[Thekarma]

Some people say they have more bass.... they are a lot warmer than my 595's

 

[Letmebefrank]

  ok but if SE and ivory are the same, how is possible SE have less bass ?

He has a defective unit, but compares them like they are supposed to sound that way. They are supposed to sound similar so the only reason they wouldn't is if they were defective.

 

[LazyListener]

  WHAT ?
598 classic and 598SE are different produtcs with different sound ???? 

 
 
SE is the black version right ?

Not quite.  According to Sennheiser, supposedly identical products except for color, but yes, my 2 pairs sounded quite different.  Others here have also mentioned their 2 Ivory and SE pairs sounding different.  I think the differences I heard between my Ivory and SE are due to some unintended variations in manufacturing.  Yes, SE is the black one.

 

[LazyListener]

They're not, but because of some QC/manufacturing issues, there have been some defective SE (yes, they are the black ones) sets.

I wouldn't say they sounded defective, just different and poorer quality sound than the Ivory.

 

[LazyListener]

  ok but if SE and ivory are the same, how is possible SE have less bass ?

It's likely that no 2 pairs are EXACTLY the same.  Manufacturing tolerances have a plus or minus on just about every possible measurement and characteristic.  One pair may be on the low end of a specific measurement, while another pair is on the high end.  That difference may have an impact on the sound we hear.  I'm sure most headphone manufacturers have a target frequency response curve for each model.  However, in the real world of manufacturing, it's virtually impossible for each headphone made to nail this target curve dead on.  So there is probably a tolerance of plus or minus 1.5 or 3 decibels at any specific frequency across the audible spectrum.  So, for example, at 100 Hz, there could be as much as a 3 or even 6 decibel (depending on the tolerance) difference in this very audible bass frequency between 2 pairs of the same model headphone.  That's a VERY audible difference.  The tighter the tolerances, the more expensive it typically is to manufacture.

 

[LazyListener]

  He has a defective unit, but compares them like they are supposed to sound that way. They are supposed to sound similar so the only reason they wouldn't is if they were defective.

Fair enough, but listening to the SE on its own, nothing about it sounded "defective" just different at moderate volume and poorer quality sound at higher volume.  At higher volume, the SE started to sound blaring and shouty, whereas the Ivory sounded silky smooth.  Could just be the warm vs bright difference between the 2 becoming more apparent at higher volume.
 
Now if by "defective" you mean that the SE was OUTSIDE its manufacturing tolerances, then yes, technically that would be considered defective.  The SE could have been within manufacturing tolerances and still sounded that way.  No way for us to know.

 

[Letmebefrank]

I went to the best buy magnolia by my apartment today and they have the Ivory 598. I asked if I could plug them directly into my phone and the guy obliged me. I brought my SE with me to do an a-b comparison. I wanted to have my own experience with both so I can say with confidence one way or another if they were different or the same. After listening to several songs which I know extremely well I have come to the conclusion that, to my ears, they sound the same.

 

[Thekarma]

I went to the best buy magnolia by my apartment today and they have the Ivory 598s,i asked if I could plug them directly into my phone and the guy obliged me. I brought my SE with me to do an a-b comparison. I wanted to have my own experience with both so I can say with confidence one way or another if they were different or the same. After listening to several songs which I know extremely well I have come to the conclusion that, to my ears, they sound the same.

 
Awesome! Just out of interest how long have you had your 598/ how many hours on them?

 

[Letmebefrank]

Awesome! Just out of interest how long have you had your 598/ how many hours on them?

My 598SE probably have 250-300 hours on them, the best buy 598s probably have thousands.

 

[LazyListener]

I went to the best buy magnolia by my apartment today and they have the Ivory 598. I asked if I could plug them directly into my phone and the guy obliged me. I brought my SE with me to do an a-b comparison. I wanted to have my own experience with both so I can say with confidence one way or another if they were different or the same. After listening to several songs which I know extremely well I have come to the conclusion that, to my ears, they sound the same.

I was in my local best buy a couple weeks ago checking out cans, and didn't notice any Sennheisers or any other premium brands like AKG or Beyerdynamic.  Then, again, the one I went to didn't appear to have a Magnolia section.
 
At your best buy, were the 598s on display with all the other mainstream cans, or were they on display in the Magnolia section?  Did you see any other premium brands on display?
 
Reason I ask is if BB Magnolia has premium HPs on display, then I need to find a local BB with Magnolia, and go check it out.

