[diaBoliQu3]

  Wait which amp were you suggesting out of this bunch? and I happen to really like the CDAC+ I actually prefer the sound over the original ODAC, though they are of course very close, I prefer the Fostex HP-A3 as a DAC in some instance I cannot really decide for sure, it is a bit more detailed I feel like but the amp on the Fostex HP-a3 is average and can power 300ohm relatively well but would be only mediocre volume with 600ohm. I usually use the rca out and hook it to another amp. 

Wait, I'm twisted with HD600 cable. Lol... If I were you, I will get O2. Like I said, the reason I did not get Objective combo is because I accidentally buy Bottlehead Crack.

 

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

  Wait, I'm twisted with HD600 cable. Lol... If I were you, I will get O2. Like I said, the reason I did not get Objective combo is because I accidentally buy Bottlehead Crack.

 

lol fair enough, have you listened to the HD600 with the O2? and I would like to someday a get a bottlehead crack but I have no experience soldering on a pcb like this, most things I did with soldering was fix lens for digital cameras and that was about 8 years back. Anyways I will let you know how it goes with the amp.

 

[diaBoliQu3]

  lol fair enough, have you listened to the HD600 with the O2? and I would like to someday a get a bottlehead crack but I have no experience soldering on a pcb like this, most things I did with soldering was fix lens for digital cameras and that was about 8 years back. Anyways I will let you know how it goes with the amp.

I tested HD600 with Objective combo during head-fi meet... To be honest, I was surprised with the performance because I expect them to be flat boring or blanketed sound due to the "transparent" tag for them. It turn out the sound is clean, and in it's not bright or warm neither, and genre friendly.
 
The reason I buy Crack is I like tubeish, airy sounding in vocal oriented track compared to solid state. And I really love the sound of drum stick hitting tom-toms in rock oriented track with tube amp. Other than this, I don't see a reason why my Crack is better than O2.
 
Another thing, Crack got a pair of balls or you can let them to be ballsless.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

  I tested HD600 with Objective combo during head-fi meet... To be honest, I was surprised with the performance because I expect them to be flat boring or blanketed sound due to the "transparent" tag for them. It turn out the sound is clean, and in it's not bright or warm neither, and genre friendly.
 
The reason I buy Crack is I like tubeish, airy sounding in vocal oriented track compared to solid state. And I really love the sound of drum stick hitting tom-toms in rock oriented track with tube amp. Other than this, I don't see a reason why my Crack is better than O2.
 
Another thing, Crack got a pair of balls or you can let them to be ballsless.

Actually that is what I am trying to find out. I feel like I like I get an intimacy and or realism from the Hybrid amp, and the drums feel great,  the treble is smooth, but the mids and musical presentation is where it is at with the amp I am using, it is slightly my neutral sounding the other tube hybrids. Have you heard good things about the Millet Hybrid Max? 

 

[diaBoliQu3]

  Actually that is what I am trying to find out. I feel like I like I get an intimacy and or realism from the Hybrid amp, and the drums feel great,  the treble is smooth, but the mids and musical presentation is where it is at with the amp I am using, it is slightly my neutral sounding the other tube hybrids. Have you heard good things about the Millet Hybrid Max? 

I'm sorry but I never heard of it. There's not so many choice of amp at my place. I just read review to decide. Such a hard life to live with.

 

[Syan25]

What place is that?

 

[CADCAM]

I have been in this hobby for about a year and a half now, it has been a blast and I have some great equipment (IMHO)... I have the 600ohm DT880 Beyer's and the ATH-AD900 which I love. From what I've read the HD650 is probably not for me. My question for you guys is do you think the HD600 would be a good choice for me at this point? I purchased the HD598 in the past and they were not for me, I thought they sounded somewhat veiled and not the sound signature I was looking for. They were just dull to me and I found myself searching from track to track for something that I liked the sound of through them (not good). Could someone take a look at my current equipment (in signature) and let me know if I should grab a pair of these? And if they could verify the sound signature is different enough from the HD598. I love the Beyer's and AT like I said, I also really like my Superlux HD668b but don't seem to listen to the EVO and Takstar's as much. Thanks for any and all input. 

