[Mouseman]

The 58x is on sale on MassDrop right now for $150. I think that's $20 off, if anyone needed a nudge to make a purchase. They're still my favorite headphone and I listen to them all the time.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

I just scooped a pair of these up! should arrive just after thanksgiving, $140 with drop sale right now (new account), and i got another $20 off with a paypal credit card offer! at $128 after taxes, can’t pass them up at that price

can’t wait to see what these sound like on my WA5, see how well they scale up and compare to hd 600 / 650. i was going to buy 6xx but wanted something different since I already have owned those many times in past, also the glossy black finish is nice, will match the aesthetics of my HE-6. if i end up not liking them i can always upgrade. that said, buying these for comfort rather than endgame level sound.

 

[kman1211]

I’m actually considering picking one of these up. Have the HD 560 S but it’s honestly a bit too bright and lean for my tastes. I had issues with the upper mids on the HD 6XX I had. The HD 660 S I loved but fatigued me in a strange way, it’s like a food I love but I’m allergic to it type thing for me. I do recall the HD 600 working out though interestingly enough despite the HD 650/6XX not. I’m basically zoning in on the HD 58X or the HD 600 for my Sennheiser and likely going to sell my HD 560 S.

 

[Ichos]

The 58x is the most easy going of all.
I think that you are going to love it.
Just don't expect HD6... level of refinement.

 

[kman1211]

The 58x is the most easy going of all.
I think that you are going to love it.
Just don't expect HD6... level of refinement.

Good to know, I'm not worried about it's sound signature, how far off the HD 600/650/660 S level of refinement and resolution are we talking? Is it a large difference or more of a moderate difference?

 

[Ichos]

I would say moderate.
It is an excellent performer with sound signature almost identical to that of the 660 plus some extra bass but not as defined or crystal clear sounding.
The 660 sounds more polished compared to the more raw 58x.

 

[Tuneslover]

I have loved the HD58X since it came out. My wife loves it as well so I bought her a pair. I have owned the HD650 for over 5 years and l enjoy it as well but I find it an be somewhat boring compared to the 58X.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Good to know, I'm not worried about it's sound signature, how far off the HD 600/650/660 S level of refinement and resolution are we talking? Is it a large difference or more of a moderate difference?

I would say moderate.
It is an excellent performer with sound signature almost identical to that of the 660 plus some extra bass but not as defined or crystal clear sounding.
The 660 sounds more polished compared to the more raw 58x.

I have loved the HD58X since it came out. My wife loves it as well so I bought her a pair. I have owned the HD650 for over 5 years and l enjoy it as well but I find it an be somewhat boring compared to the 58X.

yes!! agreed!

its been a day or two still burning these in, but I feel like I’ve heard enough to write up a review of sorts with my opinions on them below:

My Small HD 58X review! - my first impressions

Just got my HD58X, wanted to check these out as I needed a more comfortable headphone to have around for when I don’t want to use my HE-6. I didn’t want to buy something too expensive though because I don’t use headphones nearly as much as I used to and I have speakers.

So the overall headphones feel of the same quality as the other hd 58x/6xx and its obviously of the same family. their sound is very similar to HD 600 / 650 in terms of how the drivers are voiced, even though these are supposed to be different. For the price, they are an absolute steal, they should be $300 like the other HDxxx, or at least $220-250. The quality feels a little less but not by much, mainly just the finish on the paint and the shorter cable, no issue as the rest of the headphone is the same exact thing, cups, pads, grille, headband, etc.


Now for the sound. This is with zero burn in fresh out of the box, I can imagine they will tighten up somewhat and smoothen out.

System is WA5 fully maxed out (with WE300B) or GSX (I prefer WA5 here by a small margin) >> Mytek Brooklyn+ with LPSU >> PC

Most important, transparency.

