[Precaud]

Has anyone tried these pads on your HD580 (or 600)?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/401308556262
They look a little plumper than the stock ones. But they're shipped from the USA so I wouldn't have to wait forever.
I asked the seller how thick the foam discs are but haven't gotten a straight answer. They asked me for a pic of my phones.

 

[Precaud]

My lab was set up to make impedance measurements yesterday, I thought it would be interesting to compare the HD560 and HD580:

The driver diaphragms clearly have a lot in common. More of a evolution than a revolution. I would bet the voice coils are identical. Resonant frequency has moved from ~110Hz on the 560 down to 100Hz on the 580, and the 580's peak is higher, hence the impression of a more extended bass on the 580.

The back of the 560 is "semi-open", with perforated metal inserts covering the large frame openings. These inserts may play a role in raising the resonant frequency and broadening the impedance in that region, as we see in the curves. It is quite possible that a more open back would lower the resonance frequency a bit. A fruitful tuning experiment might be to remove the metal inserts and experiment with damping treatment behind the driver.

 

[GreenNeedle]

My lab was set up to make impedance measurements yesterday, and thought it would be interesting to compare the HD560 and HD580:



The driver diaphragms clearly have a lot in common. Move of a evolution than a revolution. I would bet the voice coils are identical. Resonant frequency has moved from ~110Hz on the 560 down to 100Hz on the 580, hence the impression of a more extended bass on the 580. The back of the 560 is "semi-open", with perforated metal inserts covering the large frame openings. These inserts may play a role in raising and broadening the resonant frequency, as we see. A fruitful tuning experiment might be to remove the metal inserts and examine damping treatment behind the driver.

Is this a stock (including grille) 580 or a 600/650 grille version? Any different measurements between the stock and revised 580?

On those measurements the 560 looks quite a good buy seeing as you can grab them very cheap whereas the 580 still sells for double+ the amount for a 560.

 

[Precaud]

Is this a stock (including grille) 580 or a 600/650 grille version? Any different measurements between the stock and revised 580?

Both are stock. Changing the 580 grille is to not going to change the impedance, the original is quite open.

On those measurements the 560 looks quite a good buy seeing as you can grab them very cheap whereas the 580 still sells for double+ the amount for a 560.

The 580 has more extended bass and is more neutral in the 2k-5kHz range. The 560 has a more forward presentation in that range. I think the metal grille with only small perforations is the cause of it. The 560 II appears to have added a felt layer over it, that would probably help tame it some. I may try that.

I think the 560 is cheaper now because the factory no longer sells replacement parts for them.

BTW, I'm still looking for recommendations on new 580 earpads and foam inserts. The Senn ones are ridiculously priced.

 

[sennfan83261]

BTW, I'm still looking for recommendations on new 580 earpads and foam inserts. The Senn ones are ridiculously priced.

For cheaper foam inserts (since the stock ones get shredded if you pad swap a lot and they are not sold separately), try these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012CV3DPI/

They are pretty much the same as the ones that come with the stock pads except that the diameter is a little bit smaller than the stock ones, which gives these non-stock foam inserts a better fit imo.

 

[Precaud]

Great, thanks. Wow, and they come in a "special VEVER LOGO package " !! That alone seals the deal!

 

[Precaud]

There needs to be more reports of aftermarket earpads/foam discs for the HD580, so here's mine.

I got this set of pads/discs/headband: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Earpad...D580-HD565-HD600-HD650-Headphone/401659693885

At the price, I expected it to be junk but it's not. The pads and cushion are welll made. Like almost every aftermarket pad I have bought for any headphone, the hole dimensions are a bit smaller than the original pads, and that impacts the sound by partially blocking some of the tuning vents/ports on the driver baffle. On these pads the long dimension of the oval is good at 65mm, but the short dimension is only 35mm compared 40mm of the the stock pads.

The supplied foam discs are not very transparent, and this was quite obvious both visually and on first listen, sounding quite dull.

To widen the earpad opening, I directed hot air from a hair dryer to soften things up along the inside seam, and then gently but firmly stretched the pads at the inside seam by hand around their perimeter. A few iterations of this resulted in a 40mm opening that has held up.

