[PCJ]

I'm currently upgrading from my pathetic 212's.
I was about to buy the sennheiser 580s at €150 when I saw a set of 600s for €200. Is it worth it? Or are the 600s just attracting me because they look a million times bette? The setup will be a Yamaha receiver -> pimeta -> 580/600.
Also, where should I get my Pimeta? I need one with european voltages, and with the size that those things are, I might as well forget about using batteries.
Thanks.

 

[nanahachi]

I can't comment about the Sennheisers, but as for the amp, there are several builders here: JMT (I proudly own one of his amps), Headsave.com (by tigger), ... I can't remember who else off the top of my head, but check the Mall-fi forum for others. Try contacting JMT and ask about the European voltage issue. I would assume that you would just have to buy an AC adapter locally, as long as it provides the amp with the power it needs. That's all I know, I could easily be wrong, but I hope that helps somewhat.

good luck

 

[PCJ]

bump from page 5

anyone?

 

[commando]

If I were you i'd change the thread title to "HD580 or 600", you might get more responses - just edit your first post. Also, the search is working so try doing a search for "which 580 600" (without the quotes).

 

[Harty]

I'd definately go with the HD600 over the HD580, the HD600's are even a better bargain now that the HD650's are out.

Best wishes,

Paul.

 

[PCJ]

how do the 580/600s compare to 590? I've heard the 590s are easily to drive and sound livelier but not as detailed

 

[saint.panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCJ how do the 580/600s compare to 590? I've heard the 590s are easily to drive and sound livelier but not as detailed

I only did a quick A/B comparison between these two in a shop and, as most posts on that topic say, the HD 590 has a more forward sound than the HD 580. At the store the 590 also sounded way better, which I suppose is simply due to the fact that the HD 580 / 600 really need an amp to shine. That otoh implies that the HD590 would sound pretty good without an amp.

I'd be interested what kind of amp / source one needs to have to really hear the difference between the HD580 and HD600 (if this thread crapping, then just ignore it, I just thought that it might fit into this thead

)

 

[Coalescent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCJ how do the 580/600s compare to 590? I've heard the 590s are easily to drive and sound livelier but not as detailed

As saint.panda noted, the HD590s are commonly described as having a more "forward" sound, as if you were sitting closer to the music. I am a new owner of the HD590s who also tested the 580/600 line, which are noted as having the same basic 'sound' to them. Some here think the 600s are simply "better" than the 590s, while others claim it is simply a matter of preference--I myself agree with those Head-Fiers who characterize the 590s sound as having the soundstage and detail that Sennheiser is so well-known for, combined with an aggressive presentation that is more akin to the Grado line. I'm not very experienced with Grado 'phones, having just auditioned them for a brief time, but the 590s struck me as the best of both worlds--they have that airy openness of the Sennheisers, with the punch of the Grados. I listen to a wide variety of music, and I've been enjoying classical recordings as well as rock on these 'phones.

My experience with the HD590s is that they are unbearably bright right out of the box, but with about 48-70 hours of burn-in time, they mellow out considerably. It's truly substantial, in my opinion. I didn't buy into the whole 'burning in' concept until I obtained these Sennheisers--and now I'm a true believer. The difference isn't just audible, it's night-and-day (again, in my opinion

).

Also, for what it's worth, the 590s don't sound very good at all straight out of a PCDP jack (like on my iRiver SlimX 550). They're known for being 'easy to drive,' but that seems to be relative to the much-higher-impedence 580/600 line, which pretty much require a dedicated headphone amp. They do, however, sound great from my Denon receiver's 1/4" jack. I'm looking forward to trying them with a dedicated headphone amp and the Stefan Audio Art Equinox cable.

Just wanted to throw in some comments from someone who chose the 590s over the 580/600 line.

Cheers,

-Chad