HD-580 as opposed to HD-595

[eternal_drake]

Hey, I paln on buying a nice set of cans for my portable music and home music/gaming needs, and have to make a decision between these 2 headphones. Amazon has the HD580 for 130$, while they have the HD595 for 150$ after shipping. Is this 20$ increase worth the increase in quality between the two?

 

[Soundscape]

there have been many threads on this very subject. Do a search for 595 AND 580 in the titles of threads in this forum.
the 595 will perform much better unamped i assume.

 

[fuzydice]

search in the Headphones forum for "580 595" (without quotes) ..and you'll see quite a large number of threads on this.

EDIT: heh, beaten to the punch.

 

[hieukm]

HD 580 is more fun and need amp

HD 595 is great all round and does not need an amp

HD 580 can be potentially better with more upgrades like 650 cable and 600 grilles.

Thats what i gather from those threads

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hieukm /img/forum/go_quote.gif HD 580 is more fun and need amp HD 595 is great all round and does not need an amp HD 580 can be potentially better with more upgrades like 650 cable and 600 grilles. Thats what i gather from those threads

well...most people would say the 580 is not as fun as the 595, but that's not from first hand experience. my ms-1's definitely are more fun, but i think the 595 and the 580 are on par and the extra money won't be "worth" the difference unless you are looking for what the 595's are offering, which is an all-around sound, and in most cases, you need an amp for both to get the best out of both.

but of course i suggest the 580's because i have them and after auditioning the 595's, i thought it was best to keep my 580's. the 580's are a GREAT pair of headphones, and aren't "boring" like some haters like to call it. a pair of headphones can't be boring unless you listen to boring music, and most often, i don't think the music you listen to is boring or else you wouldn't be listening to it! so ignore all those "boring" statements

just get the 580s!!! just my .02. oh yeah you can upgrade the grills and cable later as well. HD650 cable to tighten up the bass, which is already good enough, which i think is better than the 595's when i auditioned them, and the HD600 grills to open up the sound more.

 

[t4t3r]

I have both the 580s and 595s and what people have said here is pretty much on point. the 595 is a great all around phone that has a very fun and punchy sound. the 580s are very smooth, airy, and laid-back (read: not boring). i think the 580s sound better when comparing the two though, but it is my preference. as for comfort, i would say that my 580s are not fully broken in so they still have a bit of a tight grip, but the 595s are amazingly comfortable. try them out and keep the one you like, or keep both of them.

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by t4t3r /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have both the 580s and 595s and what people have said here is pretty much on point. the 595 is a great all around phone that has a very fun and punchy sound. the 580s are very smooth, airy, and laid-back (read: not boring). i think the 580s sound better when comparing the two though, but it is my preference. as for comfort, i would say that my 580s are not fully broken in so they still have a bit of a tight grip, but the 595s are amazingly comfortable. try them out and keep the one you like, or keep both of them.

x2

 

[penguindude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souperman /img/forum/go_quote.gif well...most people would say the 580 is not as fun as the 595, but that's not from first hand experience. my ms-1's definitely are more fun, but i think the 595 and the 580 are on par and the extra money won't be "worth" the difference unless you are looking for what the 595's are offering, which is an all-around sound, and in most cases, you need an amp for both to get the best out of both. but of course i suggest the 580's because i have them and after auditioning the 595's, i thought it was best to keep my 580's. the 580's are a GREAT pair of headphones, and aren't "boring" like some haters like to call it. a pair of headphones can't be boring unless you listen to boring music, and most often, i don't think the music you listen to is boring or else you wouldn't be listening to it! so ignore all those "boring" statements just get the 580s!!! just my .02. oh yeah you can upgrade the grills and cable later as well. HD650 cable to tighten up the bass, which is already good enough, which i think is better than the 595's when i auditioned them, and the HD600 grills to open up the sound more.

I'd imagine those statements were directed at me?

I own both the hd595 and the hd580 (with hd650 cable mod). HD595 carries a more forward sound than the hd580, and the hd580 has a more laid-back and full sound with a more presence of bass. However, if you use the hd580 to play rock, believe me, it will make ur rock music sound boring. RELATIVELY speaking, the hd595 does better at rock as it carries a more forward sound and it makes a great all rounder. Comfort wise, both are very comfortable, but since the 580 is heavier than the 595, the point will have to be given to the 595.
Both headphones have their "weaknesses" or you might call them "strength." The HD595 is much more revealing than the 580, thus any bad recording/source will show up through the 595. The 580 on the other hand, is less revealing, but will not achieve full potential if unamped.

So, take your pick. And no souperman, my music are NOT boring.

