[israikc]

  Yeah I have both of these headphones. The Senn 598s are pretty good headphones, they were my first Senns and why I ended up getting an HD700 later, which I adore. They're comfortable headphones with perhaps more detail than the Z7 if you'r not driving the Z7's from a PHA3 in balanced mode or off a tube amp. However they don't have the kind of bass impact that the Z7s can have. The Z7's are much darker. The Drivers on the Z7 are 30mm larger so they can scale up to much more impressive volumes without distortion. 
 
However, I like the 598s, a fantastic bang for buck. You're talking about 150 dollar cans vs 450 dollar cans tho (street prices)
 
Given a choice I'd always choose my Z7's over the 598s. Now that I have the 700s, I really should sell the 598s.
 
I did like the 598 sound signature tho. They sound quite different to the Z7

Thanks for your input. I think I will go for the Z7
Going by most opinions here it seems like they're pretty close to, or maybe even, end-game cans for a not ridiculous amount of money

 

[Krutsch]

   
If you like the Nighthawks... I think you will really enjoy the Z7.

 
Thanks. I like the 'Hawks, but I want a LOT more, and tighter, bass for metal and electronica. The Hawks are smooth cans, but a little muddy in the upper bass / lower-mids and I am hoping the Z7s can give some of that "bass head" experience.
 

   
I'll be curious about your Z7 impressions on your Woo.  I've wondered if they play well with tubes.  I don't know why, but I've thought the Z7 is a "solid state" kinda headphone...

 
I decided to try the Z7 for that very reason. With my NightHawks, I can't really use my WA3 - they distort heavily at any kind of volume, being 25 ohm cans. With my Lehmann I can turn up the volume to full with no distortion, whatsoever, although it's painful to do so.
 
At 70 ohm, the Z7s should be OK with the Woo OTL - we'll see.

 

[Whitigir]

Z7 has a pretty good built/quality/price Ratio, and that is for sure. Being end game or not ? That would be a huge debate. All I can say is that more expensive doesn't mean better quality all the time

 

[cjc]

Z7 has a pretty good built/quality/price Ratio, and that is for sure. Being end game or not ? That would be a huge debate. All I can say is that more expensive doesn't mean better quality all the time

I agree with you about build/quality/PR. My Sony MDR-Z7 are being about equally used along with my Audeze LCD-2f. I love them BOTH!!

 

[cuiter23]

   
Thanks. I like the 'Hawks, but I want a LOT more, and tighter, bass for metal and electronica. The Hawks are smooth cans, but a little muddy in the upper bass / lower-mids and I am hoping the Z7s can give some of that "bass head" experience.
 
 
I decided to try the Z7 for that very reason. With my NightHawks, I can't really use my WA3 - they distort heavily at any kind of volume, being 25 ohm cans. With my Lehmann I can turn up the volume to full with no distortion, whatsoever, although it's painful to do so.
 
At 70 ohm, the Z7s should be OK with the Woo OTL - we'll see.

 
The Z7's IMO is more detailed and faster sounding (with transients) compared to the lazy and warm sound of the Nighthawks. Needless to say, the Z7's are very good for Electronic music.

 

[Mediahound]

 

[lugnut]

   
Thanks. I like the 'Hawks, but I want a LOT more, and tighter, bass for metal and electronica. The Hawks are smooth cans, but a little muddy in the upper bass / lower-mids and I am hoping the Z7s can give some of that "bass head" experience.
 
 
I decided to try the Z7 for that very reason. With my NightHawks, I can't really use my WA3 - they distort heavily at any kind of volume, being 25 ohm cans. With my Lehmann I can turn up the volume to full with no distortion, whatsoever, although it's painful to do so.
 
At 70 ohm, the Z7s should be OK with the Woo OTL - we'll see.

Hello Krutsch, I asked you about the nighthawks a couple of months ago. I bought the Z7 instead. I have no regrets, I use them for classic, alt and indy rock. I don't know if I would call them a can for a bass head, but they have nice bass. I have tried them with a custom 6L6 transformer tube amp, they were ok, but prefer SS amp with them. I have ordered a balanced SS amp that I hope will give me another % of bass quality with them. Hope they work out for you !

