[Marco99]

I got my cable 2.5 mm cable for around $60 from Shenzhenaudio (Ebay ID wsz0304). By default they make the 3.5 mm TRRS plug, but they will manufacture the 2.5 mm plug if you request it. The manufacture and shipping take a while, but I think it is worth it. It is a very solid cable:

 

[J The Killer]

I noticed my 58X is just a tiny bit louder than my 599 at same volume setting of my laptop. This is strange because 58X is 150ohm while 599 is 50ohm and both are same sensitivity too (SpL 104 and 106 respectively).

 

[yangian]

I noticed my 58X is just a tiny bit louder than my 599 at same volume setting of my laptop. This is strange because 58X is 150ohm while 599 is 50ohm and both are same sensitivity too (SpL 104 and 106 respectively).

I think your laptop output impedance might be high

 

[Anarion]

I noticed my 58X is just a tiny bit louder than my 599 at same volume setting of my laptop. This is strange because 58X is 150ohm while 599 is 50ohm and both are same sensitivity too (SpL 104 and 106 respectively).

I was surprised to find out that both HD 595 and HD 58X Jubilee are more or less as loud at the same volume settings too which is strange considering that HD 595 is 112 dB SPL.

 

[SP Wild]

Shooting these out with the LCD2 (the first ones ever released with the crappy foam headband that is now starting to degrade and I need to replace soon) put things into perspective for me. Bear in mind I go through up to a year without listening to headphones I love.

For me the Jubilees are better than the HD650 because I own these LCD2s. Otherwise the HD650 and Jubilees sound complimentary with the same frequency response.

The HD650 sounds like a full range tower speaker with a resolute midwoofer in place, the drawback is that the entire presentation has a film grain like effect throughout the mids and treble. The great thing is the way they seamlessly bridge bass to midbass to lowmids to center mids...all the way to treble is seamlessly bridged. But with that film grain in place. They still sound very balanced frequency response wise with no real peaks and troughs.

The Jubilees have more solid colours because the film grain is largely eradicated creating a more solid image. A touch of grain in the treble is evident when coming from the planar treble of the LCD2. Tubes here will help greatly to smooth out this sibililant grain and restore smoothness here as is with the HD650. But the Jubilees have a treble peak here which it could have done without and the HD650 does not.

If the HD650 sounds like a well integrated full range speaker, the Jubilees sound like a 2 way book shelf monitor with subwoofers. A sub satellite arrangement. Whilst the bass goes lower, the mid bass and low midrange just doesn't breathe as well as the HD650...it it simple not as open here. Although it seems the definition and attack down low is better, this is an illusion borne by the more precise top end...because transient attack to bass still starts at treble. As with most two way monitors...which suffer the same fate, this gives better imaging to melodies.

By blurring the rhythm section into the background we believe there is a real depth like how the lead guitarist and vocalist is front of stage and the rhythm guitar and bassist and drums are at the back. It's like a Boca effect in photography. A photo has no depth, it cannot, it's an image on a two dimensional plane...but blurring background elements produce an illusionary depth effect. Depth at the expense of total resolution...a lot of recordings are made with monitors that do this. In fact, monitors that don't do this are often labelled colored, so prevalent this infidelity is.

Which is why the Jubilees are some damned good...it images the melody as a lot of recording intended. When it is encoded in the recording as such, the Jubilees decode it like nothing else.

But of course there are music that isn't encoded this way...and there are annoying musicians. No musician wants to be blurred into the background... that's just bullschiit. When the lead guitarist struts his stuff, do you actually think the sound comes from where the guitar is? Nope...never...more than likely it emanates somewhere way not where the guitar is. Many meters away even. Even the lead vocalist, her voice is somewhere else also...far from her lips!

Musicians don't care for your soundstage. Or your imaging for that matter. That midbass and rhythm guitar must be heard loud and clear...the drummer depends on them as they do on the drummer to keep total timing correct...all must be heard clearly, it matters not where it emanates from. Or whether you can pinpoint the actual source or not.

Nevertheless humans fantasize about a reality and past that doesn't exist and never existed and they are catered for.

Hence the Jubilees is a must to decode the music that is encoded in a specific manner...a lot of music is recorded this way, if not a majority.

For the rest the HD650 still remains unsucceeded. It's the HD650 curse. And the most horrifying thought is that it has now joined forces with another evil twin to haunt me till the day I die!

P.S. Something else about the LCD2 stopped me immediately from my fantasy of finding the best headphone ever. Near zero distortion and total transparency. There are some things so real about a near zero distortion sound. Woke me right up as the first sounds of the LCD2s registered into my consciousness. No doubt this low, near zero distortion sound will also be found in the HD800S. But zero distortion bass is something else to behold.

 

[spacequeen7]

@SP Wild..you comparing dark vs. bright HP ,planar vs. dynamic ,LCD-2 (x5 $ of HD58x) /HD800s (x9 cost of HD58x) ..Haha ,that speecks volume how good the Jubilee's are
Also.. all tho HD650 and HD58x still have Senn house sound signature they are so much different ,one is very laid back and perhaps one of the best OTL HP on the market 58x is so much faster and more dynamic then 650's not to mention different driver

BTW..I'm not sure if I adjust it to this cans or the burn in effect but they don't sound as loud as they use to

 

[J The Killer]

Just ordered Micca Origen G2 as my first ever DAC/Amp in the hope to hear the differences everybody is talking about between my laptop sound card and external DAC/Amp and between 599 and 58X.

