[chowmein83]

I also game with the 598 like @fallrsk, @Hammy and @Bansaku - the great imaging and wide soundstage really immerses you. It also really helps that the headphone is pretty comfortable and lightweight (great for longer sessions). Perhaps the bass is a touch light, but I don't really think that is a big problem.

 

[Bansaku]

  I also game with the 598 like @fallrsk, @Hammy and @Bansaku - the great imaging and wide soundstage really immerses you. It also really helps that the headphone is pretty comfortable and lightweight (great for longer sessions). Perhaps the bass is a touch light, but I don't really think that is a big problem.

 
I use the SoundBlaster Control Panel and enable bass-boost at 80Hz (default setting). This brings up the sub-bass enough to fill the void, giving much needed oomph/excitement.
 

 

[fallrsk]

Sacrilege! As someone who (up until late 2013/early 2014) has owned virtually every gaming headset and PC gaming sound card, NOTHING holds a candle to the HD598, not even the PC350. The HD598 has such a natural, wide soundstage (probably one of the best for any headphone at any price) that using THX or Dobly headphones takes away from the experience. I can pin-point enemies off screen with ease.

 

The issue I have with pure stereo is that video games drop the ball with immersive audio! I'll hear something go off unnaturally and completely in one ear without any sound in the right ear and it's so bothersome lol! Guess I'm one of few.

 

[Bansaku]

The issue I have with pure stereo is that video games drop the ball with immersive audio! I'll hear something go off unnaturally and completely in one ear without any sound in the right ear and it's so bothersome lol! Guess I'm one of few.

 
Ah, I see I see. I know what you mean. Not all game sound engines are creative equal, that's for sure.
 

 

[Thekarma]

So who else uses their HD598 for gaming?? I can't tell if I prefer to play with Dolby headphone on or just straight, unprocessed 5.1 mix down to stereo.. Dolby headphone just makes it so much more immersive due to the processed crosstalk rather than having sounds happen in just one ear but with lower fidelity lol!

Just thought of this because i ran into someone named Hammyking on COD yesterday, lol! @Hammy

 
I ruined all my gaming headsets by buying a 2nd hand set of 595's just to see what all the fuss was about. Now I've sold all my Razer/Logitech/SteelSeries crap and have 598SE's, they are so good for gaming with a BoomPro. I play CSGO and look like I have wall hack sometimes when I pre-fire someone coming round a corner because their footsteps are so easy to locate. The sound stage is so big I'm often looking over my shoulder to check that the sound isn't actually in the room. I'm now officially an addict so I have some HD600's coming tomorrow to try out... I don't know what to expect, smaller sound stage but more accurate? I mainly run my 598's through a soundblaster z as I find it to be the best virtual surround vs razer or dolby.

 

[fallrsk]

Thekarma you lucky sob!! Enjoy the 600's man. I've got not a cent to spend on anything (but with my 598's I can't complain).

 

[Hammy]

So I'm finding the 598SE bad for gaming as they don't seem to pick up anywhere near as much detail as my 595's. Also the sound stage seems a bit smaller. They sound ok with music, the 595 still sound more clear, but with csgo the difference is huge. Anyone else having this experience? It's almost like the 598's are slightly muffled when compared to the 595's....

Could I just have a bad pair? 33 Hours put on them....

 
 

   
I ruined all my gaming headsets by buying a 2nd hand set of 595's just to see what all the fuss was about. Now I've sold all my Razer/Logitech/SteelSeries crap and have 598SE's, they are so good for gaming with a BoomPro. I play CSGO and look like I have wall hack sometimes when I pre-fire someone coming round a corner because their footsteps are so easy to locate. The sound stage is so big I'm often looking over my shoulder to check that the sound isn't actually in the room. I'm now officially an addict so I have some HD600's coming tomorrow to try out... I don't know what to expect, smaller sound stage but more accurate? I mainly run my 598's through a soundblaster z as I find it to be the best virtual surround vs razer or dolby.

