[Frosty3258]

Who knows my friend. Who knows...

 

[OUGrad05]

Hello all, my 598's just arrived today. Not sure why some would say they don't have a lot of bass, they seem to have a reasonable amount of bass, but certainly not earth shattering. I recently swapped some B&W earbuds for these, I just couldn't get the earbuds comfortable in my ears. They did sound great though.

A few questions, how long does it take these to wear in? I plan to run them a few nights in a row while I'm in bed to get 20 or 30 hours on them in a hurry.

So far, honestly, mixed feelings, they don't blow me away like I was expecting. Not as much separation as the B&W's but a bit warmer and more laid back. This can be good for hours of listening. Also I'm simply using my laptop, nothing fancy here, no issue with volume but I expected better imaging and separation. Perhaps I need to let them break in a bit? Additionally, I could also try them upstairs on the HT gear to see if it improves things a bit.

Acoustic guitar sounds really pretty damn impressive so far....

 

[Frosty3258]

Hello all, my 598's just arrived today. Not sure why some would say they don't have a lot of bass, they seem to have a reasonable amount of bass, but certainly not earth shattering. I recently swapped some B&W earbuds for these, I just couldn't get the earbuds comfortable in my ears. They did sound great though.

A few questions, how long does it take these to wear in? I plan to run them a few nights in a row while I'm in bed to get 20 or 30 hours on them in a hurry.

So far, honestly, mixed feelings, they don't blow me away like I was expecting. Not as much separation as the B&W's but a bit warmer and more laid back. This can be good for hours of listening. Also I'm simply using my laptop, nothing fancy here, no issue with volume but I expected better imaging and separation. Perhaps I need to let them break in a bit? Additionally, I could also try them upstairs on the HT gear to see if it improves things a bit.

Acoustic guitar sounds really pretty damn impressive so far....

acustics are amazing on these. If you have a really bad sound card they could benifit from a dac but from a phone to a dac (my computer sound card sucks) I notice very little difference. Ones not better than the other probably listen at different levels and different program to play audio. I wouldn't think that matters much but play from vlc then almost any other player. The vlc audio is horrendous. I don't understand how. Anyways I didn't notice any "burn in" I loved mine from the start and yes the first we'll say 20hr of on head time you will adjust to the headphone a little bit and for a full opinion then.

 

[OUGrad05]

acustics are amazing on these. If you have a really bad sound card they could benifit from a dac but from a phone to a dac (my computer sound card sucks) I notice very little difference. Ones not better than the other probably listen at different levels and different program to play audio. I wouldn't think that matters much but play from vlc then almost any other player. The vlc audio is horrendous. I don't understand how. Anyways I didn't notice any "burn in" I loved mine from the start and yes the first we'll say 20hr of on head time you will adjust to the headphone a little bit and for a full opinion then.

Interesting, I remember having a similar experience with my home theater gear right out of the box, I just played movies and music during th day when I was at work and after just a couple days things started to sound much more open...Acoustic recordings sound really goooood so far.  I'll look for updates in this thread and post an update in a couple days.

 

[crazychile]

A few questions, how long does it take these to wear in? I plan to run them a few nights in a row while I'm in bed to get 20 or 30 hours on them in a hurry.

 Good plan. This is pretty much what I did with my pair and they smoothed out  pretty quickly. These do not have a long break in time. I think it was around 20-25 hrs when they settled in. I just left music playing on them overnight and when I was at work.

 

[ElMarcado]

Hello all, my 598's just arrived today. Not sure why some would say they don't have a lot of bass, they seem to have a reasonable amount of bass, but certainly not earth shattering. I recently swapped some B&W earbuds for these, I just couldn't get the earbuds comfortable in my ears. They did sound great though.

A few questions, how long does it take these to wear in? I plan to run them a few nights in a row while I'm in bed to get 20 or 30 hours on them in a hurry.

So far, honestly, mixed feelings, they don't blow me away like I was expecting. Not as much separation as the B&W's but a bit warmer and more laid back. This can be good for hours of listening. Also I'm simply using my laptop, nothing fancy here, no issue with volume but I expected better imaging and separation. Perhaps I need to let them break in a bit? Additionally, I could also try them upstairs on the HT gear to see if it improves things a bit.

Acoustic guitar sounds really pretty damn impressive so far....

Dynamic headphones tend to open a lot after 100 hours IME. Trust me. Report after 100 hours or more and tell us if you notice a difference. The HD 598 is a great headphone which works with pretty much anything, their greatest qualities are comfort, tonal balance (Warmish with a bright energetic sound but never strident or harsh) and soundstage. I highly doubt they'll disappoint you, just let them break-in.

 

[OUGrad05]

 
Dynamic headphones tend to open a lot after 100 hours IME. Trust me. Report after 100 hours or more and tell us if you notice a difference. The HD 598 is a great headphone which works with pretty much anything, their greatest qualities are comfort, tonal balance (Warmish with a bright energetic sound but never strident or harsh) and soundstage. I highly doubt they'll disappoint you, just let them break-in.

So far I have an estimated 35 hrs on them and that has helped tremendously.

 

[sandt38]

The Woo Audio 3 is a great amp for the HD600s to marry with. It is the synergy that allows two products of average nature to rise above and become amazing.

Thanks! I've been looking at the WA6 and WA3. I know high impedance delivers a better damping factor to OTL tube designs and have heard that the WA3 is fantastic with the HD600s. I keep seeing recommendations for the WA3 over the WA6, and if I can save a hundred bucks to put towards rolling, I'm all for it. I truly thank you for the suggestion. One more tick in the WA3s corner.

