Pretty good condition for a very old unit
Audiophile and gears
- Thread starter icysmoke
- Start date
Yes, though all plastic, it's very well made. Don't remember, but the earpads may have been swapped once.
roygarg
Explorer
It is available for 8999 whenever there is a sale. Add 10 percent card discount and you can get it for 8.1k.
HD598/599 are very good headphones...these are possibly the ones from where law of diminishing returns start.
Unless someone is ready to spend above 1000EUR ( in India similar amp dac setups cost more than 1 lakh INR) either of these two and a closed back like M40x/50x should be enough.
If on ears don't bother you HD25 offers the most bang for buck in closed headphones ( and it's pretty small and can be easily carried around and will sound much better than 500 EUR IEMs with any basic portable amp...long back I had a very cheap Fiio portable amp...as usual forgot the model number..something as basic as an ipod touch with that amp sounded great with hd25 mk II)
Unless someone is ready to spend above 1000EUR ( in India similar amp dac setups cost more than 1 lakh INR) either of these two and a closed back like M40x/50x should be enough.
If on ears don't bother you HD25 offers the most bang for buck in closed headphones ( and it's pretty small and can be easily carried around and will sound much better than 500 EUR IEMs with any basic portable amp...long back I had a very cheap Fiio portable amp...as usual forgot the model number..something as basic as an ipod touch with that amp sounded great with hd25 mk II)
roygarg
Explorer
I was considering the hd25 but i find on ears uncomfortable for extended usage and hence i removed it from my shortlist. I have large ears.
Also was looking for a fidelio x2hr but cannot find it here for a reasonable price. My primary use is gaming and music. I'm a noob when it comes to audio and have been using an hd439 for over 4 years now. I rarely upgrade stuff due to expense constraints. I have read that the hd599 has a slightly narrower soundstage than the hd598 but better imaging. Wont this be better for gaming?Edit: Also any other options that I have at this price range?
Last edited:
Synth-Pop
Guide
HD599 is fine, you can also try Hifiman H400se it often sells for 11-12k in sale.I was considering the hd25 but i find on ears uncomfortable for extended usage and hence i removed it from my shortlist. I have large ears.
Edit: Also any other options that I have at this price range?
Yes, HD599 has a much narrower but precise soundstage ( hd25 is the master of this, pin point precision with a in the head experience)I was considering the hd25 but i find on ears uncomfortable for extended usage and hence i removed it from my shortlist. I have large ears.
Edit: Also any other options that I have at this price range?
But it's a personal preference for consumption.
This pin point precision within a narrow soundstage makes mixing with hd25 very difficult but great tool for mix checks.
Sorry, I know nothing about gaming. If you can wait and stretch your budget do consider AKG K702 ( not 712) for a very different experience. But they do need some amplification.
I've seen people gaming with it. Our drummer is a gamer, he loves the K702.
DrkLord
Forerunner
Ohk, next sale will be on Diwali I guess.
roygarg
Explorer
Ok just found out that it is a 3 year old hd598se that i'm being offered for 6k. Still worth it or should I just wait for a new 599se?
If it's not in bad shape, why not? But make sure to get a 7 day ( or at least 3 days working warranty to r/o loose connections, driver imbalance, glue coming off etc.) If possible bargain for 5.5 K. Ask the owner if it comes with the long wire with quarter inch terminal and 3.5 mm adaptor. If so, tell him that you will have to invest in another wire with 3.5 termination ( though the wires come with M50X/ 40X fits perfectly fine with HD5XX series, but the seller does not need to know that)
This is how bargaining is done in audio world.while buying, so the seller doesn't feel being lowballed. I don't sell used products, so don't know the counter tactics.
Don't know about 30iRB, but of course know about KPH30i. It's very inexpensive ( even cheaper than Porta Pro) sounds beautiful with everything.
On a side note ( not sure of the genuineness)- Koss makes a transparent version which prisoners can buy and use in US Prisons. It is the only headphone that's allowed there.
Last edited:
Black_Hawk
Innovator
When Boomboxes and Ghetto Blasters ruled the rad 80's and wicked 90's...