 
What changed?  Did you hit the magic 34 hour burn-in mark?  I usually don't do this but I'm going to make a prediction: you will end up preferring your 598 to the 600.

 

[Malfunkt]

I ruined all my gaming headsets by buying a 2nd hand set of 595's just to see what all the fuss was about. Now I've sold all my Razer/Logitech/SteelSeries crap and have 598SE's, they are so good for gaming with a BoomPro. I play CSGO and look like I have wall hack sometimes when I pre-fire someone coming round a corner because their footsteps are so easy to locate. The sound stage is so big I'm often looking over my shoulder to check that the sound isn't actually in the room. I'm now officially an addict so I have some HD600's coming tomorrow to try out... I don't know what to expect, smaller sound stage but more accurate? I mainly run my 598's through a soundblaster z as I find it to be the best virtual surround vs razer or dolby.

Spent sometime with my friends SE. It's a very good headphone but the HD650 beats it for overall resolution. I think the 650 is excellent for gaming. It isn't as sharp on the high-end and is weightier on the low-end. Play some games with really good ambience and foley - say Fallout 4 or the new Battlefront (I know not the best game but audio production is amazing on this). For FPS, I used to play a ton of insurgency, CS:GO, and some Project Reality. The 650 is good in the sense you will get excellent immersion with going deaf from gunfire.

Enjoy your 650 and 598. Both are great headphones!

Edit: whoops. I see you are getting the 600. Well that is equally as awesome.

 

[Thekarma]

   
 
 
What changed?  Did you hit the magic 34 hour burn-in mark?  I usually don't do this but I'm going to make a prediction: you will end up preferring your 598 to the 600.

 
So yeah when I first got the 598's the bass seemed flabby and uncontrolled, hiding the detail. With about 60 to 70h of loud pink noise the bass became controlled and now the 595's seem too cold. The detail came out and now they even seem more detailed than the 595's. I also did a blind test on my gf and she instantly didn't like the 598's compared to the 595's when they were new, a few days later and she preferred the 598's (not by a huge amount, but it was a hard decision this time, not an instant one like before), same music, same volume different burn-in; and she didn't listen to either set of headphones in between to 'burn-in' hear brain to them!
 
"Well 25h of running them they sound a little closer... Still the 595's seem clearer."

 
"So interestingly I now love the 598's after 70h of heavy burn-in they sound better than the 595's."

 

[saikat1729]

   
So yeah when I first got the 598's the bass seemed flabby and uncontrolled, hiding the detail. With about 60 to 70h of loud pink noise the bass became controlled and now the 595's seem too cold. The detail came out and now they even seem more detailed than the 595's. I also did a blind test on my gf and she instantly didn't like the 598's compared to the 595's when they were new, a few days later and she preferred the 598's (not by a huge amount, but it was a hard decision this time, not an instant one like before), same music, same volume different burn-in; and she didn't listen to either set of headphones in between to 'burn-in' hear brain to them!
 
"Well 25h of running them they sound a little closer... Still the 595's seem clearer."
 
"So interestingly I now love the 598's after 70h of heavy burn-in they sound better than the 595's."

I am 25hr+ with my 598SE and already noticing a change. Bass does seem more controlled and detailed.

 

[paulguru]

 
From my personal experience, yes, the HE400S have much less bass than the Ivory 598s, but on par with the 598SE I had.  This is with the stock earpads.  I read that replacement pads improve the bass noticeably, but I've not tried that.

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

 
 
SE is the black version right ?

 

[VeggiePopper]

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

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

 

[Thekarma]

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

 
 
SE is the black version right ?

 
Yeah SE are black... Sennheiser say they are identical to the Ivery ones... with the 598SE's some people seem to love them some people seem to hate them some say they are the same! I've only had the SE's and love em

 

[Arunabha Lahiri]

Same here. I too only have the se and I absolutely love it.

 

[paulguru]

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