[Krutsch]

Quote:

My journey continues. I just purchased the HD 598 open box thru Amazon with the factory 2yr  warranty for about 170.00. This web site has me addicted I read it while I listen to my HP's. So far I bought the Shure 215 which I gave to my son, then the GR07 which I use mostly outside with the comply tips which give me a decent seal. Then I bought the A900x for 165.00 new un amped so far. I just like keeping it simple. I started using MOG at 320 KBPS which is a nice improvement, MOG is also on my new ROKU 3 which is great. 
Then my next journey while reviewing the 50 flagships lead me to the HD650 and the HD600 it sounded like I would get close to the top of the food chain and add a open can to my new collection. But then I started to get hung up on the amp or amp/dac issue, I first tried to approach it thru the portable method which appeared it wouldn't work that well even with the new Fii0 E12. So I looked at the E09k and E17, I'm just not ready to be tied to the desk with all this new portable methods that are available I'm not a professional. So I pressed HD598 vs HD600 in the search bar which lead me to the purchase of the HD 598. I haven't received them yet but here are my thoughts. Very nice looking compared to the A900x. I like the velour pads that go around the ear so I don't feel pinched. A lot of reviews say they have a great sound stage and they are close to the HD600/650 as far SQ goes. I hope the cracking issue is solved? So as a Newbie am I on track in my journey. If I do get a portable Amp which one is good for my HP's so far? E11, E07K,E17 or E12. Thanks for a reply.

 
I have heard the E07 - sounds fine and I gave one to a friend of mine for a gift - her first DAC and she's hooked.  I am in love with the E11, using either my Senns or my Grados, with a line out adapter and an iPod 5.5 (which has an incredibly warm sound, IMO).  There are some usage notes on this thread, relative to the E11 that are worth a read:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/556095/review-of-fiio-e11
 
Look at the comments about the gain switch and the hi/low power switch; worth reading.  I personally use low power and high gain w/ the Senn 598s, as I like the sound.  There is also an EQ setting, which I leave off at 0 (although you can switch to EQ 2 for a lot of extra bass, if you need that
 
The need for an amp is very source dependent, of course, but I find I need the E11 w/ my Senns and the iPod Classic.  And, for $50, how can you go wrong?

 

[Mitchm]

Quote:

 
I have heard the E07 - sounds fine and I gave one to a friend of mine for a gift - her first DAC and she's hooked.  I am in love with the E11, using either my Senns or my Grados, with a line out adapter and an iPod 5.5 (which has an incredibly warm sound, IMO).  There are some usage notes on this thread, relative to the E11 that are worth a read:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/556095/review-of-fiio-e11
 
Look at the comments about the gain switch and the hi/low power switch; worth reading.  I personally use low power and high gain w/ the Senn 598s, as I like the sound.  There is also an EQ setting, which I leave off at 0 (although you can switch to EQ 2 for a lot of extra bass, if you need that
 
The need for an amp is very source dependent, of course, but I find I need the E11 w/ my Senns and the iPod Classic.  And, for $50, how can you go wrong?

Thanks for getting back. So the E11 can be used with my macbook or Samsung 3 I guess. It sounds like a simply way to go. I get the 598 net week I will try it first w/o an amp then I will get one.  What about this DAC issue I'm not sure what that is about. I really do not play my music loud. On my Mac book I use about 1/3 sound. On my Samsung3 I use about 3/4 in the gym. Any need for the Amp/dac Fii0?

 

[Krutsch]

Quote:

Thanks for getting back. So the E11 can be used with my macbook or Samsung 3 I guess. It sounds like a simply way to go. I get the 598 net week I will try it first w/o an amp then I will get one.  What about this DAC issue I'm not sure what that is about. I really do not play my music loud. On my Mac book I use about 1/3 sound. On my Samsung3 I use about 3/4 in the gym. Any need for the Amp/dac Fii0?

 
Wait to see how you like the phones just plugged directly into your MacBook - I am guessing you will love the sound.  Give the headphones a chance to break in before judging the sound, too critically.  I don't know what to tell you about the Samsung 3 (does that mean Galaxy S III?).
 
