This is a modestly priced headphone made by the legendary Sennheiser and has been getting praises from satisfied owners ever since its debut. Headphone enthusiasts who find the Sennheiser HD 598 irresistible should get their hands on the special editions if they ever decide to start manufacturing them again. Still, the standard version with the ivory finish should suffice and if you are planning to improve the sound quality of your music listening experience, you might want to think about getting a high-quality DAC.
It is certainly crucial to find a DAC which could match really well with the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. It is also equally important to get a DAC that will suit your requirements. The Sennheiser HD 598 has a neutral sound character and the accuracy of the music presentation is simply amazing. The precision that the HD 598 possess is quite rare for a headphone at this price range. If you like accurate sound reproduction, the Sennheiser HD 598 is definitely one of the top choices to go for. Not to mention, it has a wide soundstage, partly due to its open-back design which also has its own limitation.
More Information at Amazon – Sennheiser HD 598 – Ivory
The bass response is usually not as pronounced and punchy when compared to closed-back design headphones of a similar price range. Sennheiser HD 598 low-end delivery is taut and nimble but lacks the weight and prominence. This might be a turn-off for bass fanatics though and you should look elsewhere if you really like powerful bass performance. The HD 598 headphones are capable of digging out plenty of music details and have a high clarity level, giving us a clean and clear music presentation of our favorite tunes.
More Information at Amazon – Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition – Black
It doesn’t sound harsh or clinical which makes the Sennheiser HD 598 an ideal choice for both casual music listeners and analytical audio enthusiasts who do not want to invest too much in a pair of headphones. You can buy a DAC with certain sonic traits so as to alter and/or improve the specific sound characteristics of the Sennheiser HD 598. These sonic traits can be part of your DAC requirements checklist and there are more for you to consider.
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DAC Requirements
Since the Sennheiser HD 598 is a headphone with an open-back design, you probably wouldn’t want to listen to them outdoors or in places with a lot of environmental noises. This is due to their poor noise isolation capabilities, not to mention, they will leak out sound as well. And so there’s really no point to purposely get a portable DAC model unless you tend to move it around the house or you need to carry it with you to work or to various indoor venues. Getting a desktop DAC model might be more appropriate and you can get the one with the connections you need.
Typically, a desktop D/A converter will take up some space on your table and you should work out how much available space you can allocate. If space is limited, you can go for compact size DAC and filter out those with dimensions that exceed your requirements. You can further filter out the digital-to-analog converters based on their price points and aim for those which do not exceed your budget. If you are sharing the cost with a friend or loved one, you might want to seek her/his opinions and get their DAC requirements too.
The type of high-res audio files you are currently listening to or in the near future will be an essential requirement. Other features such as Bluetooth connectivity, headphone amplification, EQ settings, etc., will also be worthy of your consideration. The more DAC requirements you can come up with the better as this will help in your decision on which D/A converter to go for. When you are ready, kindly take a look at the list of DACs you can pick and match with your Sennheiser HD 598 headphones.
Best DACs to match with Sennheiser HD 598
JDS Labs Atom DAC+ is an amazing entry-level DAC to match with the Sennheiser HD 598. It has an affordable price tag and will be great for headphone enthusiasts with tight budgets. The JDS Labs Atom DAC+ has a clean overall sound reproduction and its neutral sonic characteristics complement really well with the HD 598 headphones. Atom DAC+ is capable of delivering faithful music presentations partly due to its ultra-low colorations and this is very impressive for an entry-level DAC at this price range.
FiiO K5 Pro ESS is an excellent choice to go for and pair up with your Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. This DAC has most of the features you’ll ever need to kickstart your high-res music playback journey. The FiiO K5 Pro ESS is capable of decoding DSD512 and up to 32-bit/768kHz sample rates. Furthermore, it also comes with a built-in headphone amplifier which is powerful enough to drive the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones efficiently. It has a modest price tag as well and will certainly be worth your time to have a listen.
More Information at Amazon – FiiO K5 Pro ESS DAC
For listeners who are in search of a DAC that supports MQA decoding then the S.M.S.L M500 will be an ideal choice to go for as firstly it is sanely priced. It uses a high-performance ESS ES9038PRO D/A chip supporting up to 32-bit/768kHz (PCM) and DSD512 (Native). There are up to 7 filter modes to choose from and it also comes with remote control. It has an astounding level of clarity and could provide a high-resolution music presentation with punchy performance, matching well with the Sennheiser HD 598 open-back headphones.
More Details at Amazon – S.M.S.L M500 DAC Supports MQA decoding with Remote Control (Black)
The LOXJIE D30 is another remarkable DAC capable of decoding MQA and has a friendlier price tag than the S.M.S.L M500. It comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connection (apt-X HD) and this supports up to 24-bit/48kHz audio transmission, giving us a high-quality wireless music listening experience. LOXJIE D30 has a neutral sonic characteristic which will suit the Sennheiser HD 598 well. The DAC doesn’t add brightness to the overall sound reproduction and this allows us to push the HD598 & D30 combo without worrying about them sounding overly harsh.
More Details at Amazon – LOXJIE D30 DAC with Remote Control
Schiit Audio Modi 3+ is one of the best balanced DACs to go with your Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. The Modi 3+ supports sample rates and bit depths of up to 24-bit/192kHz, it has plenty of connections to boot as well. This is an ideal DAC choice for listeners who prefer a calmer music presentation and wants to add a little more weight to the overall sound reproduction. Still, the music presented by the Schiit Audio Modi 3+ sounds natural and its bass performance is agile too. It will be a good fit with the Sennheiser HD 598.
More Details at Amazon – Schiit Modi 3+ Delta-Sigma DAC (Black)
If you need a very compact and portable DAC without compromising the sound quality, you should check out Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt. This is an award-winning USB DAC with exceptional sonic performance and is more than a worthy match for the Sennheiser HD 598. It is very easy to carry the Dragonfly Cobalt around as you can simply slot it into your pockets. Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt is also great for listeners who are having space constraints. This DAC possesses high accuracy and can deliver a clean music presentation.
More Details at Amazon – AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt USB D/A Converter
To Sum It Up
Feel free to use this list as a reference when sourcing for other D/A converters’ brands/models but we highly suggest auditioning a few of the listed DACs first. Once you have heard how some of them sound when matched with your Sennheiser HD 598, it will be easier to use this DAC list as a reference. Furthermore, you may even fall in love with some of these matching DACs and they are certainly worth your time to hear them out.
