[wnewport]

I recently received a pair of HD595's, and I am a little underwhelmed. Not to be misleading, these cans sound great. I can't put my finger on any one fault, they just do not sound as good as my hd580 did. I was not able to do A/B comparisons, but from memory, I enjoyed the dark warmth of the 580's.

I have used both the hd580 and the hd595 out of a pa2v2 < Sik Ram Din < 5g Ipod. I have also used the hd580 with a nicer homevibe amp (This is my favorite combo.)

My listening preferences lately have been Hip-Hop (Mos Def, A Tribe called Quest), Progressive Rock/Electric/Metal (The Prodigy, Propellerheads, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant), and Opera (Carmen, Le Nozze di Figaro, Vespri per l'Assunzione)



First I would like to point out some common held beliefs that I did not find true.

1. I prefer the build quality of the hd580 to the hd595. The hd595 may look more professional than the 580's, but in my hand the 580's feel like a more solikd pair of cans.

2. The hd595 did not sound more "upfront" than the hd580. I might have been expecting too much from them after experiencing the grado sound qualities. Overall the distant sound of each can has not been bothersome for me.

3. These sound much better with an amp than straight out of my iPod. Many people have said the 50 ohm version does not improve much with a portable or low end amp, I find this to be false. My pa2v2 brings out a richer sound with more seperation. The sound is considerably better with an amp.

Perhaps I was expecting too much. I think these cans are fantastic, but they did not "wow" me in anyway.

 

[Euripides]

Agghhh this is not want I want to hear. I guess I can pretend I did not read this post.

My pair of HD595’s were delivered to my office this morning. The day is dragging so slow because I want to get home and try them out.

 

[manhattanproj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnewport 3. These sound much better with an amp than straight out of my iPod. Many people have said the 50 ohm do not benefit with an amp, I find this to be false. My pa2v2 brings out a richer sound with more seperation.

i believe if you do a search, many HAVE SAID that 595 DO benefit from amping.

 

[padi89]

They are sweet cans ,had a listen to The Lord of the Rings soundtrack and its excellent.

 

[wnewport]

Quote:

Originally Posted by manhattanproj i believe if you do a search, many HAVE SAID that 595 DO benefit from amping.

I have read through many threads concerning this topic. Nearly everyone agrees that the 120 ohm version improves greatly with amping, but the 50 ohm version has produced varied opinions, especially with portable amps.

My intentions were to clarify that I found these sounded much better amped out of an ipod than straight from the headphone jack. It is obvious that 200+ dollar amps will make a considerable difference. I'll edit my post to make my statement more specific and understandable.

 

[kramer5150]

One thing to consider...
Youre comparing the 595 with IMHO the BEST all around headphone for the $$$ (HD580). I like my Grados and AKG for specific things due to their strengths. But if I had ot pick ONE can to do everything decently well... Movies, Gaming, Rock, new-age, Jazz, comfort, detail articulation... I'd pick the HD580 and a couple different amps depending on the kind of music.

The HD580 can dramatically change its sonic character depending on the source, amp, and music.

Honestly... I can kind of see why you'd be a little underwhelmed.

 

[dw6928]

my 595s have benefited as much or more from the addition of a Headroom Microstack as any upgrade I have ever done since joining Headfi. Even the Micro amp as a stand alone was wonderful with the 50ohm cans. But it is the Dac that makes them sing.

 

[jagorev]

Thanks for the review. Quite informative.

 

[Ice Nine]

[size=small]Not what I wanted to see, lol. I have a HD-580 powered by a Go-Vibe V4 with an 8620 op amp and was wanting to get the HD-595 for a different sound. Oh well, will just have to hope I can luck out and get the HF-1.[/size]

 

[calgary2800]

You got to burn the hell out of them. I had them and they sound just fine. I sold them because I have no time to enjoy 4 headphones unless I win the lottery and dont have to work.

 

[glac1er]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnewport 2. The hd595 did not sound more "upfront" than the hd580. I might have been expecting too much from them after experiencing the grado sound qualities. Overall the distant sound of each can has not been bothersome for me. Perhaps I was expecting too much. I think these cans are fantastic, but they did not "wow" me in anyway.

Sorry to hear that you didn't like them.
The improvement from HD580 to HD595 is not big, so it's not surprising that you are not wowed. I experienced the same thing with HD595 but they grew on me, so you might want to keep them longer

About the upfront presentation though , the HD595 really has more upfront presentation but you might have to A/B them to notice that.

I also want to defend to HD595 because they are truly great cans and IMO has better vocals than HD580. They also have thinner veil than the HD580.

Maybe you'll like the old DT880 which I think retain many of the HD595 qualities with more forward presentation.

 

[darkninja67]

The 595s benefit from an amp but do not need one to sound good or to drive to listening volumes. They are fairly comfortable, have a nicely balanced range, and are resonably priced.

 

[DevilDog]

I have the 120 ohm version and I can verify that they improve with amping. They sound better unamped than my HD-650s. They improve with a cmoy and they improve much more with an MPX3 toaster. They sound glorious with the MPX3, maybe it's just the synergy.
I like the quality of the 595s. They are very light, but if you look past that I think you'll find they are very well built.
I also think that the 595s are much more upfront than the 580s. I haven't compared them side by side, but using my 650s as a guide the 595s are way more upfront. I agree with glac1er that they do have less of a "veil" than the 580s. They're just a bit clearer. Maybe that's why they have a reputation for being grainy. I've found that I like grain!

 

[wnewport]

I agree that they are clearer, and dont' get me wrong these are excellent in terms of SQ, build quality, and comfort. I would still recommend these. I also think my setup might not be doing them justice.

Would selling my pa2v2 and getting a Headroom amp be a good idea? What would the overall improvement be?

I do plan on keeping these nevertheless.

 

[Todd S]

Sorry they are not quite what you expected Wyatt. Maybe they will grow on you, but my feelings are in line with yours. I've never heard the 580s, but if they are similar to the 600s I can understand the 580s being preferable to the 595s.

On your points:
1. build quality - I feel is solid. Did not feel quite as comfortable on the ears as the 600s or 650s, but not uncomfortable. I liked the 595 (pleather?) headband better.

2. more upfront sound - I did feel they are more in your face than the 600s, with more of a midrange bump. Voices sound great on the 595s imo. Really great for movies too. There is a bit of a grain to the mids to my ears.

3. better with an amp - Certainly better with an amp. 50 ohm version or not (see the rest of my post).

Some more thoughts, & general comparisons:

After losing my previous gear (see sig) the 595s were the first cans I picked up. I hoped they would be a great all around can without an amp, & at least hold me over for a while. Maybe perhaps even be a preferable replacement to my former main cans the Sennheiser 600s. The comments about the forward sound, & a "better for rock" can caught my interest. They do sound pretty good sans amp. However I did feel they were lacking. Especially compared to my previous gear.

I added the Aria amp/dac & the sound improved greatly. (I stated this in one of the 595 threads on here). Even so I still felt my previously owned Senn 600 provided more. Thus leading me to try the Beyer 880s, & now the Senn 650, & selling the 595s. FYI those 595s are the 50 ohm version burned in set wnewport is speaking of here. At least I expect so. So for me with amp I very much prefered my old 600s as well as the 880s over the 595s. Now the 650s & 880s are going head to head. I'm leaning toward the 650s btw.

If you are still looking for a can without amp perhaps the Audio-Technica line?
I have a set of W-1000s which sound pretty dam good without amp. Their sig is similar to the Senn 595s to my ears. Forward mid range with better highs. Maybe the ATH A900, or 700 would fit the bill?