[LazyListener]

Has Sennheiser released a statement in response to claims that Ivory and SE sound different?
I can't imagine that they would intentionally make them sound different without marketing them as "new & improved".
Has anyone opened them up for a side by side comparison?
I've had mine for 4 years and I love them.

It's not just Ivory vs SE sounding different.  Some have posted that 2 pairs of new SEs sound different.  This leads me to believe that it's probably unintended variations in manufacturing and not a design change.  If that's the case then that is poor manufacturing and/or quality control.
 
I have not seen a response from Sennheiser regarding the differences in sound we're hearing.  I've only seen some early posts from head-fiers who have emailed Senn asking about any differences between the Ivory and SE versions.  Their response was that they are identical except for the color and the addition of a short cable with the SE version.  If they are indeed identical from a design perspective and if manufacturing is properly controlled, then they should sound pretty much identical, but they don't.  So something's up.
 
I doubt Sennheiser is going to do much about this at this point.  Reason being that the vast majority of their customers will never compare 2 sets back to back.  Customers will be either happy with the set they get or they won't.  Now, if they start getting an unusually high return rate on this model, higher than what they've experienced in the past, then they may start to look into it.  However, until that happens, I don't think they'll investigate.  They'll assume people are happy with their purchases, regardless of any variations in manufacturing and/or sound quality that may exist.
 
I no longer have my SEs to compare but no, I didn't open mine up.

 

[Hammy]

 
It's not just Ivory vs SE sounding different.  Some have posted that 2 pairs of new SEs sound different.  This leads me to believe that it's probably unintended variations in manufacturing and not a design change.  If that's the case then that is poor manufacturing and/or quality control.
 
I have not seen a response from Sennheiser regarding the differences in sound we're hearing.  I've only seen some early posts from head-fiers who have emailed Senn asking about any differences between the Ivory and SE versions.  Their response was that they are identical except for the color and the addition of a short cable with the SE version.  If they are indeed identical from a design perspective and if manufacturing is properly controlled, then they should sound pretty much identical, but they don't.  So something's up.
 
I doubt Sennheiser is going to do much about this at this point.  Reason being that the vast majority of their customers will never compare 2 sets back to back.  Customers will be either happy with the set they get or they won't.  Now, if they start getting an unusually high return rate on this model, higher than what they've experienced in the past, then they may start to look into it.  However, until that happens, I don't think they'll investigate.  They'll assume people are happy with their purchases, regardless of any variations in manufacturing and/or sound quality that may exist.
 
I no longer have my SEs to compare but no, I didn't open mine up.

 
I believe you heard differences in the two sets of headphones you had/have.  I recently had three pairs of Fidelio X2s on my desk, and one of them sounded VERY different to the other two so I know where you're coming from.
 
To play devil's advocate though, you can read any large thread on this forum and find people who have heard two sets of the 'same' headphone and think they sounded different.  I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying a couple reports does not necessarily indicate large variation in quality control.

 

[Arsis]

I believe you heard differences in the two sets of headphones you had/have.  I recently had three pairs of Fidelio X2s on my desk, and one of them sounded VERY different to the other two so I know where you're coming from.

To play devil's advocate though, you can read any large thread on this forum and find people who have heard two sets of the 'same' headphone and think they sounded different.  I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying a couple reports does not necessarily indicate large variation in quality control.

Yea, it probably due, to a degree at least, to hype. Or in this case anti-hype.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Yea, it probably due, to a degree at least, to hype. Or in this case anti-hype.

I agree. You think something is going to be bad, good, or different so your mind tricks you into thinking it is. Placebo effect is extremely strong with audio. Why do you think people buy $15,000 cables made of pure silver for a stereo system? Pure Placebo.

 

[LazyListener]

To those saying it's placebo or peer review influence, I agree those things do exist.  However, in my case, the sonic differences between the Ivory 598 and 598SE I had were too great to be attributable to anything other than the cans themselves.  I can't speak for others that have commented that their pairs also sounded different, but knowing my 2 sets of cans performed differently, personally leads me to believe that I wasn't the only one who received a different sounding pair.  These are made in batches, and I'm sure others who have had a chance to compare have also heard actual differences, and it wasn't placebo.
 
For all we know, there may be several or even dozens of batches of thousands of 598s out there that all sound different between batches.  It's just that not many people will ever hear 2 sets back to back, so we'll never have a flood of reports.  Just because there have only been a handful of reports so far recently with the 598SE does not mean that this is an isolated issue.  The variations in manufacturing may be all over the place causing a whole bunch to sound different, but because 99% of 598 owners will never hear another pair back to back, that is why we don't have a huge number of people reporting sound differences between pairs.
 
