So, I've auditioned them long enough and decided these are not for me. I got the Fiio E07K and I can tell no difference whatsoever either, in bass response or anything else, even when connecting to my phone, other than the fact I can increase the volume so much I could probably explode them if I increased it to the max. The sound is too distant and kinda veiled, I really don't like this kind of sound. If these are completely neutral and flat, after experimenting a lot with EQ I prefer a sound with emphasized highs and forward mids, and normal or very slightly emphasized bass response (as these are bass light and unable to reproduce a deceng low bass). I assume this kind of sonud that I like is v shaped without bloated bass.
I find these headphones VERY fatiguing because to get a more forward sound experience I raise the volume a lot. At my usual volume levels the mids and highs are too veiled and completely boring to me. The little Monk just sounds more pleasant because of its clarity and forward mids & highs. But now that I got used to the soundstage and superior 3D sound of the 598, the Monk seems a bit lacking in those aspects. So I'm going to need headphones that are basically the Monk blown up to full size. Can you recommend me something or should I start a thread?
Speaking of the E07K, it has the same sound as my phone or on board soundcard (which is the Realtek Alc 898). I assume my source are already of a good quality that does not benefit from an external DAC (my phone also supports USB dacs and there's no difference that I can hear other than the volume). Or that the 598 aren't good enough to notice any difference unless the source is extremely bad (such as my PC front panel audio). I also can't hear any difference between the long cable and the short cable on the 598, or between different usb cables going to the E07K.
