[conner127e]

I am using Sony MDR-V6, which after equalizing sound wonderful. I'm happy with them, but unfortunately they are uncomfortable to my ears, and I can't wear them for more than 4 or 5 hours. I have really tender ears and have this problem with a lot of headphones. The Sennheiser HD 598 are supposedly pretty comfortable, so I'm considering buying those. I've seen a lot of threads comparing the Sennheiser HD 598 to other open back headphones, but could you be so kind as to compare them to my current headphones?
 
#1. Compared to the MDR-V6, how is the bass on the Sennheiser HD 598?
 
#2. If they have weak bass, is it possible to make them have good bass through equalizing? On par with the closed-back MDR-V6?
 
#3. Will an open back make them sound echoey or weird?
 
#4. There's a big price gap, as an ignorant consumer, I'd assume this means the Sennheiser are "better." In your opinions, are the Sennheiser clearly "better" than the MDR-V6? Will I put them on and be like "Wow, these are so much better" or do you have to be an audiophile with a frequency graph chart to notice a huge difference? I'd like to have them be more comfortable AND sound better if I'm going to spend $210. I do have a sound card with a big 6.3mm jack.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Save a few dollars, buy a Sennheiser HD558, Amazon is currently selling new for $139.95, that is $40 less then normal price.
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-558-Headphones/dp/B004FEEY9A

 

[eoughu]

I'm actually in the exact same boat and considering the exact same switch.  If you recommend the HD558, then what are the pros/cons vs the Sony pair?  And why go with the 558 over the 598?
 
Also, the 558 have already gone up in price to $169.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I'm actually in the exact same boat and considering the exact same switch.  If you recommend the HD558, then what are the pros/cons vs the Sony pair?  And why go with the 558 over the 598?
 
Also, the 558 have already gone up in price to $169.

I prefer open (HD558) over closed (MDR-V6) headphones (most of the time).
HD558 & HD598 use the same driver.
On the HD558 you can remove the black rubber tape from inside the cups, making the HD558 more open.
Used HD558 are on eBay, current bids are around $100.

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

I prefer open (HD558) over closed (MDR-V6) headphones (most of the time).
HD558 & HD598 use the same driver.
On the HD558 you can remove the black rubber tape from inside the cups, making the HD558 more open.
Used HD558 are on eBay, current bids are around $100.

and after removing the foam they sound almost identical except the hd598 sounds a little clearer&refined overall.
and eqing can improve bass enough, it may not punch as impactfully as a closed back but it should hive quite a thump when eq'ed properly 

 

[conner127e]

Quote:

I'm actually in the exact same boat and considering the exact same switch.  If you recommend the HD558, then what are the pros/cons vs the Sony pair?  And why go with the 558 over the 598?
 
Also, the 558 have already gone up in price to $169.

 
Well I went ahead and bought the 598 yesterday, figured I can just return them if I don't like them. They won't be here until January 5 due to Christmas shipping time, but I'll post my subjective pros/cons vs. the MDR-V6 when I get them.

 

[Wasatch]

Quote:

 
Well I went ahead and bought the 598 yesterday, figured I can just return them if I don't like them. They won't be here until January 5 due to Christmas shipping time, but I'll post my subjective pros/cons vs. the MDR-V6 when I get them.

Cool. I think you will like them. I got my HD598s today, absolutely beautiful.

 

[conner127e]

All right so my 598 came today (earlier than I expected). Here's my thoughts:
 
Using separate equalizer profiles (which I got by reversing their frequency responses to my ideal), I compared the two headphones as best I could, switching back and forth. It was hard telling a difference at all in a lot of cases, but I can say pretty confidently the 598 do in fact sound better. I didn't need any time to get used to them to be able to tell this, but the difference is pretty slight.
 
When it comes to bass, they "sound" nearly the same, but with the MDR-V6 you can actually feel the bass beating against your head. With the 598 you don't feel anything because the drivers are pretty far away from your ears. No amount of equalizing will make you "feel" anything with the 598, so I believe that's where most of the bass concerns spring from.
 
As for comfort, the 598 are BY FAR more comfortable. There is nothing touching your ears at all, so wearing them is pretty much like wearing nothing.
 
As a side note, since they're open-backed the 598 allow me to listen to things at higher volumes without getting any temporary tinnitus like I do with the MDR-V6, so that's a plus.
 
Overall I'm satisfied and am going to keep them.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

All right so my 598 came today (earlier than I expected). Here's my thoughts:
Using separate equalizer profiles (which I got by reversing their frequency responses to my ideal), I compared the two headphones as best I could, switching back and forth. It was hard telling a difference at all in a lot of cases, but I can say pretty confidently the 598 do in fact sound better. I didn't need any time to get used to them to be able to tell this, but the difference is pretty slight.
When it comes to bass, they "sound" nearly the same, but with the MDR-V6 you can actually feel the bass beating against your head. With the 598 you don't feel anything because the drivers are pretty far away from your ears. No amount of equalizing will make you "feel" anything with the 598, so I believe that's where most of the bass concerns spring from.
As for comfort, the 598 are BY FAR more comfortable. There is nothing touching your ears at all, so wearing them is pretty much like wearing nothing.
As a side note, since they're open-backed the 598 allow me to listen to things at higher volumes without getting any temporary tinnitus like I do with the MDR-V6, so that's a plus.
Overall I'm satisfied and am going to keep them.

Try leaving them plugged in overnight, with some music set louder then normal listening volume, maybe put them under a blanket.
A few nights of that might just improve the HD598s.
 
What source(s) are you plugging the headphones into?

 

[conner127e]

Quote:

Try leaving them plugged in overnight, with some music set louder then normal listening volume, maybe put them under a blanket.
A few nights of that might just improve the HD598s.
 
What source(s) are you plugging the headphones into?

I don't really think they need to be improved, I mean they sound very good. I'd say they're the best headphones I've used. The second best headphones I've used, the MDR-V6, are just very close. The MDR-V6 might look cheapo, especially since they're only $100, but they're actually very good headphones imo.
 
I'm using a Creative Titanium HD. I'm going to buy a Creative ZxR when it gets released, hopefully next month.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I don't really think they need to be improved, I mean they sound very good. I'd say they're the best headphones I've used. The second best headphones I've used, the MDR-V6, are just very close. The MDR-V6 might look cheapo, especially since they're only $100, but they're actually very good headphones imo.
 
I'm using a Creative Titanium HD. I'm going to buy a Creative ZxR when it gets released, hopefully next month.

When I first got my HD558s, i was not happy with the audio quality and it took about 20 hours of use to improve in audio quality.

 

[Wasatch]

For me the HD598 sounded better out of the box then the HD515. I have about 20 hours on them already and their starting to sound alittle bit better already. Another 10-20 hours and I think they will be settled for sure. At least this is what it took for the HD515.