I'm curious again about Sennheisers....
Dec 12, 2004 at 3:39 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9

pbirkett

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... but not the HD650's
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Actually I am curious about the HD580/600 again. I had it over a year ago now, but have not forgotton how decent it sounded even on kit that was not a patch on what I have now. I was using it on my Cambridge Audio DAC3 and my Rotel integrated was what I was using to drive them. The sound was slightly veiled back then (for a multitude of reasons to do with my kit I suspect), but overall the sound was warm and forgiving and could pass for a decent pair of speakers.

Now I have the E-MU 0404 which is much better than the DAC3 I was using, and the Headsave Classic gives a much cleaner, more detailed output than my Rotel with its zillion ohm output impedance (
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). Now I have myself wondering if the 580/600 will be a good partner for my 531, I doubt I will ever sell those and they will always have their place, but I do fancy hearing the Senn's again now that I've got some more serious kit in the line up.

Basically I would like a sound that sounds like speakers in a headphone and I've heard it said that the Senn's are good at this and that is indeed what they reminded me of when I had them. I like to hear good punchy bass and clear detailed highs that are not spitty or splashy.

Question is, with my new line up of kit, will it be able to give me this with the 580/600's? Bear in mind, I am *not* interested in the HD650's (too dull) or the 555/595, only the 580/600.

Cheers
 
Dec 12, 2004 at 3:56 PM Post #2 of 9
me too at 1st . i am a user of grado sr225. when i tried hd600 , its dark , smooth but lack spirit , forwardness , hd600 has no spirit compared to grado
 
Dec 12, 2004 at 4:32 PM Post #4 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by acs236
I'll bet that if you think the 650s are too dull, you'll feel the same way, or even more strongly, about the 580/600.


You reckon? When I had the HD650, I got the impression the HD580 had a brighter sound with a more punchy bass...
 
Dec 12, 2004 at 5:03 PM Post #5 of 9
I found the HD650 to me a great sounding phone--more detailed than the HD600 but noticably warmer, thicker, less transparent sounding at the same time. It's high end (while incredibly detailed) is also noticably laidback compared to the highs of the HD600. The HD650 is a wonderful phone (and I want to own it again, bad) but overall I found the HD600 to more versatile.

I say go for a HD580/600, you'll probably love them.
 
Dec 12, 2004 at 5:24 PM Post #6 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrickhat2001
I found the HD650 to me a great sounding phone--more detailed than the HD600 but noticably warmer, thicker, less transparent sounding at the same time. It's high end (while incredibly detailed) is also noticably laidback compared to the highs of the HD600. The HD650 is a wonderful phone (and I want to own it again, bad) but overall I found the HD600 to more versatile.

I say go for a HD580/600, you'll probably love them.



Your impressions are what I found too, definitely a thicker warmer sound with more detail, and I personally didnt like it, it sounded too lifeless for the music I listen to (trance, techno etc) even though it did sound really good for other music (female vocals, stuff like black eyed peas etc). Back when I had the HD580 i found it less laid back than i thought it would be, which is why I am still curious about it...
 
Dec 12, 2004 at 5:35 PM Post #7 of 9
Senneheiser headphones (esp hd580/600/650) makes all the short comings of a recording obvious; therefore sometimes it is the music which is life less and dull not the Sennheiser headphones.
 
Dec 12, 2004 at 5:52 PM Post #8 of 9
Hmm, if it makes badly recorded sounded stuff sound worse then I probably wouldnt be interested to be honest. Its only really an idea at the moment, so keep the thoughts coming... but bear in mind that the 531's WILL be staying no matter what, they are not a replacement...
 
Dec 12, 2004 at 6:32 PM Post #9 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by pbirkett
Basically I would like a sound that sounds like speakers in a headphone and I've heard it said that the Senn's are good at this and that is indeed what they reminded me of when I had them. I like to hear good punchy bass and clear detailed highs that are not spitty or splashy.


Haven't tried Rotel yet so I can't give real comment. Imo sound might gain more detail - but not sure about that 'veiled' definition let alone whether they will disappear. Not to say 531's bass is bad (in fact I really like how bass is voiced on 531) but to me 580's bass is noticably punchier than 531 regardless of amplification. Overall 580 will always have that classic senn speaker-like sound and compliment 531 real well.

If you like 580 with your new rig, I'm sure you'll be curious about 650 again ... as apart from their heavy bass, the details are just out of this world ... and they get the highs real right compared to 580/600.
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