[Krutsch]

   
Music is mainly jazz (old and new) , some classic, acoustic, plus maybe 15% for rock, R&B, and everything else (not a priority)... 
 
 
Who has direct experience with similar set-up and preference, owns hd598 and hd700?  Will the extra cash spent on hd 700 be 'worth it' ? Much appreciate your thoughts!
 
Thanks guys!

 
I have both 'phones and for the genres that I've marked in bold above, the 700s are far better than the 598s in every way. I would say spend the extra $$, if you are able.
 
The HD-598 is a good set of cans, but they will leave you wanting more before too long.

 

[Mechans1]

Is their a retailer who takes returns?  I ask quite naively , I have limited knowledge in that regard.  I bought my headphones based on forums, real people reviews, and price point.  All I can tell you is that of my current headphones an AKG  7XX , A Beyer 770 DT pro 32 ohm and the HD700s that I have been using the Sennheiser almost exclusively.  You might find the Bass extension and presence a bit on the restrained cooler (VS warm) side.  The HD 700s excel with treble mids and that bass which I like.  I am only using tube amp- A Project Ember with a host of tubes, a Bravo 2, and a SinglePower  Extreme .  I hope that helps,  a little bit anyway.  

 

[MWSVette]

  Hi All
Some thought re hd598 vs hd700 -- I have no opportunity to audition live (200km away from nearest big audio shop), wanting to upgrade to my 'one-and-only open headphone' for years to come, max price is AUD$600. I'm still new to this 'hobby', sometimes still confused what I hear and what I just imagine... - anyway:
 
For my listening experience :   I have the hd598, like it, but still feel there's a shadow/veil - comfort-wise wonderful! .... got Grado 125e too - love the extra sparkle and forwardness (if only they would be more comfortable). Closed can I have the Shure 840 - nice detail but the mid-bass boom is almost overpowering (still nice though). Had AKG K167 too - nice clarity and top, great bass - but the mids were distant, piano sounded odd, something was just not right (sorry, don't know how to explain).
 
Favourite earphones are etymotic (hf5), I like my GR07c and DUNU Titan1 too (even though that one already gets a bit bassy/boomy for my taste) ... but ultimately crave the highest clarity and bright sq ... strong bass is fine for low frequencies (if need be), but I seem to be put off by 'mid-boom' (shr840 is borderline for me).
 
Source is from a Dell xps 1730 - old but gold  .... portable Colorfly C3 plus ibasso D Zero mk2  ... no other dedicated equipment, no amp/dac - and not planning on getting one so far.
 
Music is mainly jazz (old and new) , some classic, acoustic, plus maybe 15% for rock, R&B, and everything else (not a priority)... 
 
 
Who has direct experience with similar set-up and preference, owns hd598 and hd700?  Will the extra cash spent on hd 700 be 'worth it' ? Much appreciate your thoughts!
 
Thanks guys!

Short answer, Yes...  That was my progression HD598 then HD700.  They were my favorites til the I got the HD800.

 

[tf10charged]

can you compare k7xx with hd700? still thinking whether i should give k7xx a try(buy)
Quote:

  Is their a retailer who takes returns?  I ask quite naively , I have limited knowledge in that regard.  I bought my headphones based on forums, real people reviews, and price point.  All I can tell you is that of my current headphones an AKG  7XX , A Beyer 770 DT pro 32 ohm and the HD700s that I have been using the Sennheiser almost exclusively.  You might find the Bass extension and presence a bit on the restrained cooler (VS warm) side.  The HD 700s excel with treble mids and that bass which I like.  I am only using tube amp- A Project Ember with a host of tubes, a Bravo 2, and a SinglePower  Extreme .  I hope that helps,  a little bit anyway.  

 

[pctazhp]

Namaskar: I have both the HD598 and HD700. I don't use the 598s much anymore. In my experience the 700s are better in almost every way. Sorry I can't compare to the K7xx. But I can tell you that the 700s have provided me countless hours of pure music enjoyment and I have no plans to replace them in the foreseeable future. As others have said, they probably do mate better with a tube amp. But I can say that running my BiFrost multibit through the solid state amp section of my Aune T1 MK 2 (an amp generally considered as average at best) to the 700s is highly satisfying. 
 
Both the 598s and 700s are very comfortable, but again, the 700s excel by a considerable margin over the 598s - at least with my elephant sized ears!!!

