[Deftone]

Just got HD58X back, its an excellent headphone for the money, i can easily recommend it as someones first "real" headphone.

 

[tolis626]

That's pretty cool. I have a nearly 40 year old Sansui AU-D9 integrated amp that's still in great shape that I recently did a cleanup of the volume and balance pots. Will have to give the 58X's a closer listen on it now.

Well, I'm not saying that the 58x will sound good on any good old amp, but trying will surely provide for a fun experiment. As I said before, I just plugged my MSR7 in that 3020e at some point and I was amazed. It probably outputs all its power through the front, so there's A LOT of power on tap. I don't see the 3020e as being better than a good, clean, modern headphone amp, but for a cool, vintage solution to a power problem? Damn straight. Right now, I wanna get the upcoming Fiio Q5s because I'll be moving around for the next year. But I would love to use the Fiio as a DAC for the NAD at home and just chill with it.

My favourite HD58X headphone setup is with the Schiit Modi Multibit & Project Ember (with output resistance set to Low AND with the JJ ECC802 S or GE 6CG7 tube). Plenty of juice, detail, airiness and bottom end. Perfect.

I've never heard the NAD 3020 headphone output (although I did hear it driving speakers in a HiFi store from that era...wish I could recall that experience more vividly) so I can't comment on how it played with headphones of that era but I do have the NAD C326BEE integrated and while its headphone output is pretty decent it doesn't compare to my Mimby/Ember system.

You must really love that Ember. I've seen nothing but praise for it from you (not that I've seen anyone slam it anywhere), to the point that I'd really be curious to listen to it. I'm not really too much into tube amps, but that would probably be one of my first options if I ever look into one. I love the switchable output impedance aspect of it.

The 3020e (only one of the 3020 line I've heard) is actually a really, really good speaker amp. I knew that all along. I can't remember what he'd gotten because I was too young, but I remember my uncle trying to upgrade at some point. So he got a pretty decent amp about 10 years ago, but ended up selling it and using the NAD again. It just sounded better. More musical, more detailed, there's just something about the sound that's special. Pretty remarkable considering the design originated in the late '70s. The most surprising thing about it to me is its potency as a headphone amp. Sure, it's not as clean as a modern amp, but it sounds pretty damn good and it has all the power you could ever need. Probably a bit more than needed actually. Without a working low level switch, very easy to drive headphones are almost useless. There's really really quiet, then REALLY loud and then probably death. I didn't dare push the 58x that much (although they'd probably be fine), but I did try to push the MSR7 a little too far. I could literally feel the headphones move. Not the driver, mind you, but the whole thing. I braved it for 5 seconds before I decided I want my hearing past 25 years old. With the 58x I could also feel the whole thng vibrate too at loud volumes. Thing is, I've pushed them that loud with my Q1 too, but the drivers don't move nearly as much I think.

Just got HD58X back, its an excellent headphone for the money, i can easily recommend it as someones first "real" headphone.

At 160$, it's too easy to recommend. I can see why some people would not like them, but I have yet to see anyone hate them. I can also see why so many, including myself, love them. Plus, they're efficient, unlike the 600 and 650, so you don't have to recommend that people also get an expensive amp to drive them. If you're starting your audiophile journey now, I consider the 600/650 to easily be 500$ headphones, because if your amp is not up to snuff, you're not getting enough out of them. The 58x sound good out of anything. They do improve with better amps, unlike what some people say, though.

 

[Deftone]

At 160$, it's too easy to recommend. I can see why some people would not like them, but I have yet to see anyone hate them. I can also see why so many, including myself, love them. Plus, they're efficient, unlike the 600 and 650, so you don't have to recommend that people also get an expensive amp to drive them. If you're starting your audiophile journey now, I consider the 600/650 to easily be 500$ headphones, because if your amp is not up to snuff, you're not getting enough out of them. The 58x sound good out of anything. They do improve with better amps, unlike what some people say, though.

Most definitely, for a driver thats based on the HD595 i think its a better choice but i would still recommend it to be paired with an Atom though, $230 for awesome sound and then that amp would be good when youre ready for an upgrade. I just wished it was all gloss black.

 

[tolis626]

Most definitely, for a driver thats based on the HD595 i think its a better choice but i would still recommend it to be paired with an Atom though, $230 for awesome sound and then that amp would be good when youre ready for an upgrade. I just wished it was all gloss black.

