Well the only element that varies from all the other the reiterations and editions and if we assume everything is the same and folks are hearing what they are hearing.... the dividing culprit must then be the "driver"...and we must point our finger at the only possibility resulting in these opposing reports.... manufacturing irregularities.
Now Sennheiser are known and respected for their "quality control", not too sure on their lower end phones but on their higher end projects each and every driver is individually inspected and according to this factory tour many are rejected.
HD800 drivers.
Now the phones have been made (assembled) in Ireland but the 58X drivers could still have been outsourced and manufactured off shore under Sennheisers supervision...who knows?
I just got the HD58x and had a one hour listening session with my iPhone X and Audioquest Dragonfly Red (with its 2.1V max output rms).
I haven’t had the time to do any burn in. The setup,i’m using is the same as the setup I normally use with my HD6xx and HD600 in portable mode (when i’m not using my living room headphone amp). So here are a few comments so far:
- Bass is firmer than with HD6xx. Bass is heavier than HD600.
- It’s also without the famous HD650 mid bass bump, the sound is less thick.
- the sound is dryer, a bit more dynamic, imaging is good, may have a little more 3D than HD6xx or HD600.
- the highs are similar in level, maybe a little different, but comparable, without any sibilance. I need more listening to comment more on highs.
But the thing is the mids are not as good as either the HD650/6xx or HD600. For now, they lack emotion, they lack sweetness. I tried a few songs from jazzy/soul/pop Canadian singer Charlotte Cardin and some of the emotion in her beautiful soul/jazz voice is gone, like if a cloth was put in front of her mouth. The mids are not only pushed back (less forward), they are also veiled in the high mids. Don’t get me wrong: the mids sound a lot better than many of my other headphones (better than HD25/Amperior, better than HD4.40BT, better than ATH-50X, better than PX100i and probably at par but still sounding different with less emotion than Momentum 1 and Momentum Wireless), but they are definately a step backwards to the HD600/650/6XX. I cannot compare with HD660S because I never had the chance to hear them. I cannot complain for the price I Paid, at 149$ they are very good, just not as good as the HD650/6XX. Everything else apart from the mids is « very good », but the mids are only « good », maybe because they are slighty « cold/dry » and slightly « shouty » compared to its 600 series siblings. The problem is than most of the emotion in the music I listen to is in the mids. I guess that if you are into EDM or rock, the HD58x are up to expectations, but even EDM music and rock benefit from good mids when there are singing portions in the music (most rock songs have some singing). Anyways, keep in mind that I have only a one hour experience with the HD58x, and the burn in may change my perception. I will follow up with a comment in a few days time.
To sum it up for now: good, but never a remplacement to my HD6XX’s fabulous mids.
Just Adding a comment at this time: slightly raising the 400hz and slightly lowering the 1khz sliders on my Spotify app helps to restore part of the naturalness of the mids. Can’t quite put the finger on the exact mids issue here. Maybe the lack of emotion and veil I find is something like a slightly too shouty (1khz) sound. Maybe I’m biased by many hours passed with my HD6xx to truly enjoy the HD58X mids at this time. I will continue my listening and comment more after a few days experience with the HD58X.
Freaked out and cancelled my order. Gonna wait for REAL reviews especially from respected youtube channels. For now too many opposing first impressions
Freaked out and cancelled my order. Gonna wait for REAL reviews especially from respected youtube channels. For now too many opposing first impressions
Freaked out and cancelled my order. Gonna wait for REAL reviews especially from respected youtube channels. For now too many opposing first impressions
Wouldn't say I'm freaked out but with so many opposing reviews it is somewhat bothering...mine are already on their way across the border....relatively speaking in comparison to my HD800S they're rather affordable but for many a $150 dollar headphone can still be an investment and shouldn't be a leap of faith.
Each pair is stock. The 580 is a later model and was basically NIB when I got it earlier this year. Just had to replace the headband padding. The 580 Jubilee's look almost unused with the pads/headband cushions recently replaced. 600/650 are the most recent revisions.
Well every since I saw your collection ive been thinking about which of yours would i like to have
And thinking since I've already bought the HD-6XX and the HD-58X jubilee I'm already part way there but I do want another HD-580 which I regret selling and either the HD-660s or maybe the HD-700s since I've not heard either I will have to research which I would rather have to complete my Sennheiser collection then after I sell some of my home audio gear then I'll work on getting a Grado GS-1000
Then I'll settle down for a couple years..... maybe
There's few things that I don't quite understand when people talk about how hard X is to drive and all. If I plug in, say, my AKG K712 Pro directly to my AE-5 headphone amp out, even 10% volume at low gain (there's normal and high on top of it...) is too much for me (as in uncomfortably loud). My problem has always been that things are way too loud. I guess I don't even have to tell what kind of hell it is with HD 595s - impossible to use without volume pot (well, that does apply to K712 Pro too...).
