[nitsuj]

  I finally picked up my 598 LE from the post office and must say they are way better than my klipsch status headphones. No only in comfort but sound. I listen to the doors riders on the storm. A song I listen to must be like 100 times and never noticed a person whispering under the vocals lol. This is on my google play music account using my nexus 9 tablet. I thought I liked the bass sound but I realized with these I like over all sound and not booming base. Will have to get lossless music and now going to have to look in to a DAC. I know these are not the best headphones out there but they sound great and for the price I feel like they are worth it. Now on to looking for DAC lol

The 598's are my first and only pair of decent headphones. I went through allot of music with them, hearing certain familiar songs revealed to me that bass isn't everything...
 
I've always enjoyed classical, for me it the sound of the instruments, and tolerable tempos/rhythms...it's about twice as detailed for me now. Can sometimes discern the resonance of the instrument.   

 

[chowmein83]

  Hi, maybe some 598 -> 700/800 switchers willing to contribute some precious info on improvements, differences, strengths and weaknesses?

 
As an owner of both the HD598 and the HD700, here is what I have to say about the two headphones:
 
The HD598 and the HD700 are similar in that they both have a very open and large soundstage. Both also are most definitely not dark headphones.
 
Improvements:
- Bass on the HD700 is noticeably better. Hits harder (but not overwhelmingly so), goes deeper, and is more textured on the HD700.
- Soundstage is even better on the HD700. Slightly wider, but noticeably deeper. Imaging is also noticeably better on the HD700, which is quite impressive since the HD598 already does a great job at that. Layering is also much better on the HD700, as it's a lot easier to tell whether things are further or closer to you than on the HD598.
- Notes are more detailed and textured on the HD700.
- While the HD598 is pretty comfortable, in my opinion the HD700 is even more comfortable. The HD700 pretty much disappears from your head shortly after you put it on.
 
Weaknesses of the HD700:
- Depending on the music you listen to (genre and how well produced it is), the treble on the HD700 can be fatiguing. The HD598 is smooth enough for this to pretty much never happen unless you get an extremely bright amp/DAC or you purposefully mess with EQ, while on the HD700 this isn't the case.
- HD598 is easier to drive, as it sounds good almost out of anything. The HD700 needs better quality gear to truly shine, though it can still sound decent out of something like the FiiO E10K.
 
Hope that helps!

 

[Tuneslover]

I must say the HD598SE is a very versatile and easy to drive phone straight from my ipod classic or X5ii and even better still from any of my amps. I have read mixed feelings on this thread about the amount of bass (some say thin, others say ample) that the 598's produce. IMO my SE's produce a very satisfying quantity and quality of bass to my ears.

No complaints from this Sennheiser HD650 owner, the HD598SE is most welcome to my headphone collection.

 

[SirMarc]

I must say the HD598SE is a very versatile and easy to drive phone straight from my ipod classic or X5ii and even better still from any of my amps. I have read mixed feelings on this thread about the amount of bass (some say thin, others say ample) that the 598's produce. IMO my SE's produce a very satisfying quantity and quality of bass to my ears.

No complaints from this Sennheiser HD650 owner, the HD598SE is most welcome to my headphone collection.

I'm also a 650 owner and agree wholeheartedly. When I listen to the 598se's out of my LG V10 I often say to myself I could live with this...

 

[hfflt]

   
As an owner of both the HD598 and the HD700, here is what I have to say about the two headphones:
 
The HD598 and the HD700 are similar in that they both have a very open and large soundstage. Both also are most definitely not dark headphones.
 
Improvements:
- Bass on the HD700 is noticeably better. Hits harder (but not overwhelmingly so), goes deeper, and is more textured on the HD700.
- Soundstage is even better on the HD700. Slightly wider, but noticeably deeper. Imaging is also noticeably better on the HD700, which is quite impressive since the HD598 already does a great job at that. Layering is also much better on the HD700, as it's a lot easier to tell whether things are further or closer to you than on the HD598.
- Notes are more detailed and textured on the HD700.
- While the HD598 is pretty comfortable, in my opinion the HD700 is even more comfortable. The HD700 pretty much disappears from your head shortly after you put it on.
 
Weaknesses of the HD700:
- Depending on the music you listen to (genre and how well produced it is), the treble on the HD700 can be fatiguing. The HD598 is smooth enough for this to pretty much never happen unless you get an extremely bright amp/DAC or you purposefully mess with EQ, while on the HD700 this isn't the case.
- HD598 is easier to drive, as it sounds good almost out of anything. The HD700 needs better quality gear to truly shine, though it can still sound decent out of something like the FiiO E10K.
 
Hope that helps!

 
It does, thanks so much!
 
Pricing on new 700's is extremely good in Amazon.de (~450€ shipped) so it can be valuable purchase, but eventually, sooner or later I think I will jumping on HD800S, so maybe it is worth skipping this step, waiting a little bit and doing research in the meantime. Ah, decisions, decisions...

