[fallrsk]

Bansaku well, i guess that justifies my next step in being either HD600 or HD650's... That'll be in about 8 months atleast though lol! Full time student, no time worker is hard on the wallet.

Edit: I just realized I had replay gain on all my tracks but the gain wasn't being applied to playback and I couldn't understand why some songs were practically making my ears bleed compared to others.. Oops.

Edit edit: I don't know why, but having replay gain thrown into the mix, zero clipping and having to use a higher output gain on my amp/dac sounds SO much better. Maybe it's just past my bed time.

 

[Bansaku]

Edit edit: I don't know why, but having replay gain thrown into the mix, zero clipping and having to use a higher output gain on my amp/dac sounds SO much better. Maybe it's just past my bed time.

 
OMG, DUDE! If you can go back God knows how many pages ago, you will see me mention something similar. Instead of Replay Gain, I suggested using a Limiter to prevent clipping! It's not just you, nor is it past your bed time.
edit: If you don't use software that supports Replay Gain or VST/AU plug-ins, simply lowering the eq output gain level by 3dB it helps out quite a bit. iTunes's SoundCheck also helps.
 
For uncompressed to low/med compression, the HD598 sing! With movies and games they are IMO nearly untouchable in the entry level audiophile headphones category. Again, low dynamic compression/high dynamic range come into play. The problems (i.e. ear bleeding, especially Metal) seem much more prevalent with music that partake in the 'Loudness Wars'. For 'real music' 

 only seems to be the HD598's motto. That or crap in crap out.
 

 

 

[fallrsk]

Bansaku oh no no!!! Don't use a brickwall limiter, whatever you do! RG is simply a digital pre-amp, the limiter will crush the dynamics of loud music and the music won't sound any better, it will simply just not clip.

Limiters stop the dynamics of a song from proceeding beyond a certain dB, which is why the brickwall limiters used in most EDM sounds like utter crap. RG is the best option unless you want to individually pre-amp for every song, resulting in an uneven volume spread! Even the advanced limiter option still leaves a less desirable effect, seemingly just reducing the volume of the peaks which also stunts the dynamic (but less annoyingly?).

Try it out, you should definitely hear the difference.

 

[Bansaku]

@Bansaku oh no no!!! Don't use a brickwall limiter, whatever you do! RG is simply a digital pre-amp, the limiter will crush the dynamics of loud music and the music won't sound any better, it will simply just not clip.
 

 
It's not a brick wall limiter I use. I guess I should have mentioned what I use (at times), which is Fab-Filter's Pro-L (I know, it is a limiter...). Check it out here. The documentation mentions that it is great for pre-mastered music to help reduce clipping and improve the overall presentation of poorly mastered tracks.
 

 

 

[Hammy]

  So, here's a graph from sonarworks, including the eq curve to flatten the FR.
 
Not too sure if this is allowed to be post, but being they give anyone and everyone free access to the trial, I couldn't imagine this being an issue. If it is, I'll delete immediately. Anywho, notice the slightly sucked out mids and hyped treble again, yet it has an odd hump from 100-1k which I don't really hear (or it's just hidden well). There is a +-3dB accuracy though, so keep that in mind.

Here are some EQ files based on this chart (thanks fallrsk!).  Disclaimer being that it took me 5 minutes to make these, I used a lot of guesswork and estimation, and I have no clue what I'm doing.  The foobar2000 one is for use with the Graphic Equalizer plugin, and the Equalizer APO works system-wide.
 
foobar2000: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3fhrQO4W3Xea2JjTVRRV2o2V28/view?usp=sharing
Equalizer APO: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3fhrQO4W3XednpLVkVSLVphOXM/view?usp=sharing
 
Screenshots? Screenshots.
 

 

[derGabe]

Had them for 1 Day as i ordered them on BlackFriday. I'm usually pretty calm but this pair of Headphones freaked me out. I never had an Headphone with an build quality as bad as those 598's. And the comfort? What comfort? I seriously had headphones that cost half of those and they were better made and were more comfortable. Thank God that Amazon took them back. Are the 600's and 650's also build like that? 

 

[Tuneslover]

Had them for 1 Day as i ordered them on BlackFriday. I'm usually pretty calm but this pair of Headphones freaked me out. I never had an Headphone with an build quality as bad as those 598's. And the comfort? What comfort? I seriously had headphones that cost half of those and they were better made and were more comfortable. Thank God that Amazon took them back. Are the 600's and 650's also build like that? 

