Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 25, 2013 13:37:43 GMT
Have just received the review headphone and from the start .... wow. The 558 is good, these are better. I can't mod the 558 since it's a review headphone but the 598 is a distinct improvement. It's Crystal in the top, and this lack of bass that is mentioned everywhere is totally exaggerated. It has a beautiful response and to me it seems an improvedversion of the old 598 that I remember.
If I buy these, I get them without vat at £124. They are a bargain but then again, so are the 558's. Musically, the 598 is nicer. Price wise 558 is brilliant value.
I think I'll buy a new 598 though, since for me, budget isn't an issue.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Oct 25, 2013 14:30:34 GMT
The 595 is an old version and is succeeded by the 598. Instead of 585 you mean may be the 558 I reckon. I owned the 595 (a red jubilee version) but sold it in the end. Good headphone but not good enough to hold on to. The 558 can be turned into the 598 (sonically) by removing the foam in the cups and can save you some money unless the color scheme of the 598 is more appealing. HD598 has a slightly more comfortable feel as well.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 25, 2013 15:10:22 GMT
Sorry Frans. I do mean the 558. The joys of using a tablet to write on!!
I've just arrived home and connected it to the Ember. It has a nicely balanced bass and the treble is a little more strident than the HD600.
I remember my old one seeming a bit middle of the road and a bit boring. This seems to be a bit more dynamic.
People go on about the colour, but I quite like it. It seems like a 600 with a little more shimmer in the treble.
My two favourites are the 558 and 598 and between the 600 and 650, my preference is the 600.
The whole of the HD series is pretty impressive though, I have to say. They really do run from budget to mid price in a logical order with regards to sound. Funny that many of the lower priced one's are dark and they lighten up in the 500 series, only to go back down in the 600 series!!
The 600 series do have more sophistication in the detail of the sound but the 500's aren't too shabby, given their price.
For me though, 558 and 598 really stand out.
I've changed all the numbers - thanks Frans.
I've also just realised, the headphone I had WAS a 595 and not a 598. This is possibly better than the 595 in the bass, I think.
Comparing HD600 with 598 shows that the 598 is quite a bit more edgy in the treble and the HD600 has more of an 'authority' in its sound. In fact, the 600 really is a good headphone and a comparison really shows it.
One advantage with the 598 is the ease of driving it for portable amps. It's a very easy load and sounds extremely good.
The 558 is very close in sound. It kind of sounds slightly more in your face than the 598 but it is very close.
I've ordered a short lead from China which looks rather nice so when I get one, I can plug direct into a portable amp. So I'll have to get one now!!
I get in such a mess with all these numbers!!
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Oct 25, 2013 19:15:57 GMT
One advantage with the 598 is the ease of driving it for portable amps. It's a very easy load and sounds extremely good. The 585 is very close in sound. It kind of sounds slightly more in your face than the 598 but it is very close. I get in such a mess with all these numbers!! In a mess with all the numbers you are.... The 598 (or 558) are indeed a good alternative for usage direct on portable gear which the 6x0 series isn't good at. Aakshey's reasons for buying the 598 for portable usage as well as having something close to an HD600 with a bit more 'feist' next to an HD650 for home usage isn't such a bad call for that reason.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 25, 2013 19:24:12 GMT
After he mentioned the HD600 not being available in India, I did wonder whether the HD600 is on its way out. It is an improvement on the HD598, but then again quite a bit more to buy as well.
558 and 598 are really quite close.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Nov 3, 2013 12:41:44 GMT
Some pictures of my lovely headphone..... The bit inside that disperses the sound for a wider soundstage .... and the lead I got from China ..... I do like the look of this headphone. One amp that matches nicely with it is the Fiio E12 Mont Blanc. It has a warmth in its sound that really suits the sound of the HD598 really well. You get a warmer top end and the superb openness of the 598, making it a great combo for portable (ish) use. (Ie; hotels)
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Nov 5, 2013 22:58:14 GMT
Which do you prefer and are they comparable ?
Momentum or HD598 ?
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Nov 6, 2013 6:02:00 GMT
They're quite different, Frans. The Momentum is thicker sounding and more like the Senn house sound. In fact it resembles the darker HD650 but does sound closed. Nowhere near as comfortable as the HD598.
The HD598 is very open sounding with more 'air' in its sound. To me, it's more natural sounding although the top can sound a bit 'gritty' with recordings that use too much compression or are close to distortion. The Momentum is a tad 'kinder' with regards to those recordings.
