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Sennheiser HD 598 Review Part - 2

Posted by Unknown
Sunday, June 12, 2011
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Performance

Sorry to disappoint you - the HD 598 isn't that elixir of neutrality and detail that you've been waiting to squander your hard earned gains over. And no, it is not a bad headphone. What it is, is a device whose performance is a function of its price. If this sounds cryptic, let me explain. The MRP of the HD 598 is around the Rs. 13K mark. This is a fair chunk of dough, especially for us, the land of outsourcing and never ending recessions! However, as far as cans go, the HD 598 is closer to the lower end class of pricing, and can be considered as a low-to-mid range product. The US pricing is around the $250 mark, this places it a good $100 or so below the ageing HD 600 that debuted close to the $500 mark. While I cannot comment on their incremental performance compared to the HD 595, since I've never heard one, I can definitely point out that the HD 598 isn't as good as the HD 600 with the right equipment. However, the reverse is also true - with basic equipment, it'll sound different because of a drastically different sonic signature, but some might prefer it.
Sennheiser HD 598
The HD 598 are slightly geared towards emphasising bass, and this serves as the first hint that these are aimed more at the masses than at pros and audiophiles. Bass is pronounced, but not overpoweringly so. However, it is also loose, and loses out on impact on account of bass notes lacking tautness and punch. There is also no difference in the texture of the bass notes - each bass note sounds the same with a generic thup-thup that bass heads might like, but I surely didn't. Something like the Grado SR225 serves up much tighter bass, with greater impact if not weight, and is therefore more enjoyable in terms of neutrality. However, the HD 598 produces more bass, definitely more than the HD 800, though its quantity over quality. The Denon D7000 is a better offering if pure bass is your thing, but at close to 4 times the price of the HD 598.
Listening to With Or Without You, the HD 598 gives the impression of Bono singing with a congestion, his vocals lose their edge and sound a little less emphatic. Guitar accompaniments in Lady Starlight (Scorpions) sound thin, and Klauss Mein's vocals lack some of the underlying emotion you'd normally associate them with. The bass guitar overpowers other accompaniments. While these detract from a puristic music experience, there are some pluses too. Owing to the slightly bassier presentation, drum beats have a meaty, slightly exaggerated that is not unpleasant to the ear, but neither is it neutral. The D7000 has visceral drum bass, whereas the HD 598 stops at being over emphasised. InWhen The Smoke Is Going Down (Scorpions), distinct drum beats have good air between them, and it is easy to picture the drummer hitting different drums around him. In Massive Attack's Angel, the bass is powerful and slightly overwhelming. In tracks that have less bass, this bias towards the lower frequencies is somewhat masked.
Moving towards the mid-range, there is separation between the mid-bass and mid-range and the gap is noticeable. The mid-range also tends to sound a little tame because of this. This is noticeable in Swords In The Wind (Manowar), where the bass guitar overpowers the poor lead guitar at certain parts. The highs are slightly rolled off, but reasonably represented. Female vocals sound a little thinner than what is ideal, minus some of the timbral nuances.
Sennheiser HD 598
The HD 598 has a flat soundstage, similar to the Grado SR225, but this is actually worse given the fact they're circumaural and a better soundstage is expected. At some times instruments sound too close to each other, with very little air between, and at times it is difficult to place instruments in a space.
To bring this in perspective, the HD 598 isn't bad sounding. Rather, it deviates from neutrality in a couple of ways that are enjoyable, and a couple that aren't. Neutral can be boring, but so can the HD 598, especially if the listener is used to higher end gear, which was true in this case.

Our take

We were a little disappointed by the MRP, at Rs. 12,990 it is a little on the higher side. To be honest, we'd like the HD 598 to be around the Rs. 8,000 mark, for the performance it gives. It is a little inferior to the Grado SR225 in the bass and mid-range department, and that model is available for around the same price in the US. However, given that there is very little available here in this price category, unless you happen to chance upon a dealer struggling to sell an Audio Technica AD900, the HD 598 is definitely an upgrade over 4,000 to 5000-rupee headphones. But they're not worth their price.
Specifications: Form factor: Circumaural; Freq. response: 12-38,500 Hz; THD: 0.1; SPL: 112 dB; Impedance: 50 ohms; weight: 270 grams
Rating:
Features: 7
Performance: 7.5
Build: 6
Value: 6
Overall: 6.5


