[457139]

I keep interrupting the burn-in to listen to these cans. Listening now to Grateful Dead's 'Reckoning'. This album sounds unreal through the 58x.

 

[SP Wild]

I just realized 58X is faster than HE500's. I always thought planar magnetic was faster, but I think it depends on efficiency and if it's hard to drive, the amping.

My 58X setup is the most addictive sounding setup I've ever heard! Everything sounds good.

I think of headphone motors like combustion motors. Each different type of combustion motor, whether diesel, petrol, Wankel, piston etc, has different efficiency and effectiveness throughout its revolution frequency range....so too do different headphone drivers.

Like a rotary engine will have a poor bottom end, and a screaming effective top end, a STAX electrostatic might be perceived like that.

A Kenworth truck diesel...that would be a subwoofer...all bottom end and nothing else, but the ability to move Schiit is crazy good.

The HD58X has this insanely effective centre and uppermidrange....seamless. Because there is no crossover like all speakers will have. It is better than every speaker I have heard and every other headphones that I have heard...right in n this range. That is 2 out if 3 midranges aced...that is a lot of music information conveyed with ruthless effectiveness. This is why Tyll would have thought the HD660s were too strident...it revealed what speakers could not and the overcompensation of ambient tails to make up for the crossover seam in nearly every single studio monitor or speakers in general.

By dialling down the uppermids and bumping up the bass, we can even it out better for a flatter perceived response. Even though the uppermids are shelved, it's ruthless resolution decodes more data than other headphones in the uppermids....we here this extra data as 'more' uppermids...but the measured ampltude suggest otherwise.

Compared to my LCD2 Planar magnetic. The LCD2 bottom and centre mids are ruthlessly revealing, but somewhere after 4khz...it hits some oddities, unneveness...which is why it's better to shelve it there. But the treble and bass is also ruthlessly revealing... nevertheless, also 2 out of three midranges aced and a lot of musical data ruthlessly revealed. (Ridiculously effective at lower mids resolution and data retrieval, we hear 'more' low mids when the measured amplitude suggest otherwise).

But yes... it is 'faster' than planar magnetic in certain frequency ranges (high mids especially, where seemingly all planar magnetics hit 'the wall').

Sibilance is sort of an artefact most evident in hissing sounds in vocals. Grain, to me, is something that's everywhere and cannot be pinpointed as it's like background noise.

For me listening to the HD650 was like looking at this picture:

My own history is with AKG and Beyerdynamic and never before have I experienced the same feeling with these brands, maybe aside from Beyerdynamic DT 440, but since it's a couple fair steps below the HD650 in SQ in general, there is no meaningful comparison to be made.

Very good analogy, although I would say the HD650 is more like a good Trinitron tube TV...although the scanlines and low resolution is evident...it is pleasing non the less.

I found the HD 600 and HD 650 to have a fine layer of roughness throughout its sound but also has my favorite tunings of the classic trio, the AKGs and Beyers don’t have this roughness, they have different issues. The K7 series have the least grain to my ears of the classic trio but some resonances seemed to hold their drivers back, plus they have that steel wire/headband connecting the earcups which does hinder the sound some which I didn’t realize how much so until I heard a dual-entry cable modded K701. The DT Beyers have some some etching in the treble. I found the DT 880 overdamped. Even though the DT 990 is sharper and brighter I like it more than the DT 880 as it doesn’t sound overly-damped like the DT 880.

I agree that my K701 has the least grain of any dynamic driver I have heard. Less than the HD800. However, upon closer inspection...it appears it is also less detailed...and the treble is very slowed in transient response and not detailed at all....just elevated. Even the HD650 has a faster treble transient, although subdued.

The K701 accomplish this smoothness in treble with a fast falling frequency response after about 10khz.

Remember that we're (David and I) are talking about the treble here. Do you find the treble on the HD650 to be refined than on the HD58X?

No, the HD58X is more refined in the treble than the HD650. If the HD650 was like a good tube TV, the HD58X has a higher resolution...perhaps a Plasma? OLED?

The HD650 is last generation dynamic technology. HD58X is current gen dynamic technology.

 

[ciccarel]

But, with the Ebony there are those tiny pad openings... I just can’t have them on my head for very long. I have spent a small fortune on third party pads and they all change the sound signature, effectively neutering the bass... so that is probably one of the cans I will be selling off... and it breaks my heart!

