[mamamia88]

Hey guys I ordered a pair of hd 558s do I really need an amp with these?  I do have an e6 I could test it with but, a bit of googling said that the e6 might clip the soundstage of the headphones.   I'm using a rockboxed clip zip and galaxy s3 as my two main sources.  I don't really want to spend 2/3 the price of the headphones fora  e11.  

 

[GrindingThud]

No, it sounds very good straight out of an iPod touch.

Hey guys I ordered a pair of hd 558s do I really need an amp with these?  I do have an e6 I could test it with but, a bit of googling said that the e6 might clip the soundstage of the headphones.   I'm using a rockboxed clip zip and galaxy s3 as my two main sources.  I don't really want to spend 2/3 the price of the headphones fora  e11.  

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

No, it sounds very good straight out of an iPod touch.

Hey guys I ordered a pair of hd 558s do I really need an amp with these?  I do have an e6 I could test it with but, a bit of googling said that the e6 might clip the soundstage of the headphones.   I'm using a rockboxed clip zip and galaxy s3 as my two main sources.  I don't really want to spend 2/3 the price of the headphones fora  e11.  

+1, an amp is not needed at all. It will improve a little bit with one though. 

 

[streetdragon]

The E6 is only good if you want the bass ,mid or treble boost. But normally if you use it stock flat you might just as well use it as a 50+ level volume controller.
But then even the boost's aren't very good, the bass boost is really boomy.

 

[mamamia88]

How loud can it get without the amp? As long as bass is adequate and its not too quiet I would rather do without. I already have enough crap to worry about charging. I do use the e6 with my mdr-v6because frankly those are too flat for my taste but, I should have known that before buying.

 

[mattslaughing]

Hello everyone, I just got my HD598's a few days ago. I'm impressed by the soundscape, they are great for gaming. The bass lacks impact but is well defined. I find them pretty boring for most music, but extremely clear. I listen to a lot of trance, so they were pretty underwhelming for me. Keep in mind this is basically directly plugged into my onboard audio without amplification. I'm getting an E07k DAC, which should improve it I'm guessing. Anyone else experience the same issues? And will this DAC help?

 

[StanD]

  Hey guys I ordered a pair of hd 558s do I really need an amp with these?  I do have an e6 I could test it with but, a bit of googling said that the e6 might clip the soundstage of the headphones.   I'm using a rockboxed clip zip and galaxy s3 as my two main sources.  I don't really want to spend 2/3 the price of the headphones fora  e11.  

The E6 is nothing to write home about, IMO don't bother with it. The HD558's are easy to drive. If you feel the need for an Amp get an E12 or just forget about it and drive direct. I have a GS3, it can drive the HD558's easily but the DAC isn't all that great. The cheapest improvement for the GS3 is an E18 DAC/Amp but I'm not sure that you want to spend that much since an E11 doesn't interest you.

 

[mamamia88]

  The E6 is nothing to write home about, IMO don't bother with it. The HD558's are easy to drive. If you feel the need for an Amp get an E12 or just forget about it and drive direct. I have a GS3, it can drive the HD558's easily but the DAC isn't all that great. The cheapest improvement for the GS3 is an E18 DAC/Amp but I'm not sure that you want to spend that much since an E11 doesn't interest you.

Um yeah I don't think I'll be paying twice what I paid for the headphones for an amp.  I don't even use my gs3 much for music only while I'm at work. e11 somewhat interests me but, unless it makes like a huge difference I'd rather keep it as simple as possible. 

 

[StanD]

  Um yeah I don't think I'll be paying twice what I paid for the headphones for an amp.  I don't even use my gs3 much for music only while I'm at work. e11 somewhat interests me but, unless it makes like a huge difference I'd rather keep it as simple as possible. 

You don't have to spend thousands to get into a decent audiophile experience. The HD558's are a good start. When you are ready to or feel the need to kick it up a notch you can decide what to do then. For now enjoy what you have and if you want to, tuck some money away for a future audio acquisition.

 

[mamamia88]

Last question I'm trying to determine if it's possible to pair these two items together rather than using an adapter for 3.5mm devices.  http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021807&p_id=4634&seq=1&format=2 
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=104&cp_id=10429&cs_id=1042909&p_id=7124&seq=1&format=2

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  Last question I'm trying to determine if it's possible to pair these two items together rather than using an adapter for 3.5mm devices.  http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021807&p_id=4634&seq=1&format=2 
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=104&cp_id=10429&cs_id=1042909&p_id=7124&seq=1&format=2

The HD558's have a twist and lock cable on the headphone side I believe. So I don't think it'll work. 

 

[mamamia88]

  The HD558's have a twist and lock cable on the headphone side I believe. So I don't think it'll work. 

Dang what's the point in having a replaceable cable if you can't just replace it with an off the shelf cable?  I'm tempted to try http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-2-5mm-Male-to-3-5mm-Female-Stereo-Audio-Headphone-Jack-Adapter-Converter-/141261894844?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item20e3dd74bc on the headphone end and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable I already have.  

 

[StanD]

  Dang what's the point in having a replaceable cable if you can't just replace it with an off the shelf cable?  I'm tempted to try http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-2-5mm-Male-to-3-5mm-Female-Stereo-Audio-Headphone-Jack-Adapter-Converter-/141261894844?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item20e3dd74bc on the headphone end and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable I already have.  

Sennheiser makes a shorter cable with a 3.5mm (1/8") plug. I've bought it for my HD558. $13.47 + shipping
Part Number: US5X8SHORTCABLE
Go to the below link, and scoll down the page to find the cable.
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/audio-headphones-high-end-hd-558

 

[GrindingThud]

This is also a nice cable:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261255113290

 

[mamamia88]

Alright I got my 558s in.  They are too quiet even at max volume for me so I think I'll need an amp.  Is it worth upgrading to the e11 from e6 just for the longer battery life?  I just want a volume boost and already have the e6