[streetdragon]

  Hey guys. I got these (558) during the holidays, I was wondering how durable the speaker mesh that covers the outside is? 
 
 
I'm generally pretty careful with them, but it got me thinking when I quickly took them off and accidentally ran my fingernail across it. 

The most you are going to do is push the cloth in to have the hexagon pattern grill underneath it show the impressions of the grill. But the cloth is very well stuck to the grill, needing brutal force to actually tear it out.
But do note that the cloth can get dirty fairly easily.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  Hey guys. I got these (558) during the holidays, I was wondering how durable the speaker mesh that covers the outside is? 
 
 
I'm generally pretty careful with them, but it got me thinking when I quickly took them off and accidentally ran my fingernail across it. 

As long as you don't run a knife across it I think it's okay.

 

[Cryobolt]

Thanks guys. First time owning something of this caliber, so not 100% on how everything handles fatigue and wear. 

 

[Belial88]

I'm interested in buying some sub-$150 headphones where comfort and sound quality are the most important (sound leakage and portability doesn't matter), to use with my Z87X-UD3H desktop (ALC898 + DRV632 600ohm TI headphone amp). This seems to rule out a lot of headphones, as most sub-$200s are very particular and closed (ie bass heavy m50, soundstage a700, etc), so the 558s are on my shortlist. 
 
That said, I just wanted to make sure that buying a $130 558 would be a good purchase, namely that there aren't better options (like the many good sony headphones like the 7506, CAL2, t50rp), or a cheaper headphone is similar enough in quality.
 
I want to make sure that I'm getting something for my money, and while it's clear to me that the 558s are great headphones, it is not clear to me that they are a significant step above budget kings, particularly the 681 EVO as I just bought that ($38 shipped) but also the AKG S240 (i tested it at a store, loved it), SR850, and the other Superluxes which, from my research, seem to be the best under $80, but also the many sub-$100 phones that are well liked (Pioneer SE-A1000, Fostex T50RP, CAL and CAL2, Takstar 2050, V6/7506).
 
Thanks. I primarily listen to electronic (think kavisnky, justice, daft punk, as opposed to house/dubstep like skrillex or stonebridge), and competitively play starcraft 2 (an RTS, I do not play any other game and never will, i dont think this impacts my headphone needs much, though one person said 'cinematic' would be good for it). For the most part, general usage, I do not have a preference in sound profile since I'm a newb.
 
TLDR Are these a serious step up above the many very good, budget sub-$100 phones, in particular the 681 EVO, or at least SR850/Superluxes/K240).
 
edit: I do know the senns are comfortable, I didn't get to a/b them vs the akg s240 that was definitely super comfortable though. I tested a senn 428, didn't really a/b it or get to play it with my own choice of music, it was hooked up to some store which samples 1 bad song, i mean it seemed fine.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  I'm interested in buying some sub-$150 headphones where comfort and sound quality are the most important (sound leakage and portability doesn't matter), to use with my Z87X-UD3H desktop (ALC898 + DRV632 600ohm TI headphone amp). This seems to rule out a lot of headphones, as most sub-$200s are very particular and closed (ie bass heavy m50, soundstage a700, etc), so the 558s are on my shortlist. 
 
That said, I just wanted to make sure that buying a $130 558 would be a good purchase, namely that there aren't better options (like the many good sony headphones like the 7506, CAL2, t50rp), or a cheaper headphone is similar enough in quality.
 
I want to make sure that I'm getting something for my money, and while it's clear to me that the 558s are great headphones, it is not clear to me that they are a significant step above budget kings, particularly the 681 EVO as I just bought that ($38 shipped) but also the AKG S240 (i tested it at a store, loved it), SR850, and the other Superluxes which, from my research, seem to be the best under $80, but also the many sub-$100 phones that are well liked (Pioneer SE-A1000, Fostex T50RP, CAL and CAL2, Takstar 2050, V6/7506).
 
Thanks. I primarily listen to electronic (think kavisnky, justice, daft punk, as opposed to house/dubstep like skrillex or stonebridge), and competitively play starcraft 2 (an RTS, I do not play any other game and never will, i dont think this impacts my headphone needs much, though one person said 'cinematic' would be good for it). For the most part, general usage, I do not have a preference in sound profile since I'm a newb.
 
TLDR Are these a serious step up above the many very good, budget sub-$100 phones, in particular the 681 EVO, or at least SR850/Superluxes/K240).
 
edit: I do know the senns are comfortable, I didn't get to a/b them vs the akg s240 that was definitely super comfortable though. I tested a senn 428, didn't really a/b it or get to play it with my own choice of music, it was hooked up to some store which samples 1 bad song, i mean it seemed fine.

