3  and i was very, very dissapointed with the sound. I regretted having bought the HD 598 to the point i wanted to sell it quick and cheap.  They gave me an ear fatigue because of a mid highs shrill freq at 3khz to 6khz.  Sounds lack body, mids were thin , all sounds bad.  Then when i come home i plug it  into a  Nuforce Icon HDP converter / amp,  and what a difference !! , it saved my day.  Full body , resolution, fuller and much more  punch on bass,  rich mids, and the shrill freq in the mid high were gone.  If i made a blind shootout,  with HD 598 strait to my Galaxy A3 and then with my Nuforce Icon HDP,  i would though  that it was testing 2 different Headphones.  I was like the HD with my Galaxy  was at 50%  and with my Icon at 85%  90% 
Im very surpriced how this kind of headphone can change so much soundwise when is driven appropiately and when is not.

 

[mindbomb]

They probably will not require any gain. However, I don't want to suggest that you don't need an amp, since you do need low output impedance, and if you were to use them with a motherboard that doesn't come with a headphone amp built in, it would be a disaster.

 

[chahooa]

I find that amping these does make a big difference, for the better. The are not bass light at all for me, if I amp them.