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Sennheiser HD 598 Impressions Thread
Sep 17, 2013 at 9:57 PM Post #2,747 of 7,535
buldome said:
  the HD598 are great cans, mine sounds great from an simple HD audio motherboard sound card, but I heard that with an additional Fiio E17 + E09k it can bring this cans to life :)
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I heard (or hear) that they're quite alive without any amp. I don't know how the sound is from your sound card, but I can tell you after hours A/B switching between line out through a very good amp and direct iPhone 5 output, I could hear no difference. The new CanOpener app, on the other hand, will boost the bass and add useable crossfeed for a lot less than an amp and DAC.
 
Sep 17, 2013 at 10:31 PM Post #2,748 of 7,535
phredd said:
   
I heard (or hear) that they're quite alive without any amp. I don't know how the sound is from your sound card, but I can tell you after hours A/B switching between line out through a very good amp and direct iPhone 5 output, I could hear no difference. The new CanOpener app, on the other hand, will boost the bass and add useable crossfeed for a lot less than an amp and DAC.
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Thanks for the tip on CanOpener.  Very, very cool app.  Now if only they would add Sennheiser HD598 cans to the list 
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BTW, which setting so you use with the 598s?  Just curious...
 
Sep 18, 2013 at 6:13 AM Post #2,749 of 7,535
Just received my cans today, i wonder if i have to amp them a bit. I have a phoebus soundcard (no laughing, it works very well for me) and it has 3 settings:
- Normal gain, 0dB, <64 ohm
- High gain, 6dB, 64 ~ 150 ohm
- Extra gain, 12dB, >150 ohm
 
They sound fantastic on normal, but kind of lack the punch of the next setting.
 
Sep 18, 2013 at 11:14 AM Post #2,750 of 7,535
glasofruix said:
  Just received my cans today, i wonder if i have to amp them a bit. I have a phoebus soundcard (no laughing, it works very well for me) and it has 3 settings:
- Normal gain, 0dB, <64 ohm
- High gain, 6dB, 64 ~ 150 ohm
- Extra gain, 12dB, >150 ohm
 
They sound fantastic on normal, but kind of lack the punch of the next setting.
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I have the asus essence stx at high gain 300ohm and extra gain 600ohms. I just hear more noise/static
 
they don't really need an amp
 
Sep 18, 2013 at 2:11 PM Post #2,751 of 7,535
A high gain setting on the amp would normally add more sparkle and attack to the sound, making sound more edgy and lively at the cost of smoothness. I'd take the extra edgyness and attack, without them they tend to sound more sleepy.
Also the bass becomes more solid and defined.
But as stated heavy amping is not really needed.
 
Sep 18, 2013 at 5:46 PM Post #2,752 of 7,535
streetdragon said:
  A high gain setting on the amp would normally add more sparkle and attack to the sound, making sound more edgy and lively at the cost of smoothness. I'd take the extra edgyness and attack, without them they tend to sound more sleepy.
Also the bass becomes more solid and defined.
But as stated heavy amping is not really needed.
Click to expand...

 
I too, noticed a difference with high gain... i also noticed a big difference when i used an amp, mostly the bass frequency and soundstage isn't nearly as strong and bigger when i play them through my laptop. Then again, my laptop's on board sound is crap to begin with... if your PC already has a decent soundcard (even if it came with the motherboard, some are actually decent), you probably won't hear a difference with a amp.
 
Check this out (i know, 558, same drivers though)

 
Notice the peak at 100 Hz, it's around 275 ohms.
 
Sep 18, 2013 at 6:03 PM Post #2,753 of 7,535
Well, i'm not going all the way up to the extra gain anyway, it sounds already very nice on +6dB high gain, i'll just leave it like that and let my brain get used to the new sound.
 
Another thing, i just played some Borderlands 2, not sure how to get the positionnal audio right. I've set the speakers to 7.1 (as most of the games seem to look into the speakers' control panel to get into surround mode), then activated dolby home theater v4, got rid of the EQ, dialogue enhancements and volume leveler. Cranked the surround to 1/3, it sounds like surround, but the rear channels seem a bit clunky, maybe it's because dolby doesn't make the separation as clearly as my previous headset did. Any suggestions on how to get things right?
 
Sep 19, 2013 at 7:26 AM Post #2,756 of 7,535
Hi,
I am going to get the sennheiser HD 598's and i want to use a FiiO E07k or an E10, my question is first of all is this a good combo? (my first good headphones) . also is the E10 any better than the E07k in sound quality. the thing is that where i live the E07k is only about $15 more than the E10 ($95 & $80) so the portability and analog audio in is a benefit for an acceptable extra. another thing is the beyerdynamics DT990 Pro 250 ohms any good compared to the HD598's as the 598's are overpriced here (around $300) and i think i will find DT990 Pro in the same price range. :) . are the cans worth this price and what are the alternatives.
 
so which headphones is better and which DAC/Amp is suitable for it.
 
I do listen to [ Classical,Trance/Electronic,Orchestral,Symphonic metal/Vocal,Reggae,occasional Rock,Hip Hop & R&B ] and i do a lot of gaming and movie watching. :)
 
also i read a lot about the cracking problem is there a way to tell if the set is from the new material series as i think no return policy in here.
 
Thanks ,,
 
Sep 19, 2013 at 8:53 AM Post #2,757 of 7,535
They sound great with the E10 but even without you can enjoy them. They're lacking in bass impact (for the electronic stuff) so you need to tweak them a little with the EQ, or you can use the bass bost of the E10.
 
Sep 20, 2013 at 6:26 PM Post #2,759 of 7,535
Thinking of picking up the HD 598's and fiio e10 or would i need the Asus Essence STX "Dolby" for gaming? Kind of new to high-end audio, been using headsets for a long time. Feel like it's a good time to upgrade.
 
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