If you decide to sell them, please PM me

 

[SSandDigital]

I much prefer the look w/o the foam. So just cut some foam I had lying around and covered just the back of the drivers. Now don't have to worry about dust and still get the much preferable appearance, as an open-air headphone should look.

 

[tolis626]

If you need a preamp, yes NFB is worth it. If you multiple inputs, yes worth it. I currently have mine USB from PC and optical from TV. I have optical fed out with HDMI input, works fine. It powers my JBL LSR308 powered monitors. Now my plan is to replace NFB with balanced DAC/Amp combo and use NFB on my bedside, Toppi g DX7S most likely.

If it is just for PC, I would get the Mayflower ARC with it's mic input. Without mic, I would get the JDSLabs Element. Honestly am very annoyed it doesn't have XLR output. For an extra $100 would have been amazing.

Well, other than a headphone out and a USB in, everything is extra for me at this point and not a requirement.

I'm mostly concerned with power and sound quality (and maybe build quality, I don't want it to spectacularly combust after 3 months). I want something that I can plug anything into and just listen. Anything I end up buying is gonna end up on my desk, so I have no concerns about it working on my bedside table or my living room. These would be nice bonuses, but not requirements. As is XLR. I don't have anything balanced right now, but maybe I'd like to have something in the future that uses balanced. Heck, I could easily make the 58x balanced, so why not? Still, not a requirement.

Regarding the other amps you mentioned... Well, I don't really care for something like the ARC, I'm gonna get a USB mic anyway for my desk and be done with it. As for the Element, I suppose you mean the all in one unit, not the EL stack. I'd prefer the stack, but I don't even know if I can find it in Europe and its cost makes importing from the US kind of prohibitive. And as you said, its only real drawback is not having balanced. I can understand having no XLR at that form factor, but even a 2.5mm or 4.4mm balanced out and an XLR adapter would've worked for me. Still, meh.

Guys what cable do you recommend on cheap?
Do those 15 euro amazon wires work?
I need something a bit shorter than the stock wire.
https://www.amazon.de/Schwarz-Upgrade-Sennheiser-HD650-HD600-HD580-Kopfhörer-schwarz/dp/B017TWXCQA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537641654&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hd650+cable+1.2m&dpPl=1&dpID=41BmcIcJ4QL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1
This is the one i like the most, seems to have good reviews.

That cable looks good. For the money, I suppose you can't really go wrong. For mine, and purely for looks, I want to get a cable from Moonsaudio on Amazon.de. I see no reviews there, no mentions of them anywhere, but they make a lot of stuff and most of it looks really great. Plus, any connection combinations you might want, they have them. Check these out if they are in your price range.
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-St...el-Kopfhörer/dp/B07DH6HFQK/ref=cm_wl_huc_item
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-Ve...=1537714809&sr=1-12&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-Up...=1537714809&sr=1-14&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-（B...=1537714809&sr=1-21&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600

 

[peter123]

[

Well, other than a headphone out and a USB in, everything is extra for me at this point and not a requirement.

I'm mostly concerned with power and sound quality (and maybe build quality, I don't want it to spectacularly combust after 3 months). I want something that I can plug anything into and just listen. Anything I end up buying is gonna end up on my desk, so I have no concerns about it working on my bedside table or my living room. These would be nice bonuses, but not requirements. As is XLR. I don't have anything balanced right now, but maybe I'd like to have something in the future that uses balanced. Heck, I could easily make the 58x balanced, so why not? Still, not a requirement.

Regarding the other amps you mentioned... Well, I don't really care for something like the ARC, I'm gonna get a USB mic anyway for my desk and be done with it. As for the Element, I suppose you mean the all in one unit, not the EL stack. I'd prefer the stack, but I don't even know if I can find it in Europe and its cost makes importing from the US kind of prohibitive. And as you said, its only real drawback is not having balanced. I can understand having no XLR at that form factor, but even a 2.5mm or 4.4mm balanced out and an XLR adapter would've worked for me. Still, meh.


