[brooksfosho]

Thanks shahkhan, Electrolite, annasoh323, and DavidA for the messages. Much appreciated!

I remember once switching to the beyer while playing Breath of the Wild and, for some reason, everything felt more open. I think that the relatively increased bass and treble created a greater sense of impact and space respectively which made for a different sort of presentation. I've never felt the stage on either headphone was really lacking (both have caused me to turn my head thinking my phone was ringing or something was happening around me). Overall, I just feel like I can listen to the 58X longer and generally reach for it more often. But, to my largely untrained ears, I enjoy them both, as well as my secondhand AKG K7XX Massdrop collab (they just recently developed a loose wire that I haven't gone about trying to troubleshoot yet).

Great to know about the sound stage. It's been a while since I've used the 990s, so even if the soundstage is noticeably worse comparatively in games (both competitive and, of course, BOTW!) or certain recordings where stage is emphasized, I'm sure they'll still be a major step up compared to my current headphones! Their imaging is supposedly superb as well from what I hear.

But personally I suggest you try the 58X EQ in GitHub, it's a project called AutoEQ, in my opinion the EQ there is slight better than Oratory's

I'll have to check out AutoEQ, I appreciate it!

Welcome to Head-Fi

I have the DT-990 premium and they are slightly modded so don't put much weight on my impressions.

My DT-990 are usually driven by BH Crack or Ember with output resistance set to high and I don't use EQ due to logistical reasons on my main system and my HD58X is usually driven by headphone output of my UD301 or Lyr2. My only issue with the HD58X is that it has a bit of grain in the upper mids/highs at times while the DT-990 has no such issues to me. The DT-990 is a bit more "V" shaped sound signature while the HD58X is a bit more mid centric to me so it depends on what you want and what your preferences are.

I'm almost certain that I'll appreciate the high half of the "V" not being as pronounced with the 58x's. Would you say that the bass is noticeably lacking with the 58x's in comparison? I'm by no means a basshead, but I do appreciate a bass that you can feel when the music calls for it (especially the sub-bass). I'm coming from a pair of HyperX Cloud 2's (not exactly an audiophile's dream cans!), so as long as the 58x's bass is closer to the 990s than it is to my current headphones, I'm sure I'll be more than satisfied!

 

[DavidA]

@brooksfosho, the HD58X is much less pronounced on the high end but with some tracks I find that its a bit too rolled off or relaxed (classical, EDM and jazz at times) but I can see that for some the DT990 is just a bit bright (my GF doesn't like them) but then she actually likes my HD800, T1 and RS2e which are actually brighter than the DT990 so its hard to say what an individual will like/tolerate in the treble. As for the bass, the DT990 might seem like it has more due to the recessed mids but I think most will find them about the same. To me the bass on my DT990 is a bit more detailed and hits a touch harder than my HD58X but its probably due to my DT990 being slightly modded while my HD58X is still stock. One thing you should also consider is the level that you listen at, for me its on the lower side (55-75dB) most of the time so headphones that my seem bright at +85dB actually don't seem to be as bright at say 65dB so when getting someone opinion its also nice to know what levels they are listening at. As an example: I still like my MDR7506 for traveling since it isolates quite well since I have dynamat in the cups and Shure 1840 ear pads and due to my lower listen level the brightness of the MDR7506 is more like the loudness switch found on old gear that compensated for lower listening levels.

 

[knalb]

I tried autoEQ with the graphic EQ for the 58x the other day. I can say that it did appear to remove the bass hump. The sub bass did extend more but I can't say that it added more sub bass detail to the experience (hearing something like note definition in Massive Attack - Angel).

I ultimately turned it off because when I was listening to the Marantz Demo CD, the drum improv track around 3:45 (58 mins on youtube). When I compared the symbol timbre of the lower frequency ride with the EQ on / off I was like "nope that timbre is wrong, it does not sound the way I imagine a ride sounding" So I concluded that the EQ was a step away from timbre that sounded right in my head. I can say that with EQ off I really did feel like it had a good timbre representation of the ride.

 

[shahkhan]

The highs on 58x are rolled off and I'm thinking of switching to sundara. Anyone having both, can plz compare.

 

[knalb]

The highs on 58x are rolled off and I'm thinking of switching to sundara. Anyone having both, can plz compare.

'rolled off' or 'dark'?

 

[MorrisL]

The 58X sounds even darker than the 650, with some elevation in the upper mids that gives certain dryness to most acoustic music. What sounds mellow and sweet on the 650, and to some extent the 600, is dry and forward on the 58X.

