Sennheiser 558 vs. 518? - Page 2

The 558s are excellent all rounders, and from what I hear they can be modded to near 598 levels.  If you want the tank Beyers I've heard nice things about the DT770, and you can get those in 32ohm flavors which will be fine out of anything that doesn't plug into a wall. Can't vouch for the DT770, but I do have one of their models on my wish list. 

The Ultrasone HFI-580/DJ1 headphones are pretty good, but not as comfortable as the 5x9 series.  They clamp more, and will leave your ears warm after a while.  They are great cans, but truly excel at electronica and bassy music.  They can do other music just fine as well, but they can be a bit bright.  IE: treble can be a tad strong in some songs.  They are built very well, and have this nice heft to them.  At 120 dollars you can't go wrong.  I can vouch for these personally.

If the 558s sound anywhere close to my 598s... I whole heartedly recommend you get them.  Once again.  I point out that with a bit of modding you can get them to sound like the 598.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by MegaMushroom 

The 558s are excellent all rounders, and from what I hear they can be modded to near 598 levels.  If you want the tank Beyers I've heard nice things about the DT770, and you can get those in 32ohm flavors which will be fine out of anything that doesn't plug into a wall. Can't vouch for the DT770, but I do have one of their models on my wish list. 

 

The Ultrasone HFI-580/DJ1 headphones are pretty good, but not as comfortable as the 5x9 series.  They clamp more, and will leave your ears warm after a while.  They are great cans, but truly excel at electronica and bassy music.  They can do other music just fine as well, but they can be a bit bright.  IE: treble can be a tad strong in some songs.  They are built very well, and have this nice heft to them.  At 120 dollars you can't go wrong.  I can vouch for these personally.

 

If the 558s sound anywhere close to my 598s... I whole heartedly recommend you get them.  Once again.  I point out that with a bit of modding you can get them to sound like the 598.  

is ... I do not like anything too much ... I'll opt for the HD 558 to be very neutral.
and will also be easy to use with my fiio e11 ... and will also enjoy games

Quote:

Originally Posted by glunteer 

are so many that you're confused ... each speaks one thing ... but your review convinced me ... ^ ^

I really cant believe my ears when it comes to these things. It might just be how well they mach up with my receiver but I'm not sure. They outperform both my K550s and DT990s when it comes to low volume listening. When the volume is turned up its a slightly different story but not by much. They have such an effortless and laid back sound that manages to sound amazing with the types of electronica I'm into. Keep in mind I scored the 558's for $140 which is half the price of the others mentioned. Absolute steal. And BTW, the 598's dont sound much different other than that they are a little brighter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony6225 

I really cant believe my ears when it comes to these things. It might just be how well they mach up with my receiver but I'm not sure. They outperform both my K550s and DT990s when it comes to low volume listening. When the volume is turned up its a slightly different story but not by much. They have such an effortless and laid back sound that manages to sound amazing with the types of electronica I'm into. Keep in mind I scored the 558's for $140 which is half the price of the others mentioned. Absolute steal. And BTW, the 598's dont sound much different other than that they are a little brighter.

That's surprising because the DT990s are more V-shaped, which is considered the better frequency response for low volume listening. The idea is that a relatively neutral headphone like the HD558 needs more volume in order to bring up the bass and treble. 

P.S. I found the HD598 to be distinctly better than the HD558 for vocals. But otherwise, I agree it's not a night/day difference. For the price, the HD558s are amazing. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony6225 

I really cant believe my ears when it comes to these things. It might just be how well they mach up with my receiver but I'm not sure. They outperform both my K550s and DT990s when it comes to low volume listening. When the volume is turned up its a slightly different story but not by much. They have such an effortless and laid back sound that manages to sound amazing with the types of electronica I'm into. Keep in mind I scored the 558's for $140 which is half the price of the others mentioned. Absolute steal. And BTW, the 598's dont sound much different other than that they are a little brighter.

