[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Today I tried the 558 (and 518) at the local shop and I can say the bass was better than I expected. I even felt the physical impact of it, so the "lack of bass" issue is not really an issue. You were right.
 
Now I have to figure whether I should get a DAC and AMP or just stay with the onboard soundcard (VT2021). I'm more of a audio beginner, just like I stated already, I can hardly hear a difference between DT 990 Pro 250 ohm connected to E10/onboard soundcard. So I could just get a xonar dg and be happy with it, but I understand there is some kind of issue with the high output impendance which is not cool for 50ohm headphones. Also, do I understand it correctly that due to this impedance raise - http://cdn.head-fi.org/7/79/79218542_XB300vsHD558Impedance.jpeg I would need more likely a 300ohm amp to drive 558 correctly?
 

I've used the Xonar DG ($30) with my HD558s and it worked fine.
And the XG did sound better then the motherboard's built in audio (Asrock 785 motherboard).
The Sound Blaster Z series, Z ($90) or Zx ($132), come with a better DAC (CS4398) then the Xonar DG (CS4245).

 

[Maker]

I can have the SB Z without the red cover and microphone for 80$. Looks like that could be the right soundcard for me. Thank you for the tip. I just have to do more research on the SB Z. People are reporting lack of soundstage using the headphones out due to some headphones technology that ruins the sound actually.

 

[Maker]

After all I'am not getting the SB Z as people are reporting too many issues regarding soundstage, drivers functionality etc.
 
Now I would like to know your opinion on this, which option would you choose:
 
1) Pair the HD 558 with Xonar DG and one day (lets say in 2 years) replace it with something like Xonar DX + Shiit amp.
 
or
 
2) Get the Xonar DX right now and add Shiit amp later (in 2 years).
 
Which soundcard is better without dedicated amp? DG with lower quality DAC but with HP amplifier (10 ohm output impedance) or DX with better DAC but without amp (100 ohm output impedance)

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

After all I'am not getting the SB Z as people are reporting too many issues regarding soundstage, drivers functionality etc.
 
Now I would like to know your opinion on this, which option would you choose:
 
1) Pair the HD 558 with Xonar DG and one day (lets say in 2 years) replace it with something like Xonar DX + Shiit amp.
 
or
 
2) Get the Xonar DX right now and add Shiit amp later (in 2 years).
 
Which soundcard is better without dedicated amp? DG with lower quality DAC but with HP amplifier (10 ohm output impedance) or DX with better DAC but without amp (100 ohm output impedance)

I would say to save some cash and get the Xonar DG (or DGX), in two year there is going to be new hardware (sound cards & amp), so you could just end up replacing the Xonar DG(X) anyway.
And the lower impedance of the Xonar DG(X) should be a benefit for the bass, over the 100-Ohm impedance of the DX.
I've used a couple of DGs, fairly decent sound quality.

 

[Razzereign]

I'll echo the sentiment about using Xonar DG if you want to save some money for now.  I threw one of them in my computer when I first built it to pair with my HD 598 as a cheap way to fulfill all my needs at the time.  For $20 I got a decent headphone amp, better sound than the motherboard, and access to Dolby Surround when I needed it.  I've moved HD 598 between several computers and I was always happy to go back home and plug it back into my sound card.  It is noticeably better than just the motherboard and will hold you over until you're ready to spend $200+ on an external option like the Schiit stack.

 

[Maker]

I got the 558 and xonar dg and it trully is amazing. Thank you guys.
 
One last think I would like to know is the Xonar's settings you were using for music/movies/games?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I got the 558 and xonar dg and it trully is amazing. Thank you guys.
 
One last think I would like to know is the Xonar's settings you were using for music/movies/games?

For Audio Channel, 2-channel for music and 6-channel for movies, for games pick which ever number of channels sounds best (hopefully 6-channel)
Sample Rate, I would say to leave it at 96Khz
Audio Output set to Headphone
Set amplifier to max setting "64<", the HD558 improve when more "juice" is added.
Should not need to use the Digital Out setting.

 

[Razzereign]

Also make sure you turn off SVN, the smart volume feature.  It can lead to some sporadic and highly annoying buzzing and hissing in certain situations.

 

[dluxe27]

This is kinda off topic, but I would like to ask a question sorta similar. How would you compare the hd650s with the dt990 pros? I know the price range is different, but what would you think? I have everything to power the sennheisers. I listen to 80's rock, metal, and country.

 

[ZeNmAc]

Quote:

This is kinda off topic, but I would like to ask a question sorta similar. How would you compare the hd650s with the dt990 pros? I know the price range is different, but what would you think? I have everything to power the sennheisers. I listen to 80's rock, metal, and country.

DT990 have a lot of treble that needs to be eq'ed down (or they will get fatiguing).  From measurements I've seen both headphones have great decay, which is very important and surprisingly lacking in many expensive headphones.  (Poor decay is heard as muddiness or ringing).
 
I'd love to give my opinion on the 650s but I've never heard them.  So the rest of this is based on reviews and measurements I've read.  From what I understand the hd650s are pretty neutral out of the box.  Sometimes listeners hear a dip around 5-7khz area that creates the notorious 'veiled' sound.  Both headphones are great though.  The 650s are arguably better, but more expensive and power hungry.  Honestly, the only reason I got the 990s over the 650s was because my 990s were only 200 bucks.  Whether the extra price is worth it depends on you.

 

[NimnuL]

Vote for DT990, I own HD555, almost the same as 558. They are excellent phones, however DT990 have bigger sound - more bas so in my opinion they are better for home theater.

 

[temuhi]

I'm new to this forum and headphones in general. And this is slightly offtopic.

I just ordered 558 hd's for gaming and music and I'm a bit concerned that the bass won't have enough "impact" in explosions and such. I haven't recieved them yet but I'm thinking of cancelling the order and get the beyerdynamic 770 or 990 pro instead.

I'm going to be using the headphones with an Astro mixamp with the playstation 4. Also i plan to listen to music from my mp3 player. I listen to all kinds of music excluding rap&hip hop, electronic and dub-step. So I dont want too much bass for my music. And from what I have heard the beyerdynamic's have realy pronounced bass and highs.

Sorry for the bad english, not easy being finnish and using a smartphone

 

[LocalAudioNoob]

I'm new to this forum and headphones in general. And this is slightly offtopic.

I just ordered 558 hd's for gaming and music and I'm a bit concerned that the bass won't have enough "impact" in explosions and such. I haven't recieved them yet but I'm thinking of cancelling the order and get the beyerdynamic 770 or 990 pro instead.

I'm going to be using the headphones with an Astro mixamp with the playstation 4. Also i plan to listen to music from my mp3 player. I listen to all kinds of music excluding rap&hip hop, electronic and dub-step. So I dont want too much bass for my music. And from what I have heard the beyerdynamic's have realy pronounced bass and highs.

Sorry for the bad english, not easy being finnish and using a smartphone

Try the HD558, if you dont like it return it and get the 990 Pros.

 

[temuhi]

Thank you for the response. Unfortunetly I can't test the Sennheiser's because I can't return them for a full refund if i open the box. I'll propably return them as I don't care for the plastic band.

And I don't want to end up selling them thus loosing money. I allready ordered 990 pros from Thomann, fortunetly they accept returns even if I test the product.

Would you say the 880's are a compromise between the two? A bit more expensive though.

Anyway as i said the main priority is to get a Immersive experience with games and movies. I listen to music quite a bit too but I assume that I can't get the best of both worlds. Assuming the 880 isn't just that