[bmeat]

void

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

ill take a look. what was the name of the offbrand fisher headphones? i need them to be better than the k240. i had a k240, and while they were amazing, they didn't have enough clarity for me.
 
are these Gemini HSR-1000 a rebranded something else?

You mean the off brand of the Fischer Audio brand?
Like the Brainwave HM5 or Joycar?
 
I'm not sure what company actually makes the Gemini HSR-1000, but I first saw them sold as Takstar Pro 80s.

 

[bmeat]

void

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Quote:

Thinking more about keeping the 598's when they come in the mail on monday as much as I am tempted to get He-400's. I am not a bass-head and listen to jazz and vocals the most when I reading/relaxing with headphones on. So I don't need the sub bass, but from all the reading I have done on the He-400's it seems that it is in a class above the Hd-598's in general and will improve clarity in mids and highs as well and is more enjoyable can no matter what genre you are listening to.
 
Also have you listened to the 598s with an e10. I know in theory it is plenty powerful for the HD598's but I have noticed in some of the threads people saying that the amp section of the e10 doesn't pair well with the 598's, negatively affecting the sound signature. Specifically reducing the bass and making the mids sound further away and sounding darker overall. Of course a lot of the same posters also recommended buying amps/dac's that cost almost as much or more as the headphones themselves (02+Odac, dragonfly, ibasso d7, etc)  which I think is overkill and wouldn't do. I have also heard the e17 pairs well with the 598's, but i don't really need a portable amp. Does ayone know if the e10 really doesn't sound good with the 598's? Would e17 really be that much better? Having owned the 595's I can believe that the 598's don't need much to improve the sound, but am worried that the coloration of the e10 will not pair well with 598's. 

When people talk of something sounding a "class above", it is usually just psychological bias. Consider the Mad Dogs I own for instance. I bought it because there are people out there who have actually sold their LCD-2/ LCD-3s because they find the Mad Dogs to be in the "same league" sonically, in some ways better and worse. Many say it's impossible for the Mad Dog to compete with a much more expensive headphone but again, detailed impressions by others say otherwise. And if you look at the objective measurements of the two cans, it's not surprising that the Mad Dogs is in the same league. People in general have the tendency to categorize one thing as completely better than another... just makes the world easier to comprehend. 
 
I've heard from two people who own both headphones, and they find the HD598 to be superior for vocals than the HE-400. It's debatable whether it is "better" but it's just proof that the HE-400 isn't necessary a "step above" something lower than its price range. Step above in some ways, but not ALL ways. This is true even when you compare a decent sub-$100 to more expensive cans... I've often found some of the former to have a superior midrange than say, a D2000. Often it is just a matter of pros and cons, regardless of price range. For reference, I prefer the more tonally accurate and more open (less dampened) midrange of the HD598 to my Mad Dogs, and I've even heard someone say the Mad Dogs have a more transparent midrange to the LCD-2. Funny huh? 
 
The idea of amping in the audio world also has a prevalent amount of BS. When people hear differences between amps, almost all these differences can be attributed to psychological bias and improperly matched volume. The E10 is plenty for the HD598. I would not even worry about it. Buy something that you can afford, looks cools, or is ergonomically convenient. 
 
If you are truly worried the HD598 is not for you, then please get the HE-400. It's better to have the feeling that you made a more reliable purchase. But with the genres you listen to, I think the HD598 will be more satisfactory. And as for which amps to buy, again it doesn't matter for either cans. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

ahh the brainwave mh5! thank you! think these will outperform a k240? how about the hsr1000?
 
edit: ****, i see they're the same price as the krk8400. damnit. I'm looking for $100 or less

I own the Brainwave HM5, the AKG K242HD and the Gemini HSR-1000.
I never used the HM5 anymore, rarely use the K242HD.
The HSR-1000 is one of five preferred headphones that are part of my headphone rotation.

 

[Dillont3]

When people talk of something sounding a "class above", it is usually just psychological bias. Consider the Mad Dogs I own for instance. I bought it because there are people out there who have actually sold their LCD-2/ LCD-3s because they find the Mad Dogs to be in the "same league" sonically, in some ways better and worse. Many say it's impossible for the Mad Dog to compete with a much more expensive headphone but again, detailed impressions by others say otherwise. And if you look at the objective measurements of the two cans, it's not surprising that the Mad Dogs is in the same league. People in general have the tendency to categorize one thing as completely better than another... just makes the world easier to comprehend. 
 
I've heard from two people who own both headphones, and they find the HD598 to be superior for vocals than the HE-400. It's debatable whether it is "better" but it's just proof that the HE-400 isn't necessary a "step above" something lower than its price range. Step above in some ways, but not ALL ways. This is true even when you compare a decent sub-$100 to more expensive cans... I've often found some of the former to have a superior midrange than say, a D2000. Often it is just a matter of pros and cons, regardless of price range. For reference, I prefer the more tonally accurate and more open (less dampened) midrange of the HD598 to my Mad Dogs, and I've even heard someone say the Mad Dogs have a more transparent midrange to the LCD-2. Funny huh? 
 
The idea of amping in the audio world also has a prevalent amount of BS. When people hear differences between amps, almost all these differences can be attributed to psychological bias and improperly matched volume. The E10 is plenty for the HD598. I would not even worry about it. Buy something that you can afford, looks cools, or is ergonomically convenient. 
 
