[tdockweiler]

Somehow the HD-580 is really, really good with the HRT Music Streamer II to my Fiio E9. The soundstage is quite large and bigger than through portable amps.
Not sure why the E9 is so good with the HD-580.
 
I switched to the hD-600 and the 580 is much more fun to listen to and the mids are more forward (but still accurate).
 
Currently using the 580 with HD-650 cable until I get my Double Helix cable back in the mail.
 
What's funny is that the 580 was the first expensive headphone I ever bought. Had it in 2002-2003 I think and I was so clueless and was driving it from a portable CD player I think!
So stupid...back then I didn't use Head-fi.
 
The HD-580 has a few similarities to my well amped Koss Pro DJ 100. Sounds a bit weird to say this. I've found the 580 to be better than the hD-600 despite the same drivers.
Seems to go against what everyone thinks.
 
BTW I haven't gotten either to sound good (maybe decent) from most portable amps. The only exception is the Total Airhead. The E11 doesn't do a very good job despite it being loud enough.

 

[Dukedudez]

2 Questions:
 
First, should I get these or the HD598s? I own HD280s now and I like them, but the sound is just not huge and they are uncomfortable on long listening sessions.
 
Second, will I be able to power this with a PA2V2?
 
Thanks!

 

[calipilot227]

Quote:

2 Questions:
 
First, should I get these or the HD598s? I own HD280s now and I like them, but the sound is just not huge and they are uncomfortable on long listening sessions.
 
Second, will I be able to power this with a PA2V2?
 
Thanks!

 
The HD580 is virtually identical to the HD600. I was able to power them quite adequately with a PA2V2. Of course, they scale up with a more powerful desktop amp, but you should have no problem powering them.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 
The HD580 is virtually identical to the HD600. I was able to power them quite adequately with a PA2V2. Of course, they scale up with a more powerful desktop amp, but you should have no problem powering them.

 
I don't really think this is true. Still very similar.
The HD-580 has better bass and more forward upper mids. Sounds much clearer too. HD-580 is actually less forgiving of bad music than the hD-600. How this is possible, I wish I knew...
 
I find the HD-580 a little more aggressive with it's sound signature and just more fun to listen to. The HD-600 bores me to death.
 
I know they have the same drivers, but the grills change the sound quite a bit. I would say there is like a 5% difference, which is quite a lot for just a grill!
 
I've gotta good results with just a Total Airhead from Sansa Clip.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

 
The HD580 is virtually identical to the HD600. I was able to power them quite adequately with a PA2V2. Of course, they scale up with a more powerful desktop amp, but you should have no problem powering them.

 
I completely agree with this statement, the 580 sounds good out of a computer headphone jack even.
 
Of course the HD580/600 scales with the greatest desktop amps it's almost uncanny. Thats why you see guys who still have them even with $1k setups which is pretty gnarly. Although I'm pretty close to that myself, having had the same pair since 2008 and never having a reason to let go.

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

 
I don't really think this is true. Still very similar.
The HD-580 has better bass and more forward upper mids. Sounds much clearer too. HD-580 is actually less forgiving of bad music than the hD-600. How this is possible, I wish I knew...
 
I find the HD-580 a little more aggressive with it's sound signature and just more fun to listen to. The HD-600 bores me to death.
 
I know they have the same drivers, but the grills change the sound quite a bit. I would say there is like a 5% difference, which is quite a lot for just a grill!

 
The HD 580 and HD 600 are basically the same headphones - the only big difference is the back.
 
On Sennheiser's 50th anniversary they produced a certified Limited Edition of 4000 called the HD 580 Jubilee.
 
This had more open backs (which the designer had originally intended for the 580), closely matched capsules and a great paint job.
 
These sold out very quickly - so Sennheiser changed the paint job and called them the HD 600.
 
So, if you want to make your 580 sound like a 600, change the plastic back for the open-mesh back of the 600 or 650 (that's what I did with my 580s - though I *do* alos have a Jubilee, 650 and 800 as well).

 

[Dukedudez]

Thanks for the info! How do they compare with the HD598s?

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

Thanks for the info! How do they compare with the HD598s?

 
Much better

 

[DRuM]

I finally replaced my 580 velour earpads and 3rd cable. Meant to do the pads over a year ago, lol, only just got around to doing it. Can't wait to start listening to these awesome phones again, it's been a while. Got the spares from thomann.de in germany. Really great service. I ordered friday and they got here in the UK today. That takes into account the weekend plus bank holiday monday, so that's good going. The price is very good. The cable over here is normally £25, but from thomann only £11. The velour earpads are between £48 and £58 over here, from thomann £36. With shipping of 10 euro, my total cost was only £55. 

 

 

[MDR30]

I have a gut feeling you'll be able to report an improvement - do let us know your findings when you've tested the new pads.

