[N0sferatu]

I still own the Grado SR-80 and IMO (as we know how opinions go around here lol) the Sennheiser HD 595 is an overall much better can. For me on rock (although my Grado's aren't in as good condition as my 595's) the instruments don't sound as "real" compared to the HD595...although they do sound more in your face. For example, cymbals sound metallic and artificial on the Grado and more natural on the 595's. Also, no comparison the HD595 have considerable more bass than the Grado SR80ss. Plus, to me, unlike other Sennheiser models (e.g. HD 650) the Sennheiser puts you much closer to the sound stage than most other Sennheiser cans. It's the most "Grado'ish" can Sennheiser makes in this price range to me.

I'm a sucker for bass (I have a thumping home theater (see sig)) so I'm looking for a can with some serious thump but isn't booming (which is what's keeping me away from the D5000...I'm not a fan of "modding" them so no Merkl's

)

 

[Solrighal]

I've owned HD595's for a couple of years now and I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend them for rock music either. In fact I was seriously beginning to think my hearing was getting bad because to me there's very little impact and drive from them.Don't get me wrong, the detail's all there but it seems so distant. To test out my "bad hearing" theory I recently bought a pair of Shure SRH840's. Long story short - my ears are fine! I would not hesitate in recommending the Shure's over the Senns for just about any musical genre. The HD595's are very comfortable though, I'll give them that.

YMMV

Gordon.

 

[spinneresque]

I mostly listen to Grateful Dead (usually classified as 'rock') and especially with the Bithead my 595's do not sound distant at all or veiled at all, and I would not describe them as airy, but they do have a particular soundstage... It kind of puts you in the middle of things, which is nice for my taste. I think this is why people are describing them as distant and airy... I am telling you, when I first heard these two together, the Bithead and the 595, I was FLOORED with the overwhelming beauty of the sound (Grateful Dead show) and positively glued to my chair for six hours.

People tend to assume that if you like Rock you would prefer bright headphones that are more in front of your face, or Big Bass, but I don't think this is necessarily true. It's all a matter of taste, the details are there in the 595's and the soundstage is what it is, all around you. The 595's have been described many times and the brightest in the Sennheiser line, and from my own experience I would tend to agree with that statement. Honestly they present all kinds of music beautifully. I've had lots of different phones and still do, and I love my HF-1's just as much as my 595's, but they are both great for rock, just different.

Edit: By the way if someone can point me to a link that proves that the drivers in the 555's and 595's are the same, I would really appreciate it. You could PM it to me becasue I don't want to take the thread off topic.

 

[pp312]

I don't know that there's a thread that "proves" the drivers are the same (Sennheiser are unlikely to confirm it). I think the issue first arose from photos of both phones showing apparently identical drivers with the same markings, plus the fact that foam modded 555s seem to sound as good as 595s. I think it's unlikely that Senn make two different drivers for these phones that just happen to look the same and have identical markings. More likely they just didn't expect anyone to look inside and then post on Head-Fi.

 

[spinneresque]

Foam modded means the earpads, right? I guess the price pretty much evens out then if you get the earpads from Sennheiser, l just bought replacement ones this last summer.... I would like to try out the 555's for myself and see what the difference is just out of curiosity. It's a pretty big price gap after all...

Hmmm.. once I called Sennheiser and asked them to put me through directly to the repair department, this really cool technician answered the phone and helped me so much.... I bet she would have given me an honest answer. The parts people tend to be more forthcoming than the salespeople if you are nice to them, in my experience...

 

[pp312]

"Foam modded means the earpads, right?"

No. It refers to the 555 having an oblong section of foam (actually more like rubber) directly behind the driver, apparently to reflect some of the sound back into the cup. The "foam mod" is simply removing 3 small screws, taking the cup apart, peeling the foam off the inner grill and screwing the thing together again. Fairly simple but a little tricky if you're not careful. This effectively (and subjectively) makes it into a 595. Others have gone even further in their mods, but that's another story.

 

[spinneresque]

Interesting... In the bit of research I just did, some people say the drivers are definitely different and some say they are definitely the same. I would love a definitive answer~! It seems odd and kind of risky for sennheiser to create a new, way cheaper model number out of such a small difference.

I've never played with HD555 so please excuse me if I am missing something obvious.

 

[xnor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinneresque /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would love a definitive answer~!

Go to the replacements website and you'll see that both use the same driver system (#8989939 on se-shop.de).

 

[spinneresque]

thanks so much. great to know. How odd of Sennheiser to do such a thing.

 

[xnor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinneresque /img/forum/go_quote.gif How odd of Sennheiser to do such a thing.

I think it's a common thing to do, especially for Sennheiser since they offer countless "different" models.

 

[soeren]

So i've been lurking around this forum for quite some time now.

I was looking for advice on what budget hi-fi headphones to get for myself.
After reading through pretty much every single thread regarding the hd 595's, and countless other reviews on the net, i finally decided upon getting this set of headphones.

After finally making the decision and having bought them just yesterday, I thought it was time to join the head-fi forum and actually contribute to this great place.

And here I am, providing my first thoughts on the Sennheiser HD 595 since I really don't think this thread is nearly long enough yet

Not having had any real hi-fi gear before, the first thing that has impressed me with regards to the sound of these cans is just how well defined the vocals suddenly seems to be.
I am suddenly able to distinguish the different voices between each other, which is a real pleasure. Audiophiles would probably dub this as clarity.

The second thing that I have discovered in my, of course lossless music collection, is how the drums on almost any track I can throw at these cans, now sounds much 'tighter' and more 'crisp', though i'm certainly no audiophile, and therefore must use these not-so-professional sounding terms to describe my impressions, so please bear with me on this

There will possibly be more to come later of this semi-review, when the cans are properly burned-in, though i'm a bit of a sceptic about the importance and effect of this burning-in process.

 

[Solrighal]

Don't be a sceptic mate. My HD595's improved noticeably with about 60 hrs on them. Welcome to Head-Fi.

 

[recorder]

Zorrofox,
You get Trailer Park Boys in Scotland?
Gotta love Bubbles!!

There is much truth to the fact the 595's improve with age.
They have opened up immensely for me with the acquisition of the Asus Xonar Essence STX.
Can you say crisp?

 

[xnor]

Mine (555) still sound the same as on the first day: amazing.

What I love about them is the fullness and non sterile/"hi-fi" sound sig coupled with low impedance (-> no special source needed) and distortion.

 

[Solrighal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by recorder /img/forum/go_quote.gif Zorrofox, You get Trailer Park Boys in Scotland? Gotta love Bubbles!! There is much truth to the fact the 595's improve with age. They have opened up immensely for me with the acquisition of the Asus Xonar Essence STX. Can you say crisp?

We don't get TPB but we do get usenet