[mathamadeus]

Hello,
 
I have been using a Sennheiser cx500 in-ear headphones for about three years and now decided to buy a better headphone. After a small research Sennheiser HD598 seemed like a good choice. But I wanted to take your opinions:
 
I mostly listen to classical, jazz and postrock. (Sometimes also funk.) Is this a good headphone for these types of music? I know most of the HD598 owners complain about the headphone's bass quality, but do you think that the current bass quality would be a problem for me according to my musical taste?
 
Do you have any headphone suggestions under $300 that would fit me better than HD598?
 
Also I saw some people bought HD598 for under $200 (not used). Do you have any idea where I can find the best price for the headphones in New York? I am planning to buy my headphones when I go to NY two weeks later and do not have an idea where I can find the best price. 
 
Regards,
Amadeus
 
edit: Some more details: My archive consists mostly FLAC. I am addicted to good music and cannot stand a second without listening to good music. Therefore I need really comfortable headphones. Lots of people say that Grados are not good for listening to music more than 2 hours. Is it true? If yes, unfortunately it is not suitable for me. Also, please consider that I do not have any amps at the moment.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I have been using a Sennheiser cx500 in-ear headphones for about three years and now decided to buy a better headphone. After a small research Sennheiser HD598 seemed like a good choice. But I wanted to take your opinions:
I mostly listen to classical, jazz and postrock. (Sometimes also funk.) Is this a good headphone for these types of music? I know most of the HD598 owners complain about the headphone's bass quality, but do you think that the current bass quality would be a problem for me according to my musical taste?
Do you have any headphone suggestions under $300 that would fit me better than HD598?
Also I saw some people bought HD598 for under $200 (not used). Do you have any idea where I can find the best price for the headphones in New York? I am planning to buy my headphones when I go to NY two weeks later and do not have an idea where I can find the best price. 
 
edit: Some more details: My archive consists mostly FLAC. I am addicted to good music and cannot stand a second without listening to good music. Therefore I need really comfortable headphones. Lots of people say that Grados are not good for listening to music more than 2 hours. Is it true? If yes, unfortunately it is not suitable for me.

What are you plugging the headphones into?
DAC & amp?

 

[mathamadeus]

Quote:

What are you plugging the headphones into?
DAC & amp?

Ops I forgot to give any information about that issue. I do not have any DAC&amp. My current option is to use a receiver which is about 10 years old and I do not have an idea how well it works. Do you think that it would work well? Anyway, I am curious about amps and planning to build one myself in the future but currently do not have time for that. Therefore, if you are going to suggest me a headphone which certainly requires an amp, then please consider that my total budget is $300. Unfortunately I do not have any more. :/

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Ops I forgot to give any information about that issue. I do not have any DAC&amp. My current option is to use a receiver which is about 10 years old and I do not have an idea how well it works. Do you think that it would work well? Anyway, I am curious about amps and planning to build one myself in the future but currently do not have time for that. Therefore, if you are going to suggest me a headphone which certainly requires an amp, then please consider that my total budget is $300. Unfortunately I do not have any more. :/

Chances are that a 10 year old receiver should work at least decently with HD598 (50-Ohm).
What make and model is this receiver?
How do you feed (source) the music into the receiver?
A DAC between the source and the receiver might improve audio quality.

 

[mathamadeus]

Quote:

Chances are that a 10 year old receiver should work at least decently with HD598 (50-Ohm).
What make and model is this receiver?
How do you feed (source) the music into the receiver?
A DAC between the source and the receiver might improve audio quality.

 
It is a Pioneer but cannot recall the model at the moment. I am on holiday and away from home. But three days later I will be able to give explicit information about it. 
 
About feeding the music into the receiver, I will use my laptop as the source. But I do not have an idea how to connect my laptop to the receiver. (I do not know what kind of inputs does my receiver have.)

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

It is a Pioneer but cannot recall the model at the moment. I am on holiday and away from home. But three days later I will be able to give explicit information about it. 
About feeding the music into the receiver, I will use my laptop as the source. But I do not have an idea how to connect my laptop to the receiver. (I do not know what kind of inputs does my receiver have.)

Chances are the laptop comes with a very low cost DAC (Digital to Analog Converter).
For $52, you should be able to improve the audio quality of the feed to your receiver, with the Hifimediy Sabre, an external USB DAC,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140847495065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
Then just run a mini-jack to RCA (red/white) cable from the USB DAC to the receiver.