I'm looking at it because bestbuy.com site that my friend will buy me, and hd 558 is $ 180.00

Chances are that you aren't going to find them for much lower elsewhere.  Sennheiser I believe took to enforcing their prices from retailers.  For example I haven't seen the 598 at 170 dollars for a very long time now.  Hell... price of the HD650 has gone back up to previous levels. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony6225 


The 558s sound very good at low volume levels. I noticed that as the volume increases the mids and highs move more towards the front causing the bass to think out compared to the upper mids and highs. Still sound great but at loud volumes cans like the DT990s or K550's push ahead especially down low.

I love to hear the vocals ... That would be good news? ^^

Quote:

Originally Posted by glunteer 

are so many that you're confused ... each speaks one thing ... but your review convinced me ... ^ ^

in one sentence, the dt990 pro will satisfy DEFINITELY for rock. It is a good all rounder too for sure. the hd558 is a bit closed in sounding for an open headphone. I'm not crapping all over the hd558, but i'm just saying that there is something better for rock and everything else, and that is the dt990. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gallade475 

in one sentence, the dt990 pro will satisfy DEFINITELY for rock. It is a good all rounder too for sure. the hd558 is a bit closed in sounding for an open headphone. I'm not crapping all over the hd558, but i'm just saying that there is something better for rock and everything else, and that is the dt990. 

but the dt 990 no have in bestbuy... and I'm not a fan of rock...

about dt990 ... would have to get a new amp? the objective type 2?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gallade475 

in one sentence, the dt990 pro will satisfy DEFINITELY for rock. It is a good all rounder too for sure. the hd558 is a bit closed in sounding for an open headphone. I'm not crapping all over the hd558, but i'm just saying that there is something better for rock and everything else, and that is the dt990. 

Uh what? I found the bass and treble too dominant for anything that wasn't a bass-oriented track. The balance of instrumentals with vocals that the engineers intended just doesn't seem to be there with many of the tracks I listen to. It sounded nice when I wanted vocals in the background (often for electronic music) but otherwise, it simply didn't cut out to be an all-rounder for me. The soundstage is larger than the HD558 but the 558/598 are already well known for having a large soundstage (larger than the HD6xx) but most importantly, a soundstage that has good frontal and real depth. I'm not positive if the DT990 has better 3D imaging until I listen to it again. 

And as for rock... it depends. 

Kpasa and Glunteer, hopefully it's not too late, I owned the DT990 pro and cannot recommended it. IME and IMO it way overemphasizes the high frequencies, more so than bass. It can be piercing, fatiguing, and painful with certain types of music. I honestly do not like rock, pop or electronic music out of them either.

I highly recommend that you guys get either the HD518 or the HD558. I got my HD558 used for $100 from Dahmart through Amazon and as I write this post they are selling fro $103 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004FEEY9A/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1356044763&sr=8-1&keywords=hd558&condition=used). AFAIK Dahmart is an authorized Sennheiser dealer.

The HD5x8 are also much easier to drive than the DT990 pro. You do not require an amp for an HD5x8 (though they could obviously benefit from a well implemented one.) Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ultrabike 

Kpasa and Glunteer, hopefully it's not too late, I owned the DT990 pro and cannot recommended it. IME and IMO it way overemphasizes the high frequencies, more so than bass. It can be piercing, fatiguing, and painful with certain types of music. I honestly do not like rock, pop or electronic music out of them either.

 

I highly recommend that you guys get either the HD518 or the HD558. I got my HD558 used for $100 from Dahmart through Amazon and as I write this post they are selling fro $103 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004FEEY9A/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1356044763&sr=8-1&keywords=hd558&condition=used). AFAIK Dahmart is an authorized Sennheiser dealer.

 

The HD5x8 are also much easier to drive than the DT990 pro. You do not require an amp for an HD5x8 (though they could obviously benefit from a well implemented one.) Hope this helps.

I ended up spending my money on a m-audio av 40 :(

but next year I will upgrade my headphone. Is the hd 558 ... 'll calmly, everything in its time

Thanks for the trouble :)

Yes, no need to rush. I haven't heard the av 40's but they do look sweet

Quote:

Originally Posted by ultrabike 

Yes, no need to rush. I haven't heard the av 40's but they do look sweet

I really liked ... heard before a EDIFIER x100 ... was a nice upgrade :)