That cable looks good. For the money, I suppose you can't really go wrong. For mine, and purely for looks, I want to get a cable from Moonsaudio on Amazon.de. I see no reviews there, no mentions of them anywhere, but they make a lot of stuff and most of it looks really great. Plus, any connection combinations you might want, they have them. Check these out if they are in your price range.
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-St...el-Kopfhörer/dp/B07DH6HFQK/ref=cm_wl_huc_item
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-Ve...=1537714809&sr=1-12&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-Up...=1537714809&sr=1-14&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-（B...=1537714809&sr=1-21&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600

The SMSL IQ is surprisingly good and matches really well with the HD58X imo:

 

[RandomDave]

That cable looks good. For the money, I suppose you can't really go wrong. For mine, and purely for looks, I want to get a cable from Moonsaudio on Amazon.de. I see no reviews there, no mentions of them anywhere, but they make a lot of stuff and most of it looks really great. Plus, any connection combinations you might want, they have them. Check these out if they are in your price range.
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-St...el-Kopfhörer/dp/B07DH6HFQK/ref=cm_wl_huc_item
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-Ve...=1537714809&sr=1-12&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-Up...=1537714809&sr=1-14&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600
https://www.amazon.de/Moonsaudio-（B...=1537714809&sr=1-21&keywords=Moonsaudio+hd600

I've been looking at the moon's cables. I really like the last one, but i mean, 49 euros for a cable, that's kinda rough for me.
I also think it's this company: https://www.moon-audio.com/

 

[457139]

Bass is outstanding on these cans. They are indeed suitable for different genres.

 

[tolis626]

[


The SMSL IQ is surprisingly good and matches really well with the HD58X imo:

Hmmm... That's a great looking little DAC/amp! I'd definitely be considering this if I didn't already have the Q1. What I really need now is a big powerful amp for home. Then I may upgrade the little guy, but later.

I've been looking at the moon's cables. I really like the last one, but i mean, 49 euros for a cable, that's kinda rough for me.
I also think it's this company: https://www.moon-audio.com/

Nah, I don't think they're them. After searching a bit I came up with the same result, but their products are not only totally different, but also in different price brackets. The Moonsaudio cables are a bit pricey but ok if you like it and buy it, the Moon Audio cables are overpriced as crap and probably with a heavy dose of snake oil sprinkled on them. I mean, different cables for clarity, low end and treble? 400$+ for a headphone cable? Screw these guys...

Bass is outstanding on these cans. They are indeed suitable for different genres.

Nice to hear that!

Are you running them balanced off of the Q1 Mk2? If so, what difference does it make compared to SE? Also, have you tried using it via bluetooth? Is it any good?

 

[SSandDigital]

I am thinking getting the HiFimeDIY DAC/amp for the laptop, small USB powered.

 

[457139]

Are you running them balanced off of the Q1 Mk2? If so, what difference does it make compared to SE? Also, have you tried using it via bluetooth? Is it any good?

I haven't listened to 58x for more than a few minutes on SE, and haven't tried using them with a bluetooth adapter (I believe these are a thing). Balanced off the Q1 Mk2 they are excellent. The Q1 Mk2 really is an unsung hero in the cheap DAC/amp game. It's a good size for stacking on the go and dead quiet on my gear. It sounds like it was made for the 58x, drives them beautifully.

 

[tolis626]

I haven't listened to 58x for more than a few minutes on SE, and haven't tried using them with a bluetooth adapter (I believe these are a thing). Balanced off the Q1 Mk2 they are excellent. The Q1 Mk2 really is an unsung hero in the cheap DAC/amp game. It's a good size for stacking on the go and dead quiet on my gear. It sounds like it was made for the 58x, drives them beautifully.

Great. SE, I think the Q1 mk2 doesn't have too much power. But balanced it should be more than enough. But doesn't it also have bluetooth functionality built in too? Or does only the Q5 have that?

 

[457139]

Great. SE, I think the Q1 mk2 doesn't have too much power. But balanced it should be more than enough. But doesn't it also have bluetooth functionality built in too? Or does only the Q5 have that?

The Q1 MK2 doesn't have bluetooth capability. I think I heard somewhere a while ago that the Q5 does, but not sure

 

[tolis626]

The Q1 MK2 doesn't have bluetooth capability. I think I heard somewhere a while ago that the Q5 does, but not sure

Huh, I was sure the Q1 also had Bluetooth. My bad! Would've made it even better IMO, but whatever.

 

[DavidA]

@tolis626, the Moonsaudio cables look like the ones sold by New Fantasia on the US Amazon site, decent cables for the price and I do agree with you about Mood Audio cables being over priced but in the future if you ever get to try a high end cable see if you can do a ABX to see if you can hear a difference, if you do then you might reconsider but if like many that don't hear any difference you can a some peace of mind that you "tried" some cables and came to your own conclusion on their "benefits"