[MetroBBOY]

I am not posting a review on a side-by-side comparison, rather trying to obtain information.
 
Ready to spend some dough on either essentially. I have searched to death, however appears no one has done any comparisons. I would absolutely love it if a Head-fier actually owned both, and be able to give me their assessment/impressions.
 
Basically narrowed my search to these two. You can see that I am after fairly neutral (but fun) and engaging sound requirements for my movie and music listening (moved to an apartment). I understand both possess fantastic soundstage, clarity and imaging. 
 
If ya'll can help me with my buying decision, I'd appreciate it. Amp is TBC.
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

I am not posting a review on a side-by-side comparison, rather trying to obtain information.
 
Ready to spend some dough on either essentially. I have searched to death, however appears no one has done any comparisons. I would absolutely love it if a Head-fier actually owned both, and be able to give me their assessment/impressions.
 
Basically narrowed my search to these two. You can see that I am after fairly neutral (but fun) and engaging sound requirements for my movie and music listening (moved to an apartment). I understand both possess fantastic soundstage, clarity and imaging. 
 
If ya'll can help me with my buying decision, I'd appreciate it. Amp is TBC.
 

If it must be one of these two, then definitely the HD598.
 

 

[MetroBBOY]

"I am after fairly neutral (but fun) and engaging sound" 
 
Continuing from my quote, are the Q701's in your opinion a fair distance apart from 598's, in terms of an engaging sound? I guess I am asking for clarification. 
 
Quote:

If it must be one of these two, then definitely the HD598.
 

 
 
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

"I am after fairly neutral (but fun) and engaging sound" 
 
Continuing from my quote, are the Q701's in your opinion a fair distance apart from 598's, in terms of an engaging sound? I guess I am asking for clarification. 
 

 
 
 

I don't know about the Q701s, but the K701's are the exact opposite of fun and engaging.
 

 

[Pratt]

I have the 595's which are the same thing (old version) as the 598's and which were my first "real" headphone. When I first got them I wasn't that impressed even having no reference save some old Sony phones. I went on to get the Grado 225i, Beyer 770 (600) and AKG 702 (same as the 701 and Q versions with different color).  All these others kill them, especially the 702's which are my favorite: lively and "fun" with a good amp but detailed, clear, wide sound stage, analytical, etc. Just superb headphones. But any of my other cans make the 595's sound like crap, very low fi and hollow with weird sound positioning/imaging especially. They are not fun at all since they sound so low fi. My 225i's are "fun" but sound hi-fi enough to be good and enjoyable to listen to. If I had it to do over I never would have bought the 595's. Go for the 702/01's. More comfortable too.
 
Jmo.

 

[Willakan]

The AKG K701/K702/Q701 (basically the same phones with minor tweaks) are considered to be at least a tier above the HD 598s. The 598s in particular are overpriced compared with other members of the Sennheiser range - AFAIK they are basically a more stylish looking version of the 595 - which is considerably cheaper.
 
Likewise, the Q701, although considerably better than the 598/595 by popular consensus, are slightly tweaked k701/k702 phones, which are again considerably cheaper.
 
Both headphones that you wanted comparisons with are rebadged, much more expensive versions of good headphones, that have been simply rebranded to appeal to the mainstream market. I would recommend doing some more research.

 

[Koolpep]

I beg to differ (but in the end, it's a matter of personal taste!).
 
I test-heard the Q701s to add to my collection and I ended up buying Ultrasone Pro750. I still consider the HD598 my "best" pair of headphones. They surround me with a beautiful soundstage no other headphone did. I do not think that they are just the 595 in prettier packaging (the prettier is also debatable).
 
Anyhow, the 701 as well as the 598 are phones that are quite polarizing, you either like them or you don't. The only way to find out which side you are on is to put them on your head.
 
I knew after listening for 30 seconds that the HD598 sings to me and I "needed" to have them. Try them both, best way forward. If you like them (either 701 or 598, stick with them, if you can).
 