These are just as grain free, black background, smooth, and transparent as the HD / 650. This clarity and smoothness really makes these a joy to listen to, there is no grain anywhere, and even with poor recordings the music comes through very cleanly. The most important quality in the sound and the reason these are true audiophile headphones and have been held in such high regard over the years, a winner for Sennheiser and a reference in the mid-fi tier of headphones.

speed and decay - Wow! These are fast, very responsive and really good drivers that are able to resolve quite well given their price and their relative placement in the HD 600/650 lineup. Maybe its their dynamic / treble energy but they feel a little faster at times, though at the end they sound almost same, like they were made to be slower than they could be in order to match overall decay and feel of the Hd 600 / 650, very very similar. Faster relative to hd 600 / 650 but still not as fast as like flagship headphones, these are still very much in line with the other Senns in this level.

Treble - this is the biggest difference, the treble is more than the HD 600 and 650, there is actually a bit of sparkle up in the highs and there is actual treble energy. It also makes it a little less forgiving with poor recordings, though it still okay. Good recordings make these sound amazing, and poor recordings are listenable, but maybe not as much as with a HD650, I think its still acceptable though, mainly because of the fact that there is no grain in the sound. This is not a bright headphone, but I do find there to be more treble energy than I was expecting to hear. If you are sensitive to treble, I would recommend the HD 650 / 600 still. The added treble energy makes these more suited for an all rounder headphones than the 600 / 650 where the 600 is too shouty and lean at times and the 650 a but too dark for some genres. Overall, clean fairly refined treble though with a slight added hint of grado-like rawness and dynamics.

Mids - The midrange here is very similar to the Hd 600 / 650 and more like the HD 600. overall, smooth, clear, and fairly neutral with not many colorations. that said, I do find them ever so slightly recessed at times, like there is a slightly hollowness to them, but this is more due to a slight veil in resolution and depth that I hear. Its weird, like theres a veiling of sorts thats sometimes present and other times isn’t depending on the recordings. compared to the hd 650s, the mids here are slightly more dull, though. note: this sounds negative but it isn’t, I just want to really emphasize the differences and what I notice when its most noticeable. its not easy to find differences from
hd 600 / 650 on a short listen as they do sound very similar, but if you lived with them for a while as I have in the past. you will notice it easier. most of the times, the mids are pretty neutral without any weirdness, on poor recordings you may notice more veil or suckout here, its weird, sometimes the drop in resolution is quite noticeable, on good recordings though, it sounds great, so I think it has something to do with the treble and how it integrates with the mids. I love these mids for rock music, more dynamic energy than with the other hd 6xx, and there is no shoutiness or glare as occasionally found in the 600. the mids aren’t as euphonic as hd 650, they’re a little leaner but actually more flat, so overall, its a plus. something i want more sweetness for jazz or vocals, but I admit I do love the colorations of warmth. For neutral lovers, the mids are great! Zero grain too of course, which combined with the slightly added dynamics makes these amazing for rock music, I like these with the GSX MK2 for that. Overall, the mids are still lovely HD 600s series good, nice timbre, detail, black background clarity, a small slightly back but still forward sounding presentation to the mids, which goes into my
next thought.

Soundstage / Imaging - Deep, and quite noticeable on some recordings, intimate and sweet with fairly good imaging relative to other headphones. The soundstage is similar to HD 650, perhaps a little more intimate and sometimes it feels like the lower mids are slightly pushed back in the stage, but also the upper mids are slightly forward, so its an interesting presentation. overall, its good and well balanced with a good sense of openness within its space, dynamics, and separation that isn’t very common on headphones in this price range.