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penguindude /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd imagine those statements were directed at me? I own both the hd595 and the hd580 (with hd650 cable mod). HD595 carries a more forward sound than the hd580, and the hd580 has a more laid-back and full sound with a more presence of bass. However, if you use the hd580 to play rock, believe me, it will make ur rock music sound boring. RELATIVELY speaking, the hd595 does better at rock as it carries a more forward sound and it makes a great all rounder. Comfort wise, both are very comfortable, but since the 580 is heavier than the 595, the point will have to be given to the 595. Both headphones have their "weaknesses" or you might call them "strength." The HD595 is much more revealing than the 580, thus any bad recording/source will show up through the 595. The 580 on the other hand, is less revealing, but will not achieve full potential if unamped. So, take your pick. And no souperman, my music are NOT boring.

haha no. it was not directed at you. i was getting tired of seeing the hd580's being called boring. you aren't the only one who calls it boring...you aren't the center of the universe you know!

and....i listen to primarily rock. the 580's do NOT make my rock sound boring. in fact it is just another presentation of my rock music than my ms-1's. it wasn't like the 595's made it that much more exciting. but i do agree with you on your other points of both these cans. but i must say that the 595's are an all-arounder, and just an all-rounder. nothing spectacular about it, as for the 580's, it does classical VERY well, so if you are a classical listener like i am as well, go for the 580's! if you just want an all-rounder go with the 595's.

 

[penguindude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souperman /img/forum/go_quote.gif haha no. it was not directed at you. i was getting tired of seeing the hd580's being called boring. you aren't the only one who calls it boring...you aren't the center of the universe you know!

I'm not? DAMN, i thought I was special.

 

[mcmyers]

I went for the 595s a few weeks back, and I've been very happy with them, but whenever anyone says that the 580s are "true audiophile sound, as long as they're amped well" I wonder if I made the right choice. It seems that everyone agrees 595s are better unamped, but what happens to a 580 when it is amped that makes it so great?

And for those who think they're too laid back, could you describe exactly what kinds of rock sound less exciting on the 580s? Is it just that hard hitting electric guitars don't hit as hard?

Just curious, and it might help the OP make a decision.

 

[penguindude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcmyers /img/forum/go_quote.gif I went for the 595s a few weeks back, and I've been very happy with them, but whenever anyone says that the 580s are "true audiophile sound, as long as they're amped well" I wonder if I made the right choice. It seems that everyone agrees 595s are better unamped, but what happens to a 580 when it is amped that makes it so great? And for those who think they're too laid back, could you describe exactly what kinds of rock sound less exciting on the 580s? Is it just that hard hitting electric guitars don't hit as hard? Just curious, and it might help the OP make a decision.

Nothing is "true audiophile sound." It all depends on your taste. I just listened to Billy Joel's We didnt start the Fire through the HD580 and the HD595. Yep, definitely the 580 made it sound boring and non-energized. The music lost the intimacy and impact that it had on the 595.

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcmyers /img/forum/go_quote.gif I went for the 595s a few weeks back, and I've been very happy with them, but whenever anyone says that the 580s are "true audiophile sound, as long as they're amped well" I wonder if I made the right choice. It seems that everyone agrees 595s are better unamped, but what happens to a 580 when it is amped that makes it so great? And for those who think they're too laid back, could you describe exactly what kinds of rock sound less exciting on the 580s? Is it just that hard hitting electric guitars don't hit as hard? Just curious, and it might help the OP make a decision.

haha...i guess i'll have to give you a different answer than penguindude again, but you don't have to worry about the 580's. i really can't tell that much of a difference between amped 580 and unamped 580 unless using a VERY expensive amp. i don't really see the justification for spending THAT much for an amp, but then again, i am one of those music lovers, and not all about my gear. i just use a C&C box portable amp to drive my gear. i don't need to spend so much money for subtle differences, but other people like those subtleties. penguindude does have a point that the 595's are more in your face and good for rock, but i say that it still has the sennheiser house sound; i mean it IS a sennheiser. it just deviates from the house sound more than the others (which generally is a dark, laid-back sound). it's not THAT different from the 580's that most make it out to be. now if you compared Grado's and sennheiser, THAT is a different sound.

keep with your 595's, i'm sure you won't be HAPPIER with the 580's. you're expectations are too high, i can already tell, for the 580's and you'll ruin yourself trying to decide if the 595's are good or not. why don't you listen to the 595's! if you like them, keep them, if you don't, sell them and get the 580's! i say you should go by looks alone in this case

. the 595's definitely look a lot better than the 580's! (but then again, i love how my 580's look as well) hope that helps!

P.S. i was in the same predicament as you, but in the opposite. i have a pair of 580's, and i kept hearing all about how good the 595's were, and how different they are from the 580's, and how good they were at rock and how they are so much better than the "boring" 580's and blahblahblah (hype is what i call it, of course there is for any phone including the 580's). i auditioned it out from a friend, and it confirmed everything to me. the 595's are not that different, and in fact not to my taste since my ms-1's make rock sound more exciting than the 595's and the 580's have a nice dark sound i love to listen to. the 595's were just a betweener (closer to the sennheiser) that i didn't need to stress myself over. i urge you to try and find a pair to audition and make your own decision! it might be different from mine of course! mi casa may not be su casa

 

[Garfing Sharks]

Rock sounding bad on the HD580's? I'm selling my MS-1's because my HD580's get all the listening time.

 

[mcmyers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garfing Sharks /img/forum/go_quote.gif Rock sounding bad on the HD580's? I'm selling my MS-1's because my HD580's get all the listening time.

I guess that's why I wonder what people mean when they are saying "rock" is boring on 580s, or that it only really sounds good on Grados. Do they mean Metallica? Morbid Death? Sonic Youth? Radiohead? Rolling Stones? Elvis? I mean, there's a lot of different kinds of rock.