You kind of lost me here. I don't think the 58x driver has more in common with the 595 driver than with the 660s driver. It's probably a seperate driver from both of these headphones, but it's definitely a 600 series headphone. Also, I wished it was all matte black like the 660s, but to each their own I guess.

Amps like the Atom would be the perfect fit for the 58x, I agree. They have ample power for this headphone, they are all way better than phone and PC outputs and don't break the bank.

 

[Deftone]

You kind of lost me here. I don't think the 58x driver has more in common with the 595 driver than with the 660s driver. It's probably a seperate driver from both of these headphones, but it's definitely a 600 series headphone. Also, I wished it was all matte black like the 660s, but to each their own I guess.

Amps like the Atom would be the perfect fit for the 58x, I agree. They have ample power for this headphone, they are all way better than phone and PC outputs and don't break the bank.

The HD58X driver is based on the driver of the HD595 not the HD660S. Its a very good entry level headphone but its not as good as a HD600/650 for detail and smoothness and defintely not as good as HD660S which is even more detailed and faster. I own/owned them all.

 

[Guidostrunk]

There's so much disinformation being spread about the 58x driver. I wish sennheiser would put it to rest. First it was the 660 driver. Then when you travel the net you see 700 driver , now 595 driver , which is a first for me. lol.
Honestly , it doesn't matter to me what the driver is. It sounds fantastic! Definitely prefer it to other cans I've owned. Haven't heard the 660s, but definitely prefer the 58x over the 650/600. Tried so many different dac and amp combos with the 650's to wake them up, but in the end they remained a boring can no matter what I did.
All subjective though.

 

[Electrolite]

The first time I heard that 595 claim was from DMS later metal based mostly on looks.
And yeah that exposed driver and green PCB is very similar on the 58X and 595.

But the fact is that if you look at some versions of the 580 (which the 58X pays homage) or remove the so called spider cage from the 600, 650, 660 they look just like the 58X with the exposed magnet, the proto 58X had a similar covered magnet as the 650 etc (still not the spider design).

So that claim is just based on looks alone, the lack of a spider cage.
I'm my opinion just as bad as claiming that the 58X drive is the same as the 660.

There's so much misinformation that I want to spend $220 on the 6XX just so I can compare them without bias.

What I conclude after reading at least: 58X might have less detail than the 600 or 650 (some people don't even feel that at all), so you are trading some detail for a superior bass response, with more extension, you also get a more versatile driver with a modernised Sennheiser FR (similar to the new 660), you also get a easier to drive headphone.

Even if it the slight detail loss is real you get some cool benefits and in fact most comparisons from people who own all these headphones say they are very similar and detail is mostly never mentioned at all.

I'm not sure why people talk down on the 58X, metal is wrong, in my opinion and the 58X fulfils a very clear role among its brothers. These people who want to express how the 58X Is inferior are just as strange as people who say this headphone is godly and close to a Stax or something.

 

[Deftone]

The first time I heard that 595 claim was from DMS later metal based mostly on looks.
And yeah that exposed driver and green PCB is very similar on the 58X and 595.

But the fact is that if you look at some versions of the 580 (which the 58X pays homage) or remove the so called spider cage from the 600, 650, 660 they look just like the 58X with the exposed magnet, the proto 58X in fact had a similar covered magnet as the 650 etc (still not the spider design).

So that claim is just based on looks alone, the lack of a spider cage.
I'm my opinionj ust as bad as claiming that the 58X drive is the same as the 660.

There's so much misinformation that I want to spend $220 on the 6XX just so I can compare them without bias.

What I conclude after reading at least: 58X might have less detail than the 600 or 650 (some people don't even feel that at all), so you are trading some detail for a superior bass response, with more extension, you also get a more versatile driver with a modernised Sennheiser FR (similar to the new 660), you also get a easier to drive headphone.

Even if it the slight detail loss is real you get some cool benefits and in fact most comparisons from people who own all these headphones say they are very similar and detail is mostly never mentioned at all.

I'm not sure why people talk down on the 58X, metal is wrong in my opinion and the 58X fulfils a very clear role among its brothers. These people who want to express how the 58X Is inferior are just as strange as people who say this headphone is godly and close to a Stax or something.

You mean this user @metal571 ?

