[MRK1]

I just received the 598Cs, currently doing some comparatives with my Sony MDR 1A which is my favourite one so far.
 
By the way, these have the same velour-ish covers as the Sennheiser Urbanite, which I'm not a fan of. I preferred the cover from the regular 598.
 
Also these are immensely loud. The original 598 was ridiculously loud even without any amp but these are just insane, painfully harsh at a volume higher than 25-28 on my computer (I recall the older 598 hitting the sweet spot at 35-40 on this PC). Seriously What, are these speaker drivers inside enclosures? I can use them as speakers if I max them out on my PC.
 
I'm really not sure about these being worth anything more than 30€ so far to be quite honest, compared to the Sony MDR 1A.

 

[Tic-Tac]

In terms of sound quality how do they stack up against MDR-1A? Because those MDR-1A are on my wishlist for a long time now

 

[pack21]

I just received the 598Cs, currently doing some comparatives with my Sony MDR 1A which is my favourite one so far.

By the way, these have the same velour-ish covers as the Sennheiser Urbanite, which I'm not a fan of. I preferred the cover from the regular 598.

Also these are immensely loud. The original 598 was ridiculously loud even without any amp but these are just insane, painfully harsh at a volume higher than 25-28 on my computer (I recall the older 598 hitting the sweet spot at 35-40 on this PC). Seriously What, are these speaker drivers inside enclosures? I can use them as speakers if I max them out on my PC.
I'm really not sure about these being worth anything more than 30€ so far to be quite honest, compared to the Sony MDR 1A.

Interestingly, i was unaware that Sennheiser suddenly stopped knowing how to make a headphone. I think you're not analyzing sound quality, just making considerations of what kind of signature you like the most, if is that, i understand.

 

[MRK1]

  In terms of sound quality how do they stack up against MDR-1A? Because those MDR-1A are on my wishlist for a long time now

 
As a very very first impression, with no burn in or anything (so take with a massive grain of salt), so far the 598c compared to the sony is very laid back, unengaging, and if you raise the volume, very harsh. The Sony definitely has some coloring to it, I think it's slightly v shaped with a small bump to the bass and slightly more forward highs. Thanks to the bass the overall sound is warmer and less harsh.
 
The Senn has flat mids and highs and very tame bass with no sub bass whatsoever (just like the regular 598). I think the 598 feels a bit more spacious due to the massive earpieces, but I also think it sounds more hollow, the Sony is more direct and intimate. Compared to the older 598 (bear in mind that I don't have them anymore and I'm going off memory here), these are less ethereal in terms of soundstage (better, imo, as with the older ones, to me, everything felt a bit too far and the soundstage was unrealistically big), and have slightly more present bass. The overall sound signature is the same as before but feels less distant.
 
In terms of build quality the Sony wins hands down, they just look and feel a lot better. In terms of comfort I'm not sure which one is better, the Sony has some true luxury pads which are just pure comfyness but they can get sticky and sweaty, the Sennheiser is rougher and stiffer but it goes fully around the ear, I think in the end they'll be equal in terms of comfyness as the Senn is still a bit stiff.
 
Considering here the Sony costs 130-150€, I don't think these are worth 100€ so far.
 
I think I'll elaborate more as my ears adapt and the burn in takes effect. So far though I'm disappointed just like with the regular 598 when I bought them a few months ago.
 
Anyway, these are very early first impressions, I've had them for like 4 hours so far. While the Sony WOW'ed me at first listen, these may take some time to grow on me, but I can tell there's some potential already. Burn in and ear adaptation can make me like them.

 

[MRK1]

Interestingly, i was unaware that Sennheiser suddenly stopped knowing how to make a headphone. I think you're not analyzing sound quality, just making considerations of what kind of signature you like the most, if is that, i understand.

 
Consider that I also said the Sony has far better materials and build quality. The fact that these are always dropped to 100€ during black friday, makes me think that the actual manufacturing price for these is well under 100€. I think we can all agree that the Sony costs more than these to manufacture, it has metal inserts, better looking plastic, foldable design, and some of the best fake leather I've ever seen on a headphone. And costs just 30-50€ more than these. The cables on the Sony are also much thicker and are also textured.
 
Also, I surely have a bias towards a certain type of sound like anyone else, but you have to take into consideration that these are very weak when it comes to bass. I think no matter what, the bass should be more present, especially the sub-bass, which these seem to lack completely just like the open back.
 
But then again, these are very early considerations. Maybe burn in and ear adaptation will change my mind. While the sound can change due to perception, the build quality can be judged immediately, and these are just not good, not even as good as the older model which had metal grills, while these have no metal anywhere (maybe the silver ring on the outside of the earpieces is metal but I'm not sure).