Bass - where to begin, oh yeah the bass on these is really good, the best balance of all worlds when it comes to the HD 6xx lineup and really makes me glad I got these. The bassline comes thru way better than the hd 600 / 650 in rock and electronic and well any genre really. the midbass punch is very slightly less than the hd 650, but its also because there is more subbass presence, so its like the same in a way, I like it as its still more than enough for pop, edm, and hiphop. rap lovers will enjoy the subbass here, perfect for modern genres and more bass heavy music, this thing passes my bass test music with flying colors. drums on rock and metal? yeah that too. These rock! The bass is clean, tight, punchy, fast, and decays well and good texture and depth well when needed, pretty much top tier mid-fi. better than hd 600 bass, and better than hd 650 bass (the warmth in the 650 and slighty extra miniscule layer of resolution in the mids the 650 have sometimes makes the bass nicer on them but because theres less bass as well, its generally irrelevant, the hd 58x have far better bass 99% of the time).

overall, I feel that with the newer driver, they were able to achieve the sound they were going for on the older hd 600 / 650 but perhaps couldn’t capture fully, so they made a neutral one and a warmer one. the bass
makes this more noticeable.

Forgiving nature - these are somewhat warm despite being more dynamic and having more treble, neutral with a hint of warmth. they’re quite forgiving of poor recordings in terms of no fatigue, but you may notice a slight veil / suckout in the mids and highs like a layer of resolution is missing, so they aren’t as forgiving as hd 650, since those cover that up apmost completely, but you do get a fairly forgiving headphone that won’t pierce your ears or tear them apart on a poor recording. that said, this headphone really wants FLAC, vinyl, well mastered reference recordings to shine.

Overall Resolution - Yes, these headphones are missing that last layer or two of resolution and nuance that better headphones such as planars, stats, and top tier dynamics provide. compared to my HE-6, and to the flagships I’ve heard over the years, these aren’t quite there. That said, even after hearing them, I still love these and am happy to have them in my collection next to the HE-6, they do what they can very very well and so its not missed when I put these on. The clarity, detail, and control over mids, bass, highs is all very good and these could easily be a 300-400$ headphones if sennheiser wanted them to be. mid-fi excellence at its finest.

Scalability - The mids of this headphone are where the resolution missing vs a top level headphone is noticed the most. so despite the mids being a strength of this headphone, for their grain free, neutral, smooth presentation , they are also their achilles heel as it stops them from scaling up higher. the hd 650 are well known for their scalability, and I believe this is because they are so warm and euphonic, its easy for more powerful amps with more resolving ability to bring out the highs, dynamic and other aspects of the headphone, so they sound noticeably different and better than before as these are its most prominent “weaknesses”, though they may scale no more than these. on my wa5 and gsx mk2, these sound perfect, though just missing that next layer of resolution. i an happy with them though, they are perfect for when i dont use my he-6 which are better but heavier and less forgiving. overall, these benefit from proper amplification and will scale with your gear fairly well still. solid state amp for those that want the tightest most linear sound and tube for added sweetness and openness.

Efficiency - these work off an ipod or iphone, so good for portable devices with no amping, better than the other senns, though they do sound noticeably better with an amp. these are versatile but still are intended for being driven with an amp for the best sound. they can take quite a bit of power from what i’ve noticed, so if you have a powerful headphone amp, don’t be afraid to use it!

conclusion - these are a winner for me, sennheiser knocked it out of the park and raised the bar for sub 200 headphones, which now are solidly in the mid fi category. i prefer these over the hd 600 and feel that the hd 650 could be a tie, as the added sweetness and warmth of the 650 can sometimes be missed. as an all rounder, these are the best, but the classic hd 650 will sometimes really move me with their euphonic character. overall a 10/10 as for the price, you could’t ask for any more and as someone who has come full circle with this hobby, I still enjoy these and find audio bliss when I listen to these, even though I also use HE-6 as my endgame, those which are regarded as some of the best headphones ever made when properly driven. 100%!

 

[Mouseman]

yes!! agreed!

its been a day or two still burning these in, but I feel like I’ve heard enough to write up a review of sorts with my opinions on them below:

My Small HD 58X review! - my first impressions

Just got my HD58X, wanted to check these out as I needed a more comfortable headphone to have around for when I don’t want to use my HE-6. I didn’t want to buy something too expensive though because I don’t use headphones nearly as much as I used to and I have speakers.

