Lazwarth
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2012
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So, this is my first review and in it, I will be comparing the Sennheiser HD558 to the HD430.
The most "high end" headphone I have ever listened to would be the HD430, which was Sennheiser's sub-flagship or flagship headphone around 1985. I have however, grown up listening to the KEF model 105 and other high end speakers, but no other "high end" headphones.
For some general information on my setup,
The HD558 was purchased in October, and has had daily use ever since, the HD430 was purchased around 1985-86, and has countless hours and days on it.
Both headphones are in excellent state, with the pads on the HD430 slightly torn and no longer firm, putting the driver mere millimeters from the ear.
I use my Marantz Sr-53 stereo receiver and my computer for all comparisons.
To start, I will list one song and post my impressions on each one of the headphone's performance with it:
Bela Fleck - Flight of The Cosmic Hippo
This song is a bit of a bass monster, as every second is punctuated by a low rattling bass note. The HD558 convey the best impression of this, because of its well balanced sound signature. There is however, nearly no deep bass extension, this is where the the HD430 come in. They have a much better bass extension but it may not sound satisfying because of the very bass shy sound signature. The song progresses onwards with gentle but sharp acoustic guitar plucks, for this, the HD430 really shine with a perfect amount of warmth and a very detailed sound. The highs also seem to be more extended giving an extra impression of detail and adding to the enjoyment. The HD430 also seem to convey a much better ambiance of the recording making it feel more personal, probably due to the headphone's bright sound. The HD430 have a very nice separation, and a very liquid midrange, the soundstage however is on par with the HD558.
Overall a tie for this song, with a very slight edge to the HD430
Queen - Dragon Attack
A very different song, fast paced and with lots of things going on all around. The HD430 seems to be struggling slightly to separate everything, making it all a bit confusing. The HD558 really shine at instrument separation here and retain a very coherent mix all throughout the song. The superior resolution of the HD430, does reveal the relative bad quality of the recording, making it sound flat and kinda lifeless. The soundstage is again a tie in-between the two, with a slight downside to the HD430 because of its flatness and bad separation. The midrange on the HD430 is again very full and more close-up, the bass has better impact and easily noticeable extension. There are A LOT more details to be heard on this song than I thought, all of them revealed by the HD430.
The two headphones each give a very different rendition of this song, but the HD558 won this one in terms of "fun".
Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky
The piano keys at the beggining of the song are smooth on the HD430, but are easier to listen to on the HD558. As soon as the vocals start, the HD430 renders them coldly making them lack the emotion they are supposed to carry, the emotion is however conveyed by the HD558. When the keyboard and the drums come in, the whole song turns into a big ugly mess on the HD430, whereas the HD558 retain the general thread of the song and keep it easy to listen to. The soundstage of the HD558 is much better than the the HD430. The highs also seem to be recessed on the HD558, but there seems to be more bass impact and mids impact too.
Not much else to say here, another victory for the HD558.
The Beatles - Because/Get Back/Glass Onion/Eleanor Rigby(Love versions)
"Because" starts off very silently with small bird sounds, and many other sounds of summer, all these sounds are much more present on the HD430, and very detailed (again). When the vocals start off, I really start to see what the HD430 can really do. They are crisp warm and very smooth and detailed, the mids are definitely a very strong point on the HD430. Weirdly though, the HD558 separates the different voices out of the harmony making it very beautiful, the highs are also more intergrated into the mids than on the HD430. When the song transitions into "Get Back", the ensemble again remains more coherent on the HD558, but all the individual instruments are very detailed on the HD430, especially the bass.The HD558 have an incredible rendition of the drums. As "Glass Onion" retains the same kind of theme as "Get Back", there is not much to say about it. On "Eleanor Rigby" this a whole new game, as there is not much bass, and not too much going on, the HD430 Aces this song. As soon as the violins and the cello (I think) come in, they are crisp and very up-front and forward. When the harmonized vocals come in too, the the HD430 really conveys all of the emotion in the song.
Overall, a definite and easy win for the HD430.
Pendulum - Genesis/Salt In the Wounds
Well, at the beginning of "Genesis", the synth and trumpet sounds are beautifully clear and crystalline on the HD430, and sound slightly muted on the HD558. Since the recording is in mp3, the HD430 actually reveals all the flaws. When "Salt in the Wounds" starts, everything seems to be displayed in front of me just easy to analyse. Everything is liquidy smooth and fast on the HD430 but lacks the punch of the HD558, there is good mid impact on the HD430, but the bass is severely lacking for this song. The bass feels more detailed and textured on the HD430, but can be overwhelming on the HD558. The HD558 is much more forgiving than the HD430, and its sound signature suits the music better. The HD558 is slower than the HD430 and its bass can seem a bit boomy.
All things considered, I like the HD558 better for this song, but it could be called another tie in-between the two.
Overall Impression
My general impression from this review, is that the HD558 has more bass, less extension in the highs and bass, a darker sound, less refined and has better soundstage and retains its coherency in complex passages.
The HD430 is very refined, has deep bass, but it may be lacking on some songs, very forward mids, a bright sound signature, well extended highs, and less soundstage and coherence in complex passages.
Now, I don't know who this review will benefit (or why?), but I hope you enjoyed reading it, as these are two very different and interesting headphones (to me at least).
