[pranavtripathi]

Personally I won't trust an ebay open box. Better wait for an Amazon deal or save some more You don't buy headphones every day. Especially if it is your first purchase of a "better" headphone and they will be your main unit, nothing can beat the satisfaction of opening a brand new box

True! I have been using AKG K240 MKll headphones and they are open design too. What I'm lacking is a signature where vocals with percussions are easy to listen to. Such in the case of Steven Wilson's work with Gavin Harrison. Do the 598SR offer a good and musical representation of the coherent song? Have good recordings and a capable DAP, iBasso DX80 and a DAC too if need arises. So power should be plenty for them. But I see that AKG is a surgically precise headphone which I can use when mixing but now I'm looking for a can to enjoy the music.
Would you recommend the HD599 as well for above genres?

 

[KopaneDePooj]

True! I have been using AKG K240 MKll headphones and they are open design too. What I'm lacking is a signature where vocals with percussions are easy to listen to. Such in the case of Steven Wilson's work with Gavin Harrison. Do the 598SR offer a good and musical representation of the coherent song? Have good recordings and a capable DAP, iBasso DX80 and a DAC too if need arises. So power should be plenty for them. But I see that AKG is a surgically precise headphone which I can use when mixing but now I'm looking for a can to enjoy the music.
Would you recommend the HD599 as well for above genres?

Bearing in mind that sound is highly subjective, yes I listen to Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree, prog rock in general, and I enjoy it very much with the HD 598, so I recommend them. They have just the right amount of detail and excitement for that music and never cross the border into being fatiguing. SW music is very well mastered, so it is a delight to listen to it on the HD 598.

 

[pranavtripathi]

Bearing in mind that sound is highly subjective, yes I listen to Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree, prog rock in general, and I enjoy it very much with the HD 598, so I recommend them. They have just the right amount of detail and excitement for that music and never cross the border into being fatiguing. SW music is very well mastered, so it is a delight to listen to it on the HD 598.

Thank you! I shall be on the lookout for the HD 598 and the HD 599 as well.

 

[LazyListener]

Hello everyone!
I've been looking for a pair of comfortable over the ear cans that have a fatigue free sound signature. Will be using them at home and I listen to mostly Progressive, Classic Rock, a bit of EDM as well.
Would the HD 598 be suited to my needs? Any other options in the same price range that could be better for smooth listening sessions?
I'm not a basshead and love the cymbal crashes from Gavin Harrison(member of the bands Porcupine Tree and King Crimson)

Any suggestions or impressions would be of great help since I can't decide between the open back and closed back version of these cans. Please help!!

As others have already suggested, in your case, I'd stick with the open back 598s for a fatigue-free sound and broader soundstage. They're also more comfortable for long sessions, as they won't allow your ears to heat up as much as the closed back 598 Cs, which I personally found a bit fatiguing with some songs due to their mid-forward sound signature. I've not heard the 599s, so can't comment on them. But I've tried a handful of other popular open back cans at and over the 598s price, and the 598s had the smoothest, most fatigue-free sound, IMO, while still presenting plenty of detail. Next step up IMO would be HD 650, but strangely, I found their mids ever-so-slightly "bright" on some songs. Not so with 598s.

Also, keep in mind, that while the vast majority of 598 owners have not had issues and most agree they provide a smooth, fatigue-free sound, there have been some reports of some 598s sounding thin, bright, and even fatiguing. This is likely due to variations in manufacturing, and is probably rare. I had a 598 SE, brand new, authentic, that sounded pretty crappy. So if you get one, and it doesn't sound quite right, try again. Hopefully, and most likely, you'll get a good pair.

 

[dakanao]

I'll look into them then!
Do you think detailing and transparency would be the same on both the models?
Since most people say that HD598 is a technically higher model than HD579

The newer HD 579 is said to be a bit more refined overall than the HD 598, which can certainly contribute to the smoother impressions they get.

 

[LazyListener]

The newer HD 579 is said to be a bit more refined overall than the HD 598, which can certainly contribute to the smoother impressions they get.

The 579 are part of the new line which includes the 599. I'm not sure in what ways the 579 is more refined than the 598. I can only say that both the 598 and 599 have a broader frequency response and lower measured THD than the 579, and the 598 has higher sensitivity/SPL than both 579 and 599. Just going by the specs alone, it would seem the 598/599 are of a higher caliber. Whether or not that translates to an audible difference, I'm not sure.

I have read posts by head-fiers that have owned both low and high end models from the same line of 5xx sennheisers. The basic impression I got was that the lower models had more bass and the higher models had more clarity, soundstage, and less grain (I consider less grain to be a significant factor to a more "refined" sound).