 

[dino1962]

I have not had a  pleasant experience with my HD598's.   I have the HD515's as well and have found them to have a better presentation of the bass signals.  I changed the ear pads out on the 515's to the velour 598 pads and while it did very slighty reduce the bass it seemed to make them much clearer, that is to say not as muddy.  I am currently trying to let my 598's run for an extended period of burn in without listening to see if they improve.  The main problem that I have experienced in two brand new pair is the very easy overdriving with bass prominent music.  The drivers seem to rattle very easily.  This is in comparison to the HD515's and also brand new Grado Sr80e's.  I know the sound signatures are vastly different but the Grados blow away the HD598's straight out of the box.  I bought the 515's used, so I am not sure of the hours of use, but they are not huge hours judging by the condition.  I am not giving up yet as I will give them a lot of burn in and try different sources before doing that.

 

[ElMarcado]

  I have not had a  pleasant experience with my HD598's.   I have the HD515's as well and have found them to have a better presentation of the bass signals.  I changed the ear pads out on the 515's to the velour 598 pads and while it did very slighty reduce the bass it seemed to make them much clearer, that is to say not as muddy.  I am currently trying to let my 598's run for an extended period of burn in without listening to see if they improve.  The main problem that I have experienced in two brand new pair is the very easy overdriving with bass prominent music.  The drivers seem to rattle very easily.  This is in comparison to the HD515's and also brand new Grado Sr80e's.  I know the sound signatures are vastly different but the Grados blow away the HD598's straight out of the box.  I bought the 515's used, so I am not sure of the hours of use, but they are not huge hours judging by the condition.  I am not giving up yet as I will give them a lot of burn in and try different sources before doing that.

 
My old SR325is kicks the HD 598's ass easily, but the Senns are more comfy and has less sibilance. Sound signature aside, Senns are very inferior to other offerings, in my humble experience. Go with something like the RS2e or PS500e if you want an upgrade over your SR80e. I remember when my SR325is kicked my head like a bass monster while retain clean, clear, with incredible texture and very fast. All Sennheisers I tried had bloated slow undefined bass with little-to-no impact, which is a shame. Perhaps the HD 650 is different?! Who knows...

 

[mikoss]

   
My old SR325is kicks the HD 598's ass easily, but the Senns are more comfy and has less sibilance. Sound signature aside, Senns are very inferior to other offerings, in my humble experience. Go with something like the RS2e or PS500e if you want an upgrade over your SR80e. I remember when my SR325is kicked my head like a bass monster while retain clean, clear, with incredible texture and very fast. All Sennheisers I tried had bloated slow undefined bass with little-to-no impact, which is a shame. Perhaps the HD 650 is different?! Who knows...

The HD-650 is not different... you will find it slow, and lacking in bass. It's just not a punchy, in your face headphone. It is slower, laid-back, warm/dark and has amazing resolution, just defined differently than the Grado's. Audeze headphones have more impact, as do most other planars, in comparison with the 650/800s. I would actually recommend the HD-700's if you're into that signature. 
 
BTW, I much prefer the HD-650 to pretty much anything else... including the LCD-3's. I just understand what they're doing, and it is exactly what the Grados/Audeze/etc. aren't doing; this is what makes them special. I wouldn't recommend the 800's to you either... they are more in alignment with the 650's than the 700's, but I think you'd enjoy the 700's, if you want to give Senns another shot.

 

[SunshineReggae]

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[mrfixitx]

I got my 598's about two weeks ago and love them, incredibly comfy and I am starting to understand what people say when they talk about soundstage.   Listening to the interstellar soundtrack is a huge improvement vs. my M50x's or my previous inexpensive headphones.  I had heard these were pretty bass light but so far it feels like there is enough bass for my needs even when listening to metal and electronic.  
 
My only real complaint is the 3 meter cord, really they couldn't have also bundled a shorter cord with a standard headphone jack as well.   Its a minor complaint and a quick amazon order resolved it.
 
For comfort these are amazing, I had heard the M50x's were comfortable but these are a huge step up in terms of comfort by comparison.  I can wear these for hours without any issue or even hint of discomfort.  
 
Overall for a newbie in the realm of quality headphones these are amazing, and I wish I would have bought them vs. the M50x's as my first set of quality headphones. 

 

[crazychile]

  I got my 598's about two weeks ago and love them, incredibly comfy and I am starting to understand what people say when they talk about soundstage.   Listening to the interstellar soundtrack is a huge improvement vs. my M50x's or my previous inexpensive headphones.  I had heard these were pretty bass light but so far it feels like there is enough bass for my needs even when listening to metal and electronic.  
 
My only real complaint is the 3 meter cord, really they couldn't have also bundled a shorter cord with a standard headphone jack as well.   Its a minor complaint and a quick amazon order resolved it.
 
For comfort these are amazing, I had heard the M50x's were comfortable but these are a huge step up in terms of comfort by comparison.  I can wear these for hours without any issue or even hint of discomfort.  
 
Overall for a newbie in the realm of quality headphones these are amazing, and I wish I would have bought them vs. the M50x's as my first set of quality headphones. 

I have an original pair of M50s and still enjoy them. Actually, I like them more now than when I bought them 2 yrs ago. There are just some types of music, or the mood I'm in where they fill a gap nicely and compliment the 598s and other headphones I own.

 

[mrfixitx]

I just find the 598s seem much clearer and more detailed than my M50x's. I still enjoy my m50x's and use them at work where open headphones wouldn't be appropriate and they are better than my current IEMs.

At home where it is pretty quiet most of the time though i reach for the 598s first unless I need the additional isolation that the m50x's offer which isn't very often.