I feel like the 558's don't sound that close to the 400 series (that's just me). They indeed do blow the V6 out of the water (again my opinion, i never really liked the V6's anyways). Don't forget the HD598 too. 

 

[Belial88]

Yea I wasn't taking the 428 as a reference, although I think the shape/comfort should be similar, but from what I heard it seemed fine (could only play some dinky small sample, couldnt hook it up to my phone or change songs so couldnt really test much of it). 
 
Thanks for the info, I guess I'll go with 558s then. 

 

[Belial88]

Could anyone comment on Shure SRH440 ($85+) vs 558s ($110+)?  Someone is telling me he really likes the 440s far more then anything else, an experienced head-fi guy. Sound quality, profile, stage, and comfort (I don't care about portability or sound leakage/isolation). 

 

[streetdragon]

  Could anyone comment on Shure SRH440 ($85+) vs 558s ($110+)?  Someone is telling me he really likes the 440s far more then anything else, an experienced head-fi guy. Sound quality, profile, stage, and comfort (I don't care about portability or sound leakage/isolation). 

Comfort wise:
HD558 has much more comfortable valour earpads and deeper earcups than the shure's pleather earpads. But the HD558 clamps quite hard and the earpads are kind of stiff out of the box, but can soften immesely over time. (washing the earpads softens it a lot but i don't recommend it if you want to extend to the lifespan of your earpads)

Sound wise:
SRH440 has a much brighter sound with more treble sparkle but less bass than the HD558. The soundstage width, depth and seperation of the HD558 is far superior due to being open back, also sounds a little laidback and dark while the SRH440 has a more clean and analytical sound.

 

[Belial88]

Can you replace the shure pleather with velour to make it more comfortable, possibly?
 
When is more treble, less bass, a good thing? I listen mostly to electronic (daft punk, kavinsky, justice, not house or dubstep or bassnectar stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0iQRjHbW4 )

 

[dj1001]

I think the Shure 940 pads will fit on the 440, I use 940 pads on my ath-m50's and they are very nice pads. If you didn't need to go velour the you could go with brainwavz HM5 pads on the 440. I've seen a few 440's with HM5 pads and they look very nice, supposed to improve the bass response a bit as well.

 

[streetdragon]

  Can you replace the shure pleather with velour to make it more comfortable, possibly?
 
When is more treble, less bass, a good thing? I listen mostly to electronic (daft punk, kavinsky, justice, not house or dubstep or bassnectar stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0iQRjHbW4 )

well if you place valour you will lose even more bass from this already basslight headphone.
Also for these kind of music... it depends on how you like your music even if 2 people listen to the same stuff.

 

[Belial88]

Are the 558s the most comfortable sub-$200 phones? 

Do you think they are the best phones under $150 (and what bout under $200) for electronic music/general usage, in regards to comfort, sound quality, and stage? I really want absolute comfort with my phones, even the 681 Evo's I got get a bit fatiguing after 2+ hours (could just need to be worn in a bit for the clamping to lessen, or maybe replace the pleather pads with the velour, i dont know, but just saying). 

 

[streetdragon]

  Are the 558s the most comfortable sub-$200 phones? 

Do you think they are the best phones under $150 (and what bout under $200) for electronic music/general usage, in regards to comfort, sound quality, and stage? I really want absolute comfort with my phones, even the 681 Evo's I got get a bit fatiguing after 2+ hours (could just need to be worn in a bit for the clamping to lessen, or maybe replace the pleather pads with the velour, i dont know, but just saying). 

They are one of the most comfortble headphones around even when comparing against flagships. (once the earpads soften up a little)
Soundstage wise they are good at the pricepoint, bass doesn't really have the impact of closed/ortho counterparts but more than the HD598 due to the foam backing.
 

 

[Belial88]

Could anyone compare the 558s to the MA900  and DT990 pro? They are all about the same price.
 
I hear a lot of praise about the MA900, but worried becauseMad lust said it had really shallow cups 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-1-27-2014-monster-dna-pro-added-edits
 

  As stated earlier, if you have a strong aversion against your ears touching any material, these may not be for you...Only those with a strong aversion to their ears touching any material may find them uncomfortable.

 
I mean wouldn't anyone find that uncomfortable? I don't particularly care, but I believe the 681 evo's are getting fatiguing and sore after 3+ hours is because they are on my ears a little bit.

 

[streetdragon]

It depends, almost all headphones have parts of the material touching the earcups or earpads like all shure headphones and the HD650. But they are still comfortable because there is soft foam inside the earcups unlike others that have a hard mesh pressing directly against the ears like grado headphones, MDR-1r, Final Audio Pandora VI (<- has a spiky grill inside, total earpain)