 

[rpger9756]

True! I have been using AKG K240 MKll headphones and they are open design too. What I'm lacking is a signature where vocals with percussions are easy to listen to. Such in the case of Steven Wilson's work with Gavin Harrison. Do the 598SR offer a good and musical representation of the coherent song? Have good recordings and a capable DAP, iBasso DX80 and a DAC too if need arises. So power should be plenty for them. But I see that AKG is a surgically precise headphone which I can use when mixing but now I'm looking for a can to enjoy the music.
Would you recommend the HD599 as well for above genres?

Wouldn't use the 598 for any sort of mixing. They are very much a "musical" headphone. If you want a phone that mixes well, they have the HD280 Pro. Sennheiser only really has 5-6 different drivers they use, the difference in their vast number-soup of models is all baffling. Indeed, the HD518/558 both use the same driver as the 598. The differences in their sound comes from enclosure. The 598SR uses a different driver than the standard 598 series. I know nothing of the 579/599 line, sadly, so defer to others for advisement in relation to them.
The OG 598 was design as a "more forgiving" version of the HD6x0 series with a low impedance. It's received a ton of love because it was a very precise and enjoyable headset, but has a more rolled-off treble and over-boosted mid/bass to compensate for the "sterile" nature of the FET amplifiers found in integrated audio components on things like laptops, phones, and DAPs, unlike the HD6x0 series at 250ohms, which was intended to be pushed through an (often tube-based) discrete amplifier.
The 598's party piece, it's crystal-clear open baffles, are what give it an absolutely huge sound-stage. The ear pads are plush and the set is light as a feather. I used my set for 3 years as my workplace cans and I could wear them 8hrs+ without the slightest listening or wearing fatigue. I have since transformed them into a set of full-on listening cans with a recable mod i'm very proud of, and they sound delicious when powered by an extremely high-resolution DAC/Amp and DSD source material.
Several people have also mentioned EQing the headphones, and there is a thread somewhere on this forum that has optimized settings to flatten out the SPL curve. I have also not tried this, but the drivers are somewhat "slow" comparatively speaking, so attempting to make them more revealing in this sense may ruin their distinct sound signature with not much else to show for it, but again, I haven't done listening with this mod, so YMMV.

 

[rpger9756]

As others have already suggested, in your case, I'd stick with the open back 598s for a fatigue-free sound and broader soundstage. They're also more comfortable for long sessions, as they won't allow your ears to heat up as much as the closed back 598 Cs, which I personally found a bit fatiguing with some songs due to their mid-forward sound signature. I've not heard the 599s, so can't comment on them. But I've tried a handful of other popular open back cans at and over the 598s price, and the 598s had the smoothest, most fatigue-free sound, IMO, while still presenting plenty of detail. Next step up IMO would be HD 650, but strangely, I found their mids ever-so-slightly "bright" on some songs. Not so with 598s.

Also, keep in mind, that while the vast majority of 598 owners have not had issues and most agree they provide a smooth, fatigue-free sound, there have been some reports of some 598s sounding thin, bright, and even fatiguing. This is likely due to variations in manufacturing, and is probably rare. I had a 598 SE, brand new, authentic, that sounded pretty crappy. So if you get one, and it doesn't sound quite right, try again. Hopefully, and most likely, you'll get a good pair.

The 598 SE uses a different driver and baffle than the 598, but has the same enclosure, which might be why it sounds similar, but not identical.

 

[pranavtripathi]

Guys, thank you so much for helping me out!
I'm currently waiting for the Amazon US Prime day on 16th and if the HD 598 is on a deal I'll pick them up.
Otherwise I have the option of HD 579 since that would be within my budget. What do you guys think about HD 579? Will I be losing out on a lot of sound quality if I pick them out or I should be fine for just enjoying music? Please suggest!
Massdrop has currently the Hifiman HE4XX on the drop so if any of you guys that have it could draw comparisons? It'd be really helpful to me!
I have almost decided on Sennheiser HD series since it offers a sound signature that will let you enjoy music peacefully with a relaxed sound signature.

 

[rpger9756]

Guys, thank you so much for helping me out!
I'm currently waiting for the Amazon US Prime day on 16th and if the HD 598 is on a deal I'll pick them up.
Otherwise I have the option of HD 579 since that would be within my budget. What do you guys think about HD 579? Will I be losing out on a lot of sound quality if I pick them out or I should be fine for just enjoying music? Please suggest!
Massdrop has currently the Hifiman HE4XX on the drop so if any of you guys that have it could draw comparisons? It'd be really helpful to me!
I have almost decided on Sennheiser HD series since it offers a sound signature that will let you enjoy music peacefully with a relaxed sound signature.