 

[Syan25]

I own both the HD600 and the DT-880 (600 ohms.) They are totally different and compliment each other perfectly.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

  I have been in this hobby for about a year and a half now, it has been a blast and I have some great equipment (IMHO)... I have the 600ohm DT880 Beyer's and the ATH-AD900 which I love. From what I've read the HD650 is probably not for me. My question for you guys is do you think the HD600 would be a good choice for me at this point? I purchased the HD598 in the past and they were not for me, I thought they sounded somewhat veiled and not the sound signature I was looking for. They were just dull to me and I found myself searching from track to track for something that I liked the sound of through them (not good). Could someone take a look at my current equipment (in signature) and let me know if I should grab a pair of these? And if they could verify the sound signature is different enough from the HD598. I love the Beyer's and AT like I said, I also really like my Superlux HD668b but don't seem to listen to the EVO and Takstar's as much. Thanks for any and all input. 

I own the DT880s but 250 ohms which I hear is very close to the 600ohms, and some day I would like to sell these and buy the premiums, but I can say they are fantastic headphones(not boring like some people suggest, I think with the right amp these remain relatively neutral but sound full of life especially with the Fournier amp I am using) In comparison to the HD600 I think they are a great compliment to one another, being that the HD600 are more laid back, but I think they sound fantastic, and equally detailed but not as distinct with the detail as the 880s due to its signature. I want to say that I have not used the DT880s at all in the past 3 days, and it is not because I do not love them. It is more that I could listen to either headphone and leaved it plugged into the amp without switching back and fourth and be content. I was looking for a second amp for this reason, to have the each phone hooked up to their own amp so instead of having to switch them out I can just change setting in windows audio. I do not think you would be disappointed with these headphones due to what I just wrote. I hope this helps at all, returning the favor and all from the other day.

 

[CADCAM]

  I own the DT880s but 250 ohms which I hear is very close to the 600ohms, and some day I would like to sell these and buy the premiums, but I can say they are fantastic headphones(not boring like some people suggest, I think with the right amp these remain relatively neutral but sound full of life especially with the Fournier amp I am using) In comparison to the HD600 I think they are a great compliment to one another, being that the HD600 are more laid back, but I think they sound fantastic, and equally detailed but not as distinct with the detail as the 880s due to its signature. I want to say that I have not used the DT880s at all in the past 3 days, and it is not because I do not love them. It is more that I could listen to either headphone and leaved it plugged into the amp without switching back and fourth and be content. I was looking for a second amp for this reason, to have the each phone hooked up to their own amp so instead of having to switch them out I can just change setting in windows audio. I do not think you would be disappointed with these headphones due to what I just wrote. I hope this helps at all, returning the favor and all from the other day.

Thank you WhiskeyJacks. 

 

[CADCAM]

Has anyone here heard the HD598 and can contrast them with the HD600?

 

[StanD]

  Has anyone here heard the HD598 and can contrast them with the HD600?

Aside from the electrical differences of impedance and the HD5xx being more sensitive, they sound similar, however, the HD600 gets the IMO win. The HD600's have less distortion, which may not be audible to most people. To me I prefer the HD600's FR and better bass quality.The HD598 and the HD558 are excellent values should one have a budget constraint, one cannot go wrong. There is an easy Black Foam Tape mod for the HD558 that can be done in a scant few minutes.
The HD5xx can be easily driven by an amp/smartphone/DAP having an output impedance of 2.25 Ohms or less.

 

[dsound]

I posted a comparison a while back between the HD598 and the HD600 in the HD598 thread.  My conclusions pretty much echo StanD's.

Spoiler: Comparison text:

 

  Hey everyone.  I just received my HD598's today (purchased for my wife) and I couldn't resist doing a quick comparison to my existing pair of HD600's.  

---

 
 
My Audio Background -  
None really, I used to work as a sound engineer at a theatre but I consider myself an amateur at most.  This comparison is purely empirical and to be taken with a grain of salt.
 
Intro -  
I purchased the HD598 so my wife would have a nice pair of phones to listen to music and watch movies on.  I wanted something that wouldn't require an additional amp. purchase and would mesh well with her music tastes (Dave Matthews Band, Top 40).  I also wanted something sonically similar to the HD600 because she seemed to like my headphones 

.  Let's dive into it:
 
 
  Comfort -  
I have a larger-than-average-head, which at times makes the clamping force of the HD600 too great; because of this my listening sessions are limited to around 1.5-2hours.  The HD598, possibly because of it's plastic construction, has a more flexible headband and sits more naturally on my head; because of the decreased clamping force and lighter weight, the HD598 wins in this area.
 
 
Price -  
At the time of this review, the HD598 costs $246US and the HD600 costs $399 on Amazon.  You can find better deals from other merchants but the HD598 gives you some serious bang-for-your-buck.
 
