[AbsolutZeroGI]

Long time lurker, first time caller. I own a pair of Sennheiser 558s and I love them to pieces. However, as most know, the treble is a little bit meh and the lower bass can be a bit meh as well.

I've spent a good portion of the last two months trying to find a good replacement and have failed at every turn. I started with the Sennheiser 579 and 599 because they seemed to be the first reasonable place to start. The 579 is almost perfect, but the upper mids sound awful. Trumpets, the voice of the guy from Journey, etc all sound glaring, grating, and easily over power the rest of the track to my ears (I know, everyone's ears are different). Everything else sounded fine though. The 599 had the same problem, except it was the bass that overpowered everything.

Returned those to Amazon, picked up the K7xx on ebay for like $120. Turns out my gear can't power those right and everything sounds bright which gets fatiguing. Gonna sell those back on ebay and get most of my money back.

I know, I could've gotten an amp lol. It's silly for me to not to. However, I have a xonar DGX sound card and an LG V20. Adding yet another thing into that mix felt tedious to me. Plus, have you tried playing a 3ds with an amp plugged in? Awful experience.

I have a bit of a weird use case, but does anybody know of a headphone that has the same sound style of the 558s (warm, bass/mids heavy, relaxing, not fatiguing) but with better clarity and faster bass that also doesn't require a car battery to power? I listen to them 6-10 hours a day at work and also at home. Noise isolation is not needed. I like hearing my surroundings lol.

It's probably asking a lot, but if something like that exists, I'd love to know about it. Price range is flexible, but under $250 would be best.

I appreciate the help!

Some of the cans I've considered:
Hifiman 400S (I guess they're warmer than the I, haven't bought them yet)
Sennheiser 579 (bought, didn't like it, returned)
Sennheiser 599 (bought, loved it, too fatiguing though, bass just a bit too heavy, returned)
AKG K7xx (bought, can't power them, bass non existent when under powered, selling in eBay)
HD600/650/6xx (requires too much power).

And hey, if the 558 is the best of the best for what I'm looking for, so be it they are amazing headphones, I was just wondering if there was a next step up without losing too much of that amazing, relaxing, never fatiguing sound signature.

 

[Tim Le]

Have you considered Grados? For that price, you can get used sr225e or sr325e with money to spare

 

[serman005]

It sounds to me like what you are looking for is an HE400S. Its bass, while not trenchant, is extremely detailed and quick. The upper mids and highs will not pierce you. And it is warmer than the HE400i, the brighter of the two. The 400S does not require an amplifier. It may benefit from one but one is not necessary. You should check it out (I own one and I like it very much). The 600 and 650 are not worth considering without an amplifier (a proper one).

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

It sounds to me like what you are looking for is an HE400S. Its bass, while not trenchant, is extremely detailed and quick. The upper mids and highs will not pierce you. And it is warmer than the HE400i, the brighter of the two. The 400S does not require an amplifier. It may benefit from one but one is not necessary. You should check it out (I own one and I like it very much). The 600 and 650 are not worth considering without an amplifier (a proper one).

That's what I figured about the 600/650. They're even more power hungry than the K7xx. One day, I'll have to pony up and get one, but I just own too many devices to plug-and-play with another device. Plus, with all the different pairings and such, it's a level of audiophile I'm not ready for yet lol. The HE400S has interested me for a while. Supposedly warmer and planar to boot (why not go for the jump eh?). That may be what I end up doing It's nice to hear someone else say that they rock.

Have you considered Grados? For that price, you can get used sr225e or sr325e with money to spare

I haven't, actually. Most of the reviews I've seen say that they're very aggressive and exciting. That sounds awesome, but that fatigue factor is real when you depend on these things to ignore your coworkers for 8 hours a day , Does Grado do a calm, relaxing sounding headphone? I assumed they were all like super exciting lol.

 

[buke9]

I also like the 400S for what you are describing. If you want a little more bass from them a pair of Focus A pads do help out but does darken them up a little.

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

I also like the 400S for what you are describing. If you want a little more bass from them a pair of Focus A pads do help out but does darken them up a little.

That's two votes for the 400S. They really are quite interesting. Less than 30ohm impedance. I'm pretty sure my camera could power that lol. Do you have them and would be willing to give me a little more info on the sound? I know everyone's hearing is different, but different accounts help me gauge. I love how dark and chilled out my 558s are. It's surprisingly difficult to find another pair that just likes to chill out like that.

I've come close though. The 579s are essentially a clearer version of the 558s, but the upper midrange is simply ridiculous and harsh to me (imagine listening to Journey and having the lead vocals drown out everything other than the drums, woof!). The 400S seems like a winner, though. Does it require burn in time to get everything softened up like the K701s?

Really, the most important thing is relaxing. I can wear these 558s literally from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed without any ear fatigue (maybe a little discomfort after the 12 hour mark, but even then, no headaches).

