[Rob80b]

delete

 

[turbomustang84]

Oh I did take out the covers on the inside of the grills just to compare and for those that feel they are bass heavy to my ears it took the Bass down a notch and pushed the highs up a bit .
I preferred them stock so I put them back but if you want to get a small bit less bass you could try it.

but who knows it might be the placebo effect but it sounded great either way

 

[Rob80b]

Just caught this post over at Massdrop but needed to do a bit more digging....
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones/talk/2131850

The earlier 580/600 (650?) drivers appear to have a copper center piece but the current 600 and 650s look more in line, excluding the wires, with the 58Xs driver.

Current 600 driver


Current 650 driver

 

[Inoculator]

The bit in the middle of Could I be on the same album is also quite special on these isn't it? Where the rumbling bass quite effortlessly sits under the rest with everything in its own space. I use that track a lot to test headphones.

So true, really a good demonstration of what these are capable of.

 

[Anarion]

These seem to have noticeably less midbass than HD 595 (which likely was bloated) just the extension is much better. So, these don't sound too bassy to me at all. Overall sounds more neutral to me. Nothing overpowers anything. These do reveal detail and things that just were really hard to hear before or just missing.

 

[speedwheels]

Yes. I do believe the low sensitivity of the AKGs play a part in them getting a bass shy reputation (mostly the K701, K702 and to some extent the Q701). I have seen the graphs for the K712 and the measurements do indeed show a substantial difference between the K712 and K701/K702/Q701 series. If the HD58x has low end comparable to the K712 then they are a must listen I guess. Oh well, I might end up opening the box after all.

I'd go with this. The K701 and K702 are pretty bass-anemic and it kinda makes sense that they're called "poor man's HD800" (the AKG K7 wasn't that cheap many years ago).
But going to the Q701 you'd see quite some bass is added, then to the K712/K7xx it's even more bass. What makes the K7xx a bit less natural IMO is that you can still "feel" the large soundstage while the bass is quite prominent. Anyway,that added bass makes the K7xx a much easier pill to swallow.

So if you compare the K7xx and the HD58x the difference is not as prominent. But between the K701 and the HD58x... you'd tell right away that they are very different headphones, may be for different tastes even.

Another point worth noting is that the K701, K702 (and to a certain extent, the Q701) lacks bass because they are very hard to drive. Low impedance, yes, but quite low sensitivity too. I think many people on the webz already did the math and proved that the K701 is harder to driver than the HD600.

 

[Anarion]

If the HD58x has low end comparable to the K712 then they are a must listen I guess. Oh well, I might end up opening the box after all.

IMO it extends further than K712 Pro.

 

[Rob80b]

Yes. I do believe the low sensitivity of the AKGs play a part in them getting a bass shy reputation (mostly the K701, K702 and to some extent the Q701). ................
If the HD58x has low end comparable to the K712 then they are a must listen I guess. Oh well, I might end up opening the box after all.

In terms of the K701s bass.. while more than adequately powering them helped it still never managed to come close to the K712/7XXs...
Here I used a Bryston 2BLP to power the K701s and the K501s.

it really came down to the newer pads on the K712s.

In fact when I installed the 712 pads on the 701s and visa versa the two phones became almost indistinguishable IMHO
....see my last comment on my K712 review...
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/akg-k712-pro.16244/reviews#review-11476

But to answer your inquiry... I would definitely say the HD58X and K712 have "comparable" low ends, in fact the Senns may have a bit more extension.

 

[Rob80b]

IMO it extends further than K712 Pro.

You beat me to it. : )

 

[Megazine]

These seem to have noticeably less midbass than HD 595 (which likely was bloated) just the extension is much better. So, these don't sound too bassy to me at all. Overall sounds more neutral to me. Nothing overpowers anything. These do reveal detail and things that just were really hard to hear before or just missing.

How are you driving them?

 

[Anarion]

How are you driving them?

Sound BlasterX AE-5. I have O2 amp too but makes the sound more compressed, reduces the soundstage width and makes the imaging/stereo image worse. Both have low (~1 ohm) output impedance.

 

[Tuneslover]

My friend said his HD6xx needed new earpads faster than he expected, really hope thats not the case, I might get a pair of Dekoni earpads if that does end up happening to me, and hopefully the Dekoni will have amuch longer lifespan than stock. Not sure if he was just rough with them or what, but yeah I do find it a little troubling Sennheiser with all its money and production abilities doesn't produce longer lasting earpads. I have some Pioneer SE-A1000 headphones from 10 years ago or so, and 0 issues.

I'm in agreement with you about the short life span of the Sennheiser ear pads, worse still the unrealistic price they charge for $2 worth of material. I decided to replace my HD650 pads with Dekoni Velour Elite ones. They are a much more durable pad which I'm anticipating will certainly outlast the stock Sennheiser pads although time will tell. Be advised that although the Dekoni pads are quite good, they will however not sound like the stock Senn's. You will end up with a slightly darker tone with slightly more bass. Still has the Sennheiser sound signature but different. No worries on my part because I also have the HD6XX to give me that original sound. The HD650/Dekoni combo is like owning a different sounding HD650.

 

[Assimilator702]

I should also mention that I listen to mostly classical music, and I found that when I turned up the volume enough for the top end to sound pleasingly open/airy, the bass instruments (timpani, for instance) seemed disproportionately loud. Even so, I think I may unmod them, since the mods make them dangerously redundant with my Focal Elexes, whereas with the warmer stock sound they are a nice complement for certain genres. And, of course, I may revise my judgment after giving my ears some more time to adjust.

I modded mine twice and returned them to stock twice. I noticed with the felt covering the back of the driver, a drastic reduction in bass and a plasticky sound to the treble.

I plan on keeping them stock for a long time. Why neuter such a nice sound signature? I wanted a headphone that excels at Rock and Metal and this HD 58X is it.

 

[Sukiluv]

hi all....anyone in the chicagoland or northwest indiana area willing to sell a pair of hd 58x...please let me know...thank you

 

[spronkey]

I'm in agreement with you about the short life span of the Sennheiser ear pads, worse still the unrealistic price they charge for $2 worth of material. I decided to replace my HD650 pads with Dekoni Velour Elite ones. They are a much more durable pad which I'm anticipating will certainly outlast the stock Sennheiser pads although time will tell. Be advised that although the Dekoni pads are quite good, they will however not sound like the stock Senn's. You will end up with a slightly darker tone with slightly more bass. Still has the Sennheiser sound signature but different. No worries on my part because I also have the HD6XX to give me that original sound. The HD650/Dekoni combo is like owning a different sounding HD650.

My really old HD600s have been stretched a lot, and as a consequence the pads last a lot longer. The very stretched 600s are also cloud-level comfortable. See https://imgur.com/Ldbd67b for a comparison.