Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee Review & Measurements
Jul 27, 2018 at 11:52 AM Post #1,456 of 4,844
I don't doubt you, has anyone tried to get confirmation? I had the impression that any new HD6 series would have the same pads (HD6XX, 650, 600, 660s) and the HD58x has those pads too.

I have both the 6XX and the 58X, and compared the pads. They seem to be the exact same thickness, even though I don't have a measuring device.

Can u give us some more details on how the pads affect the sound? Thanks

Both the Elite Hybrid and Fenestrated Sheepskin pads increase driver distance from the ear, so soundstage is increased ever so slightly at the cost of intimacy. I found that putting the Fenestrated Sheepskin on the 6XX brought both the bass and treble up a bit too much for my liking and sort of balanced the sound in a way that I didn't want. Not to say that it sounded bad but as 6XX naturally has an accentuation around 5-6k, my personal philosophy was that I wanted to keep that peak as it makes female vocals/electric guitars stick out a bit more for me, making 6XX unique compared to the rest of my collection. I found that the Elite Hybrid pads, gave the sub and mid-bass just enough of a boost (I found it to be a weak-point with the stock pads) and didn't affect the highs too much (took a little energy off the top if anything), creating to my ears, better synergy. It does make 6XX sound slightly darker in presentation, but it's something I don't particularly mind.

That left me with the 58X using the Fenestrated Sheepskin. I have to say that 58X sounded great with stock pads, but I just love experimenting and had good prior experience with Dekoni in general, so I just bought the Fenestrated pads on a whim. Sennheiser ended up tuning the final production model a bit differently from 6XX/650, bringing down that 5-6k peak relative to the elevated bass, and smoothing out some of the treble dips and peaks I tested it out with the Elite Hybrids, but didn't like the synergy between them. For me personally, it brought up the bass and treble too much so that it scooped out the already-tuned-lower mids. Yet, if you are looking for more of a V-shaped sound, it is a combo you could try. The Fenestrated Sheepskin pads ended up being a better pairing, giving the bass and lower mids a gentle lift, while bringing the low-treble down just enough so that you get a bit more airiness in the high-treble.
 
Jul 27, 2018 at 1:38 PM Post #1,458 of 4,844
These are available again on Massdrop.

I just joined that drop again. These are too good sounding and reasonably priced to not have another pair.

I will now have Sennheisers on all 3 of my headphone systems and speaker systems (HD650..with Dekoni Elite Velour, HD6XX...re-terminated to balanced and, HD58X, HD598SE) and in a couple of weeks another HD58X. Life's GOOD.
 
Jul 27, 2018 at 1:46 PM Post #1,459 of 4,844
Joined again as well - would like to have another one for experimenting with modding plus its even cheaper than first pair because of credit given for delay in shipping the first low S/N one....

The HD58X work very well for vocaloid music, which can be harsh sounding... I think part of modding the second one will be painting it a nice blue-green as well...



:blush:
 
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Jul 27, 2018 at 1:55 PM Post #1,460 of 4,844
Before everyone goes chasing the Dekoni pads, which are by no means a bargain or inexpensive, read the reviews on Massdrop. Multiple reports of the pads pulling away from the plastic base because of issues with the glue. This is within months of purchase. If you paid $10 on Ebay for these pads, that would be one thing, but at Dekoni's prices that is really not acceptable...
 
Jul 27, 2018 at 2:09 PM Post #1,462 of 4,844
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Jul 27, 2018 at 2:17 PM Post #1,463 of 4,844
Before everyone goes chasing the Dekoni pads, which are by no means a bargain or inexpensive, read the reviews on Massdrop. Multiple reports of the pads pulling away from the plastic base because of issues with the glue. This is within months of purchase. If you paid $10 on Ebay for these pads, that would be one thing, but at Dekoni's prices that is really not acceptable...

This is exactly what happened on my Dekoni pads for the HD800S (after just a couple of days of usage). The tool to remove the pads did also break on first usage. In addition sound was worse than with stock pads so in all a major let down for me, especially since I'm in Norway so returning them will not be possible.
 
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Jul 27, 2018 at 3:17 PM Post #1,464 of 4,844
This is exactly what happened on my Dekoni pads for the HD800S (after just a couple of days of usage). The tool to remove the pads did also break on first usage. In addition sound was worse than with stock pads so in all a major let down for me, especially since I'm in Norway so returning them will not be possible.

