[wind016]

Quote:

You're forgeting the god of the land, the Orpheus.

 
I missed the chance to hear the Orpheus, but yes, the Orpheus is the god of money.
 

 

[FlySweep]

The HD598 arrived this afternoon and after listening to them for about two hours, I'm very impressed.  Obviously these haven't been burned in for even a passable amount of time so consider these impressions as being very preliminary.  All listening was done from an iPhone 4 w/ the Headstage Arrow amp in chain.
 
What jumped out at me right out of the box is the soundstage.. and what a soundstage it is!  I was impressed by how expansive yet accurate it was.. well proportioned depth and width.
 
The bass sounds a tad thin at this point. Well textured, w/ adequate speed.. but lacks some weight and presence.  There's nice impact but it doesn't reproduce the sub bass with much authority or confidence.  I'm betting this improves with time though as the potential seems there.  The bass is for the most part, well balanced with the rest of the spectrum.
 
The mids are the SHOW STEALER, folks.  The 598 has possibly the nicest midrange presentation I've heard in a full sized, open phone... or any phone for that matter.  The midrange sounds really unique in that it's musical & energetic but not overly forward, aggressive, or dominating.  There's some magical smoothness Senn cooked up that appears to ward off fatigue like the plague yet maintains serious detail and crispness.  I'm immediately able to tell this is a Senn can cause the signature smoothness is apparent but the oft-debated "veil" is nowhere to be found.. REJOICE!
 
The excellent timbre and tonality in the midrange is what my ears noticed first.  Lush, liquid, airy, detailed, and effortless are terms I'd use to describe the midrange.  It leans to the brighter side but neutrality and balance are certainly the aim  when the mids were tuned.  I found the midrange not forward or recessed (in reference to the edges of the fq spectrum).. but they're clearly the focus of the overall presentation.
 
The treble complements the energetic (but never fatiguing) nature of the mids very well.  There's more sparkle than I expected.. tonality is again excellent.. detail and extension are also impressive.  As widely professed, comfort is sinfully good. I could wear these all day and not know they were on.
 
I've heard the 600 & 650.. and as has been stated before those are certainly more technically proficient, but the 598 is most certainly my favorite Sennheiser cans of the bunch just for their sheer musicality.  In my brief experience with the 598 so far an old adage, "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts," rings true (pun intended).  Sennheiser nailed it with the 598 in terms of crafting a phone with a musical, immersive presentation that makes listening to a wide variety of music very enjoyable and exciting.  There's a smooth, refined touch to the sound of these phones I find irresistable.
 
I'll let these guys burn in for more time and see how they sound.. but so far, I'm very satisfied w/ my purchase and feel they complement the rest of my phones admirably.
 
PS.  One last note, I found these to sound quite good unamped from my laptop and iPhone.. but the 598 really stretches it's legs out and breathes when paired with a good amp.

 

[jrkong]

Quote:yet to hear it tooo... i will listen to it sometime before i die

 
I missed the chance to hear the Orpheus, but yes, the Orpheus is the god of money.
 

its ok, i have yet to listen to it too...
but i will listen to it before i die, thats for sure

 

[violeta88]

I received my HD598 yesterday, and I have to say, even out of the box I like them much better than my K701 with Stefan Audio Art E-Series cabling.  The K701 are more cavernous sounding in terms of soundstage, and are somewhat more detailed, but can't even come close to matching the coherent imaging of the HD598, nor can match their tonal accuracy.  Granted, my best amp is my portable Meier Stepdance (which edges out my Meier Arietta in many ways in terms of overall SQ), and isn't the best match for the K701 in terms of driving power or tonality, but the HD598 and the Stepdance have fantastic synergy together and are an extremely impressive combo, though the HD598 sounds lovely out of my Apogee ONE's headphone jack as well.  I am finding that the presence of grain depends on what adapter cabling I am using to hook up the HD598 to the Stepdance, as the treble can be grainy with the Grado adapter, but the Cable Pro Panorama adapter makes the HD598 sound very refined and grain-free in the treble regions.  I don't find the bass to be lacking, but I am coming from HD600 and K701 headphones, and I prefer the HD598's bass to both, and tend to prefer a slightly lean and fast bass overall.  EDIT:  I forgot to mention that I did get a model that appears to have the improved headband, which uses a softer, more impact resistant plastic that is somewhat flexible, and makes a lower "thunk" sound when tapped, rather than the higher pitched "thack" that occurs on the earcup of the HD598, and both the headband and earcup on the HD595.  Oh, by the way, my pair of HD595 headphones doesn't even come close to the sound quality of the HD598.  The HD595 is dull, two dimensional, and boring in comparison to the HD598.
 
-Eric

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by violeta88 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Oh, by the way, my pair of HD595 headphones doesn't even come close to the sound quality of the HD598.  The HD595 is dull, two dimensional, and boring in comparison to the HD598.
 
