[militia890]

I'll toss my hat into the ring by voting for the Denons as well
 
I recently jumped from my senn hd595's (which are just the 598's, just in a different color) to the D5000's (from what I hear, they arent too different from the d2000's), and I absolutely loved the Denon's. I listen to similar genres as you, and I wanted a "fun" can to use, and the denons filled that role perfectly. They're upfront and punchy, much less boring than the senns! The mid range is a tad bit recessed however, I don't find that to be a huge issue.
 
And honestly, and amp will not help the 598's, my senns didn't really change much with some ampage. You'll find an amp will pair much better than the grados methinks.

 

[Wolvaras]

Quote:

I'll toss my hat into the ring by voting for the Denons as well
 
I recently jumped from my senn hd595's (which are just the 598's, just in a different color) to the D5000's (from what I hear, they arent too different from the d2000's), and I absolutely loved the Denon's. I listen to similar genres as you, and I wanted a "fun" can to use, and the denons filled that role perfectly. They're upfront and punchy, much less boring than the senns! The mid range is a tad bit recessed however, I don't find that to be a huge issue.
 
And honestly, and amp will not help the 598's, my senns didn't really change much with some ampage. You'll find an amp will pair much better than the grados methinks.

Just wanted to note that I had the 595's and currently own the 598's. I can assure you they're not the same, as they have both different drivers and a different internal housing. The 598 is a step up (or two) in basically everything that the 595's did, including bass.

 

[militia890]

That's my mistake then, sorry. I know not of what I speak regarding the 598's =p

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

The 598 is a step up (or two) in basically everything that the 595's did, including bass.

Perhaps but when I read  why the people are complaining of the hd598 (lack of bass, boring ... ) , I recognize the hd595. And it seems , that most sennheiser headphones are slow, that seems a constant with that brand.
 
 

 

[DVDRey]

 
Quote:

that most sennheiser headphones are slow, that seems a constant with that brand.
 

 
Have you tested a lot a sennheiser headphone?

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

 
 
Have you tested a lot a sennheiser headphone?

My hd595 are slow.
According to reviews hd600 & hd650 are both slow.
And I  have the senn IE7  (IEMs) , that I'm tempted to say slow (unimpressive treble
especially, but at least I  liked the bass).
That's enough for me

, maybe the hd800 would make a difference.

The gap between the sound of my hd595 and my srh940 is huge, if you discard the frequency
balance.   They are opposite : crisp & revealing for shr940, smooth & forgiving for hd595.

 
 
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

My hd595 are slow.
According to reviews hd600 & hd650 are both slow.
And I  have the senn IE7  (IEMs) , that I'm tempted to say slow (unimpressive treble
especially, but at least I  liked the bass).
That's enough for me

, maybe the hd800 would make a difference.

The gap between the sound of my hd595 and my srh940 is huge, if you discard the frequency
balance.   They are opposite : crisp & revealing for shr940, smooth & forgiving for hd595.

 
 
 

 
 Yep - HD800 has some razor sharp fast drivers! Hardly treble shy either

 

[Virtuoso80]

Update: The Senns have grown on me a bit. I know there's debate about break-in being psychological or not, and I can't confirm it isn't (did I stop listening to the headphones and start listening to the music?), but the bass feels tighter, and the sound fuller. Given the right rock album they can even have some decent drive and aggression. I also find these 'pretty up' a poor-quality recording a lot more than the Grado, so that you have to look harder to notice the flaws.
 
I still don't think these were the right cans for me, though. My two least favorite things about them are the two Sennheiser 'signature' elements: The warmth peak around 150hz, and the rolled-off highs. But I can't say they're not a quality product.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

 I also find these 'pretty up' a poor-quality recording a lot more than the Grado, so that you have to look harder to notice the flaws.
 
 

 That is the real divide right there in a nutshell between Grado and Sennheiser (up until the HD800 which is rather different)
 
 Pre-HD800 Senns to smooth over a lot of flaws, if the recording truly stinks then they tend to sound muddled but unlike
 Grado they will not destroy your earlobes. Some will appreciate this revelation and others will despise it.
 
 I like the fact that a pair of cans can give that insight into a craptastic recording.

 

[DVDRey]

 
Quote:

My hd595 are slow.
According to reviews hd600 & hd650 are both slow.

HD5x8 aren't slow imo.
 
I don't find HD600 really slow, HD650 maybe more and still, but its hard to find a slow headphone with "SPL auditor",lol. Maybe slow in comparison with a very fast headphone like pro900/2900...

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

I still don't think these were the right cans for me, though. My two least favorite things about them are the two Sennheiser 'signature' elements: The warmth peak around 150hz, and the rolled-off highs.

But according to reviews  the hd598  have better clarity than the hd595 !
That's still insufficient I  guess

. I'm glad I  didn't pay much attention to the hd598 hype .
The hd598 might be an improvement compared to the hd595,
but I  see people complaining of the same flaws.

 

[johnman1116]

You like Grados (the "Grado" sound), and you listen to rock. Grados are known to be very good with rock due to their fast pace and brightness.
I vote you just save up and splurge on upper tier Grados.
You found the sound that you like, invest in something like the 225 or 325 which are around the price range of hd598 (which i would definitely return or sell)
 
otherwise invest in an amp dac and think about a headphone upgrade in the future.

 

[AaronR]

HD 598s definitely need an amp, IMO. I say that because I've plugged them directly into my laptop and the difference is extremely obvious.
 
Sennheiser is all I know. I've have/had the HD 203, 219, 555, 598, and PX100ii. Are there really headphones that sound better with classical than the Senns? If so, WOW!
I think the HD598s do very well with electronic as well. I love them.

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

HD 598s definitely need an amp, IMO. I say that because I've plugged them directly into my laptop and the difference is extremely obvious.

 
They definitely need an amp only if your laptop couldn't make them loud enough. Otherwise, like the HD-650, they definitely don't.

 

[rommy]

iv'e been burning in  a pair of 598s since sat. and i can't stand to listen to them next to my 325s.. so much music missing on the senns. and a pair of hifiman he500s i tried and sent back...these are gong back too. the senns sound distorted. i'm running everything through my denon 4308 receiver. headphone jack puts out 500 ohms (i called denon) i was really just trying to get a larger soundstage, but not at the expense of missing the music. i also sent back the new akg k550s...the grados will spoil you. my search is over