So the overall headphones feel of the same quality as the other hd 58x/6xx and its obviously of the same family. their sound is very similar to HD 600 / 650 in terms of how the drivers are voiced, even though these are supposed to be different. For the price, they are an absolute steal, they should be $300 like the other HDxxx, or at least $220-250. The quality feels a little less but not by much, mainly just the finish on the paint and the shorter cable, no issue as the rest of the headphone is the same exact thing, cups, pads, grille, headband, etc.


Now for the sound. This is with zero burn in fresh out of the box, I can imagine they will tighten up somewhat and smoothen out.

System is WA5 fully maxed out (with WE300B) or GSX (I prefer WA5 here by a small margin) >> Mytek Brooklyn+ with LPSU >> PC

Most important, transparency.

These are just as grain free, black background, smooth, and transparent as the HD / 650. This clarity and smoothness really makes these a joy to listen to, there is no grain anywhere, and even with poor recordings the music comes through very cleanly. The most important quality in the sound and the reason these are true audiophile headphones and have been held in such high regard over the years, a winner for Sennheiser and a reference in the mid-fi tier of headphones.

speed and decay - Wow! These are fast, very responsive and really good drivers that are able to resolve quite well given their price and their relative placement in the HD 600/650 lineup. Maybe its their dynamic / treble energy but they feel a little faster at times, though at the end they sound almost same, like they were made to be slower than they could be in order to match overall decay and feel of the Hd 600 / 650, very very similar. Faster relative to hd 600 / 650 but still not as fast as like flagship headphones, these are still very much in line with the other Senns in this level.

Treble - this is the biggest difference, the treble is more than the HD 600 and 650, there is actually a bit of sparkle up in the highs and there is actual treble energy. It also makes it a little less forgiving with poor recordings, though it still okay. Good recordings make these sound amazing, and poor recordings are listenable, but maybe not as much as with a HD650, I think its still acceptable though, mainly because of the fact that there is no grain in the sound. This is not a bright headphone, but I do find there to be more treble energy than I was expecting to hear. If you are sensitive to treble, I would recommend the HD 650 / 600 still. The added treble energy makes these more suited for an all rounder headphones than the 600 / 650 where the 600 is too shouty and lean at times and the 650 a but too dark for some genres. Overall, clean fairly refined treble though with a slight added hint of grado-like rawness and dynamics.

Mids - The midrange here is very similar to the Hd 600 / 650 and more like the HD 600. overall, smooth, clear, and fairly neutral with not many colorations. that said, I do find them ever so slightly recessed at times, like there is a slightly hollowness to them, but this is more due to a slight veil in resolution and depth that I hear. Its weird, like theres a veiling of sorts thats sometimes present and other times isn’t depending on the recordings. compared to the hd 650s, the mids here are slightly more dull, though. note: this sounds negative but it isn’t, I just want to really emphasize the differences and what I notice when its most noticeable. its not easy to find differences from
hd 600 / 650 on a short listen as they do sound very similar, but if you lived with them for a while as I have in the past. you will notice it easier. most of the times, the mids are pretty neutral without any weirdness, on poor recordings you may notice more veil or suckout here, its weird, sometimes the drop in resolution is quite noticeable, on good recordings though, it sounds great, so I think it has something to do with the treble and how it integrates with the mids. I love these mids for rock music, more dynamic energy than with the other hd 6xx, and there is no shoutiness or glare as occasionally found in the 600. the mids aren’t as euphonic as hd 650, they’re a little leaner but actually more flat, so overall, its a plus. something i want more sweetness for jazz or vocals, but I admit I do love the colorations of warmth. For neutral lovers, the mids are great! Zero grain too of course, which combined with the slightly added dynamics makes these amazing for rock music, I like these with the GSX MK2 for that. Overall, the mids are still lovely HD 600s series good, nice timbre, detail, black background clarity, a small slightly back but still forward sounding presentation to the mids, which goes into my
next thought.