 

[DavidA]

  Hi All
Some thought re hd598 vs hd700 -- I have no opportunity to audition live (200km away from nearest big audio shop), wanting to upgrade to my 'one-and-only open headphone' for years to come, max price is AUD$600. I'm still new to this 'hobby', sometimes still confused what I hear and what I just imagine... - anyway:
 
For my listening experience :   I have the hd598, like it, but still feel there's a shadow/veil - comfort-wise wonderful! .... got Grado 125e too - love the extra sparkle and forwardness (if only they would be more comfortable). Closed can I have the Shure 840 - nice detail but the mid-bass boom is almost overpowering (still nice though). Had AKG K167 too - nice clarity and top, great bass - but the mids were distant, piano sounded odd, something was just not right (sorry, don't know how to explain).
 
Favourite earphones are etymotic (hf5), I like my GR07c and DUNU Titan1 too (even though that one already gets a bit bassy/boomy for my taste) ... but ultimately crave the highest clarity and bright sq ... strong bass is fine for low frequencies (if need be), but I seem to be put off by 'mid-boom' (shr840 is borderline for me).
 
Source is from a Dell xps 1730 - old but gold  .... portable Colorfly C3 plus ibasso D Zero mk2  ... no other dedicated equipment, no amp/dac - and not planning on getting one so far.
 
Music is mainly jazz (old and new) , some classic, acoustic, plus maybe 15% for rock, R&B, and everything else (not a priority)... 
 
 
Who has direct experience with similar set-up and preference, owns hd598 and hd700?  Will the extra cash spent on hd 700 be 'worth it' ? Much appreciate your thoughts!
 
Thanks guys!

The HD-700 is definitely worth the cost, its one of the few mid level headphones that can be driven by my Fiio X3 which my GF uses when she walks the dog.  I had a HD-598, it was one of my first better headphones and while its not bad the HD-700 is so much better in every way.

 

[Hibuckhobby]

the HD700 has a peak at about 8k that you either like or you don't.  Comfort is excellent and the bass
response is far ahead of the HD598,  Soundstage is wider and deeper with better placement within the
soundstage.   It is more revealing than the 598, but also scales up far better when you improve amplification.
My pair sounds good with the Bottlehead Crack and the Headroom Home amp/dac.  It sounds even better
with the Decware Taboo 2 or the CSP2.
Hibuck....

 

[BasilFawlty]

A silly question from a newbie, is it worth buying balanced cable for Hd700?

Using them with Centrance Hifi-M8 and iPhone 5s.

Use Shure SE846 when traveling but 700 sounds much better when home so that is the difference I can hear.

 

[Namaskar]

Thank You to everyone who commented on my question so far - very helpful! 
I hear you re the amp, better scaling etc .... so far I'm not planning to add to my hardware (other than maybe using the little ibasso D Zero on the laptop - - won't do much to the hd700 I presume ...). Still it seems the upgrade is worth it ... (?)
 
I've since read here that many people feel an amp/dac is somewhat necessary to enjoy the hd 700 (especially to tame the treble [which is probably no drama for me as I prefer treble anyway) .... well the 8k spike ... looking at this graph (comparing hd700, 800, Shure 840, Grado125):
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/index.php?graphID%5B0%5D=863&graphID%5B1%5D=913&graphID%5B2%5D=3801&graphID%5B3%5D=2971&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph
 
... turns out my Grado 125 have s similar and much more pronounced spike in that region - which don't mind (well, I don't even know what to listen for to consciously notice a spike ... still learning ... all I know is that the Grado sounds great to me in regards to bright sound sig.) .
 
One other question looking at the graph: - between 1k and 5k I notice the Senns' dip in the curve compared to Shure & Grado --- will that sound recessed to me? (the hd598 has a slightly lesser dip, not much of a difference though)
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/index.php?graphID%5B0%5D=863&graphID%5B1%5D=913&graphID%5B2%5D=3801&graphID%5B3%5D=2851&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph
 
Any comments?  Thanks again
Cheers

 

[Krutsch]

   
... turns out my Grado 125 have s similar and much more pronounced spike in that region - which don't mind (well, I don't even know what to listen for to consciously notice a spike ... still learning ... all I know is that the Grado sounds great to me in regards to bright sound sig.) .
 
...
 
Any comments?  Thanks again
Cheers

 
FWIW, I own a pair of Grado SR-125, as well as the HD-700, and they sound nothing like each other, despite having a similar treble spike.

