Sennheiser HD 598 SE* Review (headphone)

[o7_brother]

The pads may affect the response but I doubt by the gross amounts seen here

I have posted measurements of a normal, unmodified HD598SE right here on the first page of this review.

 

[YSC]

The owner doesn't have the original pads. What you saw, is what I got to test.

yes, perfectly respect on this limitation, just wonders as in headphones I remember say from my HiFiman HE-500, the leather pads makes significantly more bass than velour, and as in headphone this seems having a thicker pads than the stock one, which looks like in the headphone world like creating another room to place the same speaker in, and thus having completely different "room modes" for the drivers, fun to read as additional information but seems not characterize the headphone itself.
Personally I would be interested if in the future it's the turn for a pair of stock headphones with different pads for interchange, try them and compare how drastic for stock vs aftermarket or even just different stock pads?

 

[Mad_Economist]

Aftermarket earpads substantially impact the response of a headphone, particularly - as in this case - when their acoustics are quite unrelated to the stock pads. I don't have an HD598 on-hand, but please take as an example of a similar integrated open moving coil design my HD600:

These measurements were at a constant drive voltage, meaning that not only frequency response, but also sensitivity was changed substantially by the differing pads. I have aligned them at 200hz here:

It's always interesting to explore the behavior of headphones in cases like this - but this is not a review of the HD598SE.

 

[MerlinGS]

It's always interesting to explore the behavior of headphones in cases like this - but this is not a review of the HD598SE.

I would not be so quick as to totally dismiss the review as "not a review of the HD598SE". There is some very valuable information to users/potential users; e.g. the distortion figures and Amir's findings when equing the HP strongly suggest the HPs are very amenable to eq for much improved performance. Considering the importance of eq to HP performance in general, it is very valuable information to the consumer to know this HP can be improved through such measures.

 

[amirm]

I have posted measurements of a normal, unmodified HD598SE right here on the first page of this review.

You worry about pad difference but not two different fixtures and protocols used for measurements? Odd.

 

[crinacle]

You worry about pad difference but not two different fixtures and protocols used for measurements? Odd.

That's a weird strawman to put up. The problems being highlighted now isn't fixture and protocols, but rather pad differences. Especially considering that Oratory1990 uses the same fixture as you.

 

[Tks]

Sennheiser can't make a single driver that doesn't distort to oblivion on the low end.

It's honestly perplexing how stagnant their designs are. If it weren't for comfort idk how'd they have made it this long in the consumer sphere..

 

[Mad_Economist]

You worry about pad difference but not two different fixtures and protocols used for measurements? Odd.

The difference in HRTF between a HMSII.3 and a KEMAR - and anything using the KEMAR pinna, like the 45CA - is relatively low

Hammershøi & Møller 2008​

as both (mostly) conform to the IEC60959/60318-7 and ITU-T P58 requirements for head and torso simulators using IEC711/60318-4 coulpers.

Edit: Apologies, I thought this was in reference to @Chocomel's post from RTings - Oratory's data comes from 43AG and 45CA systems, which are directly comparable to the one used at ASR.

 

[o7_brother]

You worry about pad difference but not two different fixtures and protocols used for measurements? Odd.

Yes...? I do very much worry about pad differences because it is well-known they are one of the main ways to tune the frequency response of a pair of headphones.

Oratory1990 uses a GRAS rig, his results can be directly compared to yours.

 

[amirm]

Oratory1990 uses a GRAS rig, his results can be directly compared to yours.

Oh, I thought you meant Rting. Oratory measurements are for non-SE model so it doesn't count unless you have proof that they are the same. It is also what I already addressed in the review:

As is my usual practice, I look around for other reviews and measurements before finalizing mine. It was very difficult to find measurements of the SE version. Claim on the internet is that only the color is different. I saw no proof of this with measurements of both side by side. As you see below, my measurements markedly differ from 598 series posted online. I have no explanation for the discrepancy but stand beyond mine being correct for this sample.