 

[DRuM]

Quote:

I have a gut feeling you'll be able to report an improvement - do let us know your findings when you've tested the new pads.

 
I installed the new cable. Looks like it'll last longer than my old cable as it has chunkier fork connector housings. There's also no red and black, both connectors are black with just L and R on them. I kept the worn earpads on and listened to an amy winehouse track from her first, more jazzy CD. I connected direct to my Marantz 6000OSE CD player jack. Then I installed the new earpads, which feel so much firmer and listened to the same track. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't really tell much if any difference, sounded great even with the old earpads. I think the bass was probably stronger with the new pads. Certainly, when I listened to the rest of the CD, the bass was very powerful. Though I credit myself with having fairly good ears, more audiophile ears would probably hear differences I wasn't aware of. Having said that, if I was to keep swapping between the old and new pads, like I once did with my headphone amp v my NAD amp jack, I'm sure I'd eventually notice. 
The sound though, I mean it's magnificent. 

 The bass is so nice, never muddy, just smooth, deep and gorgeous. The soundstage always impresses me, it's pretty big. That veiled sound which always strikes me at first disappears after a few minutes as I adjust, and the clarity of the mids and highs hits me. Love it!
 
Here they are with new pads and cable connected. I think I should have replaced the headband foam too, pretty flat now. The headphones have taken a bit of a knocking over the years, having fallen on the floor a few times, but they're very hardy. I don't think I'll ever need to part with them, they give me what I need. 
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Glad there's some out there that still love the HD-580.
It was my first real headphone and I always hated it until 10 years later when I realized it needs more than a portable CD player to drive it

 
People say 580 and HD-600 sound exactly the same, but I think the HD-580 is a little more energetic and fun. Sounds clearer too despite this non-sense about the plastic cups causing resonance.
 
The only way I can stand the HD-600 is by using it with a Double Helix cable. Even then it kind of annoys me.
 
It seems like whenever I attach some HD-600 grills to the HD-580 it just instantly turns it into a snore fest for me. Pretty weird right?
 
On goldenears dot net there's some comparison graphs and the differences aren't all as subtle as people say.
 
I actually think the HD-580 is clearer than the HD-600 and the HD-600 is a slight downgrade (to me). Sorry.
 
BTW I remember when I used the HD-650 cable on my HD-600 it seemed to give me the impression of more treble and bass.
I remember one person out there seemed to think the HD-600 cable uses higher quality wire (Stefen Audio Art or something?).
I don't know how this is true or how they knew this.
 
For the HD-580 I prefer the HD-580/600 cable over the HD-650 cable.
 
Also..for anyone that is curious, the Double Helix wire gives me the impression of more forward upper mids and more sub-bass. Nothing major. Clears up the sound a bit too.
It's the only headphone I like this wire for. Hated it on the HD-598 and Q701.

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

 
I installed the new cable. Looks like it'll last longer than my old cable as it has chunkier fork connector housings. There's also no red and black, both connectors are black with just L and R on them. I kept the worn earpads on and listened to an amy winehouse track from her first, more jazzy CD. I connected direct to my Marantz 6000OSE CD player jack. Then I installed the new earpads, which feel so much firmer and listened to the same track. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't really tell much if any difference, sounded great even with the old earpads. I think the bass was probably stronger with the new pads. Certainly, when I listened to the rest of the CD, the bass was very powerful. Though I credit myself with having fairly good ears, more audiophile ears would probably hear differences I wasn't aware of. Having said that, if I was to keep swapping between the old and new pads, like I once did with my headphone amp v my NAD amp jack, I'm sure I'd eventually notice. 
The sound though, I mean it's magnificent. 

 The bass is so nice, never muddy, just smooth, deep and gorgeous. The soundstage always impresses me, it's pretty big. That veiled sound which always strikes me at first disappears after a few minutes as I adjust, and the clarity of the mids and highs hits me. Love it!
 
Here they are with new pads and cable connected. I think I should have replaced the headband foam too, pretty flat now. The headphones have taken a bit of a knocking over the years, having fallen on the floor a few times, but they're very hardy. I don't think I'll ever need to part with them, they give me what I need. 
 

 
Yes - it looks as if the headband pad needs replacing as well (I have to do this on mine as well now).
 
I would also suggest replacing the plastic backs with the open mesh ones from the HD600 or HD650 - I did this to mine as soon as the designer told me he had originally intended the 580 to have the more open backs.

 

[MDR30]

Quote:

 
Yes - it looks as if the headband pad needs replacing as well (I have to do this on mine as well now).
 
I would also suggest replacing the plastic backs with the open mesh ones from the HD600 or HD650 - I did this to mine as soon as the designer told me he had originally intended the 580 to have the more open backs.

 
Did he design the HD565 as well?
 

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

 
Did he design the HD565 as well?
 

 
I don't know - maybe.
 
I do know he also designed the HD 800 and HD 700.