I hear ya! I was surprised by the "cheap" construction of the HD650's, not at all fitting for a headphone high up their hierarchy. I though, WOW not what I was expecting from a German product. My first serious headphone was the Chinese made HiFiMan HE500 and I was impressed by the serious tank-like build quality of these cans, however they were very heavy and not very comfortable. Once I became accustomed to the HD650's it became clear that the much lighter and much more comfortable HD650's were built and designed precisely that way. I can wear and enjoy them far longer than the HE500's.

As for the HD598SE's I actually laughed out loud when I took them out of the box and packaging. They felt like toy headphones by the ever cheaper construction. But once they reside on my head (and THAT IS what it's all about) their sound was super satisfying, at least to my ears. Comfort wise they don't clamp as intimately as my HD650's and they feel quite a bit different too but personally I find them very comfortable.

 

[LazyListener]

 
Here are some EQ files based on this chart (thanks fallrsk!).  Disclaimer being that it took me 5 minutes to make these, I used a lot of guesswork and estimation, and I have no clue what I'm doing.  The foobar2000 one is for use with the Graphic Equalizer plugin, and the Equalizer APO works system-wide.
 
foobar2000: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3fhrQO4W3Xea2JjTVRRV2o2V28/view?usp=sharing
Equalizer APO: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3fhrQO4W3XednpLVkVSLVphOXM/view?usp=sharing
 
Screenshots? Screenshots.
 

Thanks for posting this.  It reminded me that I had Equalizer APO and could do the same thing, so I did.  The equalization based off the sonar works graph definitely addresses the 2 major complaints I had about the 598SE:  somewhat weak, narrow bass and slightly edgy treble with some sibilance on some songs.  However, at the same time, the EQ does take some life out of the vocals.  Going back and forth between EQ on and off, I preferred the overall sound of the cans with no EQ.  I think my solution may be to dial in the bass as per sonar works, but I'll have to mess around with the treble to see if I can take the edge off a bit without sucking the life out of them.

 

[Clark James]

I just bought the 598's for myself in cream/brown, but I have experience with them already as my friend owns a set and i've compared them against my own headphones- in theory the 598's are now my end game, but we'll see
 
I have at the moment: AKG k701, my thoughts: weak bass, need an EQ boost, very wide sound stage but too wide, need to reign it in a bit, something sounds unnatural, too distant- initially I loved the soundstage but as time has gone on I find myself feeling too 'lost', I still like the extra width for just straight up music listening but if i'm working or need to concentrate I prefer something a little more 'headphone' like and not like head speakers
 
hd650, sound stage is about right, but maybe too closed, lacks a little sparkle, too clampy and heavy, build quality isn't great but my pair were bought used and they looked pretty beat up
 
hd598, has a wide sound stage, wider than 650, but more closed in than 701, has pizazz, but seems a little fake and aggressive compared to the super smooth 650, initially very exciting and gets my foot tapping more than the others, but I can tell it's more 'mid-fi' than Hi-fi, which is fine with me since I mainly use them for movies, games and listening to EDM and other none audiophile genres. Is also the lightest and most comfortable of the 3
 
I like the exciting sound signature of the 598, and occasionally I like the width of the 701's, not really sure what I like about the 650's, maybe nothing- so will sell 701 or just keep for gaming if the 598's aren't as good (the 701's are amazing for competitive gaming), 598 most exciting and also the cheapest- but I would happily consider throwing in some extra money for hd700's
 
also considered the akg k712
 
 
source is a teac ah-01 DAC/amp, and also a usb sound card that feeds a littledot tube amp (which really made a difference on the 701's in adding a touch of bass and rolling off the highs)

 

[richpjr]

  Had them for 1 Day as i ordered them on BlackFriday. I'm usually pretty calm but this pair of Headphones freaked me out. I never had an Headphone with an build quality as bad as those 598's. And the comfort? What comfort? I seriously had headphones that cost half of those and they were better made and were more comfortable. Thank God that Amazon took them back. Are the 600's and 650's also build like that? 

I also got a pair for Black Friday.  The build quality isn't up to the same standards as my 600s, but I didn't expect them to be and see nothing to freak out about.  They are comfortable and the soundstage is fantastic.  I am using them at work and am very happy with them.  Very good headphones for the money.

 

[amnesiac75]

Comfort is subjective I actually prefer the clamp of the hd600/650 over the auto adjust on the akg and Philips headphones they just feel loose like they are going to fall off my head the beyerdynamic dt880 premium also felt a little loose. The he 598s are a looser fit than the 600/650 but always feel secure.

