[Sennheiser]

Congrats! Hope to see your review soon 

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swbf2cheater /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
The innards of the HD598 are missing that foam piece as found in the HD555.  I am not really sure what could be done for soundstage improvements.  Recabling this set is not easy, you'd have to take apart the headband and all that as well as replacing the audio jack itself.  Here in lay the problem that I've been pondering for a while.  The sennheiser rep told me any 2.5mm cable will work on it, they were terribly wrong and caused my drivers to get blown out a little.  Using a trrs ( sometimes known as a balanced pin ) on an amp that doesn't support it will cause major problems.  For example, Spider cables new Realvoice iem has this type of adapter head on their iem, it simply doesnt work on a Fiio 9, it sounds warped and makes loud pops.  
 
The opposite of this happened with my HD598, as a normal 2.5mm cable will not work on it, it will cause major popping noises and could easily blow out your driver.  This is what happened to mine apparently just recently.  I was told any 2.5mm cable will fit, after trying many cables and not finding any to fit into the hole to begin with, i had one specially made and it was a normal 2.5mm adapter,...well the stock HD598 2.5mm cable is NOT normal.  There in lay the problem lol
 
The HD598 is proprietary EVERYWHERE.  The 2.5mm end of the cable that connects into the headphone can is special, its a 3 ring trrs plug with an elongated end, just any old 2.5mm cable will not work on it.  I've tried, you need to clip off the end of the stock cable and use that if you do not wish to totally replace the audio jack itself.  That stock jack only works with the stock cable.  
 
Please be very careful if you recable yours, if you are successful snap some pics and let us know how it went.  

 
There's someone on these forums who has recabled the HD598 with success. Apparently they sounded noticeably better after. I'd have to drill a hole into the other cup and not worry about getting wire through the headband or anything.
 
I'm also not talking about the foam mod. I'm talking about the soundstage mod, where you'd take out the inner grill on the headphone. If it's true that the HD598 uses the same driver from the HD555/595 with modifications to the housing and such, I'd wonder if doing a soundstage mod (if possible) on the HD598 would make it more similar to the HD555/595. Who knows? I'm not sure I'd want to risk trying it on these, though.
 
 

 

[wind016]

Quote:

Quote:
 
There's someone on these forums who has recabled the HD598 with success. Apparently they sounded noticeably better after. I'd have to drill a hole into the other cup and not worry about getting wire through the headband or anything.
 
I'm also not talking about the foam mod. I'm talking about the soundstage mod, where you'd take out the inner grill on the headphone. If it's true that the HD598 uses the same driver from the HD555/595 with modifications to the housing and such, I'd wonder if doing a soundstage mod (if possible) on the HD598 would make it more similar to the HD555/595. Who knows? I'm not sure I'd want to risk trying it on these, though.
 
 

tdockweiler did a recable and he commented on it in my HD598 review thread.
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Recabling the HD-598 is fairly easy, as long as you're willing to risk it and void your warranty. You need to remove ALL the internal wiring and this means desoldering the existing wire and remove the PCB inside. You can keep the existing wires in the headband. You also need to drill a new hole in one of the sides and this will make it dual entry. I don't suggest doing it unless you're somewhat experienced at soldering. My soldering skills are just average, but I got it done. Drilling a hole took me less than a couple seconds. Just don't have the drill bit slip!
 
If you don't like the results, you're screwed! Trust me on that. I've recabled the HD-598 about 3 times now and never killed it. The soldering points are super small. I like the results with Mogami Starquad the most.  I don't suggest Canare or Belden since it's changes the signature a little too much.
 
For me it was 100% worth it, but it may not be for many. I personally think it cleared up the sound and made them more detailed. The mogami didn't change what I loved about the HD-598 and that's what I wanted.
 
BTW there's some exposed wires (voice coil) wires next to the soldering spots.
 
Also...I know it's hard to believe, but a recabled version made me love these so much that I sold my HD-650 and return an un-opened HD-600! If the stock HD-598 sounded as good as even a Mogami recabled HD-598, nobody would buy the HD-600! I wish I was kidding.
 
