[LazyListener]

I do miss a bit of power on the bass on edm and punk rock of course, but still, there is something on the combination of highs mids and soundstage that makes he hd598 immersive and almost hipnotic.
 

Couldn't agree more.  598s ability to reproduce the ambience and natural resonances of the recording is nothing short of amazing.  I've tried numerous other more expensive cans that didn't come close to that "immersive" quality.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

  Couldn't agree more.  598s ability to reproduce the ambience and natural resonances of the recording is nothing short of amazing.  I've tried numerous other more expensive cans that didn't come close to that "immersive" quality.

But the hd558 isn't very far behind... yesterday i compared both in a store.... the hd558 although less refined on the highs and mids has a more powerfull sound due to the added bass.... trance is good on the hd598's but i think trance and more agressive rock sounds a bit better on the hd558 because it still has a bit of that immersive feeling while adding some extra power to the sound. I found myself closing my eyes and going with the flow on trance tracks on the hd558 than on the 598s..... on the other hand vocals (although almost the same) are a bit clearer on the hd598.... but i think that other factors like for example clamping force makes the diffence on the overall sound. One of the things that stand out to me is that if we press the hd598 against our head a bit (almost matching the hd558 clamp) we get a similar bass response and overall more powerfull sound like the one on the hd558. Another curious thing is that a couple of years ago, when i tried all 3 in a store, i think that of all 500's i prefered the 518....
 
Thats why i was saying.... i would love to have the 3 at some point because i think they all excel in different aspects while having the same drivers.
 
I think all the hd500 line is fantastic..... on europe not so much, but the current price of the 518 on amazon us is a absolute steal....

 

[LazyListener]

  But the hd558 isn't very far behind... yesterday i compared both in a store.... the hd558 although less refined on the highs and mids has a more powerfull sound due to the added bass.... trance is good on the hd598's but i think trance and more agressive rock sounds a bit better on the hd558 because it still has a bit of that immersive feeling while adding some extra power to the sound. I found myself closing my eyes and going with the flow on trance tracks on the hd558 than on the 598s..... on the other hand vocals (although almost the same) are a bit clearer on the hd598.... but i think that other factors like for example clamping force makes the diffence on the overall sound. One of the things that stand out to me is that if we press the hd598 against our head a bit (almost matching the hd558 clamp) we get a similar bass response and overall more powerfull sound like the one on the hd558. Another curious thing is that a couple of years ago, when i tried all 3 in a store, i think that of all 500's i prefered the 518....
 
Thats why i was saying.... i would love to have the 3 at some point because i think they all excel in different aspects while having the same drivers.
 
I think all the hd500 line is fantastic..... on europe not so much, but the current price of the 518 on amazon us is a absolute steal....

Are you sure it's clamping force alone that's responsible?  Are you covering the grills with your hands when you press on them?  I know that simply covering the grills up with your hands, without even pressing, makes a difference in the sound.
 
EDIT:  In other words, I think the clamp isn't at issue.  I think it's more the seal.  The 598s provide a good seal at the perimeter without added pressure.  However, by covering up the grills, you are sealing the sound more from escaping, thus providing a better bass response.  So it's more about sealing the sound in, and not so much about clamping force.  IMO.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

Are you sure it's clamping force alone that's responsible?  Are you covering the grills with your hands when you press on them?  I know that simply covering the grills up with your hands, without even pressing, makes a difference in the sound.

EDIT:  In other words, I think the clamp isn't at issue.  I think it's more the seal.  The 598s provide a good seal at the perimeter without added pressure.  However, by covering up the grills, you are sealing the sound more from escaping, thus providing a better bass response.  So it's more about sealing the sound in, and not so much about clamping force.  IMO.

Yep.... You are right,. I tested it right now.

One question regarding the rest of the hd500 line (usually i can test the hd558 in a store nearby but the hd518 seems to have vanised from portuguese stores)....

I recently saw the Zeos review for the hd518 on youtube..... Do you guys agree when he says the hd558 is the more v shaped of all 3 and that the 518 is the one that is closer to neutral?

I had the ideia that higher the number, means less bass and more refined and pronounced highs mids and stage....

 

[LazyListener]

@Pedro Oliveira  I can't speak for the rest of the HD 5X8 lineup, as I have personally only listened to the 598.

 

[gargani]

  But the hd558 isn't very far behind... yesterday i compared both in a store.... the hd558 although less refined on the highs and mids has a more powerfull sound due to the added bass.... trance is good on the hd598's but i think trance and more agressive rock sounds a bit better on the hd558 because it still has a bit of that immersive feeling while adding some extra power to the sound. I found myself closing my eyes and going with the flow on trance tracks on the hd558 than on the 598s..... on the other hand vocals (although almost the same) are a bit clearer on the hd598.... but i think that other factors like for example clamping force makes the diffence on the overall sound. One of the things that stand out to me is that if we press the hd598 against our head a bit (almost matching the hd558 clamp) we get a similar bass response and overall more powerfull sound like the one on the hd558. Another curious thing is that a couple of years ago, when i tried all 3 in a store, i think that of all 500's i prefered the 518....
 
Thats why i was saying.... i would love to have the 3 at some point because i think they all excel in different aspects while having the same drivers.
 
I think all the hd500 line is fantastic..... on europe not so much, but the current price of the 518 on amazon us is a absolute steal....

 I own all three hd518, 558, 598(Ivory). Pedro, I agree with your assessment of the 558 compared to the 598. The 598's seem to have a slightly brighter quality to the vocals, making them a bit more clear(just a bit). The 558's seem to have a bit more punch, or, a little extra power to the sound,as you say. To my ears, the 558's have a touch more bass "oomph"
 
Comparing the 518's to the 558's, I would say, the same difference as between the 558's and the 598's; a bit more bass "oomph" and a bit less brightness or sharpness to the vocals.
 
