[Anarion]

I've managed to get a prefect clamping force. Also the pads have started to deform according to my facial features (and glasses) so it gets more comfortable.

It feels like the less they clamp, the wider the sounds stage.

 

[turbomustang84]

579/599 dont sit on my ear lobes but 58X do, which makes the higher clamping force an even bigger issue for me. The force will decrease over time after stretching but the ear pads are not getting any bigger...

I measured the ear pad hole sizes and there seems to be a big difference.
Sennheiser HD579/599:
41mm (inside width)
70mm (inside height)

Sennheiser HD58X:
35mm (inside width)
60mm (inside height)
22mm (inside depth)

From what I gather 6' series are almost same size as 598/599/579. Do HD6XX/6' series ear pads fit perfectly on 58X? I have measured the ear frame size of 58X is 111mm (where the ear pad goes) and ear pad external height is 104mm (picture attached). Can anyone please take their 6' series ear pads out and measure them ?

the ones on all of the 6series are the same and I have a rather large head and ears and all fit me easily and I've heard many having a problem with clamp pressure when New but it personally never bothered me but there are many after market pads you might like better

 

[Qualcheduno]

As an EU buyer I'd like to ask Sennheiser: why? Why would they make this awesome pair of cans and then sell it only to Massdrop, making us pay shipping and custom fees for something which was manufactured in the EU? I know that selling batches to a big buyer like Massdrop is less risky than retailing, but on the other hand, since Massdrop isn't a no-profit organization, it surely pays Sennheiser less than 150$ or 130€ per headphone. So, Senns could sell the 58X in the EU for 160-170€ (185-200$), and we'll be still paying a bit less while they'd have a bigger margin.

 

[MrGoat]

They came in a day early!

First impressions: Im shocked at how similar they sound to the HD650. Ive been listening to my "test" songs all day with my freshly padded and cleaned HD650. And to my surprise the HD58X showed up in the middle of my listening session. So this should be a pretty fair comparison. I am no professional, but I know what to listen for.

At first listen I was simply impressed by the amazing sound for the price. Pretty insane. I spent almost $500 on my HD650 many years ago. These are everything the HD650 is and a bit more it seems.

Turning up the volume a bit really shows the difference in these headphones. This bass is something else. I am really enjoying this. The HD650 midhump is gone in the HD58x and damn that sub bass, it is fantastic. These headphones love tubes as well. They are running at pretty much the same spot on the volume dial as my HD650 using the Valhalla 2. These are much more "energetic" and move more air along the entire frequency spectrum evenly in comparison to the 650. The HD58x is more neutral I would say because of this, and certainly has a bit more sub-bass and less mid-bass in comparison to the 650. Because of this though, these may become fatiguing listening at loud volumes for an extended period of time. Where the HD650 can be turned up very loud with no even a hint of fatigue, but I am sensitive to high frequencies. The highs are not shrill, they are pleasant, just louder than I am use to, I suppose. They are very good headphones, and once again just more "energetic" than the HD650.

Two big differences are the clamping force. There is much more clamp than the HD650, but my 650's are pretty old now. And the cable that came with the HD58x is "meh". I ordered a replacement HD650 cable in preparation of the HD58x arriving, so I immediately swapped cables before listening.

First impressions are very good so far!

 

[Anarion]

As an EU buyer I'd like to ask Sennheiser: why? Why would they make this awesome pair of cans and then sell it only to Massdrop, making us pay shipping and custom fees for something which was manufactured in the EU? I know that selling batches to a big buyer like Massdrop is less risky than retailing, but on the other hand, since Massdrop isn't a no-profit organization, it surely pays Sennheiser less than 150$ or 130€ per headphone. So, Senns could sell the 58X in the EU for 160-170€ (185-200$), and we'll be still paying a bit less while they'd have a bigger margin.

Eh? Shipping and taxes included I paid ~175 €. There isn't any customs fees, just the normal tax (24% in my case).

 

[Qualcheduno]

Eh? Shipping and taxes included I paid ~175 €. There isn't any customs fees, just the normal tax (24% in my case).

Well, I had to pay 7,50€ of dispatching costs (not custom fees, I got that mixed up, sorry) on top of VAT, and ended up paying 180€. Still, is not a ton of money, is more of a symbolic matter.

 

[peter123]

Well, I had to pay 7,50€ of dispatching costs (not custom fees, I got that mixed up, sorry) on top of VAT, and ended up paying 180€. Still, is not a ton of money, is more of a symbolic matter.

You do realize that you'll have to pay VAT in the EU as well right?

I don't think it's realistic for Sennheiser to be willing to make less money for us poor European to save a Euro or two. Not to mention the fact that these are exclusive to MD, I'm actually more surprised (but happy) that Sennheiser even accepted European shipping on this drop at all (once again probably only because they're MD exclusive).

 

[Anarion]

You do realize that you'll have to pay VAT in the EU as well right?

I don't think it's realistic for Sennheiser to be willing to make less money for us poor European to save a Euro or two. Not to mention the fact that these are exclusive to MD, I'm actually more surprised (but happy) that Sennheiser even accepted European shipping on this drop at all (once again probably only because they're MD exclusive).

Also as long as € is stronger than $, this might be a better way anyway.

 

[DrKrFfXx]

I paid 138,82€ total, shipped to my door in Spain.

 

[Qualcheduno]

I paid 138,82€ total, shipped to my door in Spain.

So, basically you paid only for shipping?

 

[DrKrFfXx]

So, basically you paid only for shipping?

I was surprised too.

150$ + 15$ shipping = 140€ ish

There was a tax document attached to the box, but no extra money was taken from my account, and no ammount was disclosed on said document. I think they just cleared customs.

I recently imported something from Japan, and I paid only for the item. Weird.

 

[J The Killer]

I just took a hearing test and apparently I cannot tell difference between 128, 320 and lossless audio. Kudos to guys who can do so. I should better stick with my more comfortable and slightly cheaper 599 rather than 58X because I cannot tell the difference..

 

[MrGoat]

The tonality of these headphones remind me a lot of my JBL-LSR305 monitors. But maybe a touch more in the very highs and lows. Just shows how balanced and neutral these headphones really are. Although some times I find myself missing that meaty and juicy mids the 650 creates. But in terms of neutrality, the 58x is clearly the winner.

 

[J The Killer]

The only thing that bothers me in choosing 599 over 58X is that 58X is already established by the audio community to have better sound quality than 599s and even though I cannot hear the difference between them I think I will always feel that I am missing out on some details with the 599s.

 

[elira]

I just took a hearing test and apparently I cannot tell difference between 128, 320 and lossless audio. Kudos to guys who can do so. I should better stick with my more comfortable and slightly cheaper 599 rather than 58X because I cannot tell the difference..

If it was one of those online tests I would doubt the results. Also if it was done in your system it can be that your system is not resolving enough to hear the differences. In my experience unless your system is really high end the difference is small between lossy and lossless formats, also most of the music sounds fine in MP3 (That was the objective of MP3 after all). There are songs where I hear no difference at all, in some it's just small pieces that sound weird in mp3, and with some songs it's really evident the difference. Anyway, if you can try with something very resolving and see if you can hear the difference.