[Belial88]

I mean the evo just has some soft foam. the beats were really bad in this regard though. What do you think of the 558 vs dt990 or ma900? 

 

[Rem0o]

  I mean the evo just has some soft foam. the beats were really bad in this regard though. What do you think of the 558 vs dt990 or ma900? 

For heavy music (rock, electro...), DT990 hands down. For softer, acoustic music (classical, jazz, indie), HD 558 for sure.

 

[Belial88]

What about in terms of comfort and stage?

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question; but is there such a thing as overpowering a headphone? 
 
I usually use my Xonar DG to power my 558's but got an extra receiver from my dad. I was able top plug it in my computer and am now listening to them through it. 
 
The 558's sound much more bassy. 

 

[dj1001]

I love the sound of my 558 but I found them to have a bad hotspot on my ears inside the cup where the hinge protrudes into the earcup. I put a lining of soft material from another headphone inside the earcup and that solved the issue for me.

If your ears stick out more than normal like mine you may have issues with the depth of the cup.

 

[StanD]

  I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question; but is there such a thing as overpowering a headphone? 
 
I usually use my Xonar DG to power my 558's but got an extra receiver from my dad. I was able top plug it in my computer and am now listening to them through it. 
 
The 558's sound much more bassy. 

That's probably because of two factors that are working together to do this.
1) The HD598's have an impedance that spikes at around 90 hz to 300 Ohms.
2) The headphone jack of the receiver probably has a series resistor, I believe typically 120 Ohms.
As the impedance rises at 90 hz, the voltage divider that the 120 Ohm resistor and the Headphones impedance forms causes a boost in bass. This is not a good boost as the quality of bass suffers to to the loss of damping. Putting the phones on the speaker taps solves this but creates another problem, overpowering you cans and burning them out. To solve this you need to use a proper L-PAD. Or you could skip using  receiver and boost the bass with EQ at your player software, Foobar2000 or MediaMonkey, etc.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  That's probably because of two factors that are working together to do this.
1) The HD598's have an impedance that spikes at around 90 hz to 300 Ohms.
2) The headphone jack of the receiver probably has a series resistor, I believe typically 120 Ohms.
As the impedance rises at 90 hz, the voltage divider that the 120 Ohm resistor and the Headphones impedance forms causes a boost in bass. This is not a good boost as the quality of bass suffers to to the loss of damping. Putting the phones on the speaker taps solves this but creates another problem, overpowering you cans and burning them out. To solve this you need to use a proper L-PAD. Or you could skip using  receiver and boost the bass with EQ at your player software, Foobar2000 or MediaMonkey, etc.

Thanks for the explanation, and I don't need more bass for the 558's, it has plenty. 
The receiver sounds pretty good with my Koss PRO DJ/TBSE though. 

 

[StanD]

  Thanks for the explanation, and I don't need more bass for the 558's, it has plenty. 
The receiver sounds pretty good with my Koss PRO DJ/TBSE though. 

If those are Koss Pro DJ100's with a 38 Ohm impedance then the bass is probably less controlled due to the series resistor, loss of damping ratio. They'd probably sound better on a real headphone amp. Are you using the bass control or loudness button on the receiver?

 

[halfinfinity]

I've been told that the HD558's are decent as a substitute for gaming headphones, while doubling for music as well. Can anyone attest to that? Or provide a better option within it's price range. I'm mainly using them for gaming. Thanks.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  If those are Koss Pro DJ100's with a 38 Ohm impedance then the bass is probably less controlled due to the series resistor, loss of damping ratio. They'd probably sound better on a real headphone amp. Are you using the bass control or loudness button on the receiver?

I accidentally had the wrong setting on my Soundcard, I fixed it and the 558's sound fine as well as the DJ100's. 

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  I've been told that the HD558's are decent as a substitute for gaming headphones, while doubling for music as well. Can anyone attest to that? Or provide a better option within it's price range. I'm mainly using them for gaming. Thanks

I use them for gaming and music; paired with dolby headphone it's fun & you can tell where the sounds are coming from. It has enough bass for explosions and such. 

 

[Autoholic]

Can you guys go in depth on the sound quality differences between the 518 and 598?

I currently have 518s, which I really like, but the 598s are on sale and I'm considering adding them to the collection.

 

[Rem0o]

Can you guys go in depth on the sound quality differences between the 518 and 598?

I currently have 518s, which I really like, but the 598s are on sale and I'm considering adding them to the collection.

 
I don't think this is a worthy upgrade. The 598 are a little more airy and WAY less bassy, but the detail retrieval/resolution feels on par to me. If you want a real upgrade, you'll have to change tier with that 250 to 400$ bracket, with headphones like the DT880/990, HD600, K712, HE400 and so on.

 

[streetdragon]

Can you guys go in depth on the sound quality differences between the 518 and 598?

I currently have 518s, which I really like, but the 598s are on sale and I'm considering adding them to the collection.

The soundstage is much more open and less cloudy sounding. The separation and imaging are much more defined too, instruments sound more true to life. You just lose a lot of bass and warmness though. Would benefit most as an alternative to bass lighter music where the HD518 can be used for heavier music in your current situation.

 

[halfinfinity]

Can you guys go in depth on the sound quality differences between the 518 and 598?

I currently have 518s, which I really like, but the 598s are on sale and I'm considering adding them to the collection.

Where have you found them on sale? I'm considering buying them for a friend.