LOL, well yeah you will probably get the very best sound out of them that way but that is a bit extreme. 

Again, removing the foam can only lessen the distortion from sound waves that bounce back and change the waveform that is traveling towards your ear. It does not make sense to stick foam in an open headphone. One can only assume Sennheiser did it to make them sound worse than the HD 598's.

It certainly does not make them less detailed, removing the foam is bound to lower the distortion a bit. Improved dynamics is also a possibility but I did not notice that.    I did not notice much a difference either except the sound stage.   IMO the HD 558's are worth getting a good...

Other way around. :\

You really don't want the clamping force, it'll ruin the expensive ear cushions. The clamping force of the stock headphones sucks. 

There is no doubt that they do not sound any better, sorry but there is no humanly audible difference. 

No it won't highlight flaws and no there is no advantage whatsoever. What sort of matters is if it's a 24 bit DAC but not really.

Well you don't need a headphone amp right? I wouldn't bother with a DAC/amp then.   It will not make a huge difference but I would recommend the JDS Labs ODAC or HRT Music Streamer II.   They are both 24 bit DAC's and the former has proven transparent performance.    They will sound...

Quote:   Well whoever wrote that is dumb. All I listen to on the HD 580/600/650's is rock an electronic and they're amazing.    I don't think many people take Grado seriously any more. They are only for people who like insanely bright/inaccurate sound.    Certainly avoid the...

Quote: I'm lost you seem to be saying that solid state amps are not one unit.    Buy an ODAC/O2 and you'll have a single small unit that sounds better than tube amps and badly designed solid state amps also.

The ear cushions don't affect the sound unless they get really squashed. They are washable and can last for years. 

Quote: Individual units? No, I've just owned a hybrid amp and I didn't understand the draw of it, it just sounded distorted. Only what I have rad about A-GD gear has scared me a away.   BTW EQing with amps is a terrible idea, I have tried it and it is better just to use an EQ.

Hmmmm. . . my new-ish laptop is   intel i7 @ 2.2 GHz CPU 6 GB DDR3 RAM nvidia geforce 630M 2 GB GPU 750 GB HDD 15" 1920x1080 screen   I loves it. I only use it to play tf2 and that's it really so I don't need anything ridiculous.   It was $900 and no other laptop under $1k...

DAC's do not have gain. . . and 2 volts is normal not high. I thought with a speaker amp you use the pre-amp alone to control the volume? How are you using the ODAC alone in a ODAC/O2 combo?

I would avoid tube amps and A-GD like a plague and instead get a ODAC/O2. That way you know you are buying something that actually has better real performance than the E9.

Hmmm, well the HD 580/600's are a bit brighter and more dynamic - you might be able to get a used pair of those. Otherwise look to the crazy bright brands like Beyerdynamic if you want something very different (and totally inaccurate). 

I spent a couple hours today listening to my dad's HD 558's. They were great, you don't even need anything more expensive for sublime sound really.

I forgot about this thread, was just annoyed about the more stupid comments but probably should not have bothered posting.   "Conversely, The O2 measurements all the faibois are using as their bible to defend their opinions come from the same guy who designed the damn thing. A creator cannot...

Quote: Sure it does. I'm listening to the HD modified 558's right now and they sound the same as the modified HD 555's. The case just isn't that significant with open headphones. . . that's kind of the point of them.

They all have the same drivers so they cannot possibly sound much different. Don't waste your money. 

Nonsense, it doesn't matter. Use USB for convenience. 

They are clampy yet still comfortable. 

JDS Labs O2.:P

The O2 is an antithesis of a tube amp. . . 

People are choosing Sony over Sennheiser?