 
 
 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

If it's true that the HD598 uses the same driver from the HD555/595

It's not.  I wish the lies would stop.  It's been covered in 3-4 different threads.  Also, why would anyone want the 598 to sound like the 555/595?  That's craziness.  I guess you could wrap the 598 in some Ziploc bags and punch some holes in it. 
 

 

[jrkong]

wait, recable as in internal cable as well?

 

[jraul7]

Quote:

I guess you could wrap the 598 in some Ziploc bags and punch some holes in it. 
 

That's gold right there.... hahaha
 

 

[guillaume smith]

Hello sir.

First, please excuse my English. Coming to purchase a Sennheiser HD 598, I would have liked to know the serial number of the models after modification (without cracking problem)

In advance, thank you.

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

It's not.  I wish the lies would stop.  It's been covered in 3-4 different threads.  Also, why would anyone want the 598 to sound like the 555/595?  That's craziness.  I guess you could wrap the 598 in some Ziploc bags and punch some holes in it. 
 

That's good to hear, then!

 

[guillaume smith]

Hello everyone.

First, please excuse my English. Coming to purchase a Sennheiser HD 598, I would have liked to know the serial number of the models after modification (without cracking problem)

In advance, thank you.

 

[hans030390]

I went ahead and did the "soundstage mod" for my HD598s (I call it that because that's what it was called for the HD555/595). Originally, I was only planning on removing the inner cloth and keeping the internal "braces" (to me, it reminds me of the window seen in the Death Star). Here is what I'm referring to (I will keep calling it the brace, since I'm not sure what it's really called):
 

 
However, the cloth proved to be very difficult to remove. It was glued on very tight to the brace, which I could not remove in some places. So, I said, "screw it!" and removed that internal brace. You might notice that the HD558 (and HD555/595 for that matter) do NOT have this brace. I believe the HD558 has an entirely different grill altogether than the HD598, similar to the secondary internal grill on the HD555/595. I could be wrong, though, as I've not personally used the HD558. I'm just basing this off pictures I've seen.
 
I'm wondering what sort of effects this internal brace has on the HD598's sound. Could this be what offers one of the main differences in sound between the HD558 and HD598? Too late now! The brace and the cloth are now gone from my HD598. I should note that the brace does not appear to offer any structural support to the HD598 and was quite easy to remove with scissors. The hardest part was removing the remaining cloth that was glued to the rest of the headphone.
 
Here's what my headphones look like now:
 

 

 
I made the mistake of not listening to these much immediately before doing the mod, so any sound comparisons are based off of my memory of how the headphones sound based on several hours of listening in the days prior to this mod. I was also quite tired and about to head to bed when I briefly listened to them. Oh well.
 
In all honesty, I'm not really sure it made a huge difference in the sound. Again, since I'm going off memory and was tired, it could all be entirely placebo. What I can say, though, is that they still sound great! For me, this is more of a cosmetic mod than anything.
 
If I had to comment on sound changes, I'd say they sound slightly darker. They don't seem to be as loud as they were before at the same volume settings, so perhaps that has something to do with it. I didn't really notice that they sounded quieter or adjust for that until I was mostly done listening to them. They sound a bit fuller, I think, and have an overall smoother, more laid-back sound. They also appear to have a slightly larger soundstage and a more effortless sound. I could be wrong, but they sound slightly less grainy and less congested (not that I would label them as congested before).
 
The "fuller" sound may be coupled with slightly muddier, more elevated bass. Treble might be slightly decreased as well as less emphasis on the mids. I did a brief listen to Opeth's "Ghost of Perdition", and it appeared to sound more natural and "correct" than it did prior to the mod. I also felt like Opeth's "Ghost Reveries" album sounded a bit off on these, and it seems slightly better after the mod. I'm not talking major changes, and, as mentioned before, this might all be placebo anyway!
 
I did accidentally make a very small tear in the white-ish paper/cloth baffle, so I'm hoping that doesn't cause issues. Didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, though. Should I be worried about this? Or perhaps there's a way I could at least partially mend it?
 
I'd like to do a recable next. I also wonder if these would benefit from and damping and such.