Ive heard them all side by side so i was giving my thoughts this is not about putting down the HD58X or i wouldnt have recommended it.

Like i said its an excellent first "serious headphone" but theres quite the gap between 58X and 600/650/660S in my opinion.

 

[Electrolite]

You mean this user @metal571 ?

Ive heard them all side by side so i was giving my thoughts this is not about putting down the HD58X or i wouldnt have recommended it.

Like i said its an excellent first "serious headphone" but theres quite the gap between 58X and 600/650/660S in my opinion.

Yes, him, but the first time I heard that was from DMS' review.

Oh I'm sorry I didn't express myself properly, I'm not including you in "people who try to put down this headphone" since you only said a opinion, I really meant some people with a much more aggressive and biased opinion on the matter.

Soon enough I'll get a 650 to check for myself if they are far apart or very similar but for now I'll focus on a Atom a DAC and a planar.

 

[SP Wild]

You mean this user @metal571 ?

Ive heard them all side by side so i was giving my thoughts this is not about putting down the HD58X or i wouldnt have recommended it.

Like i said its an excellent first "serious headphone" but theres quite the gap between 58X and 600/650/660S in my opinion.

I don't think so at all. My HD58X does not sound worse than my HD650. It sounds different, but not worse. The HD650 does something better and the HD58X does other things better. I feel they compliment each other perfectly. They have the same tonal balance with vastly different sound signatures.

 

[Mrcrunch08]

You mean this user @metal571 ?

Ive heard them all side by side so i was giving my thoughts this is not about putting down the HD58X or i wouldnt have recommended it.

Like i said its an excellent first "serious headphone" but theres quite the gap between 58X and 600/650/660S in my opinion.

I have owned them all except for the 660s and I just don't hear that gap. They are certainly not silky like the 650/6xx and still not as smooth as the 600 but I also never heard a persons voice be that smooth irl either. Imaging is definitely better on the 58x compared to those two and the 650/6xx has a better sound stage. Both the 600 and 650/6xx seem to have better separation but at no point have I heard detail on one that I haven't heard in another except in the case of some raspy voices that I think are more textured on the 58x. They all have their own thing they are better at and only looking at one specific criteria can I say there is a gap for any one of those three. As far as the driver being a hd595 driver I just don't understand why people are throwing guesses out there like it's common knowledge. Unless I'm missing something wasn't there only a 50ohm and 120ohm version of that? If just changing the damping can qualify as a different driver surely a different voice coil does. Wasn't DMS the same guy who said they use cheaper plastics on the 58x as well despite the fact you can take every single one of your sennheisers apart and see the same material mark on all of them? They are all PA6 GF which is a glass fiber reinforced plastic. He spent more time defending his statement then it would take to pop them all apart and use google to see what the stamp means if he never owned a decent power tool and seen the stamp there. I don't take much stock in his comments on material or components.

 

[Deftone]

I have no idea what dms or whoever it is says about the headphones. If you dont hear the difference in lack of grain, better resolution and detail in the 650 then great but I wanted to give my honest thoughts and maybe help with someone looking to upgrade to the next level but next time ill keep out of the thread.

 

[Mrcrunch08]

I have no idea what dms or whoever it is says about the headphones. If you dont hear the difference in lack of grain, better resolution and detail in the 650 then great but I wanted to give my honest thoughts and maybe help with someone looking to upgrade to the next level but next time ill keep out of the thread.

Please don't. The more opinions the better. I think these discussions are good. I hope you aren't taking offense to anything said.

 

[Guidostrunk]

No need to leave the thread bro. Your opinion is just as valid. Your opinion just happens to be in a small minority. Different ears, and gears I suppose.

I wish I could hear the grain that some people mention. I've tried everything and hear no distortion in the upper regions whatsoever. Even at 85+ dB volume for a few seconds. I've played some of the worst recorded music and heard nothing more than a sht recording lol.

 

[Mhog55]

I have no idea what dms or whoever it is says about the headphones. If you dont hear the difference in lack of grain, better resolution and detail in the 650 then great but I wanted to give my honest thoughts and maybe help with someone looking to upgrade to the next level but next time ill keep out of the thread.

I hear it. Agree with the detail and resolution aspects. The grain can be more of a mist. Depends on the track. I didn't really take issue with the 650. The 58X just fits my main genre better - rock.