Brand
Sennheiser
Model
HD 598
Price (Rs.)
12990 (MRP)
Features
 
Type (Circumaural/supraaural/in-ear)
Circumaural
Frequency range
12 - 38.5 KHz
Weight (in grams)
270 (w/ cable)
Input impedance
50 ohms
Length of Cable (in feet)
9.5 feet
Size of driver
 
Drivers open/enclosed
open
Cable termination plug
6.3mm
Cable detachable (Y/N)
N
Adjustable headband (Y/N)
Y
Cable material
Teflon
Earpad/eartip material
Foam
Additional eartips (if any)
-
Build and Comfort (So 10)
 
Cable quality, shielding
7
Earcup quality
6.5
Headband and armature quality
6.5
Headband adjustment mechanism
7
Comfort and fit
7.25
Performance (So 10)
 
Music
 
U2 - With Or Without You
6.75
Massive Attack - Angel
7
Dream Theater - Perfect Strangers
6.5
Eric Clapton - Layla
6.5
Pink Floyd - Time
6.25
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Trampled Rose
6.5
    
Contact: Sennheiser Electronics India private Ltd.
Phone: 09873226080
Email: saahil.kumar@sennheiserindia.com
www.sennheiserindia.com
Price: Rs. 12,990 (MRP)

Read more reviews of headphones and earphones...
SoundMagic PL11
TDK
ST800
Genius GHP - 400S
Sennheiser HD 800
Philips SHL5001

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Sennheiser HD 598 Review Part - 1

Posted by Unknown
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The HD 598 just doesn't push our buttons. It is expensive for what it offers, but sadly, there are very few competitors in this price category. It's certainly good enough for a non-audiophile, but if it were selling at a good 3000 bucks lower, we'd be more likely to bite.

Pros
  • Bass is a little pronounced, which benefits certain types of music
  • Fairly forgiving on poor sources and lower quality music
  • Fairly easy to drive

Cons
  • Midrange is not as sweet as we'd like
  • Soundstage is flat
  • A little overpriced in India, MRP is 50% higher than US prices
 
 
 
Ever since I got into the hobby of ear-sized transducers, I've been wanting to sample a high-end set of Sennheiser headphones. The Germans are known for their attention to detail and insiders go as far as calling them "industry lions". The high-end consumer headphone space is a relatively small one, with a handful of names - AKG, Beyerdynamic, Grado, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Ultrasone are the ones that immediately come to mind. Sennheiser has an ultra high-end range of dynamic headphones that start from the HD 600 and move upwards in price. The HD 598 isn't quite as lofty, and belongs a rung lower, to a bracket I'm calling "mid-fi", although their price is on the higher side by Indian standards.
The HD 598 itself is a replacement for the HD 595 which has been around for at least 4 years, and made quite a name for itself being a relatively nice sounding headphone that was not as demanding as the HD 600 on sources while being easy to drive. This made it popular for those who wanted a high performing headphone but not one that necessitated a headphone amp. Thus, for no reason of its own, the HD 598 has a bit of a legacy to live up to.

Look and feel

I mentioned the HD 598 are easy to drive, and they're also quite easy on the eye, but in a strictly mid-range sense. Unlike the HD 800 there's no use of exotic materials and metal, instead the HD 598 is constructed of plastic. In fact, a beige coloured plastic that some might like and others won't. A glossy wood-grain finish has been imparted to the earcups, and this has a nice effect, giving the HD 598 the appearance of being slightly more upmarket than they are.
Sennheiser HD 598
The entire headphone is lightweight on account of the plastic used - 270 grams, versus the 330-gram HD 800. The headband armature around the earcups of the HD 595 received criticism on account of breakage, and it seems the HD 598 has the same sort of hinge joint. We're disappointed with Sennheiser on account of build quality, but our last session was with the HD 800, that cost 5 times more, so maybe, just maybe, we're a bit jaded and being a bit harsh.