On the Dekoni website it says "Dekoni Audio Guarantees all our products free from manufacturers defects for life." In theory, if there is a defect in their product, you should get another pair for free. Although they may have some kind of shipping charge that covers some of their costs. I will make clear, I have never used their products nor do I really know the company.

I am not against tweaking a good pair of headphones within reason. I bought a custom balanced cable for my DAP that I think is a good investment, especially since it can be used with other Sennheiser HD cans. So, feel free to spend your money as you wish. But an investment in a pair of ear pads should be to make them more comfortable, leave unaltered or improve the audio characteristics, and hold up to 100's of hours of listening...
 
Jul 27, 2018 at 4:43 PM Post #1,468 of 4,844
Joined again as well - would like to have another one for experimenting with modding plus its even cheaper than first pair because of credit given for delay in shipping the first low S/N one....

The HD58X work very well for vocaloid music, which can be harsh sounding... I think part of modding the second one will be painting it a nice blue-green as well...



:blush:

LOL,.I'm thinking about getting another pair as well
BTW Dual V6 Vivid+single V6's sound great with this cans
Cheers
 
Jul 27, 2018 at 4:53 PM Post #1,469 of 4,844
Wrote up a review/comparison over on r/headphones of these. Thought I'd post a short version here since these dropped again and some people might be curious about the sound.


Sound

Overall the sound sticks to that warm, neutralish tone that the rest of the line is famous for.

The big change is that the sub bass actually extends quite well compared to many open headphones, rolling off around 50-60 Hz rather than the 80-100 Hz rolloff of the others. This works well with all genres, but should be welcome to EDM, Hip-hop, and other electronic music fans who missed that in other HD6X0 headphones. At times there can be a little bloom at 125-200 Hz depending on the mastering of a given track, but bass remains well controlled and surprisingly detailed for a headphone in this series.

Midrange is very similar to the rest of the line with the upper mids (1.5-3 kHz) being slightly more laid back than the 600 and 650. Detail is very good and distortion is very low, as one would expect.

Treble is slightly more aggressive than the “veiled”, as some would call it, classic HD6X0 sound. There’s not much problem with sibilance to speak of as the 4-7k area feels a bit more laid back. I do hear a slight peak around 9-10k.

As far as imaging goes, these headphones surprised me. Very good sense of space and separation between instruments. Less congested feeling than I would have thought given my experience with other HD6X0 headphones, though not a match for the likes of higher tiered headphones like the HD800.

Comparisons

HD600

The 58XJ is immediately more extended in the bass and sounds a bit more detailed there to my ear. The 600 is cleaner and thinner sounding with a more natural timbral quality to it, though the 58X isn’t far off by any means. Timbre is the one thing the 600 does better than almost any headphone I’ve heard. Upper mids are more forward on the 600 which gives more of a sense of detail and clarity, though I would say in overall resolution the two are very close. Imaging on the 58X is much less “3 blob” than the 600 and feels more accurate to my ears.

HD650/6XX

The 58X is cleaner and better extended in the low end. It isn’t as thick in the mid bass and low mids as the 650, though retains some of that warmth the 650 is famous for. The 650 again seems slightly more detailed, but again, I’m not certain that’s down to sound signature or driver capability.

HD660S

Take this section with a grain of salt since I’ve spent very little time with the 660S and haven’t compared these two directly. Overall tonality is very similar with the 660S, which feels more thin and more resolving than the 58X. The 58X has more and deeper bass. Like I said though, I’m going from memory here, which isn’t probably the best metric.

Conclusion

I’m really quite pleasantly surprised by these headphones. It truly takes something from every member of the HD6X0 family and puts it to use in a nice way. It’s not as clear and perfect in timbre as the HD600, but has better imaging and less "shout" in the upper mids as some don't like. It’s not as warm and smooth and romantic as the 650, but it’s more exciting as well as cleaner and deeper in the low end. It’s not as resolving as the 660S, but it’s immensely better value and shares many similar qualities. You can hear a bit of everything in them as well as its own strengths. They’re a great jack of all trade headphone and for $150 I absolutely can’t think of anything better. If you see them on the used market or they drop again in the future, don’t hesitate to at least give them a look.
 
Jul 27, 2018 at 5:35 PM Post #1,470 of 4,844
Oh and regarding cases, I recently got this one in for the 58X...fits and works well:

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CVT9FQC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now I'll need to get a second one...
 
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