Getting these as a gift, and have read that these headphones aren't really steered for laptop or iPod usage, and using the included adapter you'll be missing out on what they have to offer. Would anyone recommend a good amp to go along with these? I'll primarily use these as my desktop headphones for games, music and whatnot. I'd like a good source to bring these to life, and so I don't have to turn the volume way up to hear the finer nuances.
Thank you for the help! Merry Christmas!
What's your budget? Do you need it to be portable, or will you only be listening at home? The 598's can be driven just fine by your ipod or laptop, but they will lack bass (though, to be fair, they aren't bass heavy anyway) and wont be as full sounding. A good amp will bring a decent amount more out of them, but by no means do they REQUIRE an amp to sound good. Just something to keep in mind.
Also, I'm not sure what you mean about the adapter? It's just a 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter. There's no difference in the sound between the two.
Look into the Fiio E6.
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E6-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B005HJWWW8
The e6 will help drive them better (and if you're on a very tight budget, it's the best option under $60 bucks), but it's not going to be powerful enough to bring out the 598's full potential if that's the goal. The e6 only puts out 100mW @ 16 ohms, it's just not enough to fully drive the Senns.