 

[MWSVette]

   
As a very very first impression, with no burn in or anything (so take with a massive grain of salt), so far the 598c compared to the sony is very laid back, unengaging, and if you raise the volume, very harsh. The Sony definitely has some coloring to it, I think it's slightly v shaped with a small bump to the bass and slightly more forward highs. Thanks to the bass the overall sound is warmer and less harsh.
 
The Senn has flat mids and highs and very tame bass with no sub bass whatsoever (just like the regular 598). I think the 598 feels a bit more spacious due to the massive earpieces, but I also think it sounds more hollow, the Sony is more direct and intimate. Compared to the older 598 (bear in mind that I don't have them anymore and I'm going off memory here), these are less ethereal in terms of soundstage (better, imo, as with the older ones, to me, everything felt a bit too far and the soundstage was unrealistically big), and have slightly more present bass. The overall sound signature is the same as before but feels less distant.
 
In terms of build quality the Sony wins hands down, they just look and feel a lot better. In terms of comfort I'm not sure which one is better, the Sony has some true luxury pads which are just pure comfyness but they can get sticky and sweaty, the Sennheiser is rougher and stiffer but it goes fully around the ear, I think in the end they'll be equal in terms of comfyness as the Senn is still a bit stiff.
 
Considering here the Sony costs 130-150€, I don't think these are worth 100€ so far.
 
I think I'll elaborate more as my ears adapt and the burn in takes effect. So far though I'm disappointed just like with the regular 598 when I bought them a few months ago.
 
Anyway, these are very early first impressions, I've had them for like 4 hours so far. While the Sony WOW'ed me at first listen, these may take some time to grow on me, but I can tell there's some potential already. Burn in and ear adaptation can make me like them.

 
Sounds to me like you just do not like the HD598 sound signature in either version open or closed.
 
Do you otherwise generally like the Sennheiser house sound?

 

[pack21]

Consider that I also said the Sony has far better materials and build quality. The fact that these are always dropped to 100€ during black friday, makes me think that the actual manufacturing price for these is well under 100€. I think we can all agree that the Sony costs more than these to manufacture, it has metal inserts, better looking plastic, foldable design, and some of the best fake leather I've ever seen on a headphone. And costs just 30-50€ more than these. The cables on the Sony are also much thicker and are also textured.

Also, I surely have a bias towards a certain type of sound like anyone else, but you have to take into consideration that these are very weak when it comes to bass. I think no matter what, the bass should be more present, especially the sub-bass, which these seem to lack completely just like the open back.

But then again, these are very early considerations. Maybe burn in and ear adaptation will change my mind. While the sound can change due to perception, the build quality can be judged immediately, and these are just not good, not even as good as the older model which had metal grills, while these have no metal anywhere (maybe the silver ring on the outside of the earpieces is metal but I'm not sure).

Not being bassy dont means a headphone are bad, the portable sound i most like is from my AKG K702.

Im happy they dont are bassy, and have emphasy on mids, because i need a close headphone for my living room, for movies, PS4, and casual music.

More 2 hours and my pair of HD598Cs will be kocking my door.

 

[MRK1]

   
Sounds to me like you just do not like the HD598 sound signature in either version open or closed.
 
Do you otherwise generally like the Sennheiser house sound?

I can't answer that because I don't have enough Sennheiser headphones to tell what's their house sound. I had a few Senn earbuds that I liked, such as the MX880 and MX580 plus some older ones, and also I had the regular 598 (lack of bass and distant vocals killed them for me), the Urbanite (comfort killed them for me), and the Momentum in-ear (my stupid ears refuse to adapt to IEMs so I really can't comment on them). I also had the ATH M50 (not the x model, the older one which I paid A LOT for and felt buyer's remorse because of comfort and harsh sound, so eventually sold them), and now my favourite pair is the Sony MDR 1A, which feels muddy sometimes but overall pleases me a lot. I also have a ton of earbuds from different chinese brands (blame that earbuds general thread which always makes me buy some of those, I generally like the VE Monk 1st gen and the Auglamour RX1 out of those). I think these can sound to my liking with burn in and adapting (and maybe some bass boost), but you can't deny that the build quality is really cheapo on those, at least the older model had some metal on them to make them feel premium.

 

[Tic-Tac]

Sennheiser HD598 Cs is 229€ and Sony MDR-1A is 170€ on amazon.de...

 

[MRK1]

Not being bassy dont means a headphone are bad, the portable sound i most like is from my AKG K702.

Im happy they dont are bassy, and have emphasy on mids, because i need a close headphone for my living room, for movies, PS4, and casual music.

