Thoughts on Sennheiser HD 518/558/598?

[KevinHaube]

This line up of Sennheiser models, the HD 518, HD 558, and HD 598, is the line up I'm considering getting. I only have enough money for one pair, so I want to make the right decision. Has anyone used these cans before, and have any good/bad words to share about them? My main uses for these cans will be:
 
     -Home listening
     -On the go listening
     -Mixing and mastering tracks
 
If anyone could be so kind as to share their thoughts on any of these models, that'd be sweet.
--Kevin

 

[Magick Man]

From my listening:
 
518 - More bassy, mid-sized soundstage, neutral mids and highs
558 - Bigger soundstage, forward mids, neutral bass and highs
598 - Same bass as 558s, even bigger soundstage, neutral mids, forward highs
 
All have the ubiquitous Sennheiser gauzy smoothness that you either love or hate. Personally, I don't see that the 558s are that much better than the 518s, and in some types of music they're worse. Same goes for the 598s. It comes down to what music you prefer.

 

[mrAdrian]

I remember seeing some mod thread about making a lower end 5xx into a higher end 5xx but really have forgotten and can't be bothered looking it up for you 

 Try do some researching on it.

 

[Charlesbian]

I just demo'd all 3 of these at audioconsultants in chicago, as well as the HD 600 using a pretty decent home theatre DAC and amp, as well as without. Tracks I listened to were classical, pop, and rock.
 
518: The best sounding without an amp. Warm, colored sound. Not that big of a soundstage, but it was hands down the best without an amp. With an amp, it was clearly the worst. Tinny, muddy and muffled sound, a lot less detailed than the 558 and 598.
 
558: Without an amp: Cold, anemic and flat. Decent soundstage but everything sounded incredibly cold and flat. Detail was ok, but unpleasant to listen to. With an amp, much better. Good detail, even better soundstage, and everything was still crisp but sounded much more life-like than without an amp. Don't think you would be dissapointed with these. 
 
598/600: Putting these together because I couldn't tell the difference, then again I'm not a musician. Without an amp: Even more cold than the 558, almost unlistenable. With an amp: Great great sound. Huge soundstage, great detail, and good bass. Not a ton of bass like a beyer (tried those at guitar center, huge thumps!) but just the right amount to accent the music and keep it dynamic. I was on the fence before but now I'm planning on getting a 598.
 
Basically, they all have similar sounds, but the higher you go, the more detail and soundstage you will get. Also, the 558/598's are not worth it if you don't have an amp. They sounded much worse than the 518 unamped, but blew the 518's away once powered well. All were very comfortable to wear.

 

[DVDRey]

 
Quote:

Putting these together because I couldn't tell the difference

 
Strange, with which amp ?

 

[GigaFi]

I have the 558 and 598 right now. Both are great headphones and VERY similar. Both have a very big soundstage, nice detail, easy to listen to, and reproduce vocals very well. The 558s were a little bit more bright and a little bit more bassier. The 598s were very smooth and more comfortable although uglier IMO. 
 
They're great for home listening where noise isn't a problem but I wouldn't use them on the go since they are open after all. You can probably do your mixing/mastering on these but these aren't exactly neutral so...
 

 

[jworl]

Quote:

Also, the 558/598's are not worth it if you don't have an amp. They sounded much worse than the 518 unamped, but blew the 518's away once powered well. All were very comfortable to wear.

 
Interesting. All three of these headphones are rated at 50ohm impedance. Is there another factor to consider for driving headphones?