[Anarion]

Mids is nice on the HD650, but I find speed is more important with more treble. If we can get HD650 mids with much faster response, it would be interesting.

Aye. That would be close to perfection. Maybe a bit touch wider soundstage in the mix too (though, can't really complain about HD 58X or HD 6XX soundstage).

 

[BobSmith8901]

Hey I did the mod and it was very easy to do.

How is the sound?
The headphones are less warm now and the bass extension feels nicer.
The sound is more airy and feels more fresh! Because the muddiness got reduced.
Also the treble is a bit more pronounced and still far from fatiguing.

I definitely recommend the mod, because it is very easy to do.
In addition to that, the sound quality improves for like 7-9%.

How to do it?
1. Buy a black 1mm soft felt from your local store. Black because it fits the color scheme and soft for more air.
2. Cut the felt, luckily the diameter of the driver is exactly like a 5 cent coin (Im from Germany).
3. Cut the double sided tape into little pieces and apply them on the driver. I used four pieces on each driver.
4. Smash your felt onto the driver and profit.

The end product should look like this:



Edit:
The bass boost on the fiio e10k is a WAY BETTER with this mod.
Stock 58x with fiio bass boost was horrible, the bass was too much and muddy.
Sound stage feels more closed.
After mod:
The bass boost feels just right now. Not muddy and sound stage is preserved.
Sound quality increased to 12% instead of 7-9% like before^^

EDIT AGAIN:
i changed my mind, its freakin 20% now. Its like another world.

You did a great job, looks fantastic! I agree, the mod does improve the sound. Down the road you'll have to try a balanced cable if you have any balanced sources.

 

[500344]

You did a great job, looks fantastic! I agree, the mod does improve the sound. Down the road you'll have to try a balanced cable if you have any balanced sources.

Hey bob, I have no idea what balanced sources are and what balanced cables are for.
My setup right now is PC Z170-A Mainboard -> Fiio E10k -> HD 58x. Im thinking about upgrading, but I hesitate because the audio world is very big for me.
Do you use custom ear pads too? And which one would improve the sound for the modded 58x?

 

[BobSmith8901]

Hey bob, I have no idea what balanced sources are and what balanced cables are for.
My setup right now is PC Z170-A Mainboard -> Fiio E10k -> HD 58x. Im thinking about upgrading, but I hesitate because the audio world is very big for me.
Do you use custom ear pads too? And which one would improve the sound for the modded 58x?

I'm just using the stock ear pads, no plan on changing for now as they seem OK.

My balanced sources are a FiiO X5III DAP using its 2.5mm balanced output and a FiiO Q1 MkII which also has a 2.5mm balanced output. I still haven't unboxed my Q1 MkII yet but I'm hoping I can get a good, short USB Micro B to Micro B OTG cable in order to utilize its DAC and balanced headphone output. I just think balanced really opens these phones up to their full potential but, yeah, you gotta be prudent financially!

If you're using motherboard to outboard DAC/Amp as you are, you'll find, down the road, that you might want diversify a bit with a portable player such as a FiiO or Onkyo, etc., or other amps/DACs such as Schitt Magni and Modi, or a moderately priced tube amp, etc., it's endless!

 

[spacequeen7]

Some say that cables matter, others say they don't. If you just have a regular single ended connection DAP/Phone/amp I would just stay with what you have for now. If you want to experiment there are countless aftermarket single ended or balanced cables out there. In my case, as I have a couple of 2.5mm balanced items, I bought a balanced cable off of Amazon and I do think it has truly improved the sound of these cans. The problem with my particular cable is that its ear cup pins are slightly too large for my 58X and the fit is very very snug and doesn't quite seem right. Anyway it does work.

Dsnuts in a previous post said that he just got a balanced cable off of ebay that he really likes. It looks like they also sell the cable in single ended (3.5mm) and other permutations.

Here's the link:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/XLR-3-5-2-5-16-Cores-Headphone-Cable-For-Sennheiser-HD25-1-SP-HD580-HD650-HD600/222948192204?hash=item33e8bf6fccm8offLBmxSmfa1Mo0VTYpIw&var=521760375102

He says the pins fit perfectly.

Anyway, good luck, it's a great headphone to try out different things with!