The earcups and headband are nicely cushioned, bordering on luxurious but not quite. While the headband does clamp securely, it's not too tight, and is quite comfortable. Audio Technica with their 3D wing design are much more comfortable though, so the HD 598 groundbreaking. Also, the earcups can start to feel hot after awhile. While this isn't as bad as earcups made of pleather, where the ear cannot breathe at all, the foam design does trap heat and you'll need to take a break every hour or so in summers, to allow your pinna to cool off! This isn't necessarily bad given that headphone listeners caution a break every hour to protect your hearing.

Features

Instantly, it's evident that the HD 598 is positioned well below the likes of the HD 600. There's a single cable from the left earcup so no active grounding is possible. Secondly, the earphones are entirely plastic, except for the headband. Thirdly, the foam on the earcups is less velvety than the foam on the HD 600, HD 650 and so on. The cable is also a bit thinner, and about half the thickness of the HD 800 cable. Since they're lower-end, Sennheiser wanted to ensure they're relatively easier to drive as well. After all, not everyone will invest in a high-end (read $400) headphone amplifier, for a similarly priced headphone will they? Therefore, the impedance was kept at 50 ohms, unlike the 300 ohms for the other models.
In keeping with their mid-range status, you get a 6.3mm to 3.5mm converter too and the cable sheathing isn't the best we've seen for this class of headphone. While it isn't noisy, it does pick up some stray movement noise, thankfully, this isn't transmitted with any force and doesn't intrude on the music.

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WWDC 2011: iOS 5 revealed; iMessage and iCloud services announced; OS X Lion detailed

Posted by Unknown
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Apple had quite a bit to announce at WWDC 2011, from the new and improved iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion, to the iMessage and the iCloud storage services, all of which spell handy new features for iOS device owners.
iOS 5
We’ll start with iOS 5, which Apple says will be released in the American Fall, and which shall be compatible with the iPhone 4 and 3GS, iPad 1 and 2, as well as the iPod touch 3G and 4G. To be noted, iOS 5, at least the beta release that is available now, has reportedly already been jailbroken using more than the Limera1n crack, by Musclenerd. New features on the new version of iOS are plentiful, and include:
New Notification Center, lockscreen notifications
Newsstand, for magazine and newspaper feed subscriptions
Improved Twitter integration, with a single sign-in, and native support for image tweets
Safari Reader feature for image free browsing, and Reading List bookmarking feature
Tabbed browsing
Improved Reminders, with location based reminder, and synching
New touch camera button on lockscreen, new shutter function for volume up key, new long-press for optimization, as well as new image editing options
New split onscreen keyboard
Synching, activation, and updating all sans PC, all wireless and on device
iMessage
Next up, also due to hit iOS devices users with version 5 of the platform, is Apple’s new BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) counterpart, called iMessage. Just like BBM, the service is exclusively for iOS device users, and is meant for instant messaging, sharing photos, videos, and contacts. Delivery/read receipts and typing indication are part of the deal. Push notifications across iOS devices will also be enabled, and group messaging is also planned. The app will work over both Wi-Fi and 3G.
iCloud
Considered by some to be the biggest new feature of iOS 5, iCloud is Apple’s new storage feature, which according to Steve Jobs, “stores your content in the cloud and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices. It automatically uploads it, stores it, and pushes it.” It is expected to release alongside iOS 5.
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Data expected to be synched include purchased media, device settings, and app data, as well as up to 5GB of calendar, mail, and contacts data. Documents in the Cloud will also synch a user’s pages, numbers, and keynote data. There is also the new Photo Stream cloud feature, which is a section of your photo gallery common on all your iOS devices, as well as Apple TV, OS X, and even Windows PCs. These photos will not counted as part of the 5GB limit. Almost as a bonus feature to this iCloud, Apple will also be introducing iTunes Match, something many users have been requesting for a while – a feature that will repopulate your iTunes library in the Cloud with any previously bought or ripped music, in DRM-free AAC format. Of course, the titles will have to exist in the iTunes store.


Lastly on the handheld front, Apple, also announced that MobileMe is on its final legs, and no new enrolments are open. It will be shut down completely on June 30th, 2012.
Mac OS X Lion
No major revelations were made at WWDC 2011 about the soon to be released update to the Mac platform, OS X Lion, which is expected within the next couple of months. What was mentioned was complete iCloud integration, allowing Mac OS X applications to store some data online, allowing it to be shared with other computers and iOS devices. Mac OS X will be distributed solely through the recently launched Mac App Store, where it will be available as a download update for Snow Leopard. Not especially great news for those machines that aren’t connected. Developers at the event received a copy of the latest build.