 

[Krutsch]

  ...
 
At 70 ohm, the Z7s should be OK with the Woo OTL - we'll see.

 
Just unboxed my new Z7s and listening to this:
 

 
 
...a favorite bass-heavy EDM album. Wow, these are definitely fun headphones, but I see what everyone means about good bass, but controlled and without sacrificing detail.
 
Going to be a long night breaking in these new cans 

 

 

[lugnut]

How are they working out with your Woo 3 vs Solid State ?

 

[fullranger]

I can't get enough of these headphones. They're the first good set I've owned and don't expect to try to find any "better" cans.
Somewhere down the line I may take advantage of the mods and wire upgrade to silver core to brighten them up a bit, however they really do soar, sing, and plummet to the deepest bass I can locate in music.
Don't be afraid to pull the trigger on these and feel you've blown your money because if they don't impress you plenty of people will buy them from you...
Happy listening!

 

[hardpike]

I can't get enough of these headphones. They're the first good set I've owned and don't expect to try to find any "better" cans.
Somewhere down the line I may take advantage of the mods and wire upgrade to silver core to brighten them up a bit, however they really do soar, sing, and plummet to the deepest bass I can locate in music.
Don't be afraid to pull the trigger on these and feel you've blown your money because if they don't impress you plenty of people will buy them from you...
Happy listening!

Actually i am trying to trade my Z7 for some STAX
If someone is interested, please pm me.

 

[Krutsch]

  How are they working out with your Woo 3 vs Solid State ?

Quick impressions: with the SS amp, bass is extremely crisp and controlled (like nothing else I own, headphone-wise) and the detail is great. I hate to abuse the cliche, but I am hearing things in familiar music I've not noticed before.
 
When I switch to the Woo WA3, some of that crispness goes away in exchange for warmer mids. I am surprised at the change in sound between these amps (I've been switching back and forth). To be fair, I rolled in some different tubes that are more syrupy on their own; I need to put the Western Electrics back in and re-compare.
 
My *belief* is that I've observed the above sound changes because the Z7s are revealing headphones and, hence, I am noticing the effect of listening via the tube amp, which may not be as noticeable with other cans.
 
To be honest, I don't really switch back-and-forth like that with my other cans. The Sennheisers are used with the WA3 and the Grado or NightHawks are used exclusively with the SS amp, due to impedance considerations.
 
I have more listening to do, but I can see these becoming my daily drivers... the detail and separation of instruments and imaging on the Z7s are nice. I *do* miss the rich mids of the HD-650, especially listening to classic rock on vinyl, but I *don't* miss the upper bass / lower-mid bloom of the NightHawks.
 
I haven't made it to classical or jazz yet, so the comparison continues... we'll see how they do against my HD-700s with favorite classical tracks. This comparison I may make with the SS amp for the Z7 and the Woo with the HD-700 (the latter combination is a killer setup for classical).

 

[randomdude]

Just got these amazing headphones 3 days ago. Gave it some time to settle in before I write something about it.

I have the following sound sources to listen it with.
Iphone 6s, Ipad air 2, Realtec integrated sound card and Ibasso DX90.

I used IE80 with upgraded V3 cables and Sennheiser HD25 when listening to music before.

Music played on Ibasso dx90. Volume at 230-235 of 255 is the sweetspot for me.

I would have to say that on the 1st hour of listening I felt like the mids sound muffled (Not as clear as the hd25's). Bass is not as deep as the IE80 but is much smoother like butter to my ears. Bass heavy tracks bleed a bit into the mids and is more pronounced than the mids.I would the soundstage is vast compared to my previous IEM and headphones.

Second day of playing I can now hear the mids and it does not sound muffled. Still when comparing it with my IE80 I find the bass there at the same volume as the mids. In the sony z7 mids are at 70% power and bass it at a 100. I listen to this while my EQ is turned off.

Music played on Ipad Air and Iphone 6s. Max volume.

