The Sennheiser HD 598 is another highly rated open-back headphone that provides its users with high sonic performance and looks great while doing so, not to mention, at a modest price. It will still need an amazing headphone amp to pair with it so that the HD 598 could sound its best though. If you are currently in search of one then look no further, we are planning to prepare a list of the best amps that you can go for and pair them with your Sennheiser HD 598 open-back headphone.
Getting the right headphone amp will take some time and effort as firstly we will need to learn more about the sonic characteristics of the Sennheiser HD 598 and see what are their limitations if there are any. Once we have a better grasp of the HD 598 sonic prowess, we can then get the right matching headphone amps to partner with this talented Sennheiser headphone.
Table of Contents
Sound Characteristics and Limitations of Sennheiser HD 598
The Sennheiser HD 598 has a sleek stylish design where even now it still looks modern and you will be proud to wear them out on the streets. The open-back design does hinder you from listening to them in an outdoor environment though. Your music will easily leak out and disturb the others around you. The environmental noises will disrupt your music listening experience since the HD 598 has poor noise isolation. This is an open-back headphone best suited to be used in a quiet indoor environment. Anyway, they are not really portable too so it’s easier to use them at home or at a fixed location.
The bulkiness of the Sennheiser HD 598 does allow more padding to be used which makes wearing them a lot more comfortable. It is also not hot to wear them and there is sufficient breathability. The grip of the headband is well-cushioned and the clamping force is not very tight, enabling us to wear them for hours without feeling discomfort. The weight does slowly gets to you so it is wise to just sit down without moving your head too much as it is not as stable too. For casual listening, the Sennheiser HD 598 will be just right and very comfortable to wear. The frequency response is 12Hz to 38,500Hz and the nominal impedance is 50 Ohms which shows that the Sennheiser HD 598 is not difficult to drive.
More Details at Amazon – Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition
The bass performance of the Sennheiser HD 598 is tight and agile, allowing the low-ends to easily blend in with the higher frequencies without ever being overbearing. This is also partly due to the lightweight bass reproduction of the HD 598 which would not be satisfying enough for bass fanatics. The very deep bass performance is lacking as well. Still, the accuracy of the bass response is amazing and more importantly doesn’t muddle the overall sound reproduction. The highs are cleanly delivered with pristine clear sound quality and it doesn’t sound overly bright when pushed, which is great as we wouldn’t need to worry about listener fatigue too much.
The high frequencies cohesively work together with the midrange reproduction to provide us with a well-balanced tonality and timbre where musical instruments sound authentic with intricate details being produced in spades. The vocals sounded natural and clean with clarity. The overall sound reproduction is clearly produced, giving us a musical presentation that is rich with details and subtle nuances. Sennheiser HD 598 stereo imaging is impeccable, able to localize each musician with distinction on a spacious soundstage. There is also a bit of warmth to the mids as well.
Sennheiser HD 598 is an incredible headphone for the price, the high-resolution music presentation and the overall accuracy will be exceptional for both casual and critical listeners. It does have its flaws but at this price point, it is quite hard to nitpick. The sonic characteristics of the HD 598 headphone are neutral with a touch of brightness but won’t go overly bright on you. It will work well with most music genres except for bass-heavy soundtracks. With all this data, we can finally start listing out the best headphone amps that we can go for, so to match them with the Sennheiser HD 598 headphone.
Sennheiser HD 598 Specifications
- Wearing Style: Headband (Over the Ear)
- Transducer Principle: Open, Dynamic
- Frequency Response: 12Hz – 38,500Hz
- THD: 0.1 %
- Nominal Impedance: 50 Ohms
- Connector: 1/4″ (6.3 mm)
- Weight: 270g (0.6lbs)
Best Amps to pair with Sennheiser HD 598
The Schiit Magni Heresy is an excellent headphone amp to pair up with your Sennheiser HD 598 headphone. It is affordably priced and comes with exceptional sonic performance, not to mention, it is very well-received by its users. The Magni Heresy is capable of projecting a wide and deep soundstage that will complement the open sound of the HD 598. The music timing and pacing are great, providing us with a slightly livelier music presentation without compromising the clarity. The high-frequency reproduction of the Schiit Magni Heresy is smooth and clear sounding too.