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Tata and MIT develop inexpensive artificial leaf, The Holy Grail of energy research

Posted by Unknown
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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A team of researchers at MIT’s Nocera Lab, headed by Dr. Daniel Nocera, claim that they have invented a durable playing-card sized artificial leaf using inexpensive and readily available such as silicone, electronics and catalysts – therefore making it the first practical artificial leaf technology.

Previous attempts at creating artificial leaves, or, man-made devices that perform photosynthesis, have been very expensive, and not durable. Nocera’s artificial leaf uses common materials, and has been successfully tested to run continuously for 45 hours without a drop in output. According to Nocera, the breakthrough came with the discovery of a cobalt catalyst that did the same job more exotic materials were trying to do.

Seen above, the first iteration of the leaf - a cobalt- and phosphate-coated silicon leaf sitting in a jar of water. He claims the artificial leave is 10 times as powerful as a natural leaf at photosynthesis, and, that this figure will go up quickly once the technology is perfected.

To be clear, the artificial leaf doesn’t actually create energy directly for consumption, but rather, uses sunlight to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, economically. For now, the two elements are then used to generate electricity in a separate fuel cell, however, in the future, an all-in-one device is possible.

While the technology has innumerable economic, political and environmental implications, it uses in developing nations is worthy of much dissemination. Nocera says that soon enough, a leaf placed in a gallon of water and left in the sun could provide a home with basic electricity for a day. Almost any type of water can be used, including waste water.


"A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it. The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries. Our goal is to make each home its own power station. One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology."

Indian giant, The Tata Group, has invested significantly in the technology, and is currently working with Daniel Nocera and his company – Sun Catalytix – to commercialize his artificial leaf. According to a company spokesman, the efforts are the company’s latest endeavour to serve the "bottom of the pyramid."

The future of the technology is certainly impressive, with Nocera hoping to power the entire planet with a swimming pool worth of water - changed daily.

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Nokia's 3 new Symbian^3 devices - C7 Launch @ 19,200 Rs

Posted by Unknown
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
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Nokia World 2010 has barely begun, and already the Finnish mobile giant has launched three new phones – E7, C7, and C6 (C6-01) – all of which are Symbian^3 devices. If you were hoping for any MeeGo devices, you’re out of luck for now, as it seems there will be no such devices released for a while. In the meantime, enjoy the flood of devices that feature the the latest Symbian OS (the Nokia N8 included), an interface that Nokia hopes will support the smartphone mantle for a while. In fact, a spokesperson from Nokia gushed about the new phones and the platform:

“Today our fight back to smartphone leadership shifts into high gear. Despite new competition, Symbian remains the most widely used smartphone platform in the world. Our new family of smartphones introduced today feature the all-new Symbian OS, rewritten to be faster, easier to use, more efficient and more developer friendly”

All three phones will apparently begin shipping “before the end of the year.” The Nokia N8, the flagship Symbian^3 device, will be the first to launch in late September, early October.

Before we take a look at the three new devices, it is important to note that Nokia is also introducing a new display technology with them, called Nokia ClearBlack Display, or CBD. Promising better black as well as superior contrast ratio, colour and brightness, CBD is an AMOLED technology that’s set to compete with the iPhone 4’s Retina Display, as well as the newSuperLCD and AMOLED screens shown off by other competitors, including Samsung, Motorolaand HTC. The general consensus among those who’ve managed to see the display with their own eyes is that CBD certainly has hope, though it is early days yet.

All three phones feature capacitive touchscreen displays, 8MP cameras with dual LED flash, 720p HD video recording, 3G HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi b/g/n, WebTV (free digital TV content), and the innovative USB-on-the-Go feature, which lets you directly connect USB flash drives to the phone.

Nokia E7




The Nokia E7 is called the “Ultimate Business Smartphone” by Nokia, and features a full QWERTY keyboard on a horizontal slider, a 4-inch CBD AMOLED tilting touchscreen display with a 640x360 pixel resolution, 16GB internal storage, 256MB RAM, and 1GB ROM. The details about the processor are not yet available. One of the phone’s USPs is its ability to create PowerPoint presentations on the move. It also features the Nokia N8's aluminium body, and the same bright anodized colours. It will be priced at approximately €495, or Rs. 29,552. Find the full specifications in the comparative chart on the next page. Check out a video introducing the phone in the meanwhile.





