[joshwalnut]

Quote:

lol yeah that one, and also the silver ring is the one that surrounds the grill

 
How do you remove that without breaking it? Mine is glued from the inside along with those 10-12 tabs that keep it in place.. mine must have been made after or before yours.
 
On another note, i hardly doubt i would notice a difference if i did remove it lol.. removing that outside mesh though i bet i would.

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

 
How do you remove that without breaking it? Mine is glued from the inside along with those 10-12 tabs that keep it in place.. mine must have been made after or before yours.
 
On another note, i hardly doubt i would notice a difference if i did remove it lol.. removing that outside mesh though i bet i would.

lol well the glue is actually very, very soft. i could just push it out with my fingernails.
Well i felt like i did feel a difference, none in tonality, but a difference in the soundstage. It is a lot harder to spot a difference in soundstage though, even more so if it's not amped. But still it is pretty hard to spot differences in soundstage compared to tonality.
So you can give it a try if you want, its reversable

 

[joshwalnut]

Quote:

lol well the glue is actually very, very soft. i could just push it out with my fingernails.
Well i felt like i did feel a difference, none in tonality, but a difference in the soundstage. It is a lot harder to spot a difference in soundstage though, even more so if it's not amped. But still it is pretty hard to spot differences in soundstage compared to tonality.
So you can give it a try if you want, its reversable

 
Do you have to remove that to remove the outside mesh? Will it pull out or will it rip? I also tried pushing it out and that glue is like concrete! lmao 
 
Hey, so do you still think that with the mesh removed it makes a good difference? I mean i like the headphones just as they are... but....but.. is there more? lol

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

 
Do you have to remove that to remove the outside mesh? Will it pull out or will it rip? I also tried pushing it out and that glue is like concrete! lmao 
 
Hey, so do you still think that with the mesh removed it makes a good difference? I mean i like the headphones just as they are... but....but.. is there more? lol

lol you have to push the rim pins out of the way so it can come out (its a kind of hook shape) no the cloth is stuck to the earcup themselves, the silver ring can pop out by itself.
And also the benefit is uhh more spacious soundstage (a bit) for the rims, and for the mesh itself it did remove some of the veil i was feeling present in the headphones, well for me i liked it

 

Add on note: Not planning to have next upgrade as HD650, since i feel that this mod makes it quite resolving and detailed, and i would actually lose airyness if i switch to the HD650. So... off to the other branch and onwards to the MS2i! (sometime in the future.... could be tomorrow or next year who knows)

 

[palmfish]

Im a new 558 owner. I picked them up refurbished for $92 a couple weeks ago. They arrived in like new condition and I couldnt be more pleased with them.

I personally prefer them over the lighter airier 598. I would say they sound different, not worse. I bought them because I like how they sound, and I think the Sennheiser engineers knew what they were doing with the driver assembly and dampening material.

They do not need an amp to sound good, but if you must pair them with an amp, it should be a very low (near zero) output impedance amp. The 558s sound terrific through my Benchmark DAC1 but through my Pioneer receiver (30 ohm output impedance) they sound noticeably thicker and bassier)

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Im a new 558 owner. I picked them up refurbished for $92 a couple weeks ago. They arrived in like new condition and I couldnt be more pleased with them.

I personally prefer them over the lighter airier 598. I would say they sound different, not worse. I bought them because I like how they sound, and I think the Sennheiser engineers knew what they were doing with the driver assembly and dampening material.

They do not need an amp to sound good, but if you must pair them with an amp, it should be a very low (near zero) output impedance amp. The 558s sound terrific through my Benchmark DAC1 but through my Pioneer receiver (30 ohm output impedance) they sound noticeably thicker and bassier)

Their bass reigon of 100hz has an impedance spike of about 250. A higher gain setting ensures more control over the bass giving a tighter bass.

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

Their bass reigon of 100hz has an impedance spike of about 250. A higher gain setting ensures more control over the bass giving a tighter bass.

 
Assuming one has an amplifier with user adjustable gain, I dont see how increasing gain will tighten bass. It might add background noise and/or distortion, but thats about it as far as I know.

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

 
Assuming one has an amplifier with user adjustable gain, I dont see how increasing gain will tighten bass. It might add background noise and/or distortion, but thats about it as far as I know.

It does make a difference to mine. A fellow head-fier agreed on this to an even greater extent. And no it doesn't add noise because mine has its own DAC.

 

[palmfish]

If you hear a difference, then thats all that matters

 

[joshwalnut]

Quote:

Im a new 558 owner. I picked them up refurbished for $92 a couple weeks ago. They arrived in like new condition and I couldnt be more pleased with them.

I personally prefer them over the lighter airier 598. I would say they sound different, not worse. I bought them because I like how they sound, and I think the Sennheiser engineers knew what they were doing with the driver assembly and dampening material.

They do not need an amp to sound good, but if you must pair them with an amp, it should be a very low (near zero) output impedance amp. The 558s sound terrific through my Benchmark DAC1 but through my Pioneer receiver (30 ohm output impedance) they sound noticeably thicker and bassier)

 
I've read about amps with low output impedance and i still don't quite understand. I have the FiiO E10, does that have a low output?
 
I didn't need amping with mine over my onboard sound card on my laptop. I thought i'd get the E10 because it has both the DAC and an amplifier. I do notice a small difference in quality such as more instrument separation and a different sound signature that i like.. not THAT much different. It changed the bass significantly though.. made it more rounded and punchier. For a $60 amp/DAC it is pretty good. I think i'm getting the most benefits from the DAC in the E10.. i could be wrong though.

 

[palmfish]

Quote:

 
I've read about amps with low output impedance and i still don't quite understand. I have the FiiO E10, does that have a low output?
 
I didn't need amping with mine over my onboard sound card on my laptop. I thought i'd get the E10 because it has both the DAC and an amplifier. I do notice a small difference in quality such as more instrument separation and a different sound signature that i like.. not THAT much different. It changed the bass significantly though.. made it more rounded and punchier. For a $60 amp/DAC it is pretty good. I think i'm getting the most benefits from the DAC in the E10.. i could be wrong though.

 
Computer soundcards are a mixed bag so its no surprise you heard an improvement with the E10.
 
I see the E10's output impedance is rated at 0.3 ohms. Thats as close to zero as you're going to get and a good match for the 558 - you are good to go.

 

[Mad Max]

Quote:

 
I've read about amps with low output impedance and i still don't quite understand. I have the FiiO E10, does that have a low output?
 
I didn't need amping with mine over my onboard sound card on my laptop. I thought i'd get the E10 because it has both the DAC and an amplifier. I do notice a small difference in quality such as more instrument separation and a different sound signature that i like.. not THAT much different. It changed the bass significantly though.. made it more rounded and punchier. For a $60 amp/DAC it is pretty good. I think i'm getting the most benefits from the DAC in the E10.. i could be wrong though.

 
Wait until you try an Audio-gd desktop unit, then

 

 

 

[astronautical]

A huge upgrade. Haha just got these last night!

 

[Spastic]

A huge upgrade. Haha just got these last night!

Nice, how would you describe the sound of the 558's in comparison to your previous/other headphones?

 

[astronautical]

Nice, how would you describe the sound of the 558's in comparison to your previous/other headphones?

Well first of all, the soundstage is far better since it's an open-back. The highs and mids are far more pronounced here. Bass is better on the 428 though. P.S. only 8 hours on these. But so far liking them.