I’m starting to understand now the whole controversy with the 660S and 58X being very similar sounding headphones give or take a few differences. But I think everyone needs to take into account the pad condition, because that can dramatically change the frequency response depending on how worn out they are. I swapped some new pads on the 58X to compare to a new 660S, and the difference between the two is easier to notice for me now. The 660S is slightly more refined and airy in the mids and treble, while the 58X is punchier and better extended in the bass. I think that’s all there is to it. I was playing around with EQ in the bass with the 660S, and I was able to boost it by 3dB below 100 Hz to match the 58X, with good results. Although I think I still prefer the 58X because the bass just sounds cleaner and tighter, and you lose very little if anything in terms of mids and treble clarity. I'd go so far to say you could probably EQ the mids and treble of the 58X to match the 660S, and have it be a better performer. I'll have to test it out tonight, I have binaural microphones to try out.
You pretty much nailed it, the difference so slight. The 660S is slightly cleaner mid-treble but it isn't WOW night day. It's so small most people can't even tell.
I saved myself $300 and bought a Asgard to go with my 58X. Amp and cans for same price as 660s. I'm happy!!!
Alright, did some comparing and here are my results. Please note, these measurements are done using my own ears and with outer ear binaural mics, so they are NOT accurate at all compared to an industry standard rig. That being said, it is accurate only for comparison's sake.
Below is 660S vs 58X with no smoothing. Green and Red channels are the 660s, Yellow and Blue are 58X. Sorry, I forgot to include the color indicators.
Now here is smoothed at 1/12 octave, left channel only. Green is 660S, Yellow is 58X:
This is similar to the right channel as well, which shows the main differences between the two. The bass of course is more extended, and the 58X has more presence at 3.5 kHz than the 660S. So, I tried EQing the 58X down at 3.5 kHz and look what we get:
Looks nearly identical! So the question is, do they now sound identical with this EQ? Well.... no. But let me tell you, it is very, very close. The difference is only in the bass and the upper treble, where I hear more sparkle and air on the 660S, and more bass on the 58X like mentioned before. Other than that, the mids sound as identical as they measure here.
This is by no means a final conclusion, just a fun experiment.
You pretty much nailed it, the difference so slight. The 660S is slightly cleaner mid-treble but it isn't WOW night day. It's so small most people can't even tell.
I saved myself $300 and bought a Asgard to go with my 58X. Amp and cans for same price as 660s. I'm happy!!!
Thanks for the heads up. I had not tried low gain mode until now. I agree with you completely. I love the Valhalla 2 with the HD58x. Currently using 1968 Reflektors 6n23p, they have a crazy deep bass sound that extends very low. My first impressions were only using high gain. I have not had this tube amp very long, I have used the Asgard 2 for many years until the past month or so. Because of this I did not realize the Gain switch isn't just volume control like on the Asgard 2, it does change the sound enough to be noticeable.
All the negative things I said about the HD58x are gone using low gain mode, it is no longer fatiguing at all or too energetic in the high frequencies. Low gain really tamed things down where the needed to be. Although, now I have to run the volume dial at 2 O'Clock to get the volume I want (as opposed to 11 O'clock in high gain). The low gain mode just balances out the Bass and Highs and makes it even more neutral and less overly extended. That being said, I still enjoy high gain mode, but it is a little fatiguing after a few hours. High gain mode is more energetic and louder in the highs and lows, definately moves more air and you can feel it on your face and ears. For long sessions, low gain is the way to go, very non fatiguing but does take away some of the bass and "sparkle" up top. This is probably the way they are suppose to sound, I would imagine from Sennheiser. I have really been enjoying the HD58x, they play everything just beautifully and sound amazing. I have choose the HD58x every music session the past few days (and movies), reserving the mighty HD650 for only spinning records now days. The HD650 still wins with vinyl, even more so death/black metal in vinyl format, the guitar tone and heavy distortion are simply unbeatable, which is why the HD650 will always stay with me. Although, if I only owned the HD58x, I would still be satisfied.
I know this is an old post but I just got a Valhalla today. I tried it on the HD600s, HD6XXs, and the 58Xs about 45-50 minutes each so far. They all sounded great on the Valhalla but to my surprise the 58Xs sounded the best with it. Anybody who thinks they don't scale as well as its brothers needs to hear them on an otl tube amp. To my ears the 58X scaled better than the other two. Admittedly I have often thought the 6XXs and the 600s scaled better than the 58x on the other solid state and tube hybrid amps I have but it was a totally different case on the Valhalla. The synergy between the two is amazing.and I can't wait to listen to this setup some more.
The 58X scales very well with any type of tube or solid state amp (the HD650 prefers tube only). The HD 650 has more soundstage, while the 58X is very nice in the mids. They are both very compatible with equalizers, so you bring out the bass well even with the HD650s. I find the HD660 exceptional with the SS (beautiful bass).. with the tube amplifier I do not like.
3 working days of hard listening 58x vs 6xx, OTL vs O2... At the moment I can say that the main issue is how fast and accurate I can setup volume level after switching. I am really tired. please save me from all that madness...
I found it on an old reddit thread from a few years ago. I wanna jump from HD 599 to 58x (i think ..) Main use will be fun single player and mp gaming mainly (nothing competitive), EDM music, and movies. I don't wanna hear every single detail of sounds like the 560s appears to do well, I just want something casual, laid back and fun but with some punch to it. Are the 58x a good choice for this?
Can someone who owns, or has owned the 58x confirm this is fairly accurate?
I found it on an old reddit thread from a few years ago. I wanna jump from HD 599 to 58x (i think ..) Main use will be fun single player and mp gaming mainly (nothing competitive), EDM music, and movies. I don't wanna hear every single detail of sounds like the 560s appears to do well, I just want something casual, laid back and fun but with some punch to it. Are the 58x a good choice for this?
Thank you sir, this is exactly what I wanted to read. Are any of these Amp+DAC more than sufficient for the 58x? Are any gonna sound vastly different than the other? Sadly I can't get the Schiit stack for a reasonable price in Canada where I live, so my options are:
Thank you sir, this is exactly what I wanted to read. Are any of these Amp+DAC more than sufficient for the 58x? Are any gonna sound vastly different than the other? Sadly I can't get the Schiit stack for a reasonable price in Canada where I live, so my options are:
Ok cool. I will look into the cable whenever my headphones and amp get here eventually. Amazon I'm hoping has a few to pick from, and I should be able to get 2 day Prime shipping. Thanks again for all the help and info.
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