 

[donlin]

  Thank You to everyone who commented on my question so far - very helpful! 
I hear you re the amp, better scaling etc .... so far I'm not planning to add to my hardware (other than maybe using the little ibasso D Zero on the laptop - - won't do much to the hd700 I presume ...). Still it seems the upgrade is worth it ... (?)
 
I've since read here that many people feel an amp/dac is somewhat necessary to enjoy the hd 700 (especially to tame the treble [which is probably no drama for me as I prefer treble anyway) .... well the 8k spike ... looking at this graph (comparing hd700, 800, Shure 840, Grado125):
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/index.php?graphID%5B0%5D=863&graphID%5B1%5D=913&graphID%5B2%5D=3801&graphID%5B3%5D=2971&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph
 
... turns out my Grado 125 have s similar and much more pronounced spike in that region - which don't mind (well, I don't even know what to listen for to consciously notice a spike ... still learning ... all I know is that the Grado sounds great to me in regards to bright sound sig.) .
 
One other question looking at the graph: - between 1k and 5k I notice the Senns' dip in the curve compared to Shure & Grado --- will that sound recessed to me? (the hd598 has a slightly lesser dip, not much of a difference though)
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/index.php?graphID%5B0%5D=863&graphID%5B1%5D=913&graphID%5B2%5D=3801&graphID%5B3%5D=2851&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph
 
Any comments?  Thanks again
Cheers

My comment would be not to worry about the graphs.  They really don't tell you much about how the phones will actually sound.

 

[Mr Rick]

 
My comment would be not to worry about the graphs.  They really don't tell you much about how the phones will actually sound.

 
Actually frequency response graphs can tell you quite a lot if you know how to interpret them. 

 

[chowmein83]

  Who has direct experience with similar set-up and preference, owns hd598 and hd700?  Will the extra cash spent on hd 700 be 'worth it' ? Much appreciate your thoughts!
 
Thanks guys!

 
Hey @Namaskar, sorry I'm a bit late with this post, but I also own both the HD598 and the HD700. Like others have said, the HD700 is pretty much better than the HD598 in almost every way.
 
Specifically, with the HD700 you get a wider and deeper soundstage, with much better layering (able to tell whether a sound is further or closer to you). You also get much more details in the sound, as well as even better imaging than the HD598 (which is already pretty good to begin with). Bass is also much better than the HD598 - the HD700 goes lower and is much more detailed in the bass.
 
The only thing that people may have a problem with the HD700 is the treble. It's definitely brighter than in the HD700, and with certain songs and recordings it can be a bit fatiguing. With the HD598 the treble is really never fatiguing.
 
I personally find the HD598 to sound good out of almost everything. The HD700 is somewhat pickier with what it is being driven by, but I have found it to sound good even out of DAPs like the FiiO X3 2nd gen and the FiiO X5 2nd gen.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

I have demoed the HD 598, I have owned the very similar HD 555 and I own the HD 700 so I can share some thoughts and impressions on a comparison of those models. In simplistic terms, the HD 700 is a substantial upgrade over the HD 555 and HD 598 in dynamism, soundstaging, detail and tonality. Contrast the HD 700 with the HD 5xx series which is very midcentric, wooly and boxy sounding. Whether I am listening to pop music or live concerts, the HD 5xx series sounds very much the same and gets in the way of the aural window. The HD 700 pulls away the curtains and allows you to hear the differences from one track to another. Dynamic shifts in particular on the HD 700 go from whisper quiet to bombastically loud whereas the HD 5xx series headphones sound compressed, smeared and mushy from track to track. The Sennheiser HD 700 glistens with the clarity and sparkle of the top octave that the HD 5xx series lobs off. Mind you, the HD 700's treble lacks the typical piercing screechiness of a Beyerdynamic or Grado headphone. I also highly prefer the HD 700 over the HiFiMAN headphones, the HE-560 and HE-6 in particular, I have heard due to greater verve, or clarity and bass speed, and a more complete midrange, or no upper midrange drop.

 

[Namaskar]

   
Actually frequency response graphs can tell you quite a lot if you know how to interpret them. 

Hi Mr Rick - my issue with the 598 is that it's somewhat distant (?not as engaging as more forward headphones) - does that have to do with the drop of the Senns in the 1k - 5k segment? Both my Grado and Shure don't have that drop ... and are therefore more forward? Or is that unrelated? (And I guess it's more complex anyway....)
cheers