[TJ Max]

It means there is no strong emphasis on the treble allowing the low mid range to be more exposed but without sounding muddy. From my experience the HD558 are great for most music genres and gaming, but are not preferred for strictly acoustical music or deep anylitical listening.

 

[Filter500]

They definitely have a rich fullness in the low mids and a pleasant character to the sound.  The highs aren't fatiguing at all.  Mine are still burning in, but I love them.  Out of the box I was impressed, which is rare for me.  They're becoming more clear the more I play them.  I tried the foam mod, but found the sound lost focus and impact.  The bass became less defined as others have said.  Foam in sounds best to me.  Some people complain about lack of bass, but mine are hitting hard.  I'm using the same parametric eq settings that I used with my M50X, and I'm not missing any low end.  I think it depends on the source.  Plugging into a Creative Muvo v100 mp3 player, I noticed less bass, even with bass boosted eq.  That's my impression of the sound so far...

 

[Lazyboy420x]

They definitely have a rich fullness in the low mids and a pleasant character to the sound.  The highs aren't fatiguing at all.  Mine are still burning in, but I love them.  Out of the box I was impressed, which is rare for me.  They're becoming more clear the more I play them.  I tried the foam mod, but found the sound lost focus and impact.  The bass became less defined as others have said.  Foam in sounds best to me.  Some people complain about lack of bass, but mine are hitting hard.  I'm using the same parametric eq settings that I used with my M50X, and I'm not missing any low end.  I think it depends on the source.  Plugging into a Creative Muvo v100 mp3 player, I noticed less bass, even with bass boosted eq.  That's my impression of the sound so far...

I did the foam mod. Kept it. Makes them brighter,a widens the soundstage quite a bit. And since I mostly game with them the foam mod was a must have for me. I do like the bass on them too. Even without the foam. Even though when I removed it they lost that full warm rich sound you all are talking about,while not having much impact it goes VERY low. Especially with the E11 with bass boost on. I can feel it on my ears. Even on normal listening levels.

 

[Lazyboy420x]

These are so fantastic for Jazz music. Especially Jazz Vocals. Just wow. I'm pretty blown away by it. It's like these headphones were made for Jazz.

 

[MLGrado]

Hi!  I would like to share my experience with the HD558. 
 
 
My primary headphones are Grado RS1i's.  I really love them.  Their particular sound signature is my cup of tea.  But, they seem a bit fragile, and I am constantly worried about damaging my $700 headphones just about everytime I listen.  So, I set out to buy a "cheap" set of 'phones for some peace of mind in everyday listening.  
 
Why did I settle on the HD558?  Well, I was set on being able to run to the local Best Buy/Magnolia rather than order.  The best headphones they had in stock, imo, were the Sennheiser Momentums.  But I wanted a open headphone.  All they had in stock that day were the HD558's.  
 
I immediately did the foam mod before listening.  I don't know if that really improved them, since I never bothered to listen without.  But I do suffer from some 'Audiophile Nervosa', so I just 'had to' do the mod to satisfy my inner audiophile disease.  
 
Well, at first I was underwhelmed.  Yeah, they had a nice full and expansive sound stage.  But gosh, they were so dark and dull, especially compared to the Grados.  But, no so fast my friend!  After several days of break-in, all I have to say is...
 
WOW!!!!  
 
They are really starting to come into their own.  The treble is 'blooming' nicely.  The overall presentation has become much more balanced and enjoyable.  Absolute imaging isn't up to par with the Grados, but they do create a more 3D soundstage that is quite enjoyable.  They are also non-fatiguing for long listening sessions.  The seem to be very forgiving at high listening levels.  They tend to 'soften up' rather than get harsh or audibly distorted.  
 
The much more expensive Grados is a better set of 'phones.  Better imaging, quite a bit better control of the upper bass, more lively and exciting.  But don't let that take anything away from the Sennheisers.  I am more and more turning to them for listening.  There is just something about them that makes me want to listen.  
 
They certainly have made me very interested in the Sennheiser lineup.  Thinking of trying out an HD600 next....

 

[DylanF]

A nice sale on these headphones at Best Buy. I'm not linking as I can't remember forum policy on that.

 

[calyco]

  A nice sale on these headphones at Best Buy. I'm not linking as I can't remember forum policy on that.

 
Spectacular headphones for the price but hey, what do I know.. I am more of a speaker guy. How much better is the 598? What would be a good next step upgrade to the 558, HD650? Loving the Sennheiser sound.. and my HD558 and A900x, especially the deals I got them on. But did not like the Audio Technica M50, sounded a bit compressed and less resolution. 

