[VRacer-111]

Just got mine in, picked them up during lunch break, and listening now at work...

Once get home will have them properly fully powered on my Gustard rig, but they still sound absolutely great from the Shanling M0, only need about 30% volume from it on high gain... nice.

S/N 000280 for my pair

Edit... really liking these right off the bat, this song just came on and really like the presentation of it:

 

[Mark Up]

the question remains how defined are the actual base notes..for example the base lines and interplay of the instruments were much improved on the 660S in comparison to the 650s

This can be tricky to define. My Sony MDR-1A with Meze 99 pads seems to have more a bit better defined sub bass, but that could be because it is closed or due to the amount of bass. That said the 660s has slightly lower distortion but lower bass levels than the 650. This can add to the perception of better definition. I've frequently seen reviews touting better definition found in a pair of cans with less overall bass, telling me either the lower distortion (often accompanying a lower bass level) or the lower level of bass, or both, gave them that impression. What I hear on these I don't hear elsewhere is that sort of "puff" you get, when a true sub bass note hits (a subby kick / low tom) that is absent from all other open Sennheisers. Its being present on these puts them in a different realm.

I was surprised that in the very low bass (under 40 hz) it appeared to have less distortion than the HD650 despite it having more bass vs. that HD650. So a classic EDM TR-808 tom "Boom" or the low B on a five string bass played wide open will be more complete than on another open Sennheiser, in that way it is going to beat them in defining that low note. Having very, very slightly less from the high bass through the low mids means that the bass will be cleaner and seem more defined, but then, having lower upper mids also, which often define bass notes from a kick or bass guitar, can make them see less defined. Is definition how much you hear undistorted (my take on it) or is it your overall ability to hear a bass instrument clearly, which high mids play a part of. If that's the case, it may seem they are less defined. It's going to be largely based on which view you take.

 

[Krondo_jd]

I got mine yesterday & currently breaking them in from my Pono player in balanced mode. They're really opening up now, like what I'm hearing so far.

 

[Tuneslover]

Mine arrived this morning too. I prefer the longer stock HD 650/6XX cable so I've ordered one from Sennheiser. In the meantime I have them connected to my Arcam integrated amp piping continuous music through them. I'll leave them there for 3-4 days before I do any serious listening. I'll swap out the cable when it arrives in a couple of days and maybe let it and the phones run in for a couple more days.

The construction and materials are the same as my HD650 and HD6XX, no issues, just standard Sennheiser 6 series headphones.

I did sneak a quick listen straight out of the box and they sounded very similar to my HD6XX but these puppies definitely have deeper bass. I'm liking what I heard. I'll comment further in a week or so.

 

[muffins]

So there are some things that I have noticed. First of all, about the foam behind the grills - typically open back headphone sound significantly worse when you obstruct the drivers (by putting your hands over the grills for instance), since this introduces resonances, disrupts the waveform, and confines the sound in a way not intended. This is true for all my open backs. My HE-400, my HD600, my LCD-2, my K7XX; you get the point. On the HD58X, nothing. They sound exactly the same when I put my hand against the grills as when they are not obstructed. In the marketing material, and specifically the pictures, the HD58X is shown in an outdoors environment. Combined with the lower ohm impedance, shorter cable, and marketing, all I can conclude is that perhaps the foam helps in reduce issues with outside air and sound disrupting the headphones performance when listening to them out and about, because it really seems like they want people to be able to use them like that. Thoughts?

I also find issue with the earpads, which are much firmer and less plush and inviting than my HD600. The same goes for the headband, both of which make these much less comfortable overall to me. The shorter cable is nice, but less pliant and giving than the longer stock HD600 cable as well. Not a huge issue but worth mentioning. Another strange thing to me is that, since the design of these headphones seems keen on allowing use from portable devices, why is the connector so large? Considering that most people today carry expensive several hundred dollar phones in their pockets, and those people (me included) keep cases on said devices to protect them, did they ditch the slimmer sleeved jack of the HD600? That one snuggly fits past my phone case. I don't ever plan on using any of my cans outside basically ever, but still, it seems strange

 

[Rob80b]

This can be tricky to define. ............
.........Is definition how much you hear undistorted (my take on it) or is it your overall ability to hear a bass instrument clearly, which high mids play a part of. If that's the case, it may seem they are less defined. It's going to be largely based on which view you take.

