Soundstage is useless if the timbre, dynamics, frequency response isn't up to the task. You really can't have everything with headphones unless you go way up in price. I have some headphones that have soundstage for miles but they're colored beyond belief and they have no bass. Great for very low dynamic acoustic music but not much else.
Most of us want a dynamic headphone that gets the timbre of the instruments right and portays the nuances if a bass drum, an upright bass or the crunch of an electric guitar and does justice to the human voice in an engaging but close to accurate way that pulls you into the recording.
If soundstage is so important to you get some speakers. You can have it all with speakers If you spend the $$$$.
I agree with you for the most part, but I also am not as picky as a lot of you. My Pioneer SE-A1000 with Sony XBR 1000 earpads do quite well on a budget $60 plus $30 for earpads. I think its true that audio is still very subjective, but I will concede that the drums, snares, etc are better on the HD58X
Haven't done a lot of A-B testing against my current lineup as I was away from the house a lot last week after they were delivered, but I just can't stop listening to these. I do miss the mids of the HD 6XXs, but the extra bass of these is a nice change of pace and overall they are just super enjoyable and engaging to listen to. Just had my first truly blown away moment though and am officially sold on these. Just driving them off of my LG G7 while at work I played "Hey Mami" by Sylvan Esso and the bass/drop blew my mind. I had to question my sanity, was I really hearing $150 headphone being driven by a smartphone?! I had actually cancelled joining this drop back in December, but am so glad I didn't miss getting to pick these up when the drop popped back up. If/when massdrop does another drop of these I will be pointing friends and family toward these as my go to recommendation for people looking to get into higher end cans.
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.
The more I am listening I actually do see what you mean by details now, the HD58X are better I guess, I just needed to try some different genres of music. I think I still prefer my Argons though, its hard to beat planar though, I am a planar fanboy, so I better leave thread now.... ; ;
The more I am listening I actually do see what you mean by details now, the HD58X are better I guess, I just needed to try some different genres of music. I think I still prefer my Argons though, its hard to beat planar though, I am a planar fanboy, so I better leave thread now.... ; ;
First time weighing since I got these late last week. Enjoyed them stock, but found the bass a bit intrusive. Since making a trip to the craft store today and installing Creatology foam behind the drivers, I'm finding them exquisitely balanced; at times, I wonder if I might like just a touch more rumble in the bass (though it's tight and extended) or a hint more excitement up top, but I suspect that I would find either of those changes fatiguing in the long run. A very easy headphone to listen to, and a great all rounder. Modded, and from memory, I would be hard pressed to choose between these and the HD 6xxs I owned in the past. I do prefer them to the HD 600s, which I always found a tad bit strident in the upper mids.
A word to the wise: if you do get the foam, don't make the mistake I did. I accidentally purchased the adhesive foam instead of just the regular foam. The adhesive foam sounded a little more closed in, since the gummy adhesive was over the hole in the middle of the driver. Using regular foam plus double-sided tape cut into a ring sounds better.
You should find that the sound will settle in and come across more balanced after you put 100-150 or so hours on your HD58X. I would suggest that you run them un-modded until then and thereafter assess them and mod at that point if you feel necessary. Get to know your stock 58X for a while.
Judging from the reviews on Massdrop, I think more people will prefer the 58X. I think the build quality concerns are a big factor to consider, too. I would get both if not for the QC concerns.
I noticed that the clamping force reduces rather quickly (you can even see it). No doubt that the earpads probably start do deform based on ones head shape. I'm pretty sure that all that will affect the sound.
I noticed that the clamping force reduces rather quickly (you can even see it). No doubt that the earpads probably start do deform based on ones head shape. I'm pretty sure that all that will affect the sound.
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.
Yeah, I've seen some reviews where they're described as "bass light", I wonder if they're even listening to the same headphone.
I'm going to run mine awhile longer but may very well end up modding.
Yeah, I've seen some reviews where they're described as "bass light", I wonder if they're even listening to the same headphone.
I'm going to run mine awhile longer but may very well end up modding.
I mean it all depends what they are comparing them to, my Argon MK2's for example have the deepest bass I have heard in my life, but its not a fair comparison at all, lol. The HD58X def have nice bass though imo. Also, some of those people might be referring to when HD58X was in pre-production which Sennheiser admitted it was bass light and they fixed that before production ramped up.
yes I am looking at a couple the two I have now are fine for the 58X but I am looking for one with balanced output because I already bought the cable.
I'm really looking in the sub $500 price and mobile is not a function I need because I have plenty of easy to drive headphones for outside the house such as in the gym and on my Harley .
Yeah, I've seen some reviews where they're described as "bass light", I wonder if they're even listening to the same headphone.
I'm going to run mine awhile longer but may very well end up modding.
The early reviewers received the pre-production prototypes of the HD58X. They had a totally different tuning, with lither bass and more incisive treble peak in the 6-8khz If I recall. It had the lightest bass response of all Sennheiser 600 series headphones (600,650,660S,58X prototype).
On the other hand, the production version has the heaviest bass response. It not for bass heads, but the bass extends further down, and is firmer than all other 600 series headphones. The HD660S apparently has cleaner bass, but doren’t Extend as much in the sub bass as the production version of HD58X. Moreover, the treble peak has been attenuated in the production version if the HD58X. Therefore it is a more well balanced headphone than the ones reviewed a few months ago by reviewers.
Yeah, I've seen some reviews where they're described as "bass light", I wonder if they're even listening to the same headphone.
I'm going to run mine awhile longer but may very well end up modding.
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.
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I think I still prefer my Argons though, its hard to beat planar though, I am a planar fanboy, so I better leave thread now.... ; ;
