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Upgrade Path from Senn 598 SR?


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Upgrade is a bit of misnomer, but what would be the next set of headphones to get after enjoying Sennheiser HD 598 SR?

 

I'm a big Sennheiser fan, starting with the HD 280 Pros (I loved the clamping force because of the excellent sound attenuation), then 380 Pro, and now the 598 SR.  

 

What I like: Accurate sound reproduction; if any coloration I prefer it in the highs and upper mids

 

What I listen to: Everything.  Right now, I'm listening to Animals - House of the Rising Sun and the next track is Dr. Dre - Forgot About Dre.  And the track I just finished is Chopin - Ballad No. 1, Opus 23, in G Minor

 

I don't have an amp nor DAC (playing straight from my computer line out).  I was a DJ for about 10 years and produced music as well as played alto sax, so I've been exposed to pro audio gear ($8,000 worth of studio monitors, processors, and live sound sold long ago...)  Also, I appreciate the ability to isolate/separate the different instruments and visualize them in my head, so sound stage is important to me.

 

What say ye?

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Headphone sounds like the wrong place to start. While I'm not a fan of the 598, its "good enough". Whats not good enough is playing direct from PC (electrical noise hell). I'd suggest looking for a network streamer/ headphone amp combo so you can get that D/A digital conversion into a more quiet electrical environment.

For least cost you could run Minimserver (free) on your existing WIndows PC, buy streamer player hardware (Raspberry Pi 3 with Hifiberry pro DAC board, case, PS costs ~$130) and install music player of your choice (Volumio, etc). Then head over to the Schiit web site to buy a headphone amp, their models start at $99.

 

Lots of threads around on putting together a Raspberry Pi player, and there are better options if after you try this you want more.

 

 

Regards,

Dave

 

Audio system

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On 2/1/2018 at 11:55 PM, d3vi0uz said:

Upgrade is a bit of misnomer, but what would be the next set of headphones to get after enjoying Sennheiser HD 598 SR?

 

I'm a big Sennheiser fan, starting with the HD 280 Pros (I loved the clamping force because of the excellent sound attenuation), then 380 Pro, and now the 598 SR.  

 

What I like: Accurate sound reproduction; if any coloration I prefer it in the highs and upper mids

 

What I listen to: Everything.  Right now, I'm listening to Animals - House of the Rising Sun and the next track is Dr. Dre - Forgot About Dre.  And the track I just finished is Chopin - Ballad No. 1, Opus 23, in G Minor

 

I don't have an amp nor DAC (playing straight from my computer line out).  I was a DJ for about 10 years and produced music as well as played alto sax, so I've been exposed to pro audio gear ($8,000 worth of studio monitors, processors, and live sound sold long ago...)  Also, I appreciate the ability to isolate/separate the different instruments and visualize them in my head, so sound stage is important to me.

 

What say ye?

 

I'm more active on HF and other headphone sites so maybe I can be of some help!

 

As of right now I'm really diggin the Burson Play. Quite nice USB Dac/Amp. I usually dislike USB implementations but the Play is surprising me, it's very very clean. As for headphones, the Play's basic model is $299 and I'd grab an HD 600 and call it a day. 

 

The streamer route is another excellent option too, though I've not gone that route my self just yet. I imagine if your willing to put in the extra work to get a streamer working it'll likely be more cost effective. Though there are literally dozens of other options aside from just the Play, the $200 schiit stack is well received,  the JDS Labs Element isn't bad either, and neither is a good old ODac/O2 amp combo as well 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Mshenay said:

 

I'm more active on HF and other headphone sites so maybe I can be of some help!

 

As of right now I'm really diggin the Burson Play. Quite nice USB Dac/Amp. I usually dislike USB implementations but the Play is surprising me, it's very very clean. As for headphones, the Play's basic model is $299 and I'd grab an HD 600 and call it a day. 

 

The streamer route is another excellent option too, though I've not gone that route my self just yet. I imagine if your willing to put in the extra work to get a streamer working it'll likely be more cost effective. Though there are literally dozens of other options aside from just the Play, the $200 schiit stack is well received,  the JDS Labs Element isn't bad either, and neither is a good old ODac/O2 amp combo as well 

 

 

Is the JDS ODAC 02 better than the Schiit Modi+Magni?

 

Once configured how I want it (1/4" jack, power on the rear, etc) the price difference is about $130 more than the Schiit stack.

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4 minutes ago, d3vi0uz said:

Is the JDS ODAC 02 better than the Schiit Modi+Magni?

 

Once configured how I want it (1/4" jack, power on the rear, etc) the price difference is about $130 more than the Schiit stack.

 

I can't say that it is or isn't, haven't heard either at the same time in a very long time

 

Though I doubt it's $130 more!!! Still check around for some second hand sales both here, on reddit and on head fi, if it's a second hand JDS Labs I can vouch for the build quality! 

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3 minutes ago, Mshenay said:

 

I can't say that it is or isn't, haven't heard either at the same time in a very long time

 

Though I doubt it's $130 more!!! Still check around for some second hand sales both here, on reddit and on head fi, if it's a second hand JDS Labs I can vouch for the build quality! 

It is $130 more than a Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 3 ($200) once you get the same outputs.

 

See screenshot...

jdslabs.png

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1 minute ago, Mshenay said:

Well B-Stock can get you closer to $282 but still that's not super duper competitive 

hi fi shark is a great place to search for second hand gear, 

 

But I'll do some diggin for you, here's an o2/oDac from Mayflower right at $200, heck he even has an HE 4XX one of the best headphones given the price like ever... THERE get that lol spend $350 an run away 

 

 

Thanks for your input!

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/3/2018 at 10:53 PM, d3vi0uz said:

Is the JDS ODAC 02 better than the Schiit Modi+Magni?

 

Once configured how I want it (1/4" jack, power on the rear, etc) the price difference is about $130 more than the Schiit stack.

 

Honestly, since Schiit came out with their new 5th gen USB chip, you really can't beat the modi.  I only wish they allowed you to change the filters of the AK4490 they have in there.  

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+1000 on the Dragonfly Red.

 

It is doing a great job driving my travel setup of a Beyer T90, and even does a decent job driving my HD800s (not surprisingly, the  HDVA600 is better though). And it is ultra-mobile, and can even be used with mobile devices.

 

The Sennheiser 598 really is quite good (I had the 595 for years), it would certainly benefit from dedicated Amp/Dac. The headphone output of computers Is really typically quite horrible.

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I've recently acquired the dragonfly red, and ditto what @Musicophile and @dalethorn suggest.  This little wonder is fantastic.  It drives my elear with tight authority, though I haven't hooked it up to my HD600 yet to see how well it controls it.  I honestly believe one of the reasons the red sounds so darn good is due to its true minimum phase reconstruction filter (vs the standard linear phase smear that's par for the course).  

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