 

[Anaxilus]

I assume the 'brace' you refer to is the spiderweb in the first pic.  Yes it is unique from the 555/595/558.  It is absolutely the main difference between the 558/598.  The spider web design is much more transparent to the driver especially the hole in the center.  The 558 has no grill at all.  It only has a honeycomb brace w/ fabric laid over.  558/598 are basically identical in every way beyond those aspects.
 
I do worry about that tear in front and the lack of back pressure from the fabric might be the cause for needing more juice.  The driver is now missing the proper damping to work in concert w/ the magnet.  Maybe it's overextending and you need more power to get the magnet to reign in the driver?  Who knows, maybe you like it more.  It's a real shame though you didn't give much of a listen to them stock.  The new brace design was really made so as not to have to mod the phones IMO.  It works great.
 
Plus the change in the thickness of the cloth in front of the driver and the addition of a damping plug behind the driver is what separated the 555/595 drivers from the 558/598 drivers.  You can see how the cloth is thinner and you'll see the black plug inserted behind the driver.  That's why they have a bit better control, clarity and transparency.  There is no 'veil' to the new Senns.  Literally.
 
What did you use to remove the fabric from the brace?  Hot air or something else?

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

I assume the 'brace' you refer to is the spiderweb in the first pic.  Yes it is unique from the 555/595/558.  It is absolutely the main difference between the 558/598.  The spider web design is much more transparent to the driver especially the hole in the center.  The 558 has no grill at all.  It only has a honeycomb brace w/ fabric laid over.  558/598 are basically identical in every way beyond those aspects.
 
I do worry about that tear in front and the lack of back pressure from the fabric might be the cause for needing more juice.  The driver is now missing the proper damping to work in concert w/ the magnet.  Maybe it's overextending and you need more power to get the magnet to reign in the driver?  Who knows, maybe you like it more.  It's a real shame though you didn't give much of a listen to them stock.  The new brace design was really made so as not to have to mod the phones IMO.  It works great.
 
Plus the change in the thickness of the cloth in front of the driver and the addition of a damping plug behind the driver is what separated the 555/595 drivers from the 558/598 drivers.  You can see how the cloth is thinner and you'll see the black plug inserted behind the driver.  That's why they have a bit better control, clarity and transparency.  There is no 'veil' to the new Senns.  Literally.
 
What did you use to remove the fabric from the brace?  Hot air or something else?

Right, I only called it a "brace" because I had no idea what to call it! Does this mean that if I were to do this same mod for the HD558 and somehow get the metal grill used on the HD598 for the HD558, they would sound identical? I realize the HD558 is stuck with the plastic honeycomb grill and fabric, so it's a hypothetical "if" question. If so, I partially feel like I wasted money. However, you can't (easily) get that same grill for the HD558, so there's that. I suppose there's also the chance that the drivers in the HD598 are better matched. Either way, I paid $170 for my HD598, so if it is actually a degradation in sound, I'm not too worried about it.
 
I did notice the black plug on the driver, but I didn't realize the fabric in front was thinner. Are you talking about the black removable piece? And I did listen to them quite a bit at stock! I just forgot to listen to them before doing the mod, and I don't have the best memory. It will be better when I go back to them today after work (not tired, etc.).
 
It's OK if they need more juice. I'm running these through my Auzentech Bravura, so I have PLENTY of headroom to work with. Heaven forbid if I have to turn the volume up to 30 out of 100 instead of 20 out of 100. Oh no!
 
Do you think there is any way I could fix that small tear in the baffle? It's small enough that I'm doubting it will have a noticeable affect on the sound, but I'll repair it if I can.
 
To remove the fabric, I literally poked a hole in one spot and started ripping it off. 3/4 of it came off fairly easily and didn't leave anything behind. It's the rest that wouldn't come off! That's when I gave up and just took the spiderweb thing out. Ideally, I'd have tried a hair dryer to loosen it up, but I don't have one! I don't have much of anything at my new apartment, really.
 

 

[jraul7]

guillaume smith:
 
I dont think that information has been released. However, I got mine from J&R two or three months ago and have not have any issues with them.

 

[Kail]

 Guys, can sound be changed with just removing screws on HD 598 phone and opening it, then close it back and it will sound different? Or thats just me?