 

[Tuneslover]

The 58X sounds even darker than the 650, with some elevation in the upper mids that gives certain dryness to most acoustic music. What sounds mellow and sweet on the 650, and to some extent the 600, is dry and forward on the 58X.

As for forward (I call it intimate) I agree with you. I'm not sure I understand dry though. I find the HD58X more lively and interesting sounding than my HD650. The HD650 is polite and precise, which I like as well but generally I prefer a more involving headphone like the HD58X.

 

[MorrisL]

As for forward (I call it intimate) I agree with you. I'm not sure I understand dry though. I find the HD58X more lively and interesting sounding than my HD650. The HD650 is polite and precise, which I like as well but generally I prefer a more involving headphone like the HD58X.

I killed a whole Sunday going back and forth between the 650 and 58X... In the end, I did chose the 58X, just because I can easily drive it without an amp out of my LG v20 phone. For acoustic and classical music, I slightly preferred the 58X, and for everything else, the difference wasn't as significant. Both are dark and warm, but the 650 is sweet sounding in a way the 58X isn't.

 

[tafens]

The 58X sounds even darker than the 650, with some elevation in the upper mids that gives certain dryness to most acoustic music. What sounds mellow and sweet on the 650, and to some extent the 600, is dry and forward on the 58X.

Dry was the word that first came to my mind when I compared the HD58X with the HD6XX, but not really the same kind of dry as described in the Describing Sound Glossary as quoted below, that most people probably relates with that term, but it was more like, I think, and in my ears, a lack of engagement, less sense of “being there”, less height in the soundstage than the HD6XX, and maybe also because of having more treble and bass but less mids.

Dry - Lack of reverberation or delay as produced by a damped environment. May comes across as fine grained and lean. Opposite of Wet.

I also agree that the HD6XX is more sweet and mellow sounding, but I can’t really relate to the HD58X being darker.

 

[MorrisL]

The reason I say the 58X sounds darker than the 6XX is because, with 58X, it sounds like excessive EQ has been applied to the highs and the 6XX sounds natural and you don't feel like your listening through somw EQ. When listening to the 58X I often wish to raise the highs and get it closer to the HD600 or something (which unfortunately isn't as easy as slapping EQ). With 6XX. I don't feel like using EQ at all. It sounds natural.

 

[knalb]

I find that the differences between track mixing and EQ are greater than the differences between FR of hd6x0 models. That’s to say if someone listens to a wide catalog of music he/she may find some tracks just right EQwise with one model vs another. Because hd6x0 are rather close FR wise it’s difficult to predict a priori which model is best suited for a given track.

 

[shahkhan]

The reason I say the 58X sounds darker than the 6XX is because, with 58X, it sounds like excessive EQ has been applied to the highs and the 6XX sounds natural and you don't feel like your listening through somw EQ. When listening to the 58X I often wish to raise the highs and get it closer to the HD600 or something (which unfortunately isn't as easy as slapping EQ). With 6XX. I don't feel like using EQ at all. It sounds natural.

But hd650 is known for its famous veil, and many say its been cater for in Hd58x. So in this way, hd650 should be the one, which need Eqing by raising its rolled off highs.

 

[AutumnCrown]

I'm pretty sure the softness and mellowness and treble smoothness of the Hd6x0 series is not due to FR differences but rather other behavior of the driver. If you EQ the treble up a lot in the Hd600, it still sounds fairly smooth and mellow. The FR differences between the Hd6x0 series and the hd660/58x are actually very small.

If you want the smooth sound of the classic headphones, EQ won't suffice. If you want a more lively but less smooth sound, this likewise is impossible to replicate with EQ and the older drivers of the Hd6x0, in my experience.

 

[MorrisL]

I'm pretty sure the softness and mellowness and treble smoothness of the Hd6x0 series is not due to FR differences but rather other behavior of the driver. If you EQ the treble up a lot in the Hd600, it still sounds fairly smooth and mellow. The FR differences between the Hd6x0 series and the hd660/58x are actually very small.

If you want the smooth sound of the classic headphones, EQ won't suffice. If you want a more lively but less smooth sound, this likewise is impossible to replicate with EQ and the older drivers of the Hd6x0, in my experience.

Excellent point. I think there must be some new technology that they'd used to make these new 58X drivers. When listening to tracks with cello in them, its amazing how much better and more realistic this instrument sound on the 58X than on any 6X0 headphone. Try this out if you're curious... Anything with cello, and no other headphone can touch 58X!

 

[knalb]

Non comparatively speaking, I find the timbre excellent on the 58x. The tonal difference between say rides and high hats is excellent.