If you want to 'upgrade' later, you can look into a DAC, amp or both - there are a lot of options, but one step at a time.
 
Just my $0.02...

 

[Mitchm]

Quote:

 
Wait to see how you like the phones just plugged directly into your MacBook - I am guessing you will love the sound.  Give the headphones a chance to break in before judging the sound, too critically.  I don't know what to tell you about the Samsung 3 (does that mean Galaxy S III?).
 
If you want to 'upgrade' later, you can look into a DAC, amp or both - there are a lot of options, but one step at a time.
 
Just my $0.02...

Yes it's the Samsung III phone. I guess whats funny to me is I once read a book called "The underground economist" and the point is was when a company makes a great product how they start changing that product, taking things in an out just so they can market it at different price points to appeal to more people. They could save money by producing that one great headphone lets say but they want to capture a wider market share. Nice to have a forum to get some feedback. Or we maybe left to think if u pay more u will get a better product.

 

[MonoMood]

Just ordered them and should be here a couple of days.
Seeing as they're my first set of mid-fi cans, I'm quite excited

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Quote:

The M50 is not smooth sounding while the HD598 is the exact opposite.
Not heard the Q701, is it similar to the K701 in signature? Cause i felt the K701 is good but at the same price as a HD650..... (it is a little better than the HD598, bit if its the same price as the HD650 i would take the senns over it anyday.)

Couple things I want to address here:
1) Irrelevancy of price: in the headphone world, higher price does not necessarily mean superior quality. Price is determined for various numbers of reasons (materials, production, audience, etc.). Forget about the price. 
 
2) Q701 and K701 are virtually identical. Most of the differences are due to placebo, manufacturing inconsistencies -known among 701 series-, and volume mismatching (sometimes they are not completely of same sensitivity). 
 
3) IMO... heck I don't even want to use that phrase... the HD598 > Q701 in virtually all ways: comfort, frequency response, tonality, soundstage, IMAGING, etc. The Q701 personally looks better aesthetically and has a far better build quality. But that's just about it for me. 
 
4) HD598 has a moderately prominent treble. Q701 is much more treble oriented, as you can see from the peaks in the 2000+ hertz regions. If that's the kind of headphone you want, go for it. Some people are not too bothered by treble because they have already loss the ability to hear frequencies at those regions. 
 
5) HD598/ HD600 > HD650. Overall, I prefer the HD598 the best for most genres of music though the HD600 is extremely good as well. The HD650 is not only dull but also somewhat unnatural in soundstage and frequency response. It is certainly not worth the price in comparison to the 5xx or 600 series. 
 
6) Lately I've heard of headphones that were better than the HD598. I suggest you guys try those as well. What were they called? The MA-900 or something by Sony? I don't really follow anything about headphones lately. 
 
Anyways, you guys might also want to look into something like the HE-400 or the Mad Dogs by Mr. Speakers. Have not listened to the former, but the latter is superb. I don't have the alpha pads but even with the dog pads... damn it is a good headphone. It picks up details that the HD-598 cannot (10-100 hertz in particular) and has fantastic noise isolation. Superior comfort as well, though that may be hard to believe since the 598 is VERY comfortable. 

 

[daleb]

Ugh... I don't even own the Q701s or the K701s and can tell they will sound different just by looking at them. That button on the side means absolutely everything. Now then, the Mad dogs has a sound signature closer to the 650s, alongside the HE-400. They all have recessed treble. The 598s are a good compromise between that laid back signature and the forward treble of the Q701s.
 
And why do you have to go from thread to thread telling us about prices not affecting anything. We get it, but its not nice to spam that wherever you go... And did you just blame our taste's in frequency response on hearing loss? That's a really low blow, dude...

 

[streetdragon]

The hd598 is good, but the k701 sounded good too, though the focus of the sound signature is confusing since it is somewhat bassy but treble and a kinda forced soundstage.

The hd650 has more detail all round with a more precise soundstage though it is not as airy or wide. A very slight upgrade forbcost, would rather upgrade my alessandros instead.

 

[doktorsteve]

In reply to Krutsch I would say that the equalised sound is fine for me.
 