The 4xx are probably the 400i. They are a "fast" headphone because of the planar magnetic driver. They will have a flat, tuned response curve with a somewhat bright and tight signature. Pair well with tubes, but a bit unforgiving with FETs.

 

[pranavtripathi]

The 4xx are probably the 400i. They are a "fast" headphone because of the planar magnetic driver. They will have a flat, tuned response curve with a somewhat bright and tight signature. Pair well with tubes, but a bit unforgiving with FETs.

Hello! Thank you for clarifying!
I have pair of AKG K240 MKll for very accurate response when the need arises. I'm mostly looking at a pair of comfortable headphones which provide musicality so that I can enjoy the music. I use iBasso DX80 to drive my music mostly. I have used them on a Sennheiser HD660s in a Best Buy store so I thought it should be able to drive the HE4XX as well. Maybe not to its full potential? I don't have tube amplifiers to pair them with though.
Hence Sennheiser seems to offer a pair of headphones for home use that can offer very good detailing whilst retaining musicality. So just trying to understand which HD series model can be the right one for me.

 

[Tuneslover]

Guys, thank you so much for helping me out!
I'm currently waiting for the Amazon US Prime day on 16th and if the HD 598 is on a deal I'll pick them up.
Otherwise I have the option of HD 579 since that would be within my budget. What do you guys think about HD 579? Will I be losing out on a lot of sound quality if I pick them out or I should be fine for just enjoying music? Please suggest!
Massdrop has currently the Hifiman HE4XX on the drop so if any of you guys that have it could draw comparisons? It'd be really helpful to me!
I have almost decided on Sennheiser HD series since it offers a sound signature that will let you enjoy music peacefully with a relaxed sound signature.

If you aren't in any particular hurry I would urge you to wait and see if there is another Massdrop HD58X drop. I own the HD650 (with Dekoni pads) and the HD6XX (with stock pads) and received the HD58X earlier this week. The HD58X is in the same league (and in some ways BETTER) than those other 2 headphones. The best part is that they only cost $150. Keep an eye open the For Sale listings, some people don't understand this headphone and are dumping them...noobs.

 

[dakanao]

Guys, thank you so much for helping me out!
I'm currently waiting for the Amazon US Prime day on 16th and if the HD 598 is on a deal I'll pick them up.
Otherwise I have the option of HD 579 since that would be within my budget. What do you guys think about HD 579? Will I be losing out on a lot of sound quality if I pick them out or I should be fine for just enjoying music? Please suggest!
Massdrop has currently the Hifiman HE4XX on the drop so if any of you guys that have it could draw comparisons? It'd be really helpful to me!
I have almost decided on Sennheiser HD series since it offers a sound signature that will let you enjoy music peacefully with a relaxed sound signature.

The HD 579 are great for enjoying your music. They have very full vocals with a smooth signature, and tight balanced bass.

 

[rpger9756]

Hello! Thank you for clarifying!
I have pair of AKG K240 MKll for very accurate response when the need arises. I'm mostly looking at a pair of comfortable headphones which provide musicality so that I can enjoy the music. I use iBasso DX80 to drive my music mostly. I have used them on a Sennheiser HD660s in a Best Buy store so I thought it should be able to drive the HE4XX as well. Maybe not to its full potential? I don't have tube amplifiers to pair them with though.
Hence Sennheiser seems to offer a pair of headphones for home use that can offer very good detailing whilst retaining musicality. So just trying to understand which HD series model can be the right one for me.

We're in the HD598 impressions forum and I use them as my primary listening set. I drove them every day at work for years and loved them, then I retired them as a workhorse to do real "listening" on. I've modded them to high heaven and beat the crap out of them and they still produce absolutely delightful music. I drive them with an amp/DAC that processes several DSD albums and the sound is truly excellent. Sennheiser makes a full line of cans that all have unique niches and price points they're trying to fill. There may be a different set that is more suited to your SPECIFIC needs, but you will be hard-pressed to find a set of GENERALLY great headphones than the HD598. I am an unabashed fanboy and I stand by recommending them for you're asking.

 

[LazyListener]

Indeed, the HD518/558 both use the same driver as the 598. The differences in their sound comes from enclosure. The 598SR uses a different driver than the standard 598 series.

How do you know the 598 SR use a different driver than the 598? Everything I've read says they are the same driver.

The 598 SE uses a different driver and baffle than the 598, but has the same enclosure, which might be why it sounds similar, but not identical.

Likewise, with the 598 SE, how do you know it's a different driver from 598? When the SE came out, some head-fi'ers emailed Sennheiser and they confirmed they're the same exact headphones except for color and an additional short cable with the SE. Plus, I found the SE colder than the Ivory, while others who heard both, found the Ivory sounded colder, while some said they sounded the same. This is why I'm thinking the sound differences were due to variations in manufacturing.