 

[Tuneslover]

I now have about 140 hours of burn in on my HD598SE's that I purchased on Black Friday.  I have listened off and on throughout the burn in process and I believe that they have settled in pretty nicely now.  The treble's somewhat harsh sound has smoothed out but those upper frequencies are still pretty dominant (quite a difference from my HD650's).  The soundstage everyone raves about is indeed quite spectacular as I have double checked a few times that my speakers weren't actually playing along as well.  Regarding the bass, it is lighter than the the HD650's but with good source material I must say there is plenty of rich tight bass, certainly very satisfying.

I tried them with my FiiO X5ii (with and without E12a amp) and the 598SE's will not be dethroning my Beyerdynamic DT1350's much richer sound, especially the superb sub-bass they produce.  When engaging the FiiO's EQ I was able to squeeze out a bit more bottom end out the 598SE's but just not as satisfyingly as with the DT1350's.  When enagaing the bass boost on the E12a the bass became more to my liking.

Moving the 598SE's to my iMac/Schiit Modi/Schiit Magni 2Über setup, I immediately loved the way this headphone meshed with my desktop system.  Tremendous soundscape with all frequencies contributing in equal measure.  I can see the 598SE's permanently residing here.

I used my NAD C326BEE integrated amp headphone out to burn in the 598SE's and most of my sneak listening happened down there.  The source was from my TV's satellite receiver tuned to Stingray Music's "Jazz Now" station (I'm from Canada).  I love this station because the dynmaics are really good and makes the jazz really sound alive.  The 598SE's sounded perfect with really nice deep, tight bass and of course that awesome soundscape.  I listened to some vinyl (Rush's Moving Pictures) and again I was very impressed but the bass wasn't quite as dynamic as I heard on the Jazz Now station.  I also listened to Joe Satriani's latest CD, Supernova and had no complaints but again the bass didn't punch quite as deep as that "Jazz Now" station.  The nice thing with the NAD C326BEE is that it has tone controls so I was able to tick up the bass a few notches until I got a satisying level of bass.  The 598SE's will also be spending a fair amount of time down there.

I saved the best audition and comparison for last, namely on my main system (DAC - Bifrost Über > Headphone Amp - Lake People G109S) where my HD650's and HE500's pretty much permanently reside.  The 598SE's certainly made themselves at home on this system but due to their efficiency I had to dial down the volume on the G109S quite a bit when volume matching with the other 2 phones.  Again the soundscape was massive and the details were almost overwhelming, at least compared to what I was used to hearing with the HD650 and HE500.  When comparing to the HD650 the soundstage was smaller and details almost seemed "veiled" (OMG! I said it).  I had to listen to the HD650's for quite a while until my brain reverted back to that familiar smooth and delightful warm signature.  The bass on the HD650's was quite a bit more substantial.  The HD650's just sounded more refined and able to suck up the quality amping that the G109S fed it.  Interestingly enough the HD598SE's sound signature was much more reminiscent of the HE500's, both with a wide soundscape and plenty ambience.  Again the G109S just brought out the full potential of the HE500's.  Bottom line, the HD598SE's sounded very good on my main rig but I found them to be just a bit too brash unless I dialed the volume way down.  Quite the opposite with the HD650's and HE500's which sing more and more gloriously as you turn up the volume.

In summary, the HD598's are unlike what I expected in sound from a Sennheiser headphone.  Certainly no hint of veil, there's a massive soundstage, lots of clear detail (perhaps a bit too much treble energy) and especially with good source material has very good bass.  Man for $125 Canadian (which includes tax) these headphones were a steal!

Well I now have 200 hrs burn-in and will enjoy a brief listen (Stingray Music - Jazz Now) before packing them back up as they are a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law.

 

[vonseux]

Well I now have 200 hrs burn-in and will enjoy a brief listen (Stingray Music - Jazz Now) before packing them back up as they are a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law.

200 hours? really man?
stop this, its nonsense

 

[SirMarc]

200 hours? really man?
stop this, its nonsense

Sorry man, but I noticed a a pretty solid difference between when I took them out of the box and 75 or so hours.

 

[LazyListener]

Has there ever been a blind study done comparing brand new phones with burned-in phones?  Has anyone ever bought 2 pairs of the same headphone on the same day, let one burn in without listening to either, and then had someone blindfold them and listen to both back to back, actually heard a difference, and was consistently able to guess which pair was burned in and which wasn't?
 
Have mass studies like this been done where several listeners could judge the same headphones?  Have any readers out there done this invividually?