I returned my first pair of Ivory 598, which I loved the sound of in every way, because the SE came out.  I had to return it before the SE arrived due to return window expiring.  Right away when I heard the SE, even from memory, I knew something was off, that it didn't sound the same.  I didn't like the sound of the SE much at all.  To prove to myself I wasn't crazy and it wasn't just in my head, I ordered another pair of Ivory 598 to compare.  Even before comparing, I listened to the new Ivory 598 first, and the sound I loved was there again:  warm, bassy, smooth, spacious.  All things I couldn't say about the SE.  The SE sounded bright, thin, slightly harsh, and more closed in by comparison.
 
Placebo?  Yeah it exists, but so do variations in manufacturing, and even unpublicized design changes, so let's not discount what people are hearing so quickly.

 

[gr8soundz]

 
It's not just Ivory vs SE sounding different.  Some have posted that 2 pairs of new SEs sound different.  This leads me to believe that it's probably unintended variations in manufacturing and not a design change.  If that's the case then that is poor manufacturing and/or quality control.
 
I have not seen a response from Sennheiser regarding the differences in sound we're hearing.  I've only seen some early posts from head-fiers who have emailed Senn asking about any differences between the Ivory and SE versions.  Their response was that they are identical except for the color and the addition of a short cable with the SE version.  If they are indeed identical from a design perspective and if manufacturing is properly controlled, then they should sound pretty much identical, but they don't.  So something's up.
 
I doubt Sennheiser is going to do much about this at this point.  Reason being that the vast majority of their customers will never compare 2 sets back to back.  Customers will be either happy with the set they get or they won't.  Now, if they start getting an unusually high return rate on this model, higher than what they've experienced in the past, then they may start to look into it.  However, until that happens, I don't think they'll investigate.  They'll assume people are happy with their purchases, regardless of any variations in manufacturing and/or sound quality that may exist.
 
I no longer have my SEs to compare but no, I didn't open mine up.

 
I agree, Sennheiser won't do much about it. They will deny or ignore it similar to how they handled issues many of us had with the Momentum 2.0 Wireless (went through 3 pairs before giving up but people are still having connectivity issues).
 
My guess is the 598SE is cheaper and easier to manufacture. The change in materials (even due to color; no faux-wood plastics on the SE) may be affecting the sound signature. But since the original is still available, they could use that to justify any differences beyond cosmetic.
 
I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the shorter cable packaged with the SE though.

 

[Letmebefrank]

I just don't see how 2 headphones with the same driver, same housing shape, and same batting design could sound as radically different as you are saying. You could be describing two completely different headphone designs. I can see there being a very slight difference between batches due to inaccurate driver placement but it seems to me like you got a lemon SE.

 

[gr8soundz]

Haven't heard the SE but, since several people are hearing a difference, burn-in alone can't account for it. ANY change in materials can change the sound as seen in many mod threads.
 
I bet Sennheiser was well aware of this which is why they branded the headphones a Special Edition and game them a lower MSRP. Otherwise, why not market them as just the HD598, now available in black?
 

 

[thelonious58]

Haven't heard the SE but, since several people are hearing a difference, burn-in alone can't account for it. ANY change in materials can change the sound as seen in many mod threads.

I bet Sennheiser was well aware of this which is why they branded the headphones a Special Edition and game them a lower MSRP. Otherwise, why not market them as just the HD598, now available in black?
Quite possible. If that's the case, it was a very cynical move on the part of Sennheiser
 

 

[VeggiePopper]

As it turns out, the only Sennheiser store in my country is just a few blocks away from my work; and they do have a pair of ivory 598's to test . So, to put an end to this dilemma (at least for me), yesterday I took my 598 SE to work and in my lunch break visited the store to make a comparison myself.

Guess what? Both the standard 598 and my SE sounded just the same! I plugged them both to my smartphone and played the same songs a couple of time to make sure there was no mistake. Even the store manager looked at me quite awkwardly (well, I was listening to two sets of the same model, so I think it was comprehensible to a point). I explaned to her that I wanted to know if there was any difference between the two versions; she said the same thing every Sennheiser rep has repeated so far: that they're the exact same model, just with a different color, she even joked at me: "Do you think your red Ferrari would run faster if you give it a black paintjob? Exactly!". I said to her that I remember that the HD 600's driver was updated at some point and thus, a new 600 would not sound the same as a first batch set, so I was wondering if Sennheiser decided to update the divers like they did with the 600's; she replied that as far as she knew, that was not the case.

Sure, that was merely the word of a foreign low-tier employee, not an official Sennheiser executive's statement, but still.