It does look like the Nokia C7-00 is going to arrive real soon in India, as a retailer is supposedly already stocking the phone. No word on the official price yet, but it’s being sold for Rs. 19,490. The launch is expected to happen by next week.

The Nokia C7 is the second of four Symbian^3 devices expected, with the Nokia N8 [review] the first to be released. Check out our full coverage of the C7, C6-01, E7, as well as thefull specs of the three phones.

Nokia C7



Certainly well-photographed, the Nokia C7 was leaked on multiple occasions prior to today’s announcement, and is an entertainment and social networking device that lets you “Share more of you. And do it in style.” It features a 3.5-inch CBD AMOLED screen with a resolution of 360x640 pixels, 8GB internal storage, and stereo FM with FM transmitter. It will be priced at approximately €335, or Rs. 19,999. Find the full specifications in the comparative chart on the next page. Check out a video introducing the phone in the meanwhile




Nokia C6-01





Representing the lower end of the new Symbian^3 range, there is not much difference between the C7 and the C6-01, except that it has a smaller display, featuring a 3.2-inch CBD AMOLED screen with a 640x360 resolution, and less internal storage, with just 340MD onboard. A 2GB microSD card will come bundled with the phone though. It will be priced at approximately €260, or Rs. 15,523 . Find the full specifications in the comparative chart on the next page. Check out a video introducing the phone in the meanwhile.


Nokia (E7,C7,C6) Tech Spec's




Model

E7

C7

C6-01

























2G Network





GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900


3G Network





HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 2100 /1900

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 /1700

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 /1700


Dimensions





123.7 x 62.4 x 13.6 mm

117.3 x 56.8 x 10.5 mm

103.8 x 52.5 x 13.9 mm


Weight





176 g

130 g

131 g


Display

4-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen @640x360 resolution, 16M colours

3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen @640x360 resolution, 16M colours

3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen @640x360 resolution, 16M colours


Sensors

Accelerometer, proximity sensor, touch-sensitive buttons

Accelerometer, proximity sensor, touch-sensitive buttons

Accelerometer, proximity sensor, touch-sensitive buttons


Camera





8 MP, 3266x2450 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash, geo-tagging, face and smile detection; video 720p HD

8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash, geo-tagging; video 720p HD

8 MP, 3266x2450 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash, geo-tagging; video 720p HD


OS





Symbian^3 OS

Symbian^3 OS

Symbian^3 OS


RAM

256MB

-

-


Memory internal

16GB

8GB

340MB


Memory expandable

microSD, up to 32GB

microSD, up to 32GB

microSD, up to 32GB, 2GB card included


GPRS





Class 32

Class 32

Class 32


EDGE





Class 32

Class 32

Class 32


3G





HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps

HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps

HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps


Audio support

3.5mm jack, stereo FM with RDS; MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA formats

3.5mm jack, stereo FM with RDS, FM transmitter; MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA formats

3.5mm jack, stereo FM with RDS; MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA formats


Video support

MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV formats

MP4/H.264/WMV formats

MP4/H.264/WMV formats


Connectivity

Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, v2.0 microUSB, USB On-the-go support; TV-out (720p video) via HDMI and composite

Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, v2.0 microUSB, USB On-the-go support; TV out

Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, v2.0 microUSB, USB On-the-go support


GPS





Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0

Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0

Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0


Java





Yes, MIDP 2.1

Yes, MIDP 2.1

Yes, MIDP 2.1


Colours

Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue, Orange

Charcoal Black, Frosty Metal, Mahogany Brown

Silver Grey, Black


Battery

Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-4D); standby up to 432 h (2G) and 480 h (3G); talk time up to 9 h (2G) and 5 h (3G)

Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-5K); standby up to 552 h (2G) and 648 h (3G); talk time up to 9.5 h (2G) and 5 h (3G); music play up to 54 h

Standard battery, Li-Ion 1050 mAh (BL-4D); standby up to 408 h (2G) and 372 h (3G); talk time up to 11.5 h (2G) and 4.5 h (3G); music play up to 50 h



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