Sennheiser HD 558 "foam mod" Has anyone heard of this outside of 4chan's /g/ board?

[Aaron94]

Well I got my HD558s in the mail yesterday, and I must say they are amazing, everything I was hoping they would be. Straight out of the box I performed the foam mod, but I kept the foam just in case. Unfortunately the cable I bought is too big to fit in the hole for the headphones, even after I removed the locking ring. I will either have to cut it down a bit or try an adapter or different cable.

 

[Hifi Man]

Quote:

Well I got my HD558s in the mail yesterday, and I must say they are amazing, everything I was hoping they would be. Straight out of the box I performed the foam mod, but I kept the foam just in case. Unfortunately the cable I bought is too big to fit in the hole for the headphones, even after I removed the locking ring. I will either have to cut it down a bit or try an adapter or different cable.

I was wondering how that cable would work out for you.

 

[Aaron94]

Ya the strain relief and the plastic housing around the 2.5mm is way to large to fit in the silver port on the headphones. Ill have to either cut it down to size or try something else.

 

[GrindingThud]

I think this cable has the small connector: http://poc.sennheiserusa.com/parts/finder.php?product=504631

 

[nbakid2000]

  Yes,  it's the same principle that people add damping material to headphones like the T1 to reduce harshness.   I don't think you can say 100% that it's superior in every way with the foam mod.  I for one greatly appreciated the additional airiness and less dark sound signature.  I thought the bass was a little less tight without the foam too.
I wouldn't call it strictly better/worse. Gives it a different sound is all.  Try it and see if you like it.

I just performed the mod and so far my impressions are mixed. Everything seems a *tad* more clear, not necessarily more "airy" like others are hearing. So far the harshness is pretty bad though. I guess it depends on what you listen to, but everything seems too sharp for my ears. It's slightly painful to hear. It's not BAD, mind you, but it's slightly more assaulting (to me) than with the foam pads. I'm still listening and trying to judge with various albums. I may put the pads back in. The bass seems to have disappeared almost completely, I have noticed. I'm not huge into bass, so it's not a major issue but I notice it missing and I'd like a tad more in there. Again, it depends on what you're listening to and how your ears process sound. So overall, slightly better in some areas, worse in others as you mentioned.

 

[Musiccc]

I think the forms are there to make the 558's a somewhat semi-opened headphones so that the bass is enhanced and or to achieve the sound signature the engineers have in mind.  The drivers is not the only thing that goes into headphones design.
The suggestions that Sennheiser puts forms into 558 to degrade its sound so that they could sell the 598 at higher price (or thing along that logic) is ridiculous.  If you have a $200 product, would you degrade it so you could sell it at $130.

 

[Errymoose]

   If you have a $200 product, would you degrade it so you could sell it at $130.

Lots of companies do this.  Mostly for manufacturing reasons (2 different models that are the same physically but they enable/disable features and sell them at different price points).
 
Doubt that's exactly what's happening here... they are obviously slightly different plastic cups, and most don't really claim that it makes them "sound like the 598".  They just sound different and possibly better if you happen to like the changes.

 

[Musiccc]

You have taken what I said out of context by just reading or quoting the last sentence of the whole paragraph. 
 
Companies do not degrade a product "B" to make product "A" look/perform better, they just make a similar but different product for different price point, sound, look, quality, etc...

 

[Errymoose]

They do though... "software unlockable" features and such are exactly that.  as are things like cpus with disabled cores...

 

[aidsbums]

Thank you very much!!!
 
Literally just did the mod...
At first i was sceptical about it, i thought it would be a very minute difference and very hard to perform the mod itself.
I asked my dad about it and he said it was probably just an urban myth. 
 
Once i had done it i went straight to my room and listened to all kinds of music. Instantly i had known it had helped... It really helped, and was easier than expected to carry out, the only bit i found hard was replacing the foam ear-pads.
 
The bass is less muddy and more clear, i feel more immersed in the music and it just sounds better in general, i don't know how to explain it. I am very happy with the headphones now and they haven't even fully burnt in yet.
 
Thanks a lot!!

 

[mamamia88]

Just ordered a pair.  I'm assuming the logical thing to do is use them stock for quite some time so that when and if I decide to do the mod I can tell the difference? 

 

[aidsbums]

I got them, used them for about 3 days with about 3 hours burn in time and then did the mod straight away, and i noticed the difference straight away. I'm guessing that using them for a while first will make a more noticeable difference though...

 

[Cothealiv]

I got them, used them for about 3 days with about 3 hours burn in time and then did the mod straight away, and i noticed the difference straight away. I'm guessing that using them for a while first will make a more noticeable difference though...

I've had mine for about a month, using them for about 4 to 5 hours a day after work. Decided to try the foam mod once I figured out I wouldn't tear the velour by pulling too hard. I've noticed that the treble is a bit more clear and the bass "booms" a touch more. It's pleasing to my ears at least. Plus I was getting a bit of distortion with the foam in because the right side foam was hanging halfway off the earcup and I'm guessing it was vibrating against the driver. For me at least, the foam mod is a huge boost to sound quality. 

 

[djmuzi]

I performed the mod.

I'm not sure if it's worth removing it.... Seems that I can't hear any difference ...

But when everybody says it's better then why not playing around a little

I haven't read about any disadvantages. Or are there any you might know??

 

[djmuzi]

I just performed the mod and so far my impressions are mixed. Everything seems a *tad* more clear, not necessarily more "airy" like others are hearing. So far the harshness is pretty bad though. I guess it depends on what you listen to, but everything seems too sharp for my ears. It's slightly painful to hear. It's not BAD, mind you, but it's slightly more assaulting (to me) than with the foam pads. I'm still listening and trying to judge with various albums. I may put the pads back in. The bass seems to have disappeared almost completely, I have noticed. I'm not huge into bass, so it's not a major issue but I notice it missing and I'd like a tad more in there. Again, it depends on what you're listening to and how your ears process sound. So overall, slightly better in some areas, worse in others as you mentioned.

I'm with you.

I put the rubbers back inside LOL

It got a bit too harsh for my taste. With the foams inside the sound seems more relaxed.
I like it the way Sennheiser did this earphones.

At least now I know what's inside a headphone :rolleyes: (birds singing cheap cheap (plastic) )