Momentum has more bass weight and the 598 is more treble focused so it is quite hard to compare other than say the Momentum is good as a portable (moving around) headphone but the 598 is more open if you don't mind being seen with it on your head!!
I'd say the 598 is more 'accurate' sounding with the bass lift nowhere near as prominent as the Momentum. (If it has a bass lift at all) Possibly, the Momentum goes deeper though.
I get the feeling that the 595 is a little lightweight in the bass. In fact, the HD585 has just a tiny amount more bass which I suspect many would prefer.
As a result of their different voicings, I think the HD598 works better at moderate to low volume and the Momentum at moderate to high volume levels.
I also feel more comfortable with it using the Fiio E12 rather than the O2 which seems to make the top seem a little more glassy. The Fiio seems more natural with it for some reason.
The HD558 is very close in sound so I guess that one is really good value for money. If anything, it has slightly better mids so I wonder if some would prefer the 558 in all honesty.
None give the deeper bass of the HD600. It also sounds less ramped in the top.
Out of the HD series I've heard, the sweet spots as far as sound and value for money go, I think I'd get the HD558 and at the slightly higher end, the HD600. Those two stand out at the price.
598 is perhaps a fraction more refined than the 558, but it pushes the mids down slightly, so you want to listen a bit louder for presence and then you have to be careful of the hot sounding top end. The 558 seems to focus at a lower volume because the mods are slightly more present.
100 ohms out from the Ember helps all three. The HD600 gets a slightly healthier bass and the other two start to bloom a little more. Funny that I prefer 100 ohms out with all three. Makes you wonder what they were designed to work at in the first place. They all sound more rounded once the output impedance is raised.
The more I think about it, I should have put the HD headphones into the same thread and compared. Been through from the cheapest right to the 650 now, and they really are a great family of headphones and really are the ones I'd settle for with regards to quality sound and natural presentation. I like most of them but for different reasons.
I still think that the stock HD558 is a great value headphone. If someone less curious than me asked me to recommend one with sound/value in mind, that would be the one for me.
I've decided that the HD558 will stay with me and the supplier has allowed me to keep them so I now have my 3 favourites.
I guess it's the HD800 next .......
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Nov 2, 2015 16:50:21 GMT
Well now there's an hd598se. I can't see what the difference is except it is a different co,our and comes with two cables.
Are companies selling se's to just ramp up sales without making them much better?
Same has happened with the Fiio e12 and now a Fiio e12s. I have both and there is a colour change with slightly different layout. Very tiny amount of difference but I do actually prefer the e12s.
I wonder whether there are any tiny improvements with the hd598se?
Tbh, I quite like the hd558 in any case. I hope we don't get a 558se !!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2015 22:45:36 GMT
Well now there's an hd598se. I can't see what the difference is except it is a different co,our and comes with two cables. Are companies selling se's to just ramp up sales without making them much better? Same has happened with the Fiio e12 and now a Fiio e12s. I have both and there is a colour change with slightly different layout. Very tiny amount of difference but I do actually prefer the e12s. I wonder whether there are any tiny improvements with the hd598se? Tbh, I quite like the hd558 in any case. I hope we don't get a 558se !! An HD 650SE might be interesting though
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Nov 3, 2015 8:33:19 GMT
That would be nice.
Trouble is, I don't think that Senn have gone to any trouble as far as driver selection or tuning goes, which is a great pity for the premium put on top.
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Post by retroe83 on May 8, 2019 14:05:22 GMT
I apologize for resurrecting an old topic that’s been done to death. I thought I’d share a very simple mod I did to my Sennheiser HD598SE. I fitted the Superlux HD662-EVO velour/velvet ear pads directly to the body/cups of the HD598SE; I didn’t use the mounting system of the 598 nor did I cannibalize a pair of 598 ear pads to get them. I also removed and didn’t use the black dust covers protecting the drivers; instead, I used 1 ply of tissue paper cut in the shape of the driver in its place. From a subjective/personal standpoint, the change in sound is substantial: lower bass has more extension; bass in general doesn’t seem to bleed into the midrange; midrange has slightly more body and doesn’t sound as congested as before; treble is more or less the same (it was lower in quality with the 662 pleather pads); imaging still seems right; the headphone overall sounds more fun and dynamic. Bold claims I know, but I thought it might be worth posting here since it seems a lot of users here have the HD662-EVO, and might have an HD598 laying around. I really wanted to measure this myself when I got a miniDSP EARs rig, but ended up splurging on a HD800 instead recently so that set me back $$$ wise, and I’m not willing to part with of my other headphones because I want to measure those eventually in the future.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on May 9, 2019 18:07:47 GMT
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