 

[cel4145]

There is no "best price" for Sennheisers any more. Sennheiser has clampled down on dealers selling below MSRP. 

 

[mathamadeus]

Quote:

Chances are the laptop comes with a very low cost DAC (Digital to Analog Converter).
For $52, you should be able to improve the audio quality of the feed to your receiver, with the Hifimediy Sabre, an external USB DAC,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140847495065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
Then just run a mini-jack to RCA (red/white) cable from the USB DAC to the receiver.

 
I think I can find a quite good DAC for free which means I still have $300 for the headphone+amp. Do you have any suggestions about the headphone+amp issue? Is HD598 a good choice for my musical taste?

 

[Han Bao Quan]

I owned the HD598 as well as the HD600 and many other headphones. I would recommend the HD600 of you can stretch your budget a bit further. IMO the HD600s are more refined and would suit your needs better. The HD580 IS not a bad choice by any means but HD600 is another level above it. Another suggestion is the Beyerdynamics DT-880 which is around your budget.

 

[mathamadeus]

Quote:

I owned the HD598 as well as the HD600 and many other headphones. I would recommend the HD600 of you can stretch your budget a bit further. IMO the HD600s are more refined and would suit your needs better. The HD580 IS not a bad choice by any means but HD600 is another level above it. Another suggestion is the Beyerdynamics DT-880 which is around your budget.

 
I wish I could directly buy a HD600 today. But it is really out of my budget. As a university student, I do not earn much and nearly all the money I earn goes to my home rent and food. Therefore I may need to wait 2 or 3 more months to save $100. But if the difference is so huge between HD598 and HD600, I do not want to waste my money and prefer to wait another 2 or 3 months. : )
 
What about Beyerdynamics DT-880 vs HD598?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

 
I wish I could directly buy a HD600 today. But it is really out of my budget. As a university student, I do not earn much and nearly all the money I earn goes to my home rent and food. Therefore I may need to wait 2 or 3 more months to save $100. But if the difference is so huge between HD598 and HD600, I do not want to waste my money and prefer to wait another 2 or 3 months. : )
 
What about Beyerdynamics DT-880 vs HD598?

You could save a few dollars and buy used HD558s ($148.02, like new) from Electronics Expo.
 
Also subscribe to the Head-fi thread "Headphones for Sale", something used might pop up for a good price.
Sometimes there are some good deals on used DT880.

 

[Han Bao Quan]

What about Beyerdynamics DT-880 vs HD598?

The DT-880 is on the same level of the HD-600 in terms of natural, neutral sound. Don't let the cheaper price tag fool you, the DT-880 is a step above the HD-598 like the HD-600. I personally like the DT-880 more.

 

[mutabor]

Quote:

After a small research Sennheiser HD598 seemed like a good choice.  Therefore I need really comfortable headphones. 

 
Sony MA900s are even more comfortable than HD598. Recently they were $199 at Amazon but now they have returned to initial price of $300.

 

[mathamadeus]

Quote:

You could save a few dollars and buy used HD558s ($148.02, like new) from Electronics Expo.
 
Also subscribe to the Head-fi thread "Headphones for Sale", something used might pop up for a good price.
Sometimes there are some good deals on used DT880.

 
You are right. I never considered buying a used headphone. I was suspicious about it but I started to think that there is nothing to be suspicious about.
 
 
Quote:

The DT-880 is on the same level of the HD-600 in terms of natural, neutral sound. Don't let the cheaper price tag fool you, the DT-880 is a step above the HD-598 like the HD-600. I personally like the DT-880 more.

 
Which type of DT880 did you have and what can you say about its acoustic music performance? According to the comments I read, many people say that DT880 (250ohms) is worse than HD598 for classical music. Do you have an idea about this issue?
 
 
Quote:

 
Sony MA900s are even more comfortable than HD598. Recently they were $199 at Amazon but now they have returned to initial price of $300.

Oh that situations drive me nuts. Today I found out that 2 months ago a store sold HD600s for the price of HD598 and I got sad. :/ Anyway, I will take your suggestion into consideration. I saw that there are quite good comments about MA900. But I am wondering why there are not too many people using MA900? Is it because it is relatively a new headphone or is it just because of any other reason?
 
 


Also I would like to get your opinions about AKG Q701, Grado SR325is and Shure SRH940. What do you think about these?

 

[DaddyMojo]

Mathamadeus:
 
i was reading your thread and I wondered which one you bought and were you pleased with your choice.