That's a good question....take Bill Laswell's "Radio Axiom" with Jah Wobble as an example ...here you've got two bass players along with the rest of the accompaniment playing all out.... and a headphone with good bass and definition will let you hear the two base lines interweaving while still digging deep with appropriate but not over cooked acoustic pressure.

 

[baiyy1986]

So there are some things that I have noticed. First of all, about the foam behind the grills - typically open back headphone sound significantly worse when you obstruct the drivers (by putting your hands over the grills for instance), since this introduces resonances, disrupts the waveform, and confines the sound in a way not intended. This is true for all my open backs. My HE-400, my HD600, my LCD-2, my K7XX; you get the point. On the HD58X, nothing. They sound exactly the same when I put my hand against the grills as when they are not obstructed. In the marketing material, and specifically the pictures, the HD58X is shown in an outdoors environment. Combined with the lower ohm impedance, shorter cable, and marketing, all I can conclude is that perhaps the foam helps in reduce issues with outside air and sound disrupting the headphones performance when listening to them out and about, because it really seems like they want people to be able to use them like that. Thoughts?

I also find issue with the earpads, which are much firmer and less plush and inviting than my HD600. The same goes for the headband, both of which make these much less comfortable overall to me. The shorter cable is nice, but less pliant and giving than the longer stock HD600 cable as well. Not a huge issue but worth mentioning. Another strange thing to me is that, since the design of these headphones seems keen on allowing use from portable devices, why is the connector so large? Considering that most people today carry expensive several hundred dollar phones in their pockets, and those people (me included) keep cases on said devices to protect them, did they ditch the slimmer sleeved jack of the HD600? That one snuggly fits past my phone case. I don't ever plan on using any of my cans outside basically ever, but still, it seems strange

I also notice that maybe it is the marketing decision as a more portable use can than desktop, I take it to my office using my MacBook pro listen for a long time, do not have any fatigue for a long time listening. Very balanced sounding.

 

[harbinger66]

Mine are currently about 25 minutes away from where I live (in CA) with a scheduled delivery of Friday. Apparently they're using some kind of FedEx "smart shipping", I called FedEx to see if i could come pick them up at the location rather than waiting 3 days... no dice. Apparently they have some kind of contract with USPS to make the local delivery and they can't deliver or have it picked up. Oh well, I guess Friday it is.

 

[heliosphann]

Mine are currently about 25 minutes away from where I live (in CA) with a scheduled delivery of Friday. Apparently they're using some kind of FedEx "smart shipping", I called FedEx to see if i could come pick them up at the location rather than waiting 3 days... no dice. Apparently they have some kind of contract with USPS to make the local delivery and they can't deliver or have it picked up. Oh well, I guess Friday it is.

They use FedEx Smartpost, which isn't much better. That basically means FedEx Ground handles it up until delivery, then hands it off to USPS for delivery. It's really slow.

 

[turbomustang84]

Mine are currently about 25 minutes away from where I live (in CA) with a scheduled delivery of Friday. Apparently they're using some kind of FedEx "smart shipping", I called FedEx to see if i could come pick them up at the location rather than waiting 3 days... no dice. Apparently they have some kind of contract with USPS to make the local delivery and they can't deliver or have it picked up. Oh well, I guess Friday it is.

I could of paid a bit more and got standard shipping or two day but I was already feeling guilty about buying them so I convinced myself to wait and get them at the lowest price was what I should do
now I wish I had paid a few bucks more .

But I would have paid more to get my HD-6XXs but unlike these the only option was 3 to 4 months ....then I buy another set of HD580s so there goes my money saving lol

 

[PockyG]

Looks like I got lucky. Just got mine in LA. Very very pleased by these. I like them better than the HD6XX but that is simply subjective. I'll take a decrease in details for nice FR extension and transient response any day. Definitely a very fun set of headphones for me.

 

[SuperNovaGoesPop]

Just got mine today...I'm not going to be able to compare them to other 6 Series headphones or anything, but what I can say is that these may officially be my favorites and cause me to sell some stuff in the near future. I'll put it this way, it's like somebody took the "fun" from my X2 and tossed it into a much more mature and complete sounding headphone. The 58x isn't as wide and doesn't do the "left to right" spacial thing, so I dunno how it would work for gaming, but holy crap is it ever precise and very very very "3D" sounding with some big depth to it. Man does it ever sound good with music...very lively, very energetic and fast, but yet there's a ton of clarity and a very natural type of feel to it. If I had to think of a word to describe this thing, it'd be "percussive"...drums just have such impact while still sounding as they should and not getting boomy or lost. It definitely is a kind of weird mix of being revealing and detailed yet very fun and a total toe tapper. The odd thing is that I have a Momentum 2.0, and the character is very similar in a lot of ways despite being apples to oranges. Guess this is probably the answer to anybody who feels that their 6 Series headphone is good but maybe a little too boring?

