[streetdragon]

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

hmm any examples?

 

[Lord Voldemort]

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how about a Q701? how does it fare?

I've listened to the Q701 and the K701 separately, so I never made a direct comparison between the two. But despite everyone saying the Q701 is improved over the K701 (which could be true), it still maintains its biggest flaws (treble peaks, imaging, tonality, etc.). It's not even subjective to say that the HD598 is just a superior headphone, if the word "superior" means getting closer to the fidelity of the source. 

 

[streetdragon]

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I've listened to the Q701 and the K701 separately, so I never made a direct comparison between the two. But despite everyone saying the Q701 is improved over the K701 (which could be true), it still maintains its biggest flaws (treble peaks, imaging, tonality, etc.). It's not even subjective to say that the HD598 is just a superior headphone, if the word "superior" means getting closer to the fidelity of the source. 

but i heard that the Q701/K701 has very good soundstage from several people, just wondering how is the imaging and soundstage on it? not accurate? or very artificial sounding?

 

[Qui audit]

Okay so, given the generally agreement that the K/Q701s aren't an improvement on the Senns. What would be? I'm not even considering the 600s/650s given that they are sure to be refreshed at some point soon (hopefully). The 700s/800s are far too expensive for me. Has anybody compared any of the new-ish Philips Fidelio range to the 598s?

 

[Arkyle]

Quote:

how about a Q701? how does it fare?

Isn't the Q701 just a K701 with a dettachable cable and a louder color scheme?
 
I've only tried the K701 and the 598 has a better soundtstage and a flatter response; in general it has one of the flattest responses on that price range. I think an upgrade would really be the HD600/650 but you're right...it is around time they updated that line...BUT usually they tease them for months and months beforehand and there haven't been any indications that they are working on a new 600 model so...
I love the HD 600 and I might get a pair during the year, but I'm still open to suggestions  
Meanwhile I'll enjoy my 598s to death. 

 

[streetdragon]

i had actually thought of the Q701 as a possible upgrade option (since people say it has fantastic soundstage, but then the HD598 has fantastic soundstage too, so i was wondering how they compared) but i guess it's not an upgrade at all. only way to go from here is a HD650 then

 (not heard the HD600 yet)

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

i had actually thought of the Q701 as a possible upgrade option (since people say it has fantastic soundstage, but then the HD598 has fantastic soundstage too, so i was wondering how they compared) but i guess it's not an upgrade at all. only way to go from here is a HD650 then

 (not heard the HD600 yet)

I find the Q701 to be an upgrade, but only when used with a nice DAC and amp. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking it has an artificially huge soundstage or no center image. It has a better center image than even my HD-650. No airplane hanger like soundstage here. I definitely got that on the K702. Of course variations of the Q701 could exist.
 
Now I love the 598 and it's often a bit more musical to some than the Q701. I will say that I rarely use the HD-598. It started going downhill when I got the HD-580.
 
Once I got the HD-650 it sat in the closet. I always hated the HD-650, but this pair is really quite balanced. It's bass is very well controlled and it has no mid-bass hump. The treble is fine. It does make nearly all music sound good (just like the HD-598). The Q701 never does this.
 
The Q701 may be just a side-grade to some, but I don't think it's the general consensus that it's not an upgrade. You just have to try it. With a weak amp/dac the Q701 might be worse than the 598. My 598 sounds good from nearly everything. The Q701..not so much.
 
The HD-650 is quite a bit different than the 598 of course. It's much warmer and probably has much less forward mids. Smaller soundstage too. It's sound is quite addicting. I actually hated my last two pairs, but this one is so good. Not sure why...

 

[streetdragon]

thanks for the info, hopefully i can try them out sometime soon at a shop to compare them myself as well

 

[Nirvana Woman]

Hi guys. I've decided I'm going back from my HD650's to the 598.
 
After a few months of trying, just can't get used to the HD650. It's not about its sound signature - there's just something about the HD650 I can't stand. I've tried different amps, tube rolled a bit, gone through everything. It mostly has to do with how it seems to make the stuff that's played right in front of you sound dead and bland on anything less than perfect recordings. Also had problems with how it handles percussion and cymbals. I just don't know. Just couldn't get along with it. Now going back to the HD598, I immediately find none of that frustration at all...They're definitely way more forgiving. Time to sell the 650's and try the 600's in a few months. Until then, gonna enjoy the 598's .

 

[Izeekio]

This question has probably been answered already, but are the pads on the 598s replaceable? I got them recently and they don't seem to shift much. I didn't want to try pulling harder in fear of ripping them off for good. 

 

[hesson11]

Quote:

This question has probably been answered already, but are the pads on the 598s replaceable? I got them recently and they don't seem to shift much. I didn't want to try pulling harder in fear of ripping them off for good. 

 
Check out the video on Sennheiser's HD598 page. (Follow the link below and click on the "Description" tag.) At about 1:50, it shows how the pads can be removed. I tried pulling mine off the same way, but I got a lot more resistance than the video seems to show, but I stopped. If you try it yourself, report back!
 
-Bob
 
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/over-ear-headphones-acoustic-headphones_504633

 

[streetdragon]

its definitely removable, and its exchangeable with the HD518 and HD558 as well. just have to put some energy into it, slowly pull it and don't suddenly jerk it.
i've removed the pads about over 30 times already by now(experimenting with damping in the earcup)

 

[MegaMushroom]

The pads do come off.  You just gotta tug on them pretty hard.  I prefer to kinda wedge my finger in from the inside and lift up. 

 

[Izeekio]

Thanks for the replies! I checked out the videos as well. It seems that they have some clipping type of action when removing them. I will indeed be careful when I take them off. 

 

[stijn]

Quick question: anyone knows if an RME Multiface 2's headphone output should be sufficient for driving 598s, or am I better off buying a dedicated amp?