More 2 hours and my pair of HD598Cs will be kocking my door.

 
Of course if you listen to a specific set of genres that are based on real instruments and real sounds you won't mind a lack of bass (I agree that the older 598 were great for classical and movies), but if you also listen to genres which benefit for a bit more bass response then you need a more versatile headphone capable of producing bass. I agree that the sony feels a bit muddy sometimes, especially on poorly mastered tracks the bass is not fast enough and the decay is slow and muddies up the track, but for like 80% of the stuff I listen to they're adeguate with no eq. Also I'd prefer to remove some bass via EQ than add it in, especially with the older 598 which were completely incapable of reproducing a decent bass response. Being one who mostly listens to classic earbuds, you can't say that I'm used to basshead sets. If the bass is lacking, there's nothing you can do about it. Also I feel the sub-bass very relaxing when I listen to some electronic chillout stuff. Really the main issue with the older 598 if you go back and look for my posts was the absolute lack of bass and the fact I paid 150€ for them, I would have kept them otherwise.
 
That being said I look forward your first impressions. I'm letting my ears rest a bit and the headphones burn in with music and static before I make my ultimate review of them. I've also stretched them over a box the size of my head to loosen them.

 

[MWSVette]

 
I can't answer that because I don't have enough Sennheiser headphones to tell what's their house sound. I had a few Senn earbuds that I liked, such as the MX880 and MX580 plus some older ones, and also I had the regular 598 (lack of bass and distant vocals killed them for me), the Urbanite (comfort killed them for me), and the Momentum in-ear (my stupid ears refuse to adapt to IEMs so I really can't comment on them). I also had the ATH M50 (not the x model, the older one which I paid A LOT for and felt buyer's remorse because of comfort and harsh sound, so eventually sold them), and now my favourite pair is the Sony MDR 1A, which feels muddy sometimes but overall pleases me a lot. I also have a ton of earbuds from different chinese brands (blame that earbuds general thread which always makes me buy some of those, I generally like the VE Monk 1st gen and the Auglamour RX1 out of those). I think these can sound to my liking with burn in and adapting (and maybe some bass boost), but you can't deny that the build quality is really cheapo on those, at least the older model had some metal on them to make them feel premium.

 
 
I do not find Sennheiser cheaply built, I have no problem with plastic.  Metal is a great material, it is also very heavy.  One the thing I like best about Senn's is the comfort.  A lot of that is they are light weight and can be worn for many hours without any discomfort.  The only metal on the HD598 are covering the drivers and all that is needed.
 
I have 2 HD598 and HD600 and have not had any build quality issues.  Plus they have a 2 year warranty.  With proper care I expect them to last me many years.
 
Of course IMHO, YMMV, yada yada yada
 
I hope they work out for you...

 

[MRK1]

   
 
I do not find Sennheiser cheaply built, I have no problem with plastic.  Metal is a great material, it is also very heavy.  One the thing I like best about Senn's is the comfort.  A lot of that is they are light weight and can be worn for many hours without any discomfort.  The only metal on the HD598 are covering the drivers and all that is needed.
 
I have 2 HD598 and HD600 and have not had any build quality issues.  Plus they have a 2 year warranty.  With proper care I expect them to last me many years.
 
Of course IMHO, YMMV, yada yada yada
 
I hope they work out for you...

I'm just going to point out that the Sony despite the better looking plastic and metal joints is way lighter than the 598. Having some metal on the most stressed parts such as the joints and the grills (which are more subject to bumps) goes a long way to make a product feel more durable, and it also looks good. These are sold at 230€ now and the entirely plastic build quality is unacceptable to me. Also I noticed that the velourish cover of the outer earpieces is a dust magnet for some reason, they should have put the same metal grill as the older model for decoration on these.

 

[MWSVette]

Glad You like your Sony's.
 
Sorry you do not like the HD598 series.  Its all about personal preference.
 
Once again good luck with your hunt for the right cans for you... 

 

[Max1]

These are the Deal of the day on UK Amazon today btw
 
Sennheiser HD 598 Cs Around-Ear Closed Back Headphones - Black £89
 
Bit the bullet, not sure if mistake, hopefully not

 

[pack21]

Love then!!! Not because they are my best sound setup, but because:

- I dont have, and need a closed headphone
- 99 BF Price
- Confort, Confort AAA+
- Drives wonderfully directly from smartphone/spotify
- Have mic, i can call while use them Over my smartphone/spotify
- I like their "fast" and clean signature, with no bassy boomy, good for movies, PS4 FPS, my kind of music


So for their BF price/Confort/versatility their are a no brain deal!

Will keep then for sure.