For me the HD600 comes into its own when playing classical music. The problem is that I do not go to many classical concerts and the HD600 only sounds like I think that the classical instruments should sound but I have no objective idea if the HD600 is really accurate.
 
For listening to rock I find that the HD600 is a little too dry. It sounds ultra clean and maybe not as involving as the HD598.
 
It's like the difference between standard digital video and HD TV.  You might not get all the detail on standard TV but can follow the storyline. And neither is like really being there.

 

[Krutsch]

Quote:

In reply to Krutsch I would say that the equalised sound is fine for me.
 
For me the HD600 comes into its own when playing classical music. The problem is that I do not go to many classical concerts and the HD600 only sounds like I think that the classical instruments should sound but I have no objective idea if the HD600 is really accurate.

 
I go to a lot of classical concerts and I've come to realize that I've never heard recorded music in headphones that sounds like what you hear live.  I recently saw/listened to Anne-Sophie Mutter and had seats in row 5; she plays w/o microphones and amplification, and sitting that close, I would assume that the acoustics in the theater were meaningless.
 
At one point I started thinking about how different the sound was from either of my phones, when she played a piece that I've listent to a lot with headphones.  My Grados are very detailed and I just couldn't hear those details in the live performance (e.g. breathing and bowing sounds), even sitting that close, but the phones in this case are just too bright/aggressive in comparison to the live performance.
 
My Senns, on the other hand, are very smooth and warm, but just don't have the 'detail' and 'air', if you will, of a live solo violin (especially as played by Mutter).

 

[doktorsteve]

Interesting comment.
I think that you cannot escape the acoustics of the theatre even at that distance. A performer will adjust his or her performance depending on the acoustic even though they are on top of their instrument.
You have to remember that most recordings are not made binaurally so you are listening to a sound that is meant to be played on speakers. To try and emulate a speaker system you need to worry about cross feed and diffuse field frequency response. I thnk that to some extent the open backs of the headphones give some crossfeed  and the designer will have tailored the frequency response to give a diffuse field effect (maybe not in the case of Grados).
You can only really hope for an approximation that gives you the emotional buzz that was intended by the artist. To search for perfection is to search in vain and  spend a lot of money in the process.
For me HD600s have a clarity that HD598s cannot match. Their owner will never concede that the HD598s come even close.
 
I will continue the quest for the ultimate equalisation but I do not hold out much hope of bridging the gap..
 
In the meantime I will enjoy some more tunes.

 

[palmfish]

I have moved up the Sennheiser chain over the past 2+ years. I never intended to but at's just how it worked out for me in my desire to find a headphone that sounded "right" to me.

I started with the HD 598, then moved on to the HD 650. Then the HD 600 which for me was the most pleasing of the three - had much of the air and sparkle of the 598 with much of the bass weight of the 650. I did get sidetracked for a while with the Denon AH-D7000 in my search for an "HD 600 with more bass" but ultimately its flaws left me disatisfied.

Finally, my HD 800 does everything "right" for me.

At Magnolia AV yesterday, I checked out their headphone wall and discovered that the HD 558, although the least expensive of the bunch, sounded the best. Less air than the HD 598 (from memory), but more meat on the bone. A very good sounding headphone for someone who finds the HD598 a little bass light.

 

[RochRx7]

Quote:

At Magnolia AV yesterday, I checked out their headphone wall and discovered that the HD 558, although the least expensive of the bunch, sounded the best. Less air than the HD 598 (from memory), but more meat on the bone. A very good sounding headphone for someone who finds the HD598 a little bass light.

 
A dude on my local craigslist was selling HD558s for $75.. I thought about it.. but with the 598's.. I figure what would be the point?

Then, I thought to myself.. hell it's only $75 bucks for some positively reviewed cans.. So I check today again to gauge his interest but it was already sold.. Also selling K701s for $175.. but I'm not interested in those. Hope I'm not missing out

 

[illuzion435]

How do you think these sound on an ipod in comparison to something like a receiver? And for any one that has heard the two...I know that they are both very different but how does the hd598 compare to the momentums?

 

[palmfish]

The Momentums are a muddy mess IMO. The closest thing to Beats in Sennheisers lineup. Less comfortable on ear design too.