[BigD]

I had to vote for hd580. After reading your musical preference, hd580 would cover more kinds of music than k501. Yet I'm one of few k501 fan on this forum. Even my thought process was 50:50 on this argument.

 

[chych]

I have both phones and I vote for the HD580, especially with your type of music. In fact I hardly use the k501s anymore; if anything, the Senns are more comfortable to wear.

 

[Bill Ward]

I've bought both. My preference is for the K501, which I find brighter and more forward in presentation. The Senns were less comfortable in my application. Both are fine headphones, but I'd recommend neither for rock.

BW

 

[Jose Perez]

BTW, god kills a kitten every time someone votes for the HD580's.

 

[Romanee]

After all these equally-balanced opinions, the best advice is choose a vendor with a good return policy and try them. You'll need a return policy with enough time to allow decent burn-in to make an accurate comparison. K501s in particular need a huge amount of burn-in, sounding stiff/constricted, harsh and generally awful out of the box. I used this procedure to audition a good number of phones before going back to the K501s, which not only suit my overall tastes but whose pads surround my ears with room to spare and are made of a very breathable material that's cooler than all but the no-contact K1000s.

I'll throw in just 2 cents worth, that as many times as I hear the various Senns (580/595/600/650/650+cable upgrades) I am never really satisfied with their sound. K501s do lack bass slam with most amps, though with really good burn-in and deep bass workouts provide very balanced bass, and with some amps like the latest GSP Solo produce very satisfying low-end impact and punch. PinkFloyd can wax poetic about the virtues of the 501s (especially with the upgraded Solo). I won't yak about all the ways the 501s float my boat -- hear them for yourself.

 

[Alex Altorfer]

After much auditioning between those two I've chosen the HD 580s because I've found them to be more natural sounding to my ears. However, truth be told, the K 501s did not crush my skull like a vise, which the HD 580s did for a long time (I mean many months) before gradually becoming more comfortable.

Cheers!

 

[nierika]

One man's "vice grip of death" is another man's "snug and comfy."

 

[GlowWorm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee After all these equally-balanced opinions, the best advice is choose a vendor with a good return policy and try them. You'll need a return policy with enough time to allow decent burn-in to make an accurate comparison. K501s in particular need a huge amount of burn-in, sounding stiff/constricted, harsh and generally awful out of the box.

Good point(s). For anyone who doesn't believe in burn-in, do yourself a favor and get a new K501. Listen to them out of the box, and listen to them after 300+ hours. These headphones by far change more (for the better) than any headphones I've tried.

 

[boodi]

..a good solution imho is to get and keep both for a time , if you can plan to do it and to give 'em a good amplification , then decide to drop the least appealing one

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boodi ..a good solution imho is to get and keep both for a time

Good advise ... and after that span of time when you're about to return one 5xx, don't make the mistake of reading more of them here, and thinking that well ... maybe another 3 month will complete 5xx burn in period.

 

[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jose Perez BTW, god kills a kitten every time someone votes for the HD580's.

LOL, that's just awful man.... especially since my HD580's just arrived yesterday..

 

[ReDVsion]

Personally, I'd go with... neither. I prefer the K240S for the genres you primarily listen to.

 

[Okkler]

I think if youre listening to your headphones around people or showing people your rig, you should go with the 580s. The K501s are the second nerdiest looking headphones ever topped only by the K1000s

But seriously, I dont know if listening to some classical music yields getting cans specifically engineered for classical music as the K501s are. I own a pair and they are certainly not for rockin' of any sort and to any extent. I dont know if the 580s are a good alternative, but I know the K501s wouldnt be a good choice unless most of the music you listen to is classical or jazz unless you already have headphones that rock.

 

[Risa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Altorfer However, truth be told, the K 501s did not crush my skull like a vise, which the HD 580s did for a long time (I mean many months) before gradually becoming more comfortable. Cheers!

Which makes me to mention that (being featured with "over-average" head myself) I had to bend steel headbands of HD580 slightly outward to make them actually comfy

.

On the other hand, the obscure stringy mechanism of AKG501 headband made me to dislodge the strings completely - otherwise they would not fit at all - since the strings were coming short to my ears

.

 

[Romanee]

(browser glitch -- sent 2x by accident)