 

[Selbi]

Hey guys, quick question,
 
I got the Sennheiser HD 518. Very old but still working and don't seem to make the impression they will go defunct anytime soon. Still, I was considering ditching them for the HD 598SE. Is it worth it or should I wait till my current ones break? From what I can read here, they aren't too different.

 

[LazyListener]

  Hey guys, quick question,
 
I got the Sennheiser HD 518. Very old but still working and don't seem to make the impression they will go defunct anytime soon. Still, I was considering ditching them for the HD 598SE. Is it worth it or should I wait till my current ones break? From what I can read here, they aren't too different.

Hello relatively new, fellow head-fier!  I cannot comment on the differences between 518 and 598, as I never heard the 518s.  The best advice I can give you is that only you can determine if they're worth the upgrade and only after listening to them yourself with your own gear and own music.  These forums are a great resource for mostly personal opinions.  Sometimes, a general consensus is reached on the overall sound signature of a headphone or how one compares with another.  However, the only way to know if you'll like a particular can and think it's "worth it" is to listen to it yourself.
 
Welcome to the head-fi forums and good luck!

 

[Hammy]

  Hey guys, quick question,
 
I got the Sennheiser HD 518. Very old but still working and don't seem to make the impression they will go defunct anytime soon. Still, I was considering ditching them for the HD 598SE. Is it worth it or should I wait till my current ones break? From what I can read here, they aren't too different.

 
I'd never advise anyone against buying the HD598, but I believe they share the same drivers as the HD518.  Have you ever tried modding your HD518?  Those grills look quite restrictive.
 
Could be useful.

 

[Selbi]

Wow, those were some dang fast replies. Thanks, you two!
 
Quote:

 
Hello relatively new, fellow head-fier!  I cannot comment on the differences between 518 and 598, as I never heard the 518s.  The best advice I can give you is that only you can determine if they're worth the upgrade and only after listening to them yourself with your own gear and own music.  These forums are a great resource for mostly personal opinions.  Sometimes, a general consensus is reached on the overall sound signature of a headphone or how one compares with another.  However, the only way to know if you'll like a particular can and think it's "worth it" is to listen to it yourself.
 
Welcome to the head-fi forums and good luck!

 
I've actually had the chance to listen to a variety of Sennheiser headphones at my local media store. The unfortunate part is that many of the display models come with the obvious problems of being that. For example, I've tried the HD 600 there and they sound and look absolutely horrible, but I've got no idea how much of that is due to it not being new. I wish I new a dedicated place for headphones around here, but all I can think of is a particular HiFi store, the kind of place where anything below 400 bucks will get you The Stare. I will keep browsing around this place though!
 
The 518, 558, and 598 all sound increasingly better from what little I could tell in the store. By just how much though, I can't tell within the few minutes of testing I can do in that local environment, plus the fact that I can only use the propietary sample music tests provided there or my phone, which obviously doesn't come close to anywhere I'm using these most of the time (my computer).
 

   
I'd never advise anyone against buying the HD598, but I believe they share the same drivers as the HD518.  Have you ever tried modding your HD518?  Those grills look quite restrictive.
 
Could be useful.

 
Wow, I had no idea the grills on my 518 had any negative effect. In fact, I purposefully decided against the 558 when I first had the choice, just because I disliked that nylon stuff on the outside (which also why I was going to directly jump to the 598, because they feature a solid outside again). I'm gonna look into this mod. Though I've got no idea how to open my cups, and all I can find are guides on how to do it with the 558. Is it the same for mine?

 

[Hammy]

   
Wow, I had no idea the grills on my 518 had any negative effect. In fact, I purposefully decided against the 558 when I first had the choice, just because I disliked that nylon stuff on the outside (which also why I was going to directly jump to the 598, because they feature a solid outside again). I'm gonna look into this mod. Though I've got no idea how to open my cups, and all I can find are guides on how to do it with the 558. Is it the same for mine?

 
Wish I could tell you.  This chap did a tear down of the HD518 and I believe that's why everyone states the drivers are the same.  You really can't go wrong with the 598, but if you're thinking about upgrading then it may be worthwhile tinkering a little bit with your 518 first. 

 
 
BTW.. A lot of people will tell you headphones sound worse when they're new and that they improve with time, so following that theory shop display models should sound better!  What device did you use to listen with?  Most likely the HD600 sounded poor because it has a high impedance and wasn't being amped properly, or you just didn't like it.