Now to address the too-dense foam discs. A few weeks prior I had bought a set of replacement pads and foam for my HD560's from eBay seller wang_yifei. Unlike most sellers, he seems to be an actual headphone enthusiast and has good English comprehension. He very patiently answered all of my detailed questions, measured dimensions, etc. The 2mm foam discs he supplied with the 560 pads are very good, just as transparent as the factory ones. He supplies discs made from the same foam with his HD580/600 pads, so I ordered a couple sets of the foam discs separately ($3 when ordered with something else). They too are as open as the originals, and I highly recommend them.

So what is the final result? Well, my HD580's sat unused for some 15 years and still had the original pads, compressed to almost flat, so I can't make a direct sound comparison to the originals. I'm pleased with the comfort of the replacements. The overall sound is good, leaning a bit toward the dark side to me, a little tubby in the bass and a bit recessed in the upper mids. I don't recall the 580's being tubby before. They still have the same overall 'neutral' character that I remember, i.e. a wide variety of music styles and quality of recordings sounds good through them.

Would I buy the same set of pads again? No. I would probably try a set from wang_yifei. That way I would be assured of getting a good set of foam discs.

 

[holden4th]

I simply left out the foam discs when I put new ear pads on my 580s. This opened out the sound even further.

 

[Tacanacy]

I can't make a direct sound comparison to the originals.

Next time, preface your post with this.

 

[Precaud]

Next time, preface your post with this.

Sure. And next time, warn me before I write it.

An update. As I wrote earlier, I don't remember my 580's sounding "tubby in the bass and recessed in the upper-mids" before now. The only things that have changed are the pads/foam and cable. So last night I decided to repair the original 580 cables and compare it to the replacement one I bought from Senn. What a difference. Tonal balance restored. I don't think the replacment cables were of Litz construction. The 580's are back to being an excellent set of cans. And I think I would have to withdraw some of my criticism of the replacement pads.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Pads can make a huge difference sound quality wise. Cables only make a difference if they’re faulty

Personally I’ve been through the first 15 different pairs of faux Sennie pads for my 580/600/650, and I honestly never found anything that sounded ‘right’. So I stick with stock pads and order them directly from Sennheiser who then are kind enough to ship them for free. Sure they’re a bit pricey...but when one takes a look at the rest of today’s market...well it suddenly doesn’t feel as mad. I mean..take a look at Focal pads or a brand new set of K712 pads

 

[Precaud]

Pads can make a huge difference sound quality wise. Cables only make a difference if they’re faulty

As a technician, I normally would agree with that general assessment. But in this instance, I can't. I plan on making some measurements to see the difference between the stock and replacement cables. I suspect the loop inductance of the replacement is much higher.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

If you’re interested in truly finding out whether or not there is an audible difference, then get your better half to cover up the two cables in gaffa/whathaveyou so as you cannot see or feel which is which
Humans have a tendency to mix vision and sound together...and hear differences where there are none.

 

[Precaud]

Humans have a tendency to mix vision and sound together...and hear differences where there are none.

They also have a tendency to "take the other side" of things, regardless of merit. If you're so convinced that I am fooling myself, then please buy the replacement cable from me.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

We all fool ourselves constantly but there are times where we are able to remove our biases and look at things in a far more objective manner.
I’m sorry if these posts of mine come off unsympathetically - that is certainly not my intention. I’m actually trying to help.
There are blindtests with people failing to hear a difference between a kilobuck audiophile cable and an old coathanger made into one. Every test where sight is removed ends up the same.
Hell even the dear James Randi (RIP) offered up a 1 million dollar award to anyone who could ‘spot the pigeon’ during blind conditions..and while the offer was up for a very very long time, nobody ever claimed the prize.
The only instance where I remember there being a “difference” between headphone cables was back when Audioquest provided two cables for the Nighthawk, one of which was 2 dB louder than the other...which is a dirty trick in my book...but perhaps not at all that surprising coming from what effectively is a big cable company.