^^ My first piece of audio gear from back in 1983. The National RX-CW54F Boombox. This was bought in Singapore in 1983 by my cousin brother who was on a holiday there with his parents. He used this thoroughly and then since I couldn't afford a decent cassette player in the 90's, being only a school kid back then, he gifted it to me in the year 1994. He had by then moved on to a massive looking Sony LBT Hi-Fi component system so this wasn't being used by him at all.
For me though this Boombox was everything. This meant I could save money slowly, buy cassettes and play them without having to resort to my puny walkman and aging headphones. I could actually enjoy loud and room filling music for the first time and boy was I excited! The XBS (Extra Bass System) was pure dope and the speakers sounded so powerful once you hit that red flat XBS button! And playing around with those equalizer setting was so much fun!
People have so many varied reasons for which they listen to music. The range is enormous. For me music was a cushion because I was living alone from mid-school days owing to my parents being separated and me being left to myself for most of the time. Hard, dreary days but music definitely comforted me.
38 years later the system still rests in my room. I could never throw it away. It's got it's fair share of scratches and marks which lends a certain character to it. Sadly the speakers that came with the Boombox don't work well any longer so I just connect the main system to my spare powered Edifier R1700 speakers through a RCA cable and play local FM from time to time on it. Keep it alive by flowing power through it's veins. The aerial is a little rusty now and the sound not quite how it used to be but still this system, inspite of all my expensive Hi-Fi gear at home holds a special corner in my heart.
Cheers folks and wishing everyone a great Sunday evening
P.S. The Tablet perched on top of the Boombox is not linked to this setup. That is connected to an entirely different streaming setup.
^^ My first piece of audio gear from back in 1983. The National RX-CW54F Boombox. This was bought in Singapore in 1983 by my cousin brother who was on a holiday there with his parents. He used this thoroughly and then since I couldn't afford a decent cassette player in the 90's, being only a school kid back then, he gifted it to me in the year 1994. He had by then moved on to a massive looking Sony LBT Hi-Fi component system so this wasn't being used by him at all.
For me though this Boombox was everything. This meant I could save money slowly, buy cassettes and play them without having to resort to my puny walkman and aging headphones. I could actually enjoy loud and room filling music for the first time and boy was I excited! The XBS (Extra Bass System) was pure dope and the speakers sounded so powerful once you hit that red flat XBS button! And playing around with those equalizer setting was so much fun!
People have so many varied reasons for which they listen to music. The range is enormous. For me music was a cushion because I was living alone from mid-school days owing to my parents being separated and me being left to myself for most of the time. Hard, dreary days but music definitely comforted me.
38 years later the system still rests in my room. I could never throw it away. It's got it's fair share of scratches and marks which lends a certain character to it. Sadly the speakers that came with the Boombox don't work well any longer so I just connect the main system to my spare powered Edifier R1700 speakers through a RCA cable and play local FM from time to time on it. Keep it alive by flowing power through it's veins. The aerial is a little rusty now and the sound not quite how it used to be but still this system, inspite of all my expensive Hi-Fi gear at home holds a special corner in my heart.
Cheers folks and wishing everyone a great Sunday evening
P.S. The Tablet perched on top of the Boombox is not linked to this setup. That is connected to an entirely different streaming setup.
^^ Thanks for the wonderful post.
A warning for hifiman planar owners (anything below Sundara) : please take this seriously...
DO NOT try to change/ take off the earpads unless you're very familiar with planar driver in general.
If you need a pad swap, take help from someone really experienced. If you try to take them out by pressing over the inner membrane the magnet array will break FOR SURE.
Both the magnet arrays are EXTREMELY THIN and they aren't protected.
Not exactly a design flaw, it was designed this way to make planars more efficient.
If you don't press the drivers from inside (the recess where the earlobes are placed) things should be fine.
I don't have the Sundara anymore so can't comment on it.
Ananda has some very thin protection but the pad replacement is super easy and requires almost no force in the 2021 model ( which BTW sounds like huge speakers, the only non analytical headphones I love..don't know why/ how hifiman tuned them, it's detailed yet smooth and very easy to drive)
A warning for hifiman planar owners (anything below Sundara) : please take this seriously...
