[Nexusdude]

When i listen to music through cx300ii the music sound loud, crisp and fun whereas from the 598's the music sounds quiet and boring. Maybe they are like that and i am sure that they are not fake might be defective but there is no distortion or anything i even played them at full volume on the x5 to check them out and they had no problem. I don't really listen to loud music but for the 598s i have to increase the volume to be able to hear and enjoy the music. What i don't understand is that at the same volume as cx300ii and beats studio why do the 598 sound quieter is it because these are open headphones?

 

[streetdragon]

When i listen to music through cx300ii the music sound loud, crisp and fun whereas from the 598's the music sounds quiet and boring. Maybe they are like that and i am sure that they are not fake might be defective but there is no distortion or anything i even played them at full volume on the x5 to check them out and they had no problem. I don't really listen to loud music but for the 598s i have to increase the volume to be able to hear and enjoy the music. What i don't understand is that at the same volume as cx300ii and beats studio why do the 598 sound quieter is it because these are open headphones?

Also maybe cause the drivers for the HD598 are further from the ear, also they are home headphones that terminate to a large 6.3mm jack so they are expected to be driven off something a little bit more powerful. 
They also have an impedance of 50ohms with a 250 ohm spike at ~100hz.
Also i think you find them boring because they are really neutral, not that much punch in the bass, tame sounding and not too much sparkle in the highs, just a mellow, spacious sound with sweet mids.

About the quiet part maybe its cause as you said they are open, and also that the soundstage is not to aggressive in its presentation.

Amplification (eg like from a tube amp) can help increase the fullness of the low ends though due to the impedance spike at 100hz.

 

[amigomatt]

They are TOTALLY different to what you are used to.  Give them time to grow on you, trust me.  It took me a while to like these cans and I nearly sold them (I came from Grados at the time), but now they indispensible to me.  It took me weeks/months.  Maybe burn in changed things too, because they sound SO different ot me now than my memory of first hearing them.

 

[eth3rton]

Starting to miss my HD598's. Picked up the HS-500's and I just don't use them as much, whereas I used the 598's quite a bit.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

  Starting to miss my HD598's. Picked up the HS-500's and I just don't use them as much, whereas I used the 598's quite a bit.

I guess you meant HE-500s, right?
 
I just traded away my HE-500s and already making plans to replace them... I love them, but use them with either the Sony PHA-1 DAC/amp (portable, decodes iPod Lightening connector digital for its own DAC) or the FiiO E12.
 
And I have the HD598s, which I tried long and hard before trading away my HE-500s and convinced myself that they came darn close to the sound quality, esp. bass and transparency, as the HE-500s, to tide me over!

 

[eth3rton]

Yup, sorry HE-500's. I think I am gonna sell them in search of the perfect headset - if that exists. 

 

[MrGoat]

  Yup, sorry HE-500's. I think I am gonna sell them in search of the perfect headset - if that exists. 

If you liked the 598's, try the 6xx series, I did and I could not be happier. 

 

[Bacci]

  If you liked the 598's, try the 6xx series, I did and I could not be happier. 

 
I upgraded from HD598 to HD700 and the difference is bigger than I thought. Some songs even sound completely different because of the higher resolution and lower bass extension. Thanks to all the hyperbolic reviews knocking the HD700 for its treble spike, these sets can be had for cheap these days if you look around. I picked it up for less than 500 EUR including a free set of IE60. The notorious spike is all in all exaggerated, -4dB EQ around 6K is enough to tame it. Amazing value for money.

 

[kcazbarach]

Recently purchased the HD 598s and Just tried them first time tonight. (gave up a friday night for headphones, #worthit)
 
Very comfortable, I had no clue Sennheiser had that authenticity sticker thing going on and I've been "in" this game for like 3 years. This is my 2nd headphone from Sennheiser, my first "beginner" audiophile phones were the HD 555s.
 
I actually like the coloring of the headphones, and I don't think these are anywhere near end game like that one thread with that poster arguing they're the best in the world, but I'm enjoying them.

 

[Sundown]

Received mine today. First impressions compared to the HD600's are that they're very muffled. Bloated with bass overlapping into the midrange causing nausea over time. I've never had this problem with the HD558's neither, which has only been 2-3 weeks since I last heard those that broke. HD598's have a bit too high of a treble for my taste. Midrange seems muffled somehow. Also, the leather headband just slips and slides back down my hair which gets annoying. HD558's were more comfortable out of all three. I played a bit of Battlefield with the HD598's but the muffled sound blocked out footsteps even with a wider soundstage. It's a trade off at that point. Either have wider soundstage with muffled mids, or bit of a narrower soundstage with the HD600's but with a clear and precise midrange. I'll add some more thought as the weeks goes on.

 

[Bansaku]

  Recently purchased the HD 598s and Just tried them first time tonight. (gave up a friday night for headphones, #worthit)
 
Very comfortable, I had no clue Sennheiser had that authenticity sticker thing going on and I've been "in" this game for like 3 years. This is my 2nd headphone from Sennheiser, my first "beginner" audiophile phones were the HD 555s.
 
I actually like the coloring of the headphones, and I don't think these are anywhere near end game like that one thread with that poster arguing they're the best in the world, but I'm enjoying them.

 
 
 
If you liked the HD555 you will love the HD598. Be warned though; The HD598 take a long time to burn in. When I was researching the HD598  (along with the HD558) before my purchase I read that other members have stated long burn in times. I was skeptical of the 150-200 hour claim, expecting about only 40, and I was wrong. Then I thought I was done at the 140 hour(isn) mark and I was wrong, again, so expect upwards of 200 hours. Lets just hope you came out on top of the driver lottery as other have had a mixed bag of results.
 