I have this cable incoming and was wondering if you know where I can get adapter or extension so I can use this cable with SE gear
cable is 2.5mm balanced (I also own Fiio Q1 MK2 )
Thank you

EDIT; NVM just picked up ext. from fellow HeadFier

 

[Anarion]

Ordered Sennheiser 050635 pads and Sennheiser 049789 foam discs. I'm going to replace foam discs on HD 6XX and HD 58X. The ones on HD 58X had cuts caused by the pads or something. The stock pads on HD 58X are definitely not as nice as on HD 6XX. Harder and somewhat feel lower quality. The shape feels a bit different and my right ear doesn't like 'em. I hope the replacement pads fixes this (and they likely do). Sound wise they do seem to be about the same.

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

nid question .

How do you pop off the outside grill? Seems like an easy enough mod to try, if don't like it, seems easily reversible.

What about the double sided tape? I own some Scotch double sided tape, when you say 4 strips, just like 4 tiny strips the size say the thickness of a small coin? and those 4 strips spaced out evenly within the black circle itself?

 

[500344]

Pop outside grill:
And when you see the driver you will understand how to apply the double sided tape.
Like you said, just spread the pieces evenly on the surface. I like to have 1 small piece at the top, bottom, left and right.
I just cut the pieces in little squares. For the size you will understand immediately once you saw the driver.

 

[Mhog55]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/XLR-3-5-2-5-16-Cores-Headphone-Cable-For-Sennheiser-HD25-1-SP-HD580-HD650-HD600/222948192204?hash=item33e8bf6fccm8offLBmxSmfa1Mo0VTYpIw&var=521760375102

I would get yourselves a nice upgrade on your cable. I am positive these cables are from a lunshops.com vendor. The packaging was from Lunashops. These are actually cheaper on ebay. I would snag em before they realize they are selling them for too cheap. Lol. These cables are a clear upgrade to the stock cable. HD58x sound amazing balanced.

Hey, it's me again lol. Can you tell me how long this cable is please? Also, I'm looking at the 3.5mm single ended cable. Do you think this is a worthy upgrade over the stock 58x cable? I might get the balanced 2.5 cable as well. There is another similar cable on ebay but it's only 4 core, where as this cable is 16 core. I know nothing about cables, or how the core number works. One last question. Is this cable less cumbersome than the stock 58x cable? Much appreciated

 

[Ameloblast]

For those who find the sound too boomy and lack of detail like I did, taking the foam out from the grill made a whole world of a difference! Its now airy and has a wider soundstage with a slight loss in base response. An overall better defined sound in my opinion. The mod is reversible and takes 2 minutes.

 

[Ameloblast]

Hey I did the mod and it was very easy to do.

How is the sound?
The headphones are less warm now and the bass extension feels nicer.
The sound is more airy and feels more fresh! Because the muddiness got reduced.
Also the treble is a bit more pronounced and still far from fatiguing.

I definitely recommend the mod, because it is very easy to do.
In addition to that, the sound quality improves for like 7-9%.

How to do it?
1. Buy a black 1mm soft felt from your local store. Black because it fits the color scheme and soft for more air.
2. Cut the felt, luckily the diameter of the driver is exactly like a 5 cent coin (Im from Germany).
3. Cut the double sided tape into little pieces and apply them on the driver. I used four pieces on each driver.
4. Smash your felt onto the driver and profit.

The end product should look like this:



Edit:
The bass boost on the fiio e10k is a WAY BETTER with this mod.
Stock 58x with fiio bass boost was horrible, the bass was too much and muddy.
Sound stage feels more closed.
After mod:
The bass boost feels just right now. Not muddy and sound stage is preserved.
Sound quality increased to 12% instead of 7-9% like before^^

EDIT AGAIN:
i changed my mind, its freakin 20% now. Its like another world.

I removed the foam and loved the new more open sound signature but was wondering why people are putting the felt around the metal part for?

 

[RandomDave]

I removed the foam and loved the new more open sound signature but was wondering why people are putting the felt around the metal part for?

for additional dampening and to protect the diaphragm from dust

 

[Ameloblast]

for additional dampening and to protect the diaphragm from dust

Why do you need dampening?

 

[Charente]

My 58X headphones, ordered on the 21st Aug, arrived CDG Paris yesterday and in my letterbox in SW France this morning ... that's outstanding! And, what's more, I haven't been asked to pay any import duty or VAT. I sense a music session is on the cards later this evening.

 

[Anarion]

I removed the foam and loved the new more open sound signature [...]

It's good to keep in mind that the foam actually does protect the driver from all kinds of dust and other stuff. If you remove it then there's nothing to protect it. I'm still rather sceptical about removing it making a huge difference. After all, there's quite a bit of air between the foam and the back of the driver. It's very similar to the foam that is used to protect the driver inside the ear cup. I'll definitely be keeping the foam in place.