Very easy to drive too...no issues to speak of with just a Q1.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Just got mine today...I'm not going to be able to compare them to other 6 Series headphones or anything, but what I can say is that these may officially be my favorites and cause me to sell some stuff in the near future. I'll put it this way, it's like somebody took the "fun" from my X2 and tossed it into a much more mature and complete sounding headphone. The 58x isn't as wide and doesn't do the "left to right" spacial thing, so I dunno how it would work for gaming, but holy crap is it ever precise and very very very "3D" sounding with some big depth to it. Man does it ever sound good with music...very lively, very energetic and fast, but yet there's a ton of clarity and a very natural type of feel to it. If I had to think of a word to describe this thing, it'd be "percussive"...drums just have such impact while still sounding as they should and not getting boomy or lost. It definitely is a kind of weird mix of being revealing and detailed yet very fun and a total toe tapper. The odd thing is that I have a Momentum 2.0, and the character is very similar in a lot of ways despite being apples to oranges. Guess this is probably the answer to anybody who feels that their 6 Series headphone is good but maybe a little too boring?

Very easy to drive too...no issues to speak of with just a Q1.

I appreciate your input on these headphones...particularly because you aren't talking about how they sound versus others in the 6--- series, but rather how they sound versus OTHER headphones I either have or am interested in.
You make them sound like the Sennheiser version of a Fidelio X2....which REALLY appeals to my tastes. Have you used them to watch movies by any chance? I don't do any gaming, my headphones are just for music...except for when I want to watch a movie where the sound is really important (ie: Baby Driver, any movie with the words star and wars involved...) For that purpose I like my SHP9500s I have done some pretty effective mods that have given them more satisfying bass, but I want a little more ...that is something I need my next headphones to be able to do, so I am curious how the 58x are for movies....and hip hop, it would be nice if they could do hip hop well.

 

[PockyG]

I think these do great with almost everything IMO. Still need more time with them. Maybe lower mids could have a touch more weight but they represent about everything very well. IMO these are a direct upgrade over the SHP9500S which had a somewhat grainy sound and lack of bass. Even with a bass port mod on my SHP9500S these dig much deeper in the bass. I love my SHP9500S but these are just on a different tier. I enjoy my L2 a bit more than the SHP9500 but they also have a slight grain issue. Again I'd take these. Don't have an X2 but these are extremely impressive at this price. IMO these are very close to my modded M1060.

 

[Filter500]

Mine arrived today, and I'm not sure if I'm sold on them yet. I've never had a 600 series Sennheiser, so I was curious not only how the 58x might sound, but how they would feel on my head compared to other open headphones I own. I'm comparing these to the HD 558, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, and my my recent before these, the AKG K612.

The sound of the 58x is very closed in so far, with some of the "veil" that I've heard on the HD 598 and my HD 558. The bass is similar to the DT 990 and maybe a bit fatiguing on some tracks. The mids are lacking the energy and clarity of the K612, and sound a bit colored and nasal at times with distorted guitars. By comparison, the DT 990 handles guitars the most cleanly, followed by the 612. The colored midrange and lack of liveliness of the HD 558 caused me to move on, and I'm feeling some of that here. I'm wondering if I would have preferred the HD 58x before its tweaks, or if the Sennheiser sound just doesn't get along with my tastes. I would describe these as thick and closed sounding with a bumpy sounding upper midrange. The treble is unremarkable and not sibilant like the 990s. I'm hoping the burn-in widens the soundstage and cleans up the mids, but I'm skeptical.

They're fairly comfortable if I take the clamp out of the equation, and they're not as awkward as new HD 598s which I tried a while back. My HD 558 irritates my ears with the inner edges of the pads, but it isn't an issue here as they're more tapered into the earcup and less itchy. The heavy clamping force is similar to the DT 990 pro when new. One last issue is the cable, which I feel could be a bit more supple. So yeah, I'm hoping things will improve.