 

[Old Dirty Puppy]

I own a pair of HE 400s and they have everything you are looking for. Easy to drive, great Bass and mids, the are comfortable and you can wear them for hours with out fatigue. If you do get them I would recommend to change out the stock pads. I'm using angled HM5 pads.
Also another great option is the Monolith M560.

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

I own a pair of HE 400s and they have everything you are looking for. Easy to drive, great Bass and mids, the are comfortable and you can wear them for hours with out fatigue. If you do get them I would recommend to change out the stock pads. I'm using angled HM5 pads.
Also another great option is the Monolith M560.

I watched that Z Review where he says they're way better and darker with the Brainwavez(sp?) pads. Not the first time I've heard the stock pads aren't amazing. Are the Monolith M560 relaxed and warm as well? I know they're Monoprice's cheaper planar.

 

[Old Dirty Puppy]

The M560 are a little on the warm side.

 

[buke9]

Yes I do own them. I can't compare to the 558's as I've not heard them but do own several Sennheiser's. I would not call them warm or laid back either but not bright or shrill . They are comfortable mine had a bit of clamp when I got them but with a little tweaking to the headband solved that. They are fairly flat with a bit of bass and highs rolled off just a bit. Since you mentioned Journey had to throw some on Tidal to check it out as it's been awhile since I've listened to them and even though Perry's voice can be quite strong it doesn't drown out anything else. They do not require a amp from my iPhone 6S Plus but they do respond very well to a little bit extra juice. From my MacBook Pro they get louder than I want to listen to.

 

[PurpleAngel]

AbsolutZeroGI
Have you removed the black rubber tape from inside the cups of the HD558?
Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the Xonar DGX?
Have you tried the Unified Xonar Drivers?
http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/
We can assume you have the Xonar DGX set to Headphone output, not Speaker output?

A Bravo Audio Ocean tube headphone amplifier might improve both the HD558 and K7XX headphones.

 

[serman005]

That's two votes for the 400S. They really are quite interesting. Less than 30ohm impedance. I'm pretty sure my camera could power that lol. Do you have them and would be willing to give me a little more info on the sound? I know everyone's hearing is different, but different accounts help me gauge. I love how dark and chilled out my 558s are. It's surprisingly difficult to find another pair that just likes to chill out like that.

I've come close though. The 579s are essentially a clearer version of the 558s, but the upper midrange is simply ridiculous and harsh to me (imagine listening to Journey and having the lead vocals drown out everything other than the drums, woof!). The 400S seems like a winner, though. Does it require burn in time to get everything softened up like the K701s?

Really, the most important thing is relaxing. I can wear these 558s literally from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed without any ear fatigue (maybe a little discomfort after the 12 hour mark, but even then, no headaches).

Burn in is extremely controversial, but I do believe my 400S benefited from some play time. How much? I don't know, maybe 150-200 hours or so. I just plugged them in and played music on them. For like a week or so. More open, more detailed, better extension top and bottom. Just my observations. FWIW. Others' mileage may vary, of course.

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

The M560 are a little on the warm side.

I'll take a look at those. Thank you for the recommendation! I've heard the pads are just a dream to replace. Some awesome magnetic setup kind of thing lol.

AbsolutZeroGI
Have you removed the black rubber tape from inside the cups of the HD558?
Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the Xonar DGX?
Have you tried the Unified Xonar Drivers?
http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/
We can assume you have the Xonar DGX set to Headphone output, not Speaker output?

A Bravo Audio Ocean tube headphone amplifier might improve both the HD558 and K7XX headphones.

I have done the foam mod and the Xonar DGX is working as expected. I used the 64ohm+ setting in the UI (using the Uni drivers) for the K7xx and it just didn't cut it. And yes, I plugged the front jack into the sound card all that is working as intended. I have it set to the 32-64ogm setting for my 558s and they're VERY sufficiently powered.

Burn in is extremely controversial, but I do believe my 400S benefited from some play time. How much? I don't know, maybe 150-200 hours or so. I just plugged them in and played music on them. For like a week or so. More open, more detailed, better extension top and bottom. Just my observations. FWIW. Others' mileage may vary, of course.

I saw that study of the K701 and I'm a believer in it. Even a little difference can turn "a little too harsh" into "just right" lol. Unless it's Shure. Word is they burn theirs in beforehand.

Do you use the stock pads or did you mod as well?

 

[serman005]

I'll take a look at those. Thank you for the recommendation! I've heard the pads are just a dream to replace. Some awesome magnetic setup kind of thing lol.



I have done the foam mod and the Xonar DGX is working as expected. I used the 64ohm+ setting in the UI (using the Uni drivers) for the K7xx and it just didn't cut it. And yes, I plugged the front jack into the sound card all that is working as intended.



I saw that study of the K701 and I'm a believer in it. Even a little difference can turn "a little too harsh" into "just right" lol. Unless it's Shure. Word is they burn theirs in beforehand.

Do you use the stock pads or did you mod as well?

I use the Focus A pads. I still use the stock ones at times, too. They are just uber-comfortable. It's ridiculous.

 

[turkayguner]

Grados have such a treble energy that can fry any food if you can manage to focus it properly.