If you're thinking about getting the HD558s, DO! (Review)

    HD558s

Ahhh... the warmth, the soundstage... I missed them so much since I sold the HD555s and got the M50s.

THESE ARE AWESOME!

Only some 10 hours of burn in so far... and wow.  They are everything I expected them to be.  Immersive, lush, completely effortless and natural (on most songs).  Perhaps not the most punchy or sparkly headphone if you need to hear the crack of bass drums and snares cut through, but as I listen to them, the way they don't push any low or high frequencies too far lets me really appreciate how every part of a song complements each other.

These sound so silky smooth with anything acoustic, and their soundstaging and positioning just complete the deal.  That was not something I could not get with the M50s.  Now, pianos and guitars sound rich and warm (or "heartwarming" as I like to say), drums complement bands very nicely, vocals come through clear and emotional.  Classical also works AWESOME with these.  I'd say that a major strength of these is that they are very good at capturing the natural "air" of a well-recorded acoustic song.  They are also very good at reproducing atmospheric sounds like bass rumbles, ambience, rain, etc.

Right now I will qualify my rave by saying these could be more aggressive with rock.  I will have to burn in for a little longer to see if this is still the case later.  But for now, my M50s sounded just a bit more clear with thick rock mixes.  BUT they definitely did not have the soundstage that the HD558 has with rock.

I will post more in detail after extensive burn-in.

Meanwhile, enjoy some songs (from my limited music collection) that I feel highlight the relative strengths of these cans:

"My Girl" - ROUND TABLE

"A Certain Shade Of Green (Acoustic)" - Incubus

"Sal's Reconstruction" - Sal

"우산 (Feat. 윤하)" - Epik High

"Shadowfeet" - Brooke Fraser

"Water of Life" - Kumi Tanioka

"Book End Bossa" - ROUND TABLE feat. Nino

I got them for $116 USD + 7 shipping at electronics expo.

I can't really say for sure, like you said.  In fact, I can't really say anything of value since it's been such a long time.  You'd do well to listen to people who own both at the same time.

One thing I can say is that I found the bass in the HD555 not enough to complement the rest of the spectrum, but I don't really feel that way anymore with the HD558.  It may be that I have come to expect less over time.

"Actually, the deal is still alive on electronics-expo.  You just use the coupon code DEALZON and it takes 40% off your order, with certain exclusions.  I'm debating right now on whether or not to get the 558s or 598s.  I wish they sold the K701s instead of the more expensive Q701s..."

I am back with more impressions.  After a week of use and after foam modding, I can say some more things.

- These cans have a very nice, very tight bass that is not lacking in volume.  A little more and I would call them "hard hitting".  But as it is I can feel their deep extension in the lows causing very tangible punch when kick drums hit.  Sometimes it makes me blink.  It's awesome! I don't think the HD555s were like this.  I am coming from the ATH M50s and I don't really miss the bass too much, although I don't have the M50s anymore.

- These things really own anything acoustic and classical, as well as jazz and jazz bands.  Anything with real instruments, and real voices, sounds awesome.

- These REALLY shine on well-mastered songs.  Popular albums definitely show how meticulously they are made because of the 558s' detail retrieval.

- I noticed these really shine with well-produced electronic music, especially the kind that has really fat synth sounds and such.  This is also a plus if you like KPOP or JPOP/Anime; they handle these genres very well.

- I love hip-hop and rap on these.

- Rock could be a bit better, as mentioned.  They do best with lighter mixes, but in heavy rock I think they are not aggressive enough.  For example, Spoon sounds great, Muse doesn't really.  Guster sounds great, AC DC sounds good but could be better.

damn... DeathbySexy, let me tell you these are a great complement to M50s.  But I am rather angry about the cracking.  It has certainly not happened to me yet, but I think I will wrap a bit of tape around that area just in case.

zmd, did you stress the plastic on accident, or did it just happen with careful use?