Soundstage / Imaging - Deep, and quite noticeable on some recordings, intimate and sweet with fairly good imaging relative to other headphones. The soundstage is similar to HD 650, perhaps a little more intimate and sometimes it feels like the lower mids are slightly pushed back in the stage, but also the upper mids are slightly forward, so its an interesting presentation. overall, its good and well balanced with a good sense of openness within its space, dynamics, and separation that isn’t very common on headphones in this price range.

Bass - where to begin, oh yeah the bass on these is really good, the best balance of all worlds when it comes to the HD 6xx lineup and really makes me glad I got these. The bassline comes thru way better than the hd 600 / 650 in rock and electronic and well any genre really. the midbass punch is very slightly less than the hd 650, but its also because there is more subbass presence, so its like the same in a way, I like it as its still more than enough for pop, edm, and hiphop. rap lovers will enjoy the subbass here, perfect for modern genres and more bass heavy music, this thing passes my bass test music with flying colors. drums on rock and metal? yeah that too. These rock! The bass is clean, tight, punchy, fast, and decays well and good texture and depth well when needed, pretty much top tier mid-fi. better than hd 600 bass, and better than hd 650 bass (the warmth in the 650 and slighty extra miniscule layer of resolution in the mids the 650 have sometimes makes the bass nicer on them but because theres less bass as well, its generally irrelevant, the hd 58x have far better bass 99% of the time).

overall, I feel that with the newer driver, they were able to achieve the sound they were going for on the older hd 600 / 650 but perhaps couldn’t capture fully, so they made a neutral one and a warmer one. the bass
makes this more noticeable.

Forgiving nature - these are somewhat warm despite being more dynamic and having more treble, neutral with a hint of warmth. they’re quite forgiving of poor recordings in terms of no fatigue, but you may notice a slight veil / suckout in the mids and highs like a layer of resolution is missing, so they aren’t as forgiving as hd 650, since those cover that up apmost completely, but you do get a fairly forgiving headphone that won’t pierce your ears or tear them apart on a poor recording. that said, this headphone really wants FLAC, vinyl, well mastered reference recordings to shine.

Overall Resolution - Yes, these headphones are missing that last layer or two of resolution and nuance that better headphones such as planars, stats, and top tier dynamics provide. compared to my HE-6, and to the flagships I’ve heard over the years, these aren’t quite there. That said, even after hearing them, I still love these and am happy to have them in my collection next to the HE-6, they do what they can very very well and so its not missed when I put these on. The clarity, detail, and control over mids, bass, highs is all very good and these could easily be a 300-400$ headphones if sennheiser wanted them to be. mid-fi excellence at its finest.

Scalability - The mids of this headphone are where the resolution missing vs a top level headphone is noticed the most. so despite the mids being a strength of this headphone, for their grain free, neutral, smooth presentation , they are also their achilles heel as it stops them from scaling up higher. the hd 650 are well known for their scalability, and I believe this is because they are so warm and euphonic, its easy for more powerful amps with more resolving ability to bring out the highs, dynamic and other aspects of the headphone, so they sound noticeably different and better than before as these are its most prominent “weaknesses”, though they may scale no more than these. on my wa5 and gsx mk2, these sound perfect, though just missing that next layer of resolution. i an happy with them though, they are perfect for when i dont use my he-6 which are better but heavier and less forgiving. overall, these benefit from proper amplification and will scale with your gear fairly well still. solid state amp for those that want the tightest most linear sound and tube for added sweetness and openness.

Efficiency - these work off an ipod or iphone, so good for portable devices with no amping, better than the other senns, though they do sound noticeably better with an amp. these are versatile but still are intended for being driven with an amp for the best sound. they can take quite a bit of power from what i’ve noticed, so if you have a powerful headphone amp, don’t be afraid to use it!

conclusion - these are a winner for me, sennheiser knocked it out of the park and raised the bar for sub 200 headphones, which now are solidly in the mid fi category. i prefer these over the hd 600 and feel that the hd 650 could be a tie, as the added sweetness and warmth of the 650 can sometimes be missed. as an all rounder, these are the best, but the classic hd 650 will sometimes really move me with their euphonic character. overall a 10/10 as for the price, you could’t ask for any more and as someone who has come full circle with this hobby, I still enjoy these and find audio bliss when I listen to these, even though I also use HE-6 as my endgame, those which are regarded as some of the best headphones ever made when properly driven. 100%!