It's not an easy decision but hey, it's "just" a pair of cans...You and your ears need to be happy with them, I love my Senns and recommend to try them wholeheartedly but if you like them? It's up to you.

 

[DaBomb77766]

I tried a pair of K701s briefly and compared them directly to my 595s, and I actually didn't like the K701s very much...it just sounded a little too thin and bright to me.  I'm not even a huge fan of the 595s, but I did like them a little better.  Could just be that I'm more used to the 595s though, since I actually own them.  Still, from what I understand the 595s do sound a fair bit different from the 598s, so I can't really comment on those at all.

 

[MetroBBOY]

My issue is that the place where I plan to purchase, don't offer a money back guarantee. I was actually going to purchase both, and then compare the two after my impressions. Done plenty of research, perhaps I should dig a bit more.
 
IMO, the K701's look better and appear more comfortable. The 598 looks exactly like the interior of my BMW lol.
 
EDIT: Just spoke to Headroom, was going to buy locally, but they offer a 30 day guarantee, so I might use this. Downside is shipping costs to and fro, but peace of mind at least. On another note, Dan recommended me the Denon 2000 as fantastic cans for movie listening.
 

 

[extrabigmehdi]

The hd598 are more comfortable than the Q701. I  found the hd595 boring in the long term (Some people might call this "Smooth & Relax")
You might get the srh940 as an alternative to the Q701 (see the review at headfonia).
 
Quote:

Dan recommended me the Denon 2000 as fantastic cans for movie listening.

There's a little problem with the design. Some little screws maintaining the pads , are broken easily , or something like that.
 

 

[Nom de Plume]

"Considerably cheaper"? The K701/702 fetch $260~280 new ($180~$220 used), while the Q701 fetch $250~280 new (I don't know the used price bracket, but the it's not going to be more than the K701's/702's). I entreat you to conduct some research before thoughtlessly posting such inane blather.
 
Quote:

Likewise, the Q701, although considerably better than the 598/595 by popular consensus, are slightly tweaked k701/k702 phones, which are again considerably cheaper.
 
I would recommend doing some more research.

 

[sh4w]

"Considerably cheaper"? The K701/702 fetch $260~280 new ($180~$220 used), while the Q701 fetch $250~280 new (I don't know the used price bracket, but the it's not going to be more than the K701's/702's). I entreat you to conduct some research before thoughtlessly posting such inane blather.
 

depends where you buy them, In germany for example, the K701 goes for 200€ while the Q701 goes for 380-480€

 

[Nom de Plume]

I stand corrected.
Edit: Sort of.
You can wait for the Q701 to hit the Sale forums, or you could ask a head-fier you trust to do the transaction for you and reimburse him/her (though the latter method is admittedly risky). You'll still pay more, but not "considerably" more.
 
Quote:

depends where you buy them, In germany for example, the K701 goes for 200€ while the Q701 goes for 380-480€

 

[logicalform]

Quote:

Both headphones that you wanted comparisons with are rebadged, much more expensive versions of good headphones, that have been simply rebranded to appeal to the mainstream market. I would recommend doing some more research.

The 598, per the consensus of pretty much every review available, is not just a rebadged 595. Similar, perhaps, but calling it identical is highly misleading. 

 

[AudioRook]

Not to get on your case man, but could you explain why every single person who's actually reviewed the HD598 has made sure to state it sounds different from the HD595? Unless every single one of em are lying... 
 
Quote:

The AKG K701/K702/Q701 (basically the same phones with minor tweaks) are considered to be at least a tier above the HD 598s. The 598s in particular are overpriced compared with other members of the Sennheiser range - AFAIK they are basically a more stylish looking version of the 595 - which is considerably cheaper.
 
Likewise, the Q701, although considerably better than the 598/595 by popular consensus, are slightly tweaked k701/k702 phones, which are again considerably cheaper.
 
Both headphones that you wanted comparisons with are rebadged, much more expensive versions of good headphones, that have been simply rebranded to appeal to the mainstream market. I would recommend doing some more research.