-Eric

Great to know Eric =)
 
BTW, don't worry too much about amping the HD598. Source is the most important.
The grain I noticed, is midrange congestion. It's unfortunate that most headphones with this type of sound has congestion. It may well be a limitation in dynamic driver technology.
 

 

[Katun]

The virus is spreading...

 

[tdockweiler]

That's weird because I don't really notice the HD-598 being congested. On most music I don't even feel as if the sound is too grainy. I'd have to be really looking for it.
Don't want the grain and better build quality? Get the K601!
 
I also had the modded 555 in the past because always disliked it. I'm not sure how close to the 595 it is.
Went from disliking the 555 to loving the 598.
 
I gave away my HD-555 to my brother along with an MP3 player years ago. I guess they love it.
I think the 555 holds the record for the longest I've owned a headphone. Maybe 10 years? Seems like it.
 
When I'm 80 I'll probably still be on here raving about how the DJ100 and 598 were so good "back in the day"...
 
By then they'll probably have portables for $100 that sound better than the HD-800.

 
I hate to say it, but I haven't listened to my 598 in a few days for music. K601 and HD-650 is it! I guess I need two sets of ears.
I'm hoping if I cook my K702 for a few more days it's stupid annoying treble will tone itself down.
 
I can't say it enough, but the HD-600, 598, K601 and even the K240 Studio are the rare headphones that they seem to be good for people who only need one headphone for EVERYTHING. This includes multiple genres, movies and games. I think the 598 might be the easiest for  more people to like.

 

[violeta88]

 
Quote:

 

Great to know Eric =)
 
BTW, don't worry too much about amping the HD598. Source is the most important.
The grain I noticed, is midrange congestion. It's unfortunate that most headphones with this type of sound has congestion. It may well be a limitation in dynamic driver technology.
 

I agree with the source being more important, but the Stepdance did seem to clean up the sound of the HD598 quite a bit over the headphone jack on my Apogee ONE.  On the ONE, the HD598 could be a touch thick in the midbass, but nothing too troublesome to me.  I was actually quite surprised when I first heard how good the HD598 sounded on the ONE, as the HD595 sounded not so great on it, but then again, the HD595 is my least favorite headphone in that price range, no matter what is amping it.  I guess my expectations of the HD598 were somewhat low to begin with and were pleasantly exceeded to a large degree.
 

 

[FlySweep]

There's not a lot of phones I've listened to that engage me in a way where I must use emotions to accurately convey how they sound.. the HD598 is one of those phones.
 
Seductive, romantic, delicate, inviting, confident, elegant, hypnotic, clean... these are how I'd describe the sound.
 
After listening for ten plus hours, they bass has really fleshed out and gained considerable weight and presence, also it's ability to extend has become more apparent..all without bleeding into the energetic, lively midrange.
 
These are one of those phones that mesmerize you with such a vivid, smooth, and articulate presentation that you simply forget about how "technically" capable it is.. I really love that.  One other thing I noticed is how well the transitional fq's are between the bass, midrange, and treble.. it never feels thin or recessed in those parts.. excellent balance and linearity across the entire spectrum.  That "fullness" across the entire presentation makes for a more enjoyable, involving listening experience with less fatigue.
 
Somebody at Sennheiser must listen to a lot of downtempo music cause these phones feel custom tailored for it.

 

[pp312]

 
Quote:

Somebody at Sennheiser must listen to a lot of downtempo music cause these phones feel custom tailored for it.

What is "downtempo" music?
 

 

[DrHouse]

Quote:

 


What is "downtempo" music?
 

chill lounge, ambient, etc. And yeah, it sounds great on these cans.
 
 

 

[Headstar]

Thanks Eric for the update on the headband material. If they start shipping the new improved headband model, i will strongly consider replacing mine. Guess i gonna wait a few more weeks to be sure they're coming in Europe too.
 
I'm also pleased to see how many are impressed by the 598's. It such a nice pair.

 

[Katun]

Blast! I wanted to order my pair in time for the new headband material. Maybe mine as it? I can't tell. (I ordered about a month after he said about the new material).

 

[Rasmutte]

I bought mine in november, and they're cracked. 
But i'll wait a while to change them, just to be sure I get one with the new material.

 

[DrHouse]

Quote:

Thanks Eric for the update on the headband material. If they start shipping the new improved headband model, i will strongly consider replacing mine. Guess i gonna wait a few more weeks to be sure they're coming in Europe too.
 
I'm also pleased to see how many are impressed by the 598's. It such a nice pair.

From when I replaced mine, it seems to all do with timing. I'm sure they did start shipping when they said they would, but a shop won't bother restocking if it still has items from previous stockings (ie 2010 stock). I was lucky cos my local store said to me that they had a new shipment of HD598s that week. (month of April)