[nvkid909]

i would say they are a great 'starter' audiophile can.

it's both comforting & distressing to know that things improve even more upwards from these (comforting, because these sound great for me & if i upgrade i will be in for some real ear-enlightenment... distressing because of my wallet, lol).

i bought these cheaper than my HD25-1s (discount) which seems fitting, two different kettles of fish, one is a workhorse & one is to treat myself with more of an open sound. though i am amazed at how much you can push a 595 by plugging into a VA synth & mixer then messing with filters - they seem to invite all the abuse you can throw at 'em

 

[ixthy]

I also bought the HD595s recently and I experience a crackling problem when using them with my laptop's sound card. Currently I own a Macbook pro. These phones give me the impression that they can't handle low and strong basses. Additionally if I try to use EQ to get higher basses then the distortion is very annoying. This happens with any kind of music. If don't use EQ, or with the presets I don't experience this kind of problems. Only in case a song has very strong bass and at very high volumes! When I use the headphones with my iphone, I haven't noticed any kind of problem, but on the other hand the iphone can't drive these caps to very high volumes and it doesn't offer custom settings for the EQ. The same happens with my sony media player. Strong basses and relatively strong volume without crackles. Maybe the sound card does something wrong?

However I don't know if these cans are faulty! I was thinking I should get them back for replacing or repair, but I don't know if this worths the trouble or the risk. Please help with your experience.

Other than that these cans give the best sound quality I've ever experienced, specially if I don't push the basses when using them with my laptop.

 

[xnor]

ixthy, what kind of EQ are you using on your laptop?
Keep in mind that you shouldn't boost frequencies with a software EQ (because that could cause clipping, as you experience it) but instead attenuate the other frequencies.
If clipping is the (only) problem switching headphones wouldn't help.

wrong:


right:

 

[ixthy]

@xnor: I see what you mean! What I did was really brutal! I had basses on the top when making the tests. In normal situations I don't have problems not even at very high volumes. I also did what you said and you are right! I also lowered the preamp a bit and the result was fantastic.

However my bose triport headphones don't crackle at all! They seem that they can get any kind of input without clipping or crackling or distorting. On the other hand the 595 have better quality! The sound is more real, whereas the triports give really good and deep basses, but on the same time the other frequencies are looming!

Thank you for your help! Any additional comments would be much appreciated!

I also have another question. Can crackling or clipping (are they the same thing?) damage my cans? I love them and I don't want to ruin them! Thanks!

 

[spinneresque]

As far as I understand cracking and clipping can damage your drivers, so as soon as you start to hear it happening, stop it~!

that's my understanding...

 

[xnor]

ixthy, if the digital signal clips it should sound clipped regardless of the headphone model.
My theory is that the triports distort the bass => they cannot properly reproduce the clipped signal.

As for damage, I'd say that they don't take any damage as long as the volume is at a reasonable level and you don't play square waves with them for a couple of hours.

 

[ixthy]

No I turned down the volume instantly! But I was scared by thinking that I may have damaged my cans specially because they are brand new and I didn't have the time to burn them. Of course they work properly now, but I was worrying that something wrong may have happened!

Thank you for your answers both of you!

 

[mAurelius]

I would like to put in a giant
 

wow

 
for the HD 595's.
 
I purchased them about a month ago, and have been fiddling with sources and configurations since then. I think I have finally gotten it figured out, and all I can say is wow. These are my first "audiophile" grade cans (although I realize these are entry-level). 
 
My mind is blown. 
 
It took me a while to really get them working as I wanted them to. At first I was using them with a computer an iTunes, and I was running into issues that I finally figured out was due to the iTunes EQ (horrible piece of software). I'm still just using it out of my laptop (now with foobar2000 and ASIO). I'm sure there are still even more improvements to be made with a DAC/Amp Combo (not in the budget right now). I guess I'll find out someday.
 
Anyways, thanks to all for the words of wisdom on this forum. I am in audio bliss right now, re-listening to all my music seemingly for the first time. 
 
Thank you Sennheiser. 

 

[0x000]

Just got the 595's today, and they are much better than the Grado SR60's.  The Grados were so harsh on the high range, my ears would always cringe, but the 595's are much more forgiving.  Sounds more neutral overall.

 

[Chefi]

Well, I wanted to get the HD 595's but the more research I do the more I am learning that they are just a glorified version of the HD 555. Can someone explain to me why would I want to get the more expensive 595's when they share the same driver with the HD 555's and the fact that the only thing separating them from the HD 555's is a piece of foam insert placed on the back of the driver?

 

[Slaughter]

The differences - 595 has chrome trim around the grills, Sennheiser logo on the grills, leather-like headband, slightly different color, and desk headphone holder.
 
I've had mine (555) for about a month, wear them for about an hour a day for gaming and the side is cracking already. I knew it would happen eventually, but one month is a little soon...
 
Quote:

Well, I wanted to get the HD 595's but the more research I do the more I am learning that they are just a glorified version of the HD 555. Can someone explain to me why would I want to get the more expensive 595's when they share the same driver with the HD 555's and the fact that the only thing separating them from the HD 555's is a piece of foam insert placed on the back of the driver?

 

[Professor00179]

I have talked a litle bit with my friends about HD595. One of them had both - HD555 and HD595. HD555 has the same drivers as its more expensive version. The differences are in the cable and contruction. The most obvious thing is that the design is slightly different and HD595 do not break (at least I did not hear about that) as often as HD555. As the previous poster says - they are cracking. I can not really believe it but it happens with almost any pair of these headphones. There are also differences in sound. HD555 has more powerful bass. This is a result of different cable and some sponge (I don't really know how to call it in english) placed just behind of the drivers. I have read some topic on forein forums about the modifications that can get you HD595 sound on HD555.

 

[Slaughter]

They use the same cable as well. Here it is, straight from Sennheiser. http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/ProductDetails.aspx?direct_cat=Parts&direct_prod=510626
 
Quote:

I have talked a litle bit with my friends about HD595. One of them had both - HD555 and HD595. HD555 has the same drivers as its more expensive version. The differences are in the cable and contruction. The most obvious thing is that the design is slightly different and HD595 do not break (at least I did not hear about that) as often as HD555. As the previous poster says - they are cracking. I can not really believe it but it happens with almost any pair of these headphones. There are also differences in sound. HD555 has more powerful bass. This is a result of different cable and some sponge (I don't really know how to call it in english) placed just behind of the drivers. I have read some topic on forein forums about the modifications that can get you HD595 sound on HD555.

 

[AudioGlow]

You can get amplifier clipping, which I experienced on my HD-555's from too little power. I don't mean too low of a volume, I mean an amp that can't deliver enough power. It will be most noticeable during bass frequencies and at louder volumes. Get an external amp instead of the soundcard and it'll all be gone. Amplifier clipping can also burn out voice coils. Even though the HD555's and 595's are relatively efficient, they will still benefit from a decent amp.   

 

[xnor]

Quote:

You can get amplifier clipping, which I experienced on my HD-555's from too little power. I don't mean too low of a volume, I mean an amp that can't deliver enough power. It will be most noticeable during bass frequencies and at louder volumes. Get an external amp instead of the soundcard and it'll all be gone. Amplifier clipping can also burn out voice coils. Even though the HD555's and 595's are relatively efficient, they will still benefit from a decent amp.   

That is very unlikely and should only happen if you use a very very weak or faulty source. 1 mW gets you about a 100 dB, almost any device is able to output that into 50 ohm headphones without clipping. (1 mW into 50 ohms is about 0.2 V and I = 0.004 A)