[Destroysall]

How does this setup do metal? (if you listen to any)
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Lol yes I did. I bought the 598s and the Fiio E10 together from Amazon.  If u see the HD 598s in the $170 price range, that is a great price; its probably the lowest I've seen it go for.  You will not see it go for anything cheaper for a new pair (I only got it for $138 because they made an error).  Yes i previously owned the 558s and it has about roughly 100 hours of burn in.  After listening to the first song on the 598s, I packed up the 558s and returned those.  A fully burned in 558s and I felt a brand new 598s were just as good.   The comfort alone was enough to justify the $173 price over the $140 of the 558s.  You'd think the design is pretty much the same except for the metal grills and driver enclosure, but the headband is constructed differently and is a better build.  The 598's headband padding is obviously of different material, and the grip is also looser than the 558s (558s were a bit tight, but the 598s are perfect).  Bass is a bit tighter but its definitely the least present of the mids and highs.  A basshead will supremely be disappointed with this headphone, but the bass is quite present.  It has a slightly bit more level of detail and refinement.  It takes a bit to get used to the color, and it didn't look as good as in the pictures at first, but its certainly starting to grow on me.  
 
I was using Realtek ALC888s previously, and my intital impressions was 'what happened to the bass'?  The built in realtek apparently does have more bass, and I initially thought 'What, did I buy the E10 for nothing'?  Yes the bass seems to be smaller on the E10 compared to my built in audio, but it was a boomy, muddy, and somewhat artificial bass.  I have never owned an audio card, dac, or amp, nothing whatsoever in my life so I really didn't know what to look for.  But after a day and two of a/b listening, I can easily discern the E10 was clearing all of that muddiness from the bass.  Small background notes were more apparent with the E10 and depth of soundstage increased.  It felt as if the E10 lifted a veil off my music as compared to my Realtek.  Yes, I probably will keep the E10 with my brand new HD 598s.  First impressions was 'wow, its really small... smaller than a cigarette pack.'  But it really does look quite sleek.  Its definitely not the first batch; it has that new "Bass -ON or -OFF"  Seems to work perfectly fine; simple plug and play.  No distortion problem when moving the E10 around (some people have this problem).  I'm a guy who really demands perfection in items I purchase and I haven't been disappointed.  I've returned the XB500s, HD428s, Shure 440s, HD558s, and I think this is where its going to end for quite some time.  Keep in mind this is only my first headphone purchase after using apple earbuds my whole life.  I also bought one of those Sennheiser headphone holders for $20.  Its a bit expensive but its well made and helps keep my headphones in great condition.

 

 

[SolomonPierce]

Just got mine for the new $170 low.  I'm enjoying them and waiting for my e7 / e9 combo to come so I can see if it was worth it or if it was overkill.  I'm a bit worried atm.

 

[ztreb185]

 
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How does this setup do metal? (if you listen to any)


 

 Sorry I don't listen to metal, some people say the headphones might be a little slow for fast music like metal (I have no idea what that means though).  
 


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Just got mine for the new $170 low.  I'm enjoying them and waiting for my e7 / e9 combo to come so I can see if it was worth it or if it was overkill.  I'm a bit worried atm.

I think it is, I was also pondering whether to get the E7/E9 or just the E10 for the 598s.  Apparently I read a thread here saying that high'ish impedance amps such as he E9 will ruin it for low impedance headphones like the HD598s.  Well I shouldn't say ruin, it will probably be an improvement.  However many say the E10 is perfect for it.  Also you can't use any of the E7 features while docked on the E9 such as bass boost.  I keep my E10 bass boost on with my 598s.  Hope this helps. 
 

 

[SolomonPierce]

Yeah I had a thread about this.  I wish I hadn't bought them now.  I got them both after a bit of a spending spree on Amazon.  I guess I could sell them / hold on to them until I get higher impedance phones.  I've heard they're good enough for a starter amp.

 

[imackler]

FWIW, I thought the E9/HD598 combo was fantastic. Much better than the HD598 w/ E11. Of course, much better in the kind of way that I noticed but my wife probably wouldn't. I personally couldn't sense the E11 doing anything for the HD598. But the E9...nice.

 

[ztreb185]

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Yeah I had a thread about this.  I wish I hadn't bought them now.  I got them both after a bit of a spending spree on Amazon.  I guess I could sell them / hold on to them until I get higher impedance phones.  I've heard they're good enough for a starter amp.

I suggest u keep them both.  They are a great future-proof investment if you plan to upgrade to high impedance phones.  Especially since fiio will come out withe the E17 next year which will dock with the E9.  It should be better than both the E7 and E10.  E17 + E9 go to home rig and the E7 use as a portable.  Thats what I would do.

 

[sjondenon]

anyone knows what the driver size of the hd598 is? just curious..

 

[Headstar]

40mm.

 

[imackler]

How much sound do these really leak? I don't have them now but am thinking about rebuying them. Naturally, I couldn't hear how much they leaked because they were on my head. With the E9, high gain, maybe 10 o'clock, would it be noticeable to my wife if she were watching television or sitting next to someone in a busy coffee shop? I really don't listen that loud...
 
Thanks!

 

[MorbidToaster]

Yes. They'd hear them. You can hear them from at least a few feet away at 'normal' levels.
 
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How much sound do these really leak? I don't have them now but am thinking about rebuying them. Naturally, I couldn't hear how much they leaked because they were on my head. With the E9, high gain, maybe 10 o'clock, would it be noticeable to my wife if she were watching television or sitting next to someone in a busy coffee shop? I really don't listen that loud...
 
Thanks!

 
 

 

[Headstar]

If that person it's in front of you, the leakeage might not be all that bad but still noticeable, but if someone stays sideways, they will hear it like listening music to a mobile phone speaker. Loud and clear.

 

[GigaFi]

My 558 works reasonably well as speakers.

 

[pho31]

I got my 598's yesterday. Sound is very clear and crisp going through my pc onboard sound. It's missing something though. I am about to drop $80 on the E10. So hopefully there will be a noticeable difference.

 

[DarkAndroid]

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I got my 598's yesterday. Sound is very clear and crisp going through my pc onboard sound. It's missing something though. I am about to drop $80 on the E10. So hopefully there will be a noticeable difference.

it might also be that they arent really burned in yet. When I first listened to my new HD598 when I got them, I almost felt as if I wasted $200. With time and pink noise though, it gradually started to sound alot better.

 

[Wolvaras]

For those that had both: What are the major difference between the 595 and these cans?