If you are truly worried the HD598 is not for you, then please get the HE-400. It's better to have the feeling that you made a more reliable purchase. But with the genres you listen to, I think the HD598 will be more satisfactory. And as for which amps to buy, again it doesn't matter for either cans. 
[/quote]

I know the hd598 will work well for me and i will be happy with them. I had the 595's for a year and a half and just recently sent them in for warranty exchange. Senn is sending me a pair of 598's to replace them. will come in the mail tomorrow. I really liked my 595's and looking forward to getting a free upgraded pair. Was just tempted to try orthos and sell them to fund He-400s BC of all i have read about them. Thinking now i will stick with senns and be happy.

I have never really bought into the needing expensive amps, cables, etc trend, especially for cans like 595/598's. I was just wondering why some people said the e10 sounded bad with 598's since i already have e10. Never noticed anything wrong with using it with 595's so i probably would think it is fine with 598's if i didn't read what other people wrote.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[bmeat]

void

 

[Filleri]

Got my HD598s yesterday and i must say they rock like nothing else i`ve tried. Got them out of the box and plugged them in to my little Xonar U3 put some music on and next time i look at the clock it`s about midnight. I had been listening these for 8 hours straight. They are so freaking comfortable. Still burning these, but to my ears the bass is super good. Tight, punchy and never overpowering. Midrange is so sweet and lush and the highs are sparkling but never sibilant. The soundstage is huge already. Hope they will still improve after some time. Honestly i don`t understand what`s all that talk about them being bass shy. I have my IE80 which i use on the go (know`n for strong bass) and the Hd598 can easily keep up with it.

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Got my HD598s yesterday and i must say they rock like nothing else i`ve tried. Got them out of the box and plugged them in to my little Xonar U3 put some music on and next time i look at the clock it`s about midnight. I had been listening these for 8 hours straight. They are so freaking comfortable. Still burning these, but to my ears the bass is super good. Tight, punchy and never overpowering. Midrange is so sweet and lush and the highs are sparkling but never sibilant. The soundstage is huge already. Hope they will still improve after some time. Honestly i don`t understand what`s all that talk about them being bass shy. I have my IE80 which i use on the go (know`n for strong bass) and the Hd598 can easily keep up with it.

well if people come from more bassy headphones they would definitely call them bass shy, but actually they have very healthy bass (though not ortho standard)
also good that you like them

 

[Qui audit]

Hi everbody, I posted in this thread ages ago when I first got my HD598s, have to say I still absolutely adore them. But, I was wondering what anybody would recommend as an upgrade? By an upgrade I mean a nicely paired amp/can combo with improved soundstage? Last I heard the K701 was still a favourite on HF but I'm never sure how times change! Any opinions?

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Quote:

Hi everbody, I posted in this thread ages ago when I first got my HD598s, have to say I still absolutely adore them. But, I was wondering what anybody would recommend as an upgrade? By an upgrade I mean a nicely paired amp/can combo with improved soundstage? Last I heard the K701 was still a favourite on HF but I'm never sure how times change! Any opinions?

K701 is definitely not an upgrade.
 
I think from this price onwards, you'll find that technicalities (THD, frequency range, etc.) matter less than how the headphone is tuned (frequency response, soundstage, etc.) It is mostly about finding what you prefer. If you want a different headphone, the HE-400 is very popular these days. 

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

K701 is definitely not an upgrade.
 
I think from this price onwards, you'll find that technicalities (THD, frequency range, etc.) matter less than how the headphone is tuned (frequency response, soundstage, etc.) It is mostly about finding what you prefer. If you want a different headphone, the HE-400 is very popular these days. 

how about a Q701? how does it fare?

 

[hesson11]

I just got my HD 598s yesterday after years of almost never using headphones. What a revelation!
 
I’ve been a registered lurker here for a few years, but never really spent much time listening to or even thinking about headphones. I listen almost exclusively to classical music, and my idea of home reproduction is the creation of a believable 3D soundstage at the other end of my listening room. And headphones don’t really do that (at least not without the Smyth thing I’ve read about).
 
But doing more late-night listening lately, I thought I’d give a decent set of phones a try. In the past, I’ve used the old-yeller Sennheiser HD410 (too bright), the PX100 (very natural and until now, my favorite) and Grado SR80i (too thin and insubstantial sounding).
 
Yesterday when I slipped on the new HD598s—even without any break-in and driven only by my Arcam A85 integrated amp—I was shocked at the fidelity to the instrumental tone colors of the unamplified instruments I was listening to.  (Realistic timbre is my other obsession.) In the FR graphs, I had spotted a dip in the HD598’s 2K-to-4K region, which I thought would help reduce the strident, bright sound of violins I find in many components. And boy, did it do the trick! These are some of the smoothest, most realistic violins I’ve ever heard!
 
There is a bit of a dark character in the lower registers that may be obscuring some detail, but I will gladly sacrifice in-your-face detail for overall smoothness any day.
 
While I didn’t ask for any advice from this board, I got plenty of it merely by reading this and other threads here. So to all I learned from, thank you!
 
-Bob
 
[size=12.0pt]P.S. There seems to be more talk of “soundstage” from headphones these days than in the past (I’m an old-timer with hi-fi roots in the 1970s). What is generally meant by the term these days? Does it mainly pertain to gaming (of which I’m totally ignorant), or are some phones actually creating more realistic musical soundstages these days, i.e., stretching out in front of the listener?[/size]

 

[streetdragon]

soundstage is generally stated as wide, meaning that the sound seems to surround you instead of being crammed into your head. and also postitioning accuracy which determines how distinct a specific instrument's postition seems to be in a 3 dimentional space around your head. the HD598 is regarded to have one of the best soundstages of its price range (but amping is probably needed since amping improves primarily the soundstage and some other things too like bass texture and overall refinement)

 

[XxDobermanxX]

fanboyism is another problem , ive read many forums were the most ridiculous comment reside