Generally speaking, I could say, the sound becomes thicker and punchier as you go from the 598's to the 558's to the 518's. Keep in mind though,that to my ears, the differences aren't huge. All 3 sound very similar. It's like the same headphone only tweaked slightly differently.
 
As far as Z,s review, of the 518 ; I don't really understand what he means by, the 518's are the most neutral sounding. And I don't agree that the 558's are the most v-shaped. I don't hear any of them sounding v-shaped.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

 I own all three hd518, 558, 598(Ivory). Pedro, I agree with your assessment of the 558 compared to the 598. The 598's seem to have a slightly brighter quality to the vocals, making them a bit more clear(just a bit). The 558's seem to have a bit more punch, or, a little extra power to the sound,as you say. To my ears, the 558's have a touch more bass "oomph"

Comparing the 518's to the 558's, I would say, the same difference as between the 558's and the 598's; a bit more bass "oomph" and a bit less brightness or sharpness to the vocals.

Generally speaking, I could say, the sound becomes thicker and punchier as you go from the 598's to the 558's to the 518's. Keep in mind though,that to my ears, the differences aren't huge. All 3 sound very similar. It's like the same headphone only tweaked slightly differently.

As far as Z,s review, of the 518 ; I don't really understand what he means by, the 518's are the most neutral sounding. And I don't agree that the 558's are the most v-shaped. I don't hear any of them sounding v-shaped.

Thank you very much for your reply gargani....

Yes thats exactly how i remember them. The 518 was clearly the bassier and more powerfull sounding one, but still vocals were very very good and soundstage is acceptable, the hd558 although still a bit bassy is like a mix of both the hd518 and hd518, since you get a good amount of punch and powerfull sound while the highs and mids are very nice (but of course the highs and mids are less clear than on the hd598)... The 598 is clearly the brighter, the clearer and the most spacious sounding of all 3, greats mids, great highs, tight bass , but for that extra clarity they loose the bit of ooomph and power to the sound that is more characteristic of the other 2 models. The hd598s of all three are clearly the ones that you pick to listen to vocals, airy and organic music

Of all 3 wich is the one you like the most gargani? Do you think it is wortha having all 3?

If you could only choose 2 to cover all your music, wich ones would you pick?

 

[Lynchguy]

Lazylistener, I have to agree with you that something is not right between the SE version and the Ivory ones. I bought a pair of SE's after listening to a great pair of 558's. I could not believe how crappy they sounded. Nothing like all the praise they are getting. I've heard about a difference between the two but I ignored it. They were just so thin sounding. Zero bass. The bass made me get rid of these. The 558's were waaay better in sound to these. Have heard the se model was produced as an Amazon black friday deal. Maybe a different manufacturing plant? And, I hate anything made in China because of the slave labor rates the chinese are being paid. Huge profit/greed from corporations doing this low-life thing. Headphones made in Ireland or Germany are only a little more but the labor is much higher and the people have a better standard of living. Going to give the 598 Ivory's a chance later. In the meantime I'll try and enjoy my Momentums. They are better than the 50x, tho. Such junk! Thanks for bringing this topic up. Sheds some light.

 

[SirMarc]

Maybe its a luck of the draw thing. My 598se's sound very good, clean highs, warmish, in a good way, midrange and solid bass.

 

[Lynchguy]

Sure it probably was. Maybe a retooling manufacture thing in the earlier stages. Glad your enjoyng them. The black is very nice with the extra cable.

 

[SirMarc]

I only use them out of my LG v10, but every time I do, I'm like damn this sounds good!

 

[Lynchguy]

And I was running mine out of a Marantz SACD player with it's own dedicated headphone amp. Maybe I'll give the se's another try. Or, just wait a bit and try out the 650's. Better yet, just move out of this condo I just moved into from a nice big house and listen to my real speakers! All in fun .

 

[SirMarc]

And I was running mine out of a Marantz SACD player with it's own dedicated headphone amp. Maybe I'll give the se's another try. Or, just wait a bit and try out the 650's. Better yet, just move out of this condo I just moved into from a nice big house and listen to my real speakers! All in fun .

With proper amplification the 650's sound incredible. I use them in my main rig

 

[timb5881]

Well I was told that in Hungary they replace it without question when the crack reaches the three dots on the left side. So Sennheiser folk seems to be nice here, though I haven't tried it yet and also it doesn't help the fact that the 598s are so badly built.

Also, could you people please recommend me an usb dac+amp combo (separate devices are fine too, but I think that way it's more expensive) for the HD 598? Budget is up to 300$. (Well, I'm willing to go to a maximum of 500$ if it really-really worth it, but I'm more comfortable with the 300$ limit.)

Some options that I know about:
FiiO E7+E9
HiFiMAN EF2
Fubar III MKII
Audinst hud-mx1

Out of these which one should I choose? Unfortunately I don't really have a possibility to try them, so I need your experience here. Or should I go for any other option I'm not aware of atm?

I'd really appreciate more than one person's opinion to have a more general view of things. Thank you!

Check out the little Cyberdrive amp/DAC the Clarity Feather. I have one and it exceeds it's price. They are running a special now, IEM phones and the Feather for $49, $39 for the Clarity Feather by itself. It can decide 24/192 and dsd. Fully USB so it draws it's power from the host it is connected to. I use it on my computer and my iPhone.

 

[VeggiePopper]

I only use them out of my LG v10, but every time I do, I'm like damn this sounds good!

Ivory or SE?