 

[Jecht Auron]

  The 598's are my first and only pair of decent headphones. I went through allot of music with them, hearing certain familiar songs revealed to me that bass isn't everything...
 
I've always enjoyed classical, for me it the sound of the instruments, and tolerable tempos/rhythms...it's about twice as detailed for me now. Can sometimes discern the resonance of the instrument.   

I tend to like all styles of music. Be it jazz, classical,rock,metal and so on and so forth. These headphones seems to allow you to single out the instruments that are being played. I am really enjoying them and glad I bought them. I should get years of use out of them and will get a DAC to improve performance of them. Just wichone lol. I agree bass isn't everything. 

 

[donunus]

^ A simple Geek Out 1000 works well for me with these cans

 

[Jecht Auron]

I want something more versatile to be used on my tablet and Samsung phone and not just my laptop. Unless I could use an otg usb cable to connect to my tablet and phone? Right now my biggest concern is cost as money for now is tight. Thanks for the the suggestion I will keep it under advisement. 

 

[LazyListener]

  I want something more versatile to be used on my tablet and Samsung phone and not just my laptop. Unless I could use an otg usb cable to connect to my tablet and phone? Right now my biggest concern is cost as money for now is tight. Thanks for the the suggestion I will keep it under advisement. 

Audioquest has just released the brand new Dragonfly Red ($200) and Dragonfly Black ($100).  Both are designed to work with mobile devices without the need for a separate power supply like a USB hub, so they may be worth checking out.  For efficient cans like the 598s, I'd think the Black model would suffice.
 
I recently compared a few USB DACs around the $150 price range and found the Dragonfly V1.2 to sound excellent, but that model is too power hungry to be used with most mobile devices.  Check my review here:  http://www.head-fi.org/products/audioquest-dragonfly-v1-2-usb-dac/reviews/15710

 

[dbaker1981]

the 600's bass is supposed to be really good.

HE400
http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMAN-HE400-HiFiMan-HE-400-Headphones/dp/B007ZG32I4

DT-990
http://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-990-Premium-250-Ohm/dp/B00193FT26

I haven't heard these personally but I have heard their bass is good.

I have the dt880 pro 250ohm and I was very surprised by the amount of bass they produce. And from what I've heard the 990s are even more bass oriented. I use them with my odac rev-b and O2. I use my hd598 with my fiio X1 and A3 amp on low gain with bass off and the clarity took some getting used to but I find myself reaching for them more and more lately. The only issues I have with them is clamping pressure sometimes but I think it has more to do with my odd shaped head than the cans. Lol

 

[plath]

I have a problem with my 598s. When I play CSGO I find it extremely difficult to discern the position of sounds. Especially compared to my AKG K612 Pros. Which is weird because people say 598s are meant to have similar soundstage, if not better .


 
When I try to test my headphones by doing a Hz sweep on http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php (under "Driver matching") the bass on both my left side driver sounds louder and the treble on my right side sounds louder which causes the audio to sound as if it's panning rather than staying central compared to my AKG 612s.


 
I'm pretty sure it's faulty? They're not fakes either.


 

 

[Bansaku]

   
When I try to test my headphones by doing a Hz sweep on http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php (under "Driver matching") the bass on my left side driver sounds louder and the treble on my right side sounds which causes the audio to sound as if it's panning rather than staying central.

 
I'm pretty sure it's faulty? 

 

 Have you tried out the other headphones you own?
 

 

[plath]

Yeah I compared it with my AKG 612 Pros.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

  I have a problem with my 598s. When I play CSGO I find it extremely difficult to discern the position of sounds. Especially compared to my AKG K612 Pros. Which is weird because people say 598s are meant to have similar soundstage, if not better .


 
When I try to test my headphones by doing a Hz sweep on http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php (under "Driver matching") the bass on both my left side driver sounds louder and the treble on my right side sounds louder which causes the audio to sound as if it's panning rather than staying central compared to my AKG 612s.


 
I'm pretty sure it's faulty? They're not fakes either.


 

IME soundstage is not equal with imaging or separation. The HD 598s have good dimension of soundstage but not very good imaging. For example I had the M50x, and although overall I like the HD 598 much more, the M50x had better imaging, position of sounds, separation, but lacked in soundstage. For gaming you are looking for a good combination of soundstage with very good imaging.
 
And about the driver imbalance, try reverse-wearing the headphones on your head, see if its not your hearing.

 

[saikat1729]

 
IME soundstage is not equal with imaging or separation. The HD 598s have good dimension of soundstage but not very good imaging. For example I had the M50x, and although overall I like the HD 598 much more, the M50x had better imaging, position of sounds, separation, but lacked in soundstage. For gaming you are looking for a good combination of soundstage with very good imaging.
 
And about the driver imbalance, try reverse-wearing the headphones on your head, see if its not your hearing.

By reverse-wearing do you mean left on right and right on left?