[Alexxander]

Hello everyone, newbie here,
 
I've had my HD598 for about a mth now and I'm quite happy with them I would have to agree with the guys who call them 'a great all rounder' and 'extremely comfortable',
allthough I feel they could benefit from some seperation of some instruments in fast rock type tunes.
 
I accidently busted my laptop jack port and bought a cheapy 'turtle beach' usb to headphone out thingy
results not great so I've been wondering about the Audioquest Dragonfly Dac to help with a bit of extra bass and seperation.
Anyone tried pairing HD598 with Dragonfly?
 
Money's a bit tight this side of Christmas and it can't be bought for less than £215 anywhere here in the UK,
however a well known auction site has it for around £150 inc postage from LA Cal
Not sure if I would get charged exise duty by UK customs though?
 
Your help would be appreciated.

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Quote:

Hello everyone, newbie here,
 
I've had my HD598 for about a mth now and I'm quite happy with them I would have to agree with the guys who call them 'a great all rounder' and 'extremely comfortable',
allthough I feel they could benefit from some seperation of some instruments in fast rock type tunes.
 
I accidently busted my laptop jack port and bought a cheapy 'turtle beach' usb to headphone out thingy
results not great so I've been wondering about the Audioquest Dragonfly Dac to help with a bit of extra bass and seperation.
Anyone tried pairing HD598 with Dragonfly?
 
Money's a bit tight this side of Christmas and it can't be bought for less than £215 anywhere here in the UK,
however a well known auction site has it for around £150 inc postage from LA Cal
Not sure if I would get charged exise duty by UK customs though?
 
Your help would be appreciated.

I would only recommend the Dragonfly if you needed its ergonomic benefits - small, portable, and fits in your pockets. Like I always emphasize, amp/ dac requirements are overrated. The HD598 do well with a simple E10 and E17. Heck they improve even with a E6. With an amp, you'll get a tighter bass and better instrumental separation. This difference isn't night and day however. 
 
The HD598 is well known for being able to handle complex passages actually. It may just be the recording itself that portrays hazy instrumental passages. But the HD598 isn't exactly the fastest sounding cans out there, and lacks the resolving qualities of cans that are at higher impedance or of orthodynamic designs. 

 

[XxDobermanxX]

Quote:

 
People speak so much of this can being bass-light, but to say they have more bass than the SR-80s? Man, it jst got confusing. It's ironic, despite being a bass player myself, I've never been a fan of accentuated bass. It just seems to detract from the overall experience of the music, and ends up burying the mids and highs, and keeps them from truly singing imo. As long as the bass is 'there' so to speak on the 598s, I'm good. Neither am I looking for that 'in your face' sound as you have described with the grados. If the 598 really is an all-arounder, and can do rock/metal justice in its own right, then it's worth the purchase. Thank you very much for your input, sir. It's much appreciated, and happy thanksgiving.  

Anytime 

 

[XxDobermanxX]

Quote:

I would only recommend the Dragonfly if you needed its ergonomic benefits - small, portable, and fits in your pockets. Like I always emphasize, amp/ dac requirements are overrated. The HD598 do well with a simple E10 and E17. Heck they improve even with a E6. With an amp, you'll get a tighter bass and better instrumental separation. This difference isn't night and day however. 
 
The HD598 is well known for being able to handle complex passages actually. It may just be the recording itself that portrays hazy instrumental passages. But the HD598 isn't exactly the fastest sounding cans out there, and lacks the resolving qualities of cans that are at higher impedance or of orthodynamic designs. 

Yes Electrostatic drivers [size=x-small]are for fast paced stuff [/size]

 

[Alexxander]

Quote:

I would only recommend the Dragonfly if you needed its ergonomic benefits - small, portable, and fits in your pockets. Like I always emphasize, amp/ dac requirements are overrated. The HD598 do well with a simple E10 and E17. Heck they improve even with a E6. With an amp, you'll get a tighter bass and better instrumental separation. This difference isn't night and day however. 
 
The HD598 is well known for being able to handle complex passages actually. It may just be the recording itself that portrays hazy instrumental passages. But the HD598 isn't exactly the fastest sounding cans out there, and lacks the resolving qualities of cans that are at higher impedance or of orthodynamic designs. 

Cheers for that,
 
I have done some research of smallish <£250 desktop amps/dacs to hook into me vaio (mobile not required) including this great thread and I like the idea of simplicity and extra wiring not required so It's the Dragonfly for me but only if someone can reccomend it with the 598s as a demo isn't possible and I trust you guys honest opinions.
 
I understand what you mean about not being the fastest cans and it's most probably crappy production/recordings that muddy the sound of some metal tunes.
 
Would like it also if anyone has imported into UK from USA and if they got screwed at customs?

 

[PanamaHat]

Is the imaging on this headphone very different from its younger brother, the HD558? A lot of gamers actually seem to prefer the HD558, but it might just be because of the color. 

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Quote:

Is the imaging on this headphone very different from its younger brother, the HD558? A lot of gamers actually seem to prefer the HD558, but it might just be because of the color. 

Should be the same or perhaps better. But the HD558 is known for fantastic imaging as well. The HD558 is a cheaper alternative to the HD598, and if I were to buy a can strictly for gaming purposes, I'd get the HD558. 

 

[ahujasid]

Is the fiio e6 good enough for bringing out the best in hd 598?

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Should be the same or perhaps better. But the HD558 is known for fantastic imaging as well. The HD558 is a cheaper alternative to the HD598, and if I were to buy a can strictly for gaming purposes, I'd get the HD558. 

in terms of soundstaging the modded HD558 is pretty much identical to the HD598
its just that the HD598 is more crisp and refined than the modded HD558 overall

about stock HD558... i cant say much because i took it off such a long time ago i may have forgotten a little but i remember that their soundstaging is really good too, maybe just every slightly narrower than its bigger tan brother

and @ ahujasid
the E6 does close to nothing for my HD558 imo. it only changes the eq (which becomes pointless when i can tweak it myself with better accuracy and flexibility)

 

[ahujasid]

the E6 does close to nothing for my HD558 imo. it only changes the eq (which becomes pointless when i can tweak it myself with better accuracy and flexibility)

Which amp/dac would you recommend for using with laptop and iPod touch 4g along with hd 598?

 

[XxDobermanxX]

Quote:

Is the imaging on this headphone very different from its younger brother, the HD558? A lot of gamers actually seem to prefer the HD558, but it might just be because of the color. 

and bass 

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

and bass 

and cheaper too. (i know that was my reason)

 

[XxDobermanxX]

Quote:

and cheaper too. (i know that was my reason)

lol

 

[Wouwie]

Just bought these headphones. They are my first "proper" over-ear headphones that i have bought. Previously, i was using the Sony CD950 from my dad. But i found them a bit heavy/warm and couldn't wear them during long periods.
 
I just tried the HD598 and for some reason, the are very uncomfortable to wear on my head. I'm actually starting to wonder if i'm doing something wrong. The head band is pushing on the top of my head and when i loosen it, it isn't tight enough anymore to fit my ears. I don't think i have particulary large ears but find the ear fit not that comfortable either. It's like the headphone is not able to fit my head, whatever i try. The Sony CD950 fitted a lot better.
 
Also, the headphones feel very rigid in a sense that they don't adapt to the shape of the head, if that makes any sense?
 
Any tips? Something to get used to?

 

[Headstar]

You'll have to use them some time. They're a bit stiff brand new. Allow them some time to adapt to the shape of your head. Say a week. After that, they're like the touch of an angel.