HD 580 or HD 590?

[rebus]

What are the differences between Sennheiser Hd580 and 590? They are sold at the same price so what else? Thanks

 

[Kirosia]

"The HD580 is said to scale better w/ source, cable, and amp upgrades. The HD590 is good if you don't plan on amping." This was what was normally answered whenever this question was asked, back when they wrere both head-to-head. I have no first-hand experience though.

Also, you can get a used pair of HD580 for as little as $110.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

HI: The 580 need a good amp but the 590 can use just about any amp. The 580 are the sennheiser laid back sound but the 590 are more forward than the 580.

The 590 are the most comfortable headphones ever. Also the 590 has great bass.

The 580 has two wires but the 590 has only one wire on the left side. The one wire is a lot better to deal with IMO.

With high end amp plus source the 580 sound great but the 590 can be used with just about any source and amp.

I use the 590 out of my stereo receiver and also use a minidisc deck and get great sound out of them.

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LTUCCI1924 HI: The 580 need a good amp but the 590 can use just about any amp. The 580 are the sennheiser laid back sound but the 590 are more forward than the 580.

Actually, you can use the HD580's with pretty much any amp. I've gone from using a Cmoy to a PPA with mine, and I've always been happy with the sound. They scale so well with amp, source, and cable upgrades that I think that fact alone makes them worth getting over the 590's.

Also, try replacing the foam covering the driver (underneath the ear pads) with some nylon stocking. I just did this about 30 minutes ago and enjoying some unveiled Dave Brubeck

 

[rincewind]

I wouldn't get the 590s. I'm about to ditch them.

To the person who said "they have great bass" - you need to qualify the statement. I run mine out of a NAD amp and the bass is sludgy and the treble grating. I get fatigued listening to them.
There are cheaper headphones that are actually trying to achieve the sound the 590's are aimed at, and they do it better, out of cheaper amps/sources. E.g. any Grado. The Senn's, by nature, usually don't have the "more treble/bass" thing going on, usually a lot more neutral.

Note: I have only heard the Senn 497's, 590's Sony EX71's, Koss Porta Pro, and read stuff on here. Trust your own ears as the final word, but only if you've compared! IE, don't take my word for granted

*checks the mail* Where are my freakin' 650's

\

 

[Eagle_Driver]

You've heard me correctly.

Don't get the HD590.

I had a pair, and I could never quite get into its sound balance or quality. It sounded kinda wonky to my ears, with its peaky overtight bass and overbright shrill treble - and both the bordering-on-uncontrolled bass and the rather ear-grinding treble stood out because they tended to muck up what little midrange that they delivered.

 

[bigshot]

I can't speak for the 580, but I have the 590s and they are the flattest, most natural sounding headphones I've ever heard. If you want a headphone with "mega bass" or "goosed treble" you won't like them much. But if you are looking for accuracy, they are great.

See ya
Steve

 

[roadtonowhere08]

Like I have said many times before, I love mine. I have never heard any headphones that are "better" than them (HD-580-650, Alessandro/Grados, etc.), but ingnorance is bliss

They sound fine to me, but I am of the Klipsch type, I love fun sounding music.

 

[juni0r]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot I can't speak for the 580, but I have the 590s and they are the flattest, most natural sounding headphones I've ever heard. If you want a headphone with "mega bass" or "goosed treble" you won't like them much. But if you are looking for accuracy, they are great. See ya Steve

Personally, I think the headphones lean towards mega bass with treble more prominent than midrange; wouldn't exactly call it flat.

 

[catscratch]

This is not the forum to ask about the 590's - they're usually disliked here. Actually, even as a 590 owner, I can see why - there are better choices for the money, IMO, like the 595, and yes, the 580, although the 580 is actually more expensive by a good margin since proper amplification is a must if you want them to sound good, and you'll have to factor that into the price.

The 590's aren't a versatile set. They do trance/electronica quite well with their strong bass and sharp treble, but rock sounds worse - the recessed mids make vocals sound weak, and the over-bright treble amplifies distortion more than it should. Classical is a mixed bag - piano and acoustic guitars sound very good, but vocals are flat, and orchestral music will be unbalanced, with treblier, brassier instruments standing out uncharacteristically.

Having said that, I should like to point out that the 590's are still a good headphone, even in the genres which they don't supposedly do well in. They're extremely comfortable, and yes, with equalization, you can - to some extent - compensate for their problems.

As an alternative to the 580/590, take a look at the 595, and the Audio-Technica ATH-A900, which is a very good sounding, closed, easy-to-drive headphone. For a little more, the Beyerdynamic DT880 is said to be halfway between the laid-back 580/6X0 sound and the more aggressive, Grado sound.

 

[bifcake]

I've heard both the 580s and the 590s and I did a side by side comparison. I think the 590's are very good phones. However, the 580's are more refined and they do scale better as your supporting equipment improves. The 590s are brighter and have more of that "wow", "fun" sound to them, which is exciting at first, but when compared to the 580's it falls short. The 580's are more laid back, darker, with a more even sound across the audio band. The 580s won't offend with cheaper electronics, but they need really good stuff to come alive. If you're using cheaper electronics or are not willing to get an amp, then 590's are a very, very good choice. However, if you're planning on doing some serious listening and are willing to fork up the cash in the future for various upgrades, teh 580's are the way to go.

I think the 590s are very good phones. I think they main reason they're not liked here is because they were priced similarly to the 580s and the 600s. As such, they weren't in the same league. However, if the 590s were priced in the $80-$100 range, they would have been THE best value in headphones bar none!

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by juni0r Personally, I think the headphones lean towards mega bass with treble more prominent than midrange; wouldn't exactly call it flat.

I've done a lot of work mastering and equalizing recordings for CD release using these cans. They give me an accurate idea of what the music will sound like through good speakers. I haven't found that with any other cans I've tried. I tried quite a few different brands and models of headphones, comparing their sound to the sound of my stereo with balanced level A/B testing. The HD-590s were the best at that.

If they had boosts at the ends, my mastering would sound midrange heavy, but that isn't what I've found at all. In fact, the bass is the most accurate part of these headphones. It's very easy to get fooled into coming up with a huge boomy sound by cans that swallow the bass up at louder volumes. The HD-590s let me find that narrow range of perfection between "boomy" and "too thin".

As I've said though, if you prefer a little psycho-acoustic bump in one frequency or another, these cans will sound bland to you.

See ya
Steve

 

[rebus]

Thanks a lot for the answers, really. I actually prefer open cans: I already tried the 595 but I'd like a more laid-back sounding headphone. I'm definitely planning to buy a dedicated headphone amp, so I think I will take the 580s.

 

[acs236]

I owned the 580 and 590 at the same time, but it was a while ago. They are actually fairly similar sounding to my ears, but there are differences. Overall, I preferred the 580s. And I think it's true that you can get away without decent amplification with the 590s, but not so much with the 580s.

The 590s are a touch brighter and slight more forward sounding. If I remember correctly, I thought the 580s were warmer and more lush sounding.

I would rank Senn's top-shelf dynamic line as follows:

595 < 590 < 580/600 < 650

 

[3lusiv3]

I prefer the HD 555 to the HD 590. The HD 555 have a more balanced, natural sound.