Head-fiers will always be 'Chasing the Dragon' in regards to finding the(ir) perfect headphones. I will say this though, there is a reason the HD598 are ranked #5 for over-ears.
 

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Since we're talking about burn-in, is there anyway that a 'wrong' burn-in process can leave the phones with more inferior sound than their potential? For example if I only listen to songs that has too little treble, will the treble range be 'unopened' after the burn in process?
 
I cannot come in with a definite conclusion of my own. I mostly buy used pairs, and apart from my HD448s of 4 years ago, all the other (low-priced) headphones that I bought did not improve noticeably with burn-in: HD558, SR60i and Alessandro MS1. I used the 448s and the 558s for 'light' music and the Grados for Rock/Metal only.

 

[grandcross]

So, it's been about 7-8 years since I went and bought myself a new desktop headphone (stuck to using the AKG K271s for years, though also used the Alessandro MS1s until they broke), and I decided to get these headphones. My experience was kind of like:
- ...I'm not impressed
- (puts on AKGs) ...wait a minute...
- (puts on 598 again) ...okay, no, these are better
- (2 hours later) ...yeah, I kinda like these more, but still not impressed.
 
Perhaps more listening is important, yet I'm not sure I'm really happy with the 598. I will say that they are noticeably much more comfortable than my AKGs for both sitting on my head, and listening. My AKGs felt bright/harsh at times, but I could probably listen to anything for hours with the 598.
 
Quote:

  Received mine today. First impressions compared to the HD600's are that they're very muffled. Bloated with bass overlapping into the midrange causing nausea over time. I've never had this problem with the HD558's neither, which has only been 2-3 weeks since I last heard those that broke. HD598's have a bit too high of a treble for my taste. Midrange seems muffled somehow. Also, the leather headband just slips and slides back down my hair which gets annoying. HD558's were more comfortable out of all three. I played a bit of Battlefield with the HD598's but the muffled sound blocked out footsteps even with a wider soundstage. It's a trade off at that point. Either have wider soundstage with muffled mids, or bit of a narrower soundstage with the HD600's but with a clear and precise midrange. I'll add some more thought as the weeks goes on.

 
I definitely agree about the muffled sound. But for me, since my other headphones are for studios (designed for clarity/detail), maybe I'm not used to a perceived step down?
 
I'm thinking I should return these headphones and aim for higher tier headphones, maybe the HD 600 or other headphones in the $300 price range. Wasn't planning on spending more, but it's probably the only way I'd get a "wow" factor of some sort.

 

[Sundown]

   
I definitely agree about the muffled sound. But for me, since my other headphones are for studios (designed for clarity/detail), maybe I'm not used to a perceived step down?
 
I'm thinking I should return these headphones and aim for higher tier headphones, maybe the HD 600 or other headphones in the $300 price range. Wasn't planning on spending more, but it's probably the only way I'd get a "wow" factor of some sort.

HD600's are $299 from an authorized dealer. https://www.buysonic.com/products/sennheiser-hd-600/

 

[amigomatt]

  So, it's been about 7-8 years since I went and bought myself a new desktop headphone (stuck to using the AKG K271s for years, though also used the Alessandro MS1s until they broke), and I decided to get these headphones. My experience was kind of like:
- ...I'm not impressed
- (puts on AKGs) ...wait a minute...
- (puts on 598 again) ...okay, no, these are better
- (2 hours later) ...yeah, I kinda like these more, but still not impressed.
 
Perhaps more listening is important, yet I'm not sure I'm really happy with the 598. I will say that they are noticeably much more comfortable than my AKGs for both sitting on my head, and listening. My AKGs felt bright/harsh at times, but I could probably listen to anything for hours with the 598.
 
Quote:

  Received mine today. First impressions compared to the HD600's are that they're very muffled. Bloated with bass overlapping into the midrange causing nausea over time. I've never had this problem with the HD558's neither, which has only been 2-3 weeks since I last heard those that broke. HD598's have a bit too high of a treble for my taste. Midrange seems muffled somehow. Also, the leather headband just slips and slides back down my hair which gets annoying. HD558's were more comfortable out of all three. I played a bit of Battlefield with the HD598's but the muffled sound blocked out footsteps even with a wider soundstage. It's a trade off at that point. Either have wider soundstage with muffled mids, or bit of a narrower soundstage with the HD600's but with a clear and precise midrange. I'll add some more thought as the weeks goes on.

 
I definitely agree about the muffled sound. But for me, since my other headphones are for studios (designed for clarity/detail), maybe I'm not used to a perceived step down?
 
I'm thinking I should return these headphones and aim for higher tier headphones, maybe the HD 600 or other headphones in the $300 price range. Wasn't planning on spending more, but it's probably the only way I'd get a "wow" factor of some sort.

I would advise you to stick with them.  I know it's hard when you have a window to return them, but it took me months to get used to these, again like you, coming from faster/brighter headphones (Grados), but now I appreciate that they have qualities that no other headphone has.  I would never get rid of them now, despite purchasing 'higher end' cans since then.  It's not either or for me with choosing headphones, I have a number of different ones for different listening purposes.  You will find it harder to get a more liquid and beautiful rendition of female vocals/small scale acoustic stuff for the price of these. My go to relaxing headphones, which my Grados are certainly not!!