 

[DangerClose]

  They definitely have a rich fullness in the low mids and a pleasant character to the sound.  The highs aren't fatiguing at all. 

 
I think the highs aren't fatiguing at all because the HD558 doesn't have any highs.  

 

[Amish]

So I stopped by at Best Buy tonight after work. I was in need of a backup set of headphones while my LCD2 and grado 325 are out for repair (Audeze) and service (Grado). I saw that BB had the HD558 for $179.99 but Amazon had them for $109. Let me say that they were not happy to match that price. No less than 3 managers got involved before they conceded and gave me that price.
 
Anywho. I am a past owner of the HD595 which I liked but was never impressed with. I sold those last year. I wasn't expecting much from the 558 but I knew they would sound better than any of my other older cans I have on hand while I wait for my main cans to come back.
 
I was close, very close to buying HD600's but in the end as this is a stop gap till my LCD's and 325's come back I figure I should aim for low priced quality cans.
 
When I plugged them in tonight I was happy right away as I feel they sound better than my old 595's. But I was not happy over all. Then I did the foam removal mod.
 
 
Hot damn...what a difference. Right away I hear a BIG difference. Cans are more on the bright side, mids sound great and bass is a little more refined, tight and very slightly less deep. The biggest difference is they seem more open without a doubt.
 
Such a simple mod for such a big gain. I actually figured Id run these and if not completely happy I'd return them as BB has a good return policy. Right now I'm thinking these are worth keeping.
 
 
I will say that with metal I'm not too impressed at all. But with big band, acoustic, female vocals, and piano I am nothing but pleased.
 
I think i will upgrade the cable this week but other than that I say good deal and good sound with mod.

 

[Butter123]

So far I am not very impressed with my Sennheiser HD558 with the foam mod with around 60 hours of burn in... The headphone just sound too warm and does not have the treble extension to my liking. I find my old, cracked HD555 have a better sound signature. It is properly amped and sourced. I guess I will keep burning them until 200 hours and use my Denon D2000 in the mean time. 
 
I actually prefer the stock foam, the bass is a lot tighter and the treble extends more than foam removal. 

 

[Cassianoaran]

Hello everybody, thanx a lot for giving your impressions, I really want to buy a pair now.
 
Can somebody say WHEN these headphones started to be made in China? There is significantly diference in the sound signature between those made in Germany and those made in China?

 

[Butter123]

I don't know if the sennheiser hd5x8 were ever made in Germany. Most headphones are made in China unless you are spending $400 plus. The driver and the overall build quality shouldn't be different.

 

[gargani]

  Hello everybody, thanx a lot for giving your impressions, I really want to buy a pair now.
 
Can somebody say WHEN these headphones started to be made in China? There is significantly diference in the sound signature between those made in Germany and those made in China?

Hi I'm new to Head-Fi ,myself.Thought I'd give my impressions of the hd558's. Frequency response graphs show a drop in response above 10k,but the main body of treble for most instruments is below 10k, though some instruments have upper overtones or harmonics above that. To my ears the 558's have reasonable treble . They're not, that extremely treble shy. But that depends on what you're used to or what you're comparing them to. As far as bass goes,they also have a reasonable amount of bass; although as someone else here said ; the upper bass could be a little tighter. If compared to some other headphones, voices and instruments can have a tiny bit less imaging detail, but IMO, it's nothing extreme.
 
All in all, though,I do like their overall sound.I can listen to them for hours with no listening fatigue,and find them very enjoyable.If you're not looking for BIG bass or BIG treble, you might like them too.

 

[Cassianoaran]

Yes, thank you, gargani. Fortunately, the mids are the part of a sound that I really like. Someone in this topic has said that the mids on this phone have some kind of "body", due to a slight emphasis on the lower mids. That detail convinced me to try out the hd558.

 

[gargani]

  Yes, thank you, gargani. Fortunately, the mids are the part of a sound that I really like. Someone in this topic has said that the mids on this phone have some kind of "body", due to a slight emphasis on the lower mids. That detail convinced me to try out the hd558.

 

  Yes, thank you, gargani. Fortunately, the mids are the part of a sound that I really like. Someone in this topic has said that the mids on this phone have some kind of "body", due to a slight emphasis on the lower mids. That detail convinced me to try out the hd558.

Frequency response gragh @ Headroom does show a very slightly raised lower midrange. To my ears, voices and instruments do have a warmer,more rounded sound than some other headphones. As you know,some people quite like the sound of the 558's; others prefer a sharper, less rounded sound.
When and if you do try the hd 558's; it would be interesting to know your impressions.