They are good to listen too but not great. It's like turning down the volume 50% on my dx90. I was amazed by the details on some of the games that I played. They actually sounded better than when I connected it to my laptop.

Music played on laptop realtec sound card. Max volume.

Games sounded compressed clarity is not that good. I used the dx90 as a dac and it actually sounded better.

I also noticed that the itunes downloaded music sounded sharper right now. I have to turn down the volume a bit than when I am listening to CD ALAC/FLAC music.

Now the only thing that I would like to change is the cable. It's too long. I have not heard how the kimber kable upgrade sounds like but to me the sound on the stock is already good that I am afraid that if I upgrade it, it might mess up the sound.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Just got these amazing headphones 3 days ago. Gave it some time to settle in before I write something about it.

I have the following sound sources to listen it with.
Iphone 6s, Ipad air 2, Realtec integrated sound card and Ibasso DX90.

I used IE80 with upgraded V3 cables and Sennheiser HD25 when listening to music before.

Music played on Ibasso dx90. Volume at 230-235 of 255 is the sweetspot for me.

I would have to say that on the 1st hour of listening I felt like the mids sound muffled (Not as clear as the hd25's). Bass is not as deep as the IE80 but is much smoother like butter to my ears. Bass heavy tracks bleed a bit into the mids and is more pronounced than the mids.I would the soundstage is vast compared to my previous IEM and headphones.

Second day of playing I can now hear the mids and it does not sound muffled. Still when comparing it with my IE80 I find the bass there at the same volume as the mids. In the sony z7 mids are at 70% power and bass it at a 100. I listen to this while my EQ is turned off.

Music played on Ipad Air and Iphone 6s. Max volume.

They are good to listen too but not great. It's like turning down the volume 50% on my dx90. I was amazed by the details on some of the games that I played. They actually sounded better than when I connected it to my laptop.

Music played on laptop realtec sound card. Max volume.

Games sounded compressed clarity is not that good. I used the dx90 as a dac and it actually sounded better.

I also noticed that the itunes downloaded music sounded sharper right now. I have to turn down the volume a bit than when I am listening to CD ALAC/FLAC music.

Now the only thing that I would like to change is the cable. It's too long. I have not heard how the kimber kable upgrade sounds like but to me the sound on the stock is already good that I am afraid that if I upgrade it, it might mess up the sound.

 
Just remember there's a second cable in the box.  If budget is an issue, they could reterminated and shortened a bit too, if need be....
 
But without starting a cable war, I heard a noticed improvement when I went to the Kimber.  And keep in mind there are many other aftermarket options available too.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

 
Quick impressions: with the SS amp, bass is extremely crisp and controlled (like nothing else I own, headphone-wise) and the detail is great. I hate to abuse the cliche, but I am hearing things in familiar music I've not noticed before.
 
When I switch to the Woo WA3, some of that crispness goes away in exchange for warmer mids. I am surprised at the change in sound between these amps (I've been switching back and forth). To be fair, I rolled in some different tubes that are more syrupy on their own; I need to put the Western Electrics back in and re-compare.
 
My *belief* is that I've observed the above sound changes because the Z7s are revealing headphones and, hence, I am noticing the effect of listening via the tube amp, which may not be as noticeable with other cans.
 
To be honest, I don't really switch back-and-forth like that with my other cans. The Sennheisers are used with the WA3 and the Grado or NightHawks are used exclusively with the SS amp, due to impedance considerations.
 
I have more listening to do, but I can see these becoming my daily drivers... the detail and separation of instruments and imaging on the Z7s are nice. I *do* miss the rich mids of the HD-650, especially listening to classic rock on vinyl, but I *don't* miss the upper bass / lower-mid bloom of the NightHawks.
 
I haven't made it to classical or jazz yet, so the comparison continues... we'll see how they do against my HD-700s with favorite classical tracks. This comparison I may make with the SS amp for the Z7 and the Woo with the HD-700 (the latter combination is a killer setup for classical).

 
 
Interesting find on the tubes.  I'll be curious on more opinions on the Z7 mids, as you spend more time wit them.  The HD650 is still "mids king" to me as well...