 
Sound -  
I tend to like reviews that compare headphones using specific songs so that's what I did.
 
Track 1:  The Lighthouse and the Whaler [Album:  The Lighthouse and the Whaler, Track:  Under Mountain, Under Ground, Genre: Indie-folk]
 
 
HD598
I love the intimacy of this acoustic track and the HD598 portrays that wonderfully.  The forward mids of the HD598 are evident in the vocals and the acoustic guitar.  The acoustic is wonderfully textured and detailed.  There does seem to be some graininess in the treble but not so much to be distracting.  The drums sound excellent, especially in the snap of the snares.  IMO there was a dip in the mid-bass.
 
 
HD600 - Winner
During the intro the mandolin really showcased the detail of the treble on the HD600's, they seemed to have more sparkle and presence.  Compared to the HD598, the vocals have a more airy-quailty.  The acoustic guitar is equally well-presented here but because of the increased treble-detail, has a greater sense of impact when the pick strikes the strings.  Bass is more prominent but not bloated.  
 
Track 2:  Pat Metheny [Album:  Pat Metheny, Unity Band, Track:  New Year: Genre, Jazz]
 
 
HD598
The graininess in the last track is present here as well, but not to the point of distraction.  The guitar is timbrally realistic, though a bit soft in it's detail.  The horns sound fantastic and are very realistic.  The cymbals really make this track and they sound great through the HD598; they are not sibilant at all and the decay sounds very natural.  
 
 
HD600 - Winner
The guitar sounds beautiful on this track.  The smoothness of the HD600 is very evident in Metheny's guitar.  Potter's Saxaphone sounds a bit more forward in the mix on the HD600's.  Double Bass on the HD600's sounds detailed but does not dominate the track.  Overall, this track is more immersive on the HD600.
 
Track 3:  Emancipator [Album:  Safe in the Steep Cliffs, Track:  Old Devil: Genre, Electronic, ]
 
HD598 - Winner
On this track the soundstage of the HD598 really shines.  The instruments are well-separated and can easily be picked out of the mix.  There is a strange-artificial quality to the strings though.  Some characterize the HD598 as bass-light but I found it to be very enjoyable here.  The violin is wonderfully detailed and textured here.  The heart of this song is the drums, it drives it forward; the HD598 portrays them realistically.  The kicks are impactful but never overpowering.
 
 
HD600
While the bass was great on the HD598, it is tighter and more detailed on the HD600.  Those troublesome orchestra hits sound more natural and mellower on the HD600s vs the HD598.  While the HD600 sounds a bit more cramped width-wise, interestingly, this track has a greater sense of depth.  The solo-violin loses some of the texture vs. the HD598, but still sounds detailed.
 

---

 
Conclusions -  
It was a pleasure listening to both the HD598 and the HD600, and while I preferred the HD600 on 2/3 tracks, it was not a sweep by any means.  If price was an issue, I would not hesitate to recommend the HD598 given than it performs nearly as well in most areas (Mids, Timbre, Detail) and exceeds in Soundstage + Comfort.  Hope you had fun reading the review, it was a blast writing it!
 
 
Test-gear:  
FLAC>iPod5.5>LOD>Crack + Speedball>HD600
FLAC>iPod5.5>LOD>Musical Fidelity XCANS>HD598

 

 

 

[80smusicboy]

  Right now I only own the HD600, but I've had the HD650 and the Q701 and remember very well their sound signatures. I, for one, wouldn't keep more than one full sized open headphone, but I'm an headfier on a tight budget. I just happened to go through those other two until I found the right one for me.
 
I hope to like the PX100-II as I've read nice things about them on their appreciation thread. It'll be nice to have an easy to power, light and portable open headphone instead of having to choose between a full sized open headphone or an IEM, as they have a completely different presentation.

My PX100-II arrived today and I'm listening Pink Floyd through them directly from the laptop. They are very light and comfy and the sound pleases me, but, of course, they aren't going to de-throne my HD600 any time soon! But maybe they open up a little in the next hours, as they have only 20min on them.
Still, for the price they sound very good and this is what I wanted as an alternative to the HD600.

 

[Billheiser]

  My PX100-II arrived today and I'm listening Pink Floyd through them directly from the laptop. They are very light and comfy and the sound pleases me, but, of course, they aren't going to de-throne my HD600 any time soon! But maybe they open up a little in the next hours, as they have only 20min on them.
Still, for the price they sound very good and this is what I wanted as an alternative to the HD600.

Bingo!  That's how I would describe them, and relate them to the bigger/better/everything HD600, too.