[potterpastor]

Love the HD 598. A headphone amp will make it even better

 

[potterpastor]

Long story short, if you plan on listening to your music while exercising or outside the house or in bed at night, you would do well to get the Sennheiser momentum's. But if you want to listen to a hi-fi stereo system in the comfort of your own home, or watch a DVD and listen to the awesome soundstage, and you don't care that the leaking sound will get your wife ticked with you, then you need the 598.

Can't really say one is better than the other, they both have their intended niche markets. But you will love the Momentums

 

[potterpastor]

Long story short, if you plan on listening to your music while exercising or outside the house or in bed at night, you would do well to get the Sennheiser momentum's. But if you want to listen to a hi-fi stereo system in the comfort of your own home, or watch a DVD and listen to the awesome soundstage, and you don't care that the leaking sound will get your wife ticked with you, then you need the 598.

Can't really say one is better than the other, they both have their intended niche markets. But you will love the Momentums

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

You will also need a guitar amplifier to power the 598's on an iPhone or portable device. Not only that, but cord is insanely long on the Sennheiser 598. I would not want to lug that around in public

A guitar amplifier might be a bit big... and about 30KG more than most are willing to carry around with their phone or mp3 player.

 

[AzN1337c0d3r]

Momentum and HD558 fan here!

I have the foam modded HD558, so they are supposed to sound 98% like the HD598.

great sound and luxurious comfort over an extended period of time (both physically and in terms of ear fatigue) are really all that is important to me.

The HD598 wins hands down.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Errrr...I find the Momentum lacking soundstage even under the "closed" family. Say for the 1R from Sony. The soundstage is just nicely wider than Momentum. Not to mention the K550 xD The bass on the Momentum is on the strong side and lose although I do agree that there's minimum sibilants  
 
ones again, +1 HD598! It is better in most aspect to me personally (inclusive of no basshead xD )
 
Billson

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Momentum and HD558 fan here!

I have the foam modded HD558, so they are supposed to sound 98% like the HD598.
The HD598 wins hands down.

I also modded the foam and earcup lining, now it sounds virtually identical except that the HD598 has a very slightly clearer upper treble and overall sound.
And agree with your statement too.

 

[DKCon]

The Momentum can be a funny fit , try it if you can first..
 
Do you live near a store where you can listen to both?

 

[naturalsound]

I auditioned the momentums along side the HD598's both with and without amplification. The closed-back momentums are way to forward in presentation for my tastes. I also experienced substantial ear fatigue after just a half hour audition. The HD598's, as some have noted, seem to be much more laid back sounding and they are unbelievably comfortable because of their light frame and velour ear pads. I also disagree with some who experience recessed mids with the HD598's. I find the mids to be very present and robust. These headphones are great at reproducing classical, jazz, vocal heavy rock and some electronica. It is a fair criticism that they are light on the low end, but the bass you hear is taut and texturized. I am running them with my mobile rig: Audioquest Dragonfly and Fiio E17 amp. I also use my HD598's with my ca-810 natural sound integrated amp and have been equally pleased - the latter setup underscores the HD598's warmth. Now these cans sound terrible without some amplification in my experience. The momentums did not seem to improve dramatically when I ran them with the same portable (laptop) rig - but they did outperform the hd598's hooked directly into my iPod. 
 
If you are looking for great sound from a closeback set your best bet is the ATH-M50's or, my favorite, AKG K550. The latter requires substantial (75+ hrs) of burn in time.
 
Cheers!

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

 The closed-back momentums are way to forward in presentation for my tastes. I also experienced substantial ear fatigue after just a half hour audition. 

How loud did you have the volume that you experienced fatigue with a Momentum? 

Or was it just pressure on your ear lobes?

 

[fabio-fi]

Quote:

Depends on your taste, the Momentums are more relaxed and laidback sounding withh deeper bass and a smoother treble, the HD25 II is more aggresive in sound with more treble and more bass kick. 

 
I have to add that the Midrange of the momentum's is best by far when compared to the HD-25's. 
 
And i wouldn't think the M50 is a great closed can. Its decent, no more than that. 

 

[BruinAnteater]

Quote:

Ok, so just two responses so far, but I'm leaning toward the 598s... sounds more like what I'm looking for in a stay at home, do it all headphone. Also, I just measure the height of my ears and they're 650mm, which sounds like it could potentially be a problem for the Momentum's small cups.
 
Of course, I could order both and just return the one I like least. But I don't want to splash out that much right now, even if I'd get it back soonish. And I hate returning stuff (I'm lazy). Well, I'll wait and see if more advice comes in. Anyone else? Any Momentum fans out there?
 
Likewise, any Denon or Beyerdynamic cans under $400 that can compete with the Senn 598s on fidelity AND comfort? I know nothing about those brands except the names, and that they make good stuff on the high end.
 
$225 plus tax w/free shipping for the HD 598 is starting to sound appealing...

Momentum fan here. It really depends. The Momentum's major strength is portable use: its very easy to drive, sounds great, its closed back, and looks great. If you planning on using these as portable and as your main home headphone, I would definitely recommend it. Ive never heard the HD598, but I do own HD650s, PX360s, and HD429s, and based on my ownership experience, the Momentum's would be descent at home if you don't own good equipment or an amp, or you have no intentions of buying better equipment: the Momentums make everything sound better right off the bat. The Momentums do have a low ceiling, meaning getting much much better equipment might not give your the same jump in SQ like say an HD650 would. 

 

[potterpastor]

The Momentums are a better choice if you need a headphone for your phone. It sounds fantastic with an ipad or iphone. Amazingly wide soundstage for a closed phone and without a doubt a richer, more robust sound than the 598s. For critical listening and for movies, the 598 is great

 

[GSARider]

Love the sound from my Momentum's however the earcup size makes it uncomfortable and heats up my ears after 30 mins. They're fine for commuting but not for late night listening at home. Think I will need to try the 598's out. A 50 ohms, my AK120 should drive them fine.

 

[Hotrod2713]

Maybe this is harder to compare but how does the hd380 stand with the momentum?