[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Just got my new Sennheiser HD 598 from Amazon.com! Im using them now and they sound great! Even from my tiny iPod shuffle! This is my first set of high-end headphones and theres definitely an improvement from the stock iPod earbuds I'm used to especially in the treble and bass departments. The only thing is that the headphones sound a little flat audio-wise, although I guess thats because they havent burned in yet.....hopefully with time the sound quality will improve even more than what it is now. All in all though, a good purchase. Now I have to look for an amp.....the Fiio E7 perhaps?

That's probably due from being under-amped and driven from such a tiny device. I can almost guarantee an E7 or something similar will make them sound much better. I think the HD-598 is decent out of the Ipod Touch and maybe perhaps the Zune HD.
 
I should try it out of my Iaudio 7 that I never use.
 
I've yet to own a Sennheiser headphone that required burn-in to sound good, but I guess I'm lucky!
 

 

[Angelbelow]

Awesome pictures!

 

[logicalform]

Just got my new Sennheiser HD 598 from Amazon.com! Im using them now and they sound great! Even from my tiny iPod shuffle! This is my first set of high-end headphones and theres definitely an improvement from the stock iPod earbuds I'm used to especially in the treble and bass departments. The only thing is that the headphones sound a little flat audio-wise, although I guess thats because they havent burned in yet.....hopefully with time the sound quality will improve even more than what it is now. All in all though, a good purchase. Now I have to look for an amp.....the Fiio E7 perhaps?

The 598s don't seem to really need an amp (although I'm sure a decent amp would help to some degree). I think that you would be better served with a better source. Try getting a USB DAC for your computer or, if you'd rather go portable, get something like a cowon c2 or j3. Cowons are more than capable of driving the 598s, but the level of sound quality you'll get from one is far beyond anything a shuffle could ever dream of. If you'd rather stay within apple's ecosystem, however, an iPod touch + lod + e7 would do alright as well (although I'll readily admit to being a cowon fanboy )

 

[tdockweiler]

I don't know why everyone in the world seems to think they don't need an amp. Sure they don't require it, but I do believe they're meant to have one and they sound best with one. I use mine with an Ipod Touch sometimes and it's not bad. Check this chart out:
 

 

 

[logicalform]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdockweiler /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Sure they don't require it, but I do believe they're meant to have one and they sound best with one. I use mine with an Ipod Touch sometimes and it's not bad. 

     Quote:

The 598s don't seem to really need an amp (although I'm sure a decent amp would help to some degree).

 
I think we're pretty much saying the same thing My point is mainly that I think he would be better served by a better source than reamplifying a signal that's not very good to begin with. 

 

[Anaxilus]

I wonder if Sennheiser does that on purpose to make people want to amp them.   Why do they all do that?

 

[Angelbelow]

Lots of positive feedback in this thread.. and it appears that the cracking problem is long gone.. sigh.. so tempting

 

[matthewh133]

Mine should be arriving tomorrow

 

[HomlssLumbrjack]

Just ordered and im very excited. These are my first venture into the world of top-tier audio, and i think ive made as good a choice as i could. Ive been running a pair of HD201s for about two years, and theyve served me wonderfully, but being the music lover that i am, i just wanted more out of my headphones; specifically the soundstage. My HD201s, although having detailed mids, made me feel almost claustrophobic, in that i was always aware that i was wearing headphones. Im hoping for a huge improvement in all areas, and will probably start to pc game a bit more as well... 
 
Considering that i am absolutely an audiophile, but one that will not nit-pick over every detail, i expect these to be my last pair of headphones (unless i happen to win those HD 800s ). 

 

[Qui audit]

Hi guys I've seen a pair of the HD598s for £150, is that a reasonable price? Worth paying for them? Considering you can now buy the 595s for £120, is it worth the extra £30? 

Also could anybody suggest some cans around the same price that I could try comparing them against. I'm thinking Grado SR125is but I'd rather listen to classical than rock so I guess the 598s are the better option, really I'm just looking for something to compare them too. 

Oh and HomlssLumbrjack, I'm running the 201s at the moment, I find they're terrible with the volume cranked up a bit, hopefully the 598s can handle the pressure.

Finally, I know they don't need to be amped, but could anybody suggest a suitable dekstop amp under £250? Taking into account that I'm possibly buying a second hand pair of AKG 701s in the near future. 

 

[HomlssLumbrjack]

I agree, although i dont like turning my music up too high. I find it distracting, and im not able to relax nearly as much. But, considering the price, they have been awesome

 

[Qui audit]

What source are you using? Oh and are you using an amp, so many people seem to be disagreeing on whether you need one! 

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

What source are you using? Oh and are you using an amp, so many people seem to be disagreeing on whether you need one! 

This should be your answer. You wouldn't really need an amp if the graph was flat.


Quote:

I don't know why everyone in the world seems to think they don't need an amp. Sure they don't require it, but I do believe they're meant to have one and they sound best with one. I use mine with an Ipod Touch sometimes and it's not bad. Check this chart out:
 

 

 

 

[DrHouse]

Hi guys I've seen a pair of the HD598s for £150, is that a reasonable price? Worth paying for them? Considering you can now buy the 595s for £120, is it worth the extra £30? 

Also could anybody suggest some cans around the same price that I could try comparing them against. I'm thinking Grado SR125is but I'd rather listen to classical than rock so I guess the 598s are the better option, really I'm just looking for something to compare them too. 

Oh and HomlssLumbrjack, I'm running the 201s at the moment, I find they're terrible with the volume cranked up a bit, hopefully the 598s can handle the pressure.

Finally, I know they don't need to be amped, but could anybody suggest a suitable dekstop amp under £250? Taking into account that I'm possibly buying a second hand pair of AKG 701s in the near future. 

Are these my ones I posted on the for sale forum? If you want, I'd be happy to throw in a fiio l3 LOD cable as an extra

 

[matthewh133]

Quote:

Hi guys I've seen a pair of the HD598s for £150, is that a reasonable price? Worth paying for them? Considering you can now buy the 595s for £120, is it worth the extra £30? 

Also could anybody suggest some cans around the same price that I could try comparing them against. I'm thinking Grado SR125is but I'd rather listen to classical than rock so I guess the 598s are the better option, really I'm just looking for something to compare them too. 

Oh and HomlssLumbrjack, I'm running the 201s at the moment, I find they're terrible with the volume cranked up a bit, hopefully the 598s can handle the pressure.

Finally, I know they don't need to be amped, but could anybody suggest a suitable dekstop amp under £250? Taking into account that I'm possibly buying a second hand pair of AKG 701s in the near future. 

As for headphones in the same price range to compare, I'd say the AD900 for sure. They are an awesome headphone for the price, I loved mine.
 
About a desktop amp/dac, get an Audio-GD FUN. I've been using one for a long time now, over a lot of different headphones and it's just such killer value. Under $400 for a quality headphone amp and dac.