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
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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