[hatry]

At least the original poster did make some effort on testing the HD598 no matter you agree his/her review or not

 

[wind016]

 
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At least the original poster did make some effort on testing the HD598 no matter you agree his/her review or not

I think if I saw this review, I would want to argue with the OP too. We would argue but eventually I would have to agree with him because we have the same preferences.

 

[wind016]

OK I updated the thread title and did some revisions throughout the review of the headphones.
 
I wanted these headphones to get a bit of exposure after Sennheiser's cracking issues, member's assumptions about being the same as the HD595, and many complaints by bassheads. They aren't the most natural sounding headphones. They sound more speaker-like than the actual instrument, but it does what it does well.

 

[Arksun]

Yeah if you're not a fan of the flatter more natural sound (which some refer to as a veil) then the HD600 probably isn't for you. I would stick with the 598. From a producers point of view there's good reason why the HD600 is one of the most trusted headphones to make sound engineering decisions on. Though of course nothing beats studio monitors in an acoustically treated room, but I personally have always found them a great aid in addition to the studio speakers to check things on.
 
I also imagine a lot of people won't be listening via a DAW where they can use a VST plugin like a linear phase eq to adjust the sound, they just wanna plug into their high end hi-fi seperates (which won't have any eq to tarnish the signal path) or just quickly fire up media player or other standard music listening software if listening via good quality audio interface. The PSP Neon eq you used in the review alone costs $149, money that could be spent on the headphones (or better headphone amp), not to mention the steeper linear curves can create their own potential pre/post ringing issues (though still mostly preferable to the phase shifting of using a minimal phase, unless its a true analog phase shift of a very high end analog eq).
 
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I guess I should disclaim that I was mostly quoting myself.
 
I should give the HD6XX headphones a second chance. The last time I heard them was maybe a year ago and I didn't have such a good impression of them. However, at the time, I was stuck with Grados which I absolutely abhorred. I may not have the same impression of the HD6XXs this time around however. I don't think the HD6XX would compare with the HD598s in at least the soundstage aspect. While the HD598s have an upper midrange and treble that bothered me at first, it was easily fixed with EQ for me as you could see in the review. After EQing so, I can not say the HD598 sounds unnatural. I can not attribute the word 'veiled' to the HD598 like I had with the HD6XX headphones. But once again, I probably should give the HD6XXs a second chance.

 

 

[triiiangle]

Nice detailed review.  

 

[Deep Funk]

Quote:

Yeah if you're not a fan of the flatter more natural sound (which some refer to as a veil) then the HD600 probably isn't for you.

Natural, maybe pleasantly so but 'flat' no. There is a subtle bump in the low range of the HD600 and as 'neutral' as it may sound for you I prefer the less warm and more clinical presentation of the K240DF, among others. In my position and for my preferences I would skip the HD598 and HD600 and go for the HD650. (I gave a HD650 a good listen once and it sounded very right, subjective of course.)
 
If you want to keep things relatively simple though, the HD598 is a very convenient choice. (Although I would try to find a powerful amplifier just to get that low range kicking.) 
 
 

 

[Alghazanth]

This thread inspired me to buy and try them out a week ago. I can see why you changed the title from "best headphone ever" or whatever it was. I returned them the same day I got them. They looked awesome, but they had a grainy, washy, smooth sort of sound that I absolutely could not stand. They had very good soundstage, and a non-recessed midrange, and that's the only praise I can leverage. The sound signature is just awful imo. The only genres it did okay with were classical, jazz, and trance, everything else sounded awful. Metal especially, oh god.
 
Then again, I disliked the HD650s too, so YMMV.

 

[wind016]

Quote:

This thread inspired me to buy and try them out a week ago. I can see why you changed the title from "best headphone ever" or whatever it was. I returned them the same day I got them. They looked awesome, but they had a grainy, washy, smooth sort of sound that I absolutely could not stand. They had very good soundstage, and a non-recessed midrange, and that's the only praise I can leverage. The sound signature is just awful imo. The only genres it did okay with were classical, jazz, and trance, everything else sounded awful. Metal especially, oh god.
 
Then again, I disliked the HD650s too, so YMMV.

I'm assuming you're a metalhead or basshead. There are far more versatile headphones with a similar sound sig as the HD598, such as the ATH W11R and Stax Omega 2, so don't be criticizing the sound signature just yet. I don't know what your idea of the best sound signature is but it should not be far off from having a good intimate midrange and speaker-like soundstage. If it is, then it is, but the main point of this headphone is that is has a lively sound WITHOUT being fatiguing. That type of signature is generally more versatile than anything else I can think of. If the sound was cleaner and more impactful, it would be a much better headphone.
 