More Details at Amazon – Schiit Magni Heresy Headphone Amp
The Sennheiser GSX 1000 is one of the best amps to go with your Sennheiser HD 598, especially for gaming use. It is a very highly rated headphone amp with a 7.1 Sennheiser Binaural Rendering Engine. The GSX 1000 is designed to give a certain level of advantage to gamers who want to determine the location of their enemies by detecting footsteps. The voice clarity is astounding and distinct, enabling you to hear your teammates’ voices clearly while still being aware of the game surroundings. The polished background of the Sennheiser GSX 1000 helps a lot as well and if you are a gamer who likes to win in a competitive match then you should check out this amplifier.
More Details at Amazon – Sennheiser GSX 1000
If you prefer a warmer sound then the Schiit Audio Vali 2 will be an excellent headphone amplifier choice for your Sennheiser HD 598. It has more than enough power to drive the HD 598 open-back headphone with ease and the smooth sound reproduction of the headphone tube amp helps to sweeten the overall sound quality. Furthermore, it provides slightly fuller sound quality and you can also tube roll if you want to further fine-tune the sonic characteristic of the Vali 2. This also provides us with a bit more laid-back and relaxing music presentation of our favorite tunes. The Schiit Audio Vali 2 has a modest price tag and will be worth your time to check it out.
More Details at Amazon – Schiit Vali 2
For listeners with tight budgets, the FiiO E10K will be an excellent choice for you. It is a headphone amp with a built-in DAC (up to 24-bit/96kHz) and it is affordably priced. The E10K may be more affordable than most headphone amps but the sound quality it provides is worth every penny invested. It is also highly rated and praised by many satisfied owners which make the FiiO E10K a worthy headphone amplifier partner for your Sennheiser HD 598. The compact size of the FiiO amp makes it very portable and also saves you tons of space. The sound quality is good and at this price point, we really can’t complain.
More Details at Amazon – FiiO E10K Headphone Amplifier (Black)
The Topping DX3 Pro is an amazing headphone amplifier with a powerful built-in D/A converter that supports up to 32-bit/768kHz resolution. It is an excellent choice especially for listeners who plays a lot of high-res audio files and requires digital connections. The Topping DX3 Pro is also muscular enough to drive the Sennheiser HD 598 headphone and the neutral sonic characteristic of the headphone amplifier works really well with the HD 598 too. There is a high level of transparency and the high-frequency performance of the DX3 Pro will help improve the treble clarity by a little which complements the Sennheiser HD 598 open-back headphone.
More Details at Amazon – Topping DX3 Pro LDAC Headphone Amplifier
For listeners who prefer tube to solid-state headphone amps, you might want to check out DarkVoice 336SE which is an Output Transformer-Less headphone amplifier. It is very well-received and very much deserves your attention to take a look, not to mention, the warm sonic characteristics will be quite suitable to match with your Sennheiser HD 598. If you prefer a solid-state headphone amplifier, then the Schiit Audio Magnius will be the ideal choice for you. It is a balanced headphone amp/preamp which will pair well with the Sennheiser HD 598. The overall sound reproduction of the Magnius is clean, has fast music timing, and is detailed.
More Information at Amazon – DarkVoice 336SE Amplifier
More Information at Amazon – Schiit Magnius Balanced Headphone Amplifier
To Conclude
The price points of the listed headphone amplifiers have been taken into account and they are also some of the top matching amps for your Sennheiser HD 598. We will suggest selecting a few of them and arranging an audition to hear them out. Use your favorite songs/music during the headphone amp auditions so that you can easily tell the difference in sound quality and more importantly to see which amp sounds the best to you. You can also use this headphone amplifier list as a reference when searching for other models/brands.
