[MrVinny1113]

Hey I have been looking for new headphones in the $100 range and I have narrowed down my search to the M50's and 558's.

I'm not here to ask for which one is better but for a proper comparison between the two, like how the mids on the M50 are compared to the 558 and stuff like that so I can use my judgement to determine which headphone is right for me.
 
If you want some background on me I currently use XB500's but I'm not a basshead and I listen to basically all genres excluding country and electronic but I mainly listen to hip-hop, rock, and soul and stuff like that. I could care less about sound leaking from my headphones as I do not care if people hear what I'm hearing; in fact, I want them to hear what I'm hearing.
 
If I get one of these headphones I will use it for gaming and I have heard the 558's have an excellent soundstage. 85% of the time I use headphones are for gaming but it will probably increase if I get new headphones.
 
Also I heard you can hear the pick hitting the guitar on the M50's; can the 558's do that?
 
 
And of course if you have better recommendations for headphones please point them out.

 

[PurpleAngel]

The ATH-M50 will offer a bit more bass then the HD558s, but the HD558 should be better at everything else.
The Takstar Pro 80s are good closed headphones, $75-$80.

 

[Sigfod]

I just got into the head phone world and own both of those headphones. These phones are very different from many aspects. The M50 is a closed back and I use them when traveling on planes, listening in noisy spaces, or listening to harder music (Hard Rock, Metal). The HD558 offer more neutral reproduction, and a better sense of space within the music and still have decent bass. The most major improvement I have made is the Dragonfly V1.2 DAC. I have compared it to the DAC on my 2011 Apple iMac, my 2014 Apple MBP, my Beats Audio equipped HP dV7, and my Denon 4311CI. This adds more clarity and space to the music and really opens it up compared to everything but the Denon AVR.
The major issue I was having with the M50 is that they are so good at noise suppression that I couldn't hear anything around me such as coworkers and doorbells. I have both at my disposal and I am currently listening to the HD558 in my home office.