Is there a particular headphone you think is a better choice? Any opinions are welcome. I'm actually thinking of adding an Audio Technica L3000 to my system eventually as it may be the ultimate rock and basshead headphone, but I don't have the funds to consider it right now.
 

 

[Katun]

Quote:

This thread inspired me to buy and try them out a week ago. I can see why you changed the title from "best headphone ever" or whatever it was. I returned them the same day I got them. They looked awesome, but they had a grainy, washy, smooth sort of sound that I absolutely could not stand. They had very good soundstage, and a non-recessed midrange, and that's the only praise I can leverage. The sound signature is just awful imo. The only genres it did okay with were classical, jazz, and trance, everything else sounded awful. Metal especially, oh god.
 
Then again, I disliked the HD650s too, so YMMV.

Of course it can't do metal -- headphones only play music.
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

I'm assuming you're a metalhead or basshead. There are far more versatile headphones with a similar sound sig as the HD598, such as the ATH W11R and Stax Omega 2, so don't be criticizing the sound signature just yet. I don't know what your idea of the best sound signature is but it should not be far off from having a good intimate midrange and speaker-like soundstage. If it is, then it is, but the main point of this headphone is that is has a lively sound WITHOUT being fatiguing. That type of signature is generally more versatile than anything else I can think of. If the sound was cleaner and more impactful, it would be a much better headphone.
 
Is there a particular headphone you think is a better choice? Any opinions are welcome. I'm actually thinking of adding an Audio Technica L3000 to my system eventually as it may be the ultimate rock and basshead headphone, but I don't have the funds to consider it right now.
 

Yea, I'm a metalhead, but not really a  basshead. I just stepped up from Denon D7000s to Tesla T1s. There are quite a few headphones with expansive soundstage and intimate midrange, like the T1s (yes I know about the price) but without that washy grainy sound. It's energetic, no doubt, but it just sounds disgusting to me. Keep in mind I said I tested it with many genres.
 
As for better headphones, I just went through 2 months and constant testing so yes I have some recommendations. My absolute favorite ever (beating out the D7Ks and HD800s handily) are the T1s. If you want the ultimate all-rounders, this is as good as it gets. For the "ultimate rock and basshead headphone", the D7000 is probably the next best thing to the Edition 8+. They were my first pair of "heavenly" headphones that I dropped after realizing, thanks to the AD700s, how much I love soundstage.
 
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

Of course it can't do metal -- headphones only play music.
 

You'd be surprised

 

[Beagle]

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I'm surprised there are so many people complaining about the bass. It clearly has better bass than AD700/900 and has a better balanced sound than the Beyerdynamic T1. I couldn't hear the T1's bass under it's treble.
 

It's obvious that you like colored and boomy sound. That's fine, but most of us don't. So please don't try and imply that the HD598 is a great headphone.
 
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

The highs are once again an easy fix. The bass impact is the weakness of this headphone.
 
I'm surprised there are so many people complaining about the bass. It clearly has better bass than AD700/900 and has a better balanced sound than the Beyerdynamic T1. I couldn't hear the T1's bass under it's treble.
 

What? It most certainly does not have a better balanced sound. And the T1's treble does not get in the way of bass at all.
 
I really think you just want to believe these HD598s are simply the best in the world. And I don't mean to insult at all, as I said this thread convinced me to buy a pair and try them out. But they simply aren't as good as you say.
 
 

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

It's obvious that you like colored and boomy sound. That's fine, but most of us don't. So please don't try and imply that the HD598 is a great headphone.
 
 

WOW, the HD598 is boomy? Get your ears checked. List the headphones you think are uncolored.
 


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What? It most certainly does not have a better balanced sound. And the T1's treble does not get in the way of bass at all.
 
I really think you just want to believe these HD598s are simply the best in the world. And I don't mean to insult at all, as I said this thread convinced me to buy a pair and try them out. But they simply aren't as good as you say.
 
 

The T1 was one of my least favorite headphones that I owned. The treble peak to me was intolerable.
 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

 



The T1 was one of my least favorite headphones that I owned. The treble peak to me was intolerable.
 

I disagree 100%. The DT990's have some god-awful treble, but the T1's treble is perfect. It's energetic with no sibilance, I see no flaw. Then again, we probably like completely different signatures. I didn't like a single Sennheiser other than the HD800.