Awesome review. Sounds like we can add another Jubilee fan! I just got finished listening for 3 hours (including some time behind the drums), and I still can't get over the SQ.

 

[M3NTAL]

I’m actually considering picking one of these up. Have the HD 560 S but it’s honestly a bit too bright and lean for my tastes. I had issues with the upper mids on the HD 6XX I had. The HD 660 S I loved but fatigued me in a strange way, it’s like a food I love but I’m allergic to it type thing for me. I do recall the HD 600 working out though interestingly enough despite the HD 650/6XX not. I’m basically zoning in on the HD 58X or the HD 600 for my Sennheiser and likely going to sell my HD 560 S.

You'd probably be best sticking with the HD600. The novelty of the 58X wore off for me after a while. The 560S is on the same technical level as the 58X, which is to say, below the HD600/HD650/HD660S (in that order of best to worst technically also). If you don't mind the technical performance and want the more energetic sound, the Jubilee might work for you. It was too rough around the edges for me in the long run though. The OG HD580 Jubilee / HD600 has been the most versatile / all-around'er in my group of open back dynamics.

 

[Lalerfy]

Close up of the HD58X driver.

 

[rafaelo]

Close up of the HD58X driver.

Is this the same size as the 6 series? When I bought mine I thought so based on the 38 number but then I realised / read on the internet that this is a 36/38 driver (inner/outer) as opposed to the 38/40 driver of the whole 6 series so it seems to me that this is not in the same category even size wise. Maybe the common 38 number is the source of confusion?

 

[sebek]

I have recently been in the hobby and have always used iems, now I am undecided whether to buy the iem LZ A7 that everyone seems to be raving about or the Drop Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee that I have been following for a while.

I know they are different but any advice?

There are about 100 € of difference, I was thinking about the headphones because I would like a big soundstage.

I would also need a balanced cable to use it on the balanced output of a FiiO BTR5 which is quite powerful.

Otherwise something like LG V30 or Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. Could it be enough to drive it?

 

[Lalerfy]

I have recently been in the hobby and have always used iems, now I am undecided whether to buy the iem LZ A7 that everyone seems to be raving about or the Drop Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee that I have been following for a while.

I know they are different but any advice?

There are about 100 € of difference, I was thinking about the headphones because I would like a big soundstage.

I would also need a balanced cable to use it on the balanced output of a FiiO BTR5 which is quite powerful.

Otherwise something like LG V30 or Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. Could it be enough to drive it?

If you're getting an Amp then don't get the 58X get the HD6XX instead.

 

[Mkkilla]

I have recently been in the hobby and have always used iems, now I am undecided whether to buy the iem LZ A7 that everyone seems to be raving about or the Drop Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee that I have been following for a while.

I know they are different but any advice?

There are about 100 € of difference, I was thinking about the headphones because I would like a big soundstage.

I would also need a balanced cable to use it on the balanced output of a FiiO BTR5 which is quite powerful.

Otherwise something like LG V30 or Tempotec Sonata HD Pro. Could it be enough to drive it?

I don't know anything about the IEM but I have the 58X's and love them. I was running them on a Schiit Magni/Modi until the Magni messed up, but they sounded great when I did. I have also run them on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S10) and they sound fine. Thanks to them I decided to make a move on some high end cans like a Focal Clear and ZMF Verite's.

If you're getting an Amp then don't get the 58X get the HD6XX instead.

I don't think they could go wrong with either the 58X of the 6XX, but the mesh beside the grill in the 58X's can be removed and will sound real close to the 6XX's for less money