 

[VeggiePopper]

 
I agree, Sennheiser won't do much about it. They will deny or ignore it similar to how they handled issues many of us had with the Momentum 2.0 Wireless (went through 3 pairs before giving up but people are still having connectivity issues).
 
My guess is the 598SE is cheaper and easier to manufacture. The change in materials (even due to color; no faux-wood plastics on the SE) may be affecting the sound signature. But since the original is still available, they could use that to justify any differences beyond cosmetic.
 
I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the shorter cable packaged with the SE though.

 


Yesterday I did a side by side hands on comparison, and both sets are made of the same materials; the so-called "burlwood accents" are just painted plastic, not real wood. It's the exact same glossy plastic that the SE have. They felt the same in my hands and have the same shiny texture. Therefore, there's no difference in their construction - it's even the same type of paint (again: both are glossy paint), just a different color. No such change of materials. A different color of painting will not change the sound of a headphone, it makes no sense.

ALTHOUGH!! There is one difference that I did notice: the screws that join the earcup to the heaband on the standard edition are made of metal, whereas the ones on my SE are made of plastic. But other than that, there is no discernable difference, and I highly doubt four screws IN THE EXTERIOR could ever change the sound of a headphone so much (also, as I said on my previous post,. I didn't even distinguish any actual difference).

Thus, my conclusion is that LazyListener must have gotten a bad/defective SE: notice how s/he only tried one set of SE's, whereas he listened to two pair of ivories; I bet if he had requested a replacement for his SE's instead of going for a refund, he would have gotten a good one with the same signature as the standard ones. Not to mention that s/he admitted that even the two ivory sets sounded slighlty different from each other, proving that the differences come from manufacturing and not from the models.

 

[Hammy]

As it turns out, the only Sennheiser store in my country is just a few blocks away from my work; and they do have a pair of ivory 598's to test . So, to put an end to this dilemma (at least for me), yesterday I took my 598 SE to work and in my lunch break visited the store to make a comparison myself.

Guess what? Both the standard 598 and my SE sounded just the same! I plugged them both to my smartphone and played the same songs a couple of time to make sure there was no mistake. Even the store manager looked at me quite awkwardly (well, I was listening to two sets of the same model, so I think it was comprehensible to a point). I explaned to her that I wanted to know if there was any difference between the two versions; she said the same thing every Sennheiser rep has repeated so far: that they're the exact same model, just with a different color, she even joked at me: "Do you think your red Ferrari would run faster if you give it a black paintjob? Exactly!". I said to her that I remember that the HD 600's driver was updated at some point and thus, a new 600 would not sound the same as a first batch set, so I was wondering if Sennheiser decided to update the divers like they did with the 600's; she replied that as far as she knew, that was not the case.

Sure, that was merely the word of a foreign low-tier employee, not an official Sennheiser executive's statement, but still.

 
Love the way you write and the level-headed approach you take.
 
Decided to listen to my HD598 tonight for the first time in a few weeks.  There is really nothing about the X2s that I miss about them when I listen to these, apart from how deep the bass goes.  I am in the minority here, but I find the X2s uncomfortable and the HD598 heavenly.  Listened to the live version of Hotel California on Spotify Premium and realized just how good the HD598 are at letting you experience the music.  I felt like I was in the crowd with these, which is a feeling I just don't get with the X2s.  They sound a lot more open and I stick by my impression that the soundstage is larger on the Senns, in comparison.  Vocals are also presented very, very nicely.
 
Just a few ramblings.  You should go back to the shop on Monday and listen to the HD700 and give us your impresssions. 

 

[mahajanrahul]

LOL....Initially when i bought the fidelio x2, the whole thread was filled with people claiming sound difference between woox and gibson model though that proved to be wrong....and now i am about to buy hd 598, people are claiming difference in sound quality of black and ivory model.....

 

[Hammy]

LOL....Initially when i bought the fidelio x2, the whole thread was filled with people claiming sound difference between woox and gibson model though that proved to be wrong....and now i am about to buy hd 598, people are claiming difference in sound quality of black and ivory model.....

It was not proven to be wrong at all. I know from first hand experience that there were different sounding samples produced by Gibson. I never claimed it was widespread, though.

Sorry for O/T.

 

[mahajanrahul]

It was not proven to be wrong at all. I know from first hand experience that there were different sounding samples produced by Gibson. I never claimed it was widespread, though.

Sorry for O/T.

Hmmm...i thought people stopped talking after philips statement.....z reviews also did gibson model review on youtube in which he claimed that they were identical.....though some might have received bad pair....i got lucky for first time but now i am not sure whether i should pull trigger on 598's...