[invelity]

Just received my 598 used (previous owner had roughly ten hours of burn-in). To be honest, I'm a bit underwhelmed. After a good time spent doing some research, the overall consensus was positive.
 
Research findings|
 
Notable pros: soundstage, mids, vocals, design
Notable cons: lack of bass
 
Personal burn-in time: approx. two hours
 
I had previously owned an Astro A40, w/ main use for gaming. Imo, they were great for gaming, but for music, they were just decent. I am very new to the audiophile scene, so my critical ear is perhaps a bit more forgiving than others on Head-Fi. To be blunt, the A40 was the first around-the-ear headphone I had ever used. Previously, I had owned a Sennheiser HD 238 (on-the-ear), picking them up at a Best Buy and knowing nothing about the brand and if they were reputable (what a surprise!).
 
The A40 overall have better bass (being a semi-open design) than my 598, which, in hindsight, I should have been more concerned about, I suppose. However, the bass on the A40 is not as tight/controlled as w/ 598.
 
Another thing that I will mention is that the 598 seems to be harder to drive (not by much) than the A40, which is interesting, considering they both are listed at 50 ohms. I use an Astro Mixamp, which I presume to be part of issue, and the issue of a lack of bass. I still want to keep the Mixamp, because I would also use the 598 for gaming.
 
Overall, I expected the bass to be more prevalent, but I guess that's the nature of an open design. Besides the bass, everything else happily meet my expectations for the amount I invested ($180).
 
 
* I'm not sure if I should return them for something better. Otherwise, is there something that I could do to improve the bass response, besides a recabling mod? I have a budget of ~$300 to work with.
 
Possible upgrades(?):
 
- Denon AH-D2000
- beyerdynamic DT 990
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beyerdynamic-DT-990-PRO-Behringer-HPS5000-HEADPHONES-/230728168446?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b87873fe#ht_6013wt_1270
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beyerdynamic-DT-990-PRO-Behringer-MINIFBQ-FBQ800-/320826346355?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab2bd8b73#ht_6757wt_1270
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beyerdynamic-DT-990-PRO-Behringer-ULTRA-DI-DI100-/230728168144?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b87872d0#ht_6548wt_1270
- beyerdynamic DT 880
 
 
 
 
 

 

[invelity]

Bump

 

[peteham]

Owning both the 598s and the D2000s, I'd never get rid of either.  They both compliment each other real nice.  I've also had no problem driving either, through my modest Rotel amp, or my Burson 160.  I haven't found the Senns light on bass though.  Really lovely cans, imo.

 

[invelity]

So would you recommend purchasing the AH-D2000 as an upgrade/counterpart, or would there be something better w/in my budget that would make a noticeable difference?

 

[hans030390]

The D2000 is a better companion to the HD598 than a replacement. The D2000 has great bass, though occasionally a bit too boomy. The mids are more recessed than the HD598's, and the treble (and overall sound) is not quite as organic and smooth. The D2000's treble can be brighter and more sparkly than the HD598, but I really liked the treble on the HD598. Depending on what you listen to, the HD598s sometimes make the D2000s sound boring due to their greater amount of bass and more recessed mids. Also, while the D2000 has a great soundstage and solid imaging for a closed can, the HD598 beats it out in this area.
 
Though it's a bit outside of your budget, the HD650 probably sounds like what you're looking for. They need a powerful amp, though.
 
To be completely honest, I sold my HD598s because I turned my D2000s into open-backed headphones. Doing that really helped with the boomy bass and recessed mids while bringing a wonderful soundstage to the table. It made them more sibilant, so I had to take measures to counteract that. I wouldn't expect you to buy the D2000s just to mod them like that, but I figured I'd throw that bit of experience out there.

 

[DVDRey]

 
Quote:

The D2000 is a better companion to the HD598 than a replacement.

 
Yes, exactly.
 
 
Quote:

Possible upgrades(?):
 
- Denon AH-D2000
- beyerdynamic DT 990
- beyerdynamic DT 880

 
The DT990 is very particular, i not a big fan of V shaped headphones like the pro900/DT990 for music, too much recessed mids and treble. 
 
DT880 imo, is a much better headphone (for my tastes), more balanced, but in comparison with the HD598 its more a side grade than a really good upgrade.