The most "high end" headphone I have ever listened to would be the HD430, which was Sennheiser's sub-flagship or flagship headphone around 1985. I have however, grown up listening to the KEF model 105 and other high end speakers, but no other "high end" headphones.
For some general information on my setup,
The HD558 was purchased in October, and has had daily use ever since, the HD430 was purchased around 1985-86, and has countless hours and days on it.
Both headphones are in excellent state, with the pads on the HD430 slightly torn and no longer firm, putting the driver mere millimeters from the ear.
I use my Marantz Sr-53 stereo receiver and my computer for all comparisons.
To start, I will list one song and post my impressions on each one of the headphone's performance with it:
Bela Fleck - Flight of The Cosmic Hippo
This song is a bit of a bass monster, as every second is punctuated by a low rattling bass note. The HD558 convey the best impression of this, because of its well balanced sound signature. There is however, nearly no deep bass extension, this is where the the HD430 come in. They have a much better bass extension but it may not sound satisfying because of the very bass shy sound signature. The song progresses onwards with gentle but sharp acoustic guitar plucks, for this, the HD430 really shine with a perfect amount of warmth and a very detailed sound. The highs also seem to be more extended giving an extra impression of detail and adding to the enjoyment. The HD430 also seem to convey a much better ambiance of the recording making it feel more personal, probably due to the headphone's bright sound. The HD430 have a very nice separation, and a very liquid midrange, the soundstage however is on par with the HD558.
Overall a tie for this song, with a very slight edge to the HD430
Queen - Dragon Attack
A very different song, fast paced and with lots of things going on all around. The HD430 seems to be struggling slightly to separate everything, making it all a bit confusing. The HD558 really shine at instrument separation here and retain a very coherent mix all throughout the song. The superior resolution of the HD430, does reveal the relative bad quality of the recording, making it sound flat and kinda lifeless. The soundstage is again a tie in-between the two, with a slight downside to the HD430 because of its flatness and bad separation. The midrange on the HD430 is again very full and more close-up, the bass has better impact and easily noticeable extension. There are A LOT more details to be heard on this song than I thought, all of them revealed by the HD430.
The two headphones each give a very different rendition of this song, but the HD558 won this one in terms of "fun".
Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky
The piano keys at the beggining of the song are smooth on the HD430, but are easier to listen to on the HD558. As soon as the vocals start, the HD430 renders them coldly making them lack the emotion they are supposed to carry, the emotion is however conveyed by the HD558. When the keyboard and the drums come in, the whole song turns into a big ugly mess on the HD430, whereas the HD558 retain the general thread of the song and keep it easy to listen to. The soundstage of the HD558 is much better than the the HD430. The highs also seem to be recessed on the HD558, but there seems to be more bass impact and mids impact too.
Not much else to say here, another victory for the HD558.
The Beatles - Because/Get Back/Glass Onion/Eleanor Rigby(Love versions)
"Because" starts off very silently with small bird sounds, and many other sounds of summer, all these sounds are much more present on the HD430, and very detailed (again). When the vocals start off, I really start to see what the HD430 can really do. They are crisp warm and very smooth and detailed, the mids are definitely a very strong point on the HD430. Weirdly though, the HD558 separates the different voices out of the harmony making it very beautiful, the highs are also more intergrated into the mids than on the HD430. When the song transitions into "Get Back", the ensemble again remains more coherent on the HD558, but all the individual instruments are very detailed on the HD430, especially the bass.The HD558 have an incredible rendition of the drums. As "Glass Onion" retains the same kind of theme as "Get Back", there is not much to say about it. On "Eleanor Rigby" this a whole new game, as there is not much bass, and not too much going on, the HD430 Aces this song. As soon as the violins and the cello (I think) come in, they are crisp and very up-front and forward. When the harmonized vocals come in too, the the HD430 really conveys all of the emotion in the song.
Overall, a definite and easy win for the HD430.
Pendulum - Genesis/Salt In the Wounds
Well, at the beginning of "Genesis", the synth and trumpet sounds are beautifully clear and crystalline on the HD430, and sound slightly muted on the HD558. Since the recording is in mp3, the HD430 actually reveals all the flaws. When "Salt in the Wounds" starts, everything seems to be displayed in front of me just easy to analyse. Everything is liquidy smooth and fast on the HD430 but lacks the punch of the HD558, there is good mid impact on the HD430, but the bass is severely lacking for this song. The bass feels more detailed and textured on the HD430, but can be overwhelming on the HD558. The HD558 is much more forgiving than the HD430, and its sound signature suits the music better. The HD558 is slower than the HD430 and its bass can seem a bit boomy.
All things considered, I like the HD558 better for this song, but it could be called another tie in-between the two.
Overall Impression
My general impression from this review, is that the HD558 has more bass, less extension in the highs and bass, a darker sound, less refined and has better soundstage and retains its coherency in complex passages.
The HD430 is very refined, has deep bass, but it may be lacking on some songs, very forward mids, a bright sound signature, well extended highs, and less soundstage and coherence in complex passages.
Now, I don't know who this review will benefit (or why?), but I hope you enjoyed reading it, as these are two very different and interesting headphones (to me at least).