Though, I do have rather sensitive hearing and can't handle high sound pressures well at all.
Well that's the thing. Their hearing might be shot. TheyTcould have significant hearing deficiencies in several pass bands if the audio spectrum. Whenever someone says something bad about any gear any and all disclaimers about their situation should be revealed.
Otherwise they're just talking a bunch of crap when they badmouth gear.
I own and enjoy gear that alot of people make it a point to spread the hate.
But I also enjoy gear that those same people praise. Makes no sense.
i agree in some cases. when people are claiming they dont get "loud enough" i agree. when i state "harder to drive" what i mean is that with the extra power i feel they perform as they should as far as dynamics, impact, etc etc. when i try to drive certain headphones with less power they just sound meh and lifeless. kind of like yeah whatever. but then give them more power and they come to life. i am personally not reff to them not getting loud enough. and i assure you my hearing is on point lol i play many instruments and sing etc i also do some recordings for people in my small humble home studio and have it tested every year due to the higher spl i can sometimes be around.
Well that's the thing. They're hearing might be shot. Whenever someone says something bad about any gear any and all disclaimers about thier situation should be revealed.
Otherwise they're just talking a bunch if crap.
I own and enjoy gear that alot if people make it a point to spread the hate.
But I also enjoy gear that those same people praise. Makes no sense.
Different ears, heads and sources... There are many factors so all is rather relative. Sources matter a lot - O2 sounds different than AE-5 for example. O2 doesn't has as good dyhamic range and sound stage & imaging (because O2 has much, much more stereo crosstalk) for example. So, with different gear things may sound quite a bit different. Also new pads take time to adjust to wearers facial features. Out of the box experiences tell something but things will likely change a bit after using headphones a while (and sometimes that's enough to make a clear difference).
i agree in some cases. when people are claiming they dont get "loud enough" i agree. when i state "harder to drive" what i mean is that with the extra power i feel they perform as they should as far as dynamics, impact, etc etc. when i try to drive certain headphones with less power they just sound meh and lifeless. kind of like yeah whatever. but then give them more power and they come to life. i am personally not reff to them not getting loud enough. and i assure you my hearing is on point lol i play many instruments and sing etc i also do some recordings for people in my small humble home studio and have it tested every year due to the higher spl i can sometimes be around.
But here's the thing: Can you give them power without making them lound? It's all pointless if they become too loud when you give them power. To me it's a paradox.
Freaked out and cancelled my order. Gonna wait for REAL reviews especially from respected youtube channels. For now too many opposing first impressions
There aren’t really opposing views, what you’re seeing is that some people prefer the midrange bloom of the HD650 and were hoping this would be an improvement on that platform. People can prefer a particular sound signature, but that doesn’t mean it’s superior.
Someone mentioned that the drivers could be manufactured in China, that’s quite possible, but that has no bearing on the actual sound. Many of the world’s best speaker drivers are made in India. Good manufacturers test the drivers and match them to prevent out of spec drivers from being used. Given the time constraints and volume of product being produced, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the drivers were manufactured elsewhere. That shouldn’t bother you one bit, it’s only an issue if the parent brand skimps on QC and product quality (happens often when a company goes to the low bid offer for a project and just seeks maximum profit without concern for product quality - happens with electronics frequently).
Wouldn't say I'm freaked out but with so many opposing reviews it is somewhat bothering...mine are already on their way across the border....relatively speaking in comparison to my HD800S they're rather affordable but for many a $150 dollar headphone can still be an investment and shouldn't be a leap of faith.
Unfortunetly first impressions are usually biased in one way or another :/ The thing is we know nothing about 58x except first revision was supposedly good, which went bad (all sponsored reviews gone to bin) and now rev2 has supposedly fixed all initial "issues" (that weren't issues in the first place) + for whatever reason changed headband padding. We've been misled and the reality is so far we know nothing. If I lived in States I probably bought these, but I'm in Europe so I don't want to take that much risk - price increase due to taxes, additional 15$ for shipping and potentially another whatever the cost may be for sending them back. Too much risk for a headphone that caused so much confusion before it's even been released. However that being said I still plan to get them in the second drop after my most trusted reviewers hopefully have them tested.
With taxes these end up costing a bit over 170 € in my case. I consider that cheap enough to take the risk especially since we did more or less know how it's going to sound.
Freaked out and cancelled my order. Gonna wait for REAL reviews especially from respected youtube channels. For now too many opposing first impressions
And what if those "respected" Youtube channels have opposing opinions too? Is it not a good thing that people think differently instead of mindlessly agreeing with each other? Reading other peoples' impressions and reviews are nice and all, but there's really only one way to know if you'll like something for sure and that's to listen to the headphone for yourself.
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Oh man, now that's a good one.