 

[SP Wild]

@SP Wild..you comparing dark vs. bright HP ,planar vs. dynamic ,LCD-2 (x5 $ of HD58x) /HD800s (x9 cost of HD58x) ..Haha ,that speecks volume how good the Jubilee's are
Also.. all tho HD650 and HD58x still have Senn house sound signature they are so much different ,one is very laid back and perhaps one of the best OTL HP on the market 58x is so much faster and more dynamic then 650's not to mention different driver

BTW..I'm not sure if I adjust it to this cans or the burn in effect but they don't sound as loud as they use to

Price is a poor performance indicator and measurements don't tell the full story.

The Jubilees, I believe win in split decision over the HD650. Whereas I don't believe the HD650 excell at anything...the Jubilees image melody and deconstruct harmony better than any headphone...or speakers, that I have. They are number 1 in my collection for an attribute that seems to be a fundamental asset to many, many, many recordings.

Had they called these the HD6OMG Best Ever Edition and painted them properly with a nice bling cable and fancy box... I would pay a premium over the HD650.

At this price... I bought 2.

If you were to take all the gripes I have with the K701 as a compliment to the HD650....you land at the Jubilees.

P.S. Powered by the headphone jack on my wireless XBOX controller and Dolby Atmos Headphones... I have not had surround sound gaming since I sold my Dolby Digital speaker system in favour of 2 channel...the original XBox way back then.

 

[VRacer-111]

Did some experimenting with the mods on my second HD58X, settled on a certain felt with single layer of tissue paper added in the middle hole area on the backside of the felt. You do loose some subbass impact and the bass gets shoved back, but gain better detail, clarity, and more natural tone with highs a little more present but smoother. I EQ'd with the Loki and subbass is back close to stock, and still have the better detail, clarity, and highs. Very nice having the TASCAM MH-8 amp which allows for direct comparison between them from the same source.

 

[Roger Dodger]

Did some experimenting with the mods on my second HD58X, settled on a certain felt with single layer of tissue paper added in the middle hole area on the backside of the felt. You do loose some subbass impact and the bass gets shoved back, but gain better detail, clarity, and more natural tone with highs a little more present but smoother. I EQ'd with the Loki and subbass is back close to stock, and still have the better detail, clarity, and highs. Very nice having the TASCAM MH-8 amp which allows

Thanks for the pictures of the kids. Hope your on to something, with the mods.

Did some experimenting with the mods on my second HD58X, settled on a certain felt with single layer of tissue paper added in the middle hole area on the backside of the felt. You do loose some subbass impact and the bass gets shoved back, but gain better detail, clarity, and more natural tone with highs a little more present but smoother. I EQ'd with the Loki and subbass is back close to stock, and still have the better detail, clarity, and highs. Very nice having the TASCAM MH-8 amp which allows for direct comparison between them from the same source.

Thanks for the pictures of the kids. Hope you're on to something --with the mods.

 

[King CATalyst]

Can someone give me a list of materials needed and directions to paint these? I've never done anything like this before but id love to give a shot.

 

[J The Killer]

Can someone give me a list of materials needed and directions to paint these? I've never done anything like this before but id love to give a shot.

 

[King CATalyst]

I've seen this video before, not exactly informative honestly and i find written formats easier to follow.

 

[SP Wild]

Knowing the base characteristics of the Jubilees it is time to tune them.

First up the Chord Mojo rolls the top end a tad. This will alleviate the grainy sibilance which is the first thing that needs fixing. Let's try that for a dac.

The Valhalla 2 sits at my desk unused... we can pair these two together.

I leave it in high gain because my mind reckons it may have less feedback in higher gain.

Sounds good...the sibilance is smoothed over a bit. As time goes by, as I Iisten to the randomised playlist, something really bugs me about the sound...it's rough, cold and not enjoyable.

I grab the PX100s and plug them in and switch the Valhalla 2 to low gain and there it is...the full tone. But the centre mids and upper mids lose the solidarity and liquidity of the Jubilees.

I plug the Jubilees and the mids return....but everything sounds crystal clear...the treble is clean as, without sibilant grain. The sound is very complete.

It's the gain switch at the back of the Valhalla 2...the Jubilee lose control of the treble mids and upper mids...bass and everywhere in high gain. The sound is Ragged, lean, bright and smeary, it's a mess.

Going to low gain and after extensive listening...well, I don't long for the low mids of the HD650...which is what's been happening with the Jubi on my solid state reference.

The treble is pristinely clear, liquid and no grain at all... sibilance is proper juicy and not sandpaper dry. The low mids merge better into the rest of the mids... I gain an extra layer of imaging down low. The soundstage is more liquid and larger.

It's the magic of tubes on low gain in the Valhalla 2...after a lengthy period of enjoying tune after tune...this may well make this combination the best musical combination I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

The thing I can't explain is how the headphone has a output transformer saturation effect built in...so that even on Schiits OTL... I get a bit of that transformer coupled saturation sound that I love.

When I no longer feel the need to plug in the HD650 for that wonderful tone and the Jubilee is giving me the same hit with more precise treble and imaging and saturation that only expensive tube amps can give...well, all by going low gain on the Valhalla 2, I ain't got no complaints.

I am going to put it this way...if right now someone asked me I could only keep one combo in my entire collection. It would be these. Matched to the right tube characteristics...these are it.

I might change my mind later, but right now that's how I feel about it. I still have a Woo WA22 stored away somewhere.... I wonder where I put it?

 

[VRacer-111]

The Vmoda Boom PROs perspective of the two HD58Xs:

Stock


Modded


And modded with Loki on/off