 

[amirm]

The difference in HRTF between a HMSII.3 and a KEMAR - and anything using the KEMAR pinna, like the 45CA - is relatively low

I have compared many measurements I have made with Rting's and correlation is not strong. Half the reason is that for bass they use human measurements and not the fixture. But there are enough other protocol differences that I use their measurements as "directionally" appropriate, not in the specific relative to my measurements. Indeed, even when identical fixture is used to mine, there are enough differences in filtering, matching of the target, etc. that creates far larger gap than the H&M study. There, they used identical protocol which makes a big difference. I note all of this in my review intro:

Note: The measurements you are about to see are made using a standardized Gras 45C. Headphone measurements by definition are approximate and variable so don't be surprised if other measurements even if performed with the same fixtures as mine, differ in end results. Protocols vary such as headband pressure and averaging (which I don't do). As you will see, I confirm the approximate accuracy of the measurements using Equalization and listening tests. Ultimately headphone measurements are less exact than speakers mostly in bass and above a few kilohertz so keep that in mind as you read these tests. If you think you have an exact idea of a headphone performance, you are likely wrong!

 

[Scgorg]

Oh, I thought you meant Rting. Oratory measurements are for non-SE model so it doesn't count unless you have proof that they are the same. It is also what I already addressed in the review:

Here you have it right from the horse's mouth:

Oratory allowed quoting this, and wanted to specify that this is absolutely not an attack on Amir. Me posting this is not an attempt to attack Amir either, FWIW, just a wish to get the facts straight so everyone can be happy.

 

[Mad_Economist]

I have compared many measurements I have made with Rting's and correlation is not strong.

Jaakko Pasanen, of AutoEQ fame, has two interesting analyses of the correlation between different measurement sites (in the context of his automatic equalization software): Comparing Headphone Measurement Systems and Volume 2

This figure is for RTings vs. Oratory's 45CA/43AG setup:

Edit: As a comparison point where only the operator *and specific unit sample varies, Crinacle (43AG)

Edit 2: corrected figure 2

 

[RikB]

Interesting review. I definitely won't get aftermarket leather pads for my original 598 then! I love them, they lack deep bass and top treble but sound balanced to me otherwise and pretty much everything sounds good on them.. even just plugged straight into a phone.

 

[solderdude]

Original pads for HD598 (or HD598SE, different color) are relatively cheap ($ 24 for a pair).
Just buy a set, slap 'm on there and re-measure would be my idea.

 

[Madlop26]

i bought the HD598 in 2012, (at that time my wife thought I went nuts spending $250 in a pair of headphones, wait until she finds out I have pre-ordered the H8xx coming in November, will let you know... if i am still alive, haha) i was aware of the shortcomings of the HD598 lack of sub-bass and poor soundstage, but boy, they are comfortable, for a guy like me, with very sensitive earlobes it is a blessing. i still used them for podcasts or casual music listening, I was not aware about the upper bass issue tough, they sounded balance to me, but i do not have the experience or clinical ears of Amir or many of the guys here, i am just an aficionado, or maybe the non-stock pads are the issue, i don't know. But Thanks Amir for the review.

What make me sad and mad is reading some of the comments here complaining about how Amir does his stuff, please stop, don't tell a guy how to spend his leisure time, and most specially if giving a valuable FREE service to this community, words like "misleading" "what is the point" "don't waste your time..check instead" are rude and coming from otherwise self-entitled people, i don't mind suggestions or polite petitions ; be better human beings people

 

[Sombreuil]

The 598 has a poor soundstage? If anything I think that's 598's strong point.

 

[o7_brother]

Even after owning many other headphones, I think the HD598 has decently big stage.

 

[Spocko]

This is a review and detailed measurements of a Sennheiser HD 598 SE with replacement "leather" pads. It was sent to me by the owner with a funny note: "Hello amirm. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD598s that I inherited. I hate them. I hate them the same way that one might hate a dog barking at 2 AM, or a romantic rival who stole one's lover. Please let me send them to you so you can justify my deep hatred. Then you can fire them into the sun."

ROFL so we are now sending @amirm crappy things to put into his potato gun to fire into the sun??

 

[Spocko]

Sennheiser can't make a single driver that doesn't distort to oblivion on the low end.

It's honestly perplexing how stagnant their designs are. If it weren't for comfort idk how'd they have made it this long in the consumer sphere..

And thus this lack of improvement renders their business unsustainable in the face of real competition and so their consumer headphone unit is no more - hopefully the new ownership will improve the technology rather than just re-sell the same old things.