DO NOT try to change/ take off the earpads unless you're very familiar with planar driver in general.
If you need a pad swap, take help from someone really experienced. If you try to take them out by pressing over the inner membrane the magnet array will break FOR SURE.
Both the magnet arrays are EXTREMELY THIN and they aren't protected.
Not exactly a design flaw, it was designed this way to make planars more efficient.
If you don't press the drivers from inside (the recess where the earlobes are placed) things should be fine.
I don't have the Sundara anymore so can't comment on it.
Ananda has some very thin protection but the pad replacement is super easy and requires almost no force in the 2021 model ( which BTW sounds like huge speakers, the only non analytical headphones I love..don't know why/ how hifiman tuned them, it's detailed yet smooth and very easy to drive)
Stronk
Guide
Does anyone have experience buying headphones from Amazon Renewed? Some headphones have pretty heavy discounts compared to even their sale pricing, so was debating whether it’s worth it or not. Amazon reviews seem to be mixed and inconclusive, but I’m leaning towards taking a chance, especially since I can replace the product if I do receive a defective one. What say?
May be that's what caused my sundara driver failure. Left side of the earpad always felt sticking to my ears whenever i remove it after listening and one day it died. The replacement unit yesterday while listening didn't play in the right side for few minutes then automatically the sound came back, I really hope it was cable and not the driver, again. I can't go through another driver failure and with replacements.
My renewed 599SE bought in March 2020 is still going strong. I consider myself lucky in this case though as my renewed Sony TWS lasted 7 months.
dissel
Herald
Yeah….They are tempting for sure, Senn HD560s listed 12k/13k earlier now 14k. Normal price is 19k.
It's a possibility (first incident) Somehow the inner diaphragm may have been pressed against your ears/ something else and damaged one or couple of the strips of the magnet array. Such damage causes a strange knocking like sound intermittently. Unless completely damaged it won't stop making sound altogether ( which is unlikely)
Just clean the connectors and sockets they go into ( the socket with a dry earbud) gently. Don't use hair dryer or compressed air.
The 2020 Ananda I had started making a strange ticking/ knocking sound and two strips were damaged. Hifiman send me a 2021 version. And I've not heard anything this smooth from hifiman.
Our friend Nalin got a Questyle QP2R. It looks gorgeous in videos and heard great things about it ( very expensive DAP around 1000 EUR) Eagerly waiting for his opinions/ review.
@Nalin..please let your poor brothers know about it.
Wow!! Even at 14k these are good. I got them as gift but they rarely get below 190 EUR.
It's 4 in the morning...and instead of going for a run, I'm reading about headphones!! Morning hours are for better things... and that's what she said many times.
Last edited:
Yeah thanks to @Mainak777 (he owns a lot of gear actually), have used QP2R only for 3-4 hours since I got it because like all major DAPs it hisses with Andro and needs iEMatch in the chain. So have decided to keep it exclusively for my upcoming headphones and will use it as a stationary device only. It will be permanently connected to MBA in USB-DAC mode. So no DAP functions as I don't have any offline library of hi-res songs like many other audiophiles.
Coming to sound quality, it's really smooth like a good whiskey. No sharp edges anywhere both in lows and highs. Staging and detailing are also good but the ability to sound neutral is its main feat. No matter the song you choose it will remain the same unlike many other sources which sounds good with only 1 or 2 genres. I only tested it with 3.5mm and not the balanced out yet as I don't yet have any balanced cable so it should sound even better.
It's favourite of many on Head-Fi and is comparable to mid-fi DAPs like Cayin N6ii so upgrading from this will take a lot of moolah which I currently don't have. My next acquisition is going to be Focal Clear most likely so I am saving up for that. Hopefully it will be in stock early next year as I don't like the colour scheme of Clear MG.
Not considering planar as of now because most of them lack dynamics and are harder to drive. They also have many longevity issues because of a relatively newer technology.
Last edited: