Did the solder dude mod and the mids are improved and bass is far less bloated, but the treble has a bit too much grain still. Itâs fine for a switch/3ds/GBA/Gameboy, but too sharp for a proper headphone dac/amp IMO. Anyone know of any other mods?
Man, I donât know what to say. Never had the same experience with my 58x while I had them. If you want to keep the headphones for comfort/fit, my recommendation would be to mainly look at pad rolling. Sennheiser tunes their headphones to work only with their pads, so changing it usually makes bigger changes to the sound. Maybe you can find something to curb up the highs a little. Another possible mod is the paper/teabag mod as shown by super review, but I donât know if this will help you.
Another option is: maybe you simply donât like the sound of it. Nothing wrong with that, just maybe looked for a different sound profile. Maybe a darker profile, or at least a higher resolving with the same level of treble. And I will say, IMO, the 58X has not a lot of treble so if you think itâs too much you should look at darker headphones, maybe like the Nighthawks. If you want more resolution out of a similar(ish) sound signature I would look at other 600 headphones, maybe a 6xx for less base and more forward mids, or the 660s that people say is a direct upgrade from the 58X.
Thanks for the advice. I do want to somehow make this headphone work as I do like the fit, weight and durability of it. Replacement cost if my kids break it is nice and low too. Timbre is good after the solderdude mod, but that just leaves the grainy treble. I donât really want to mess with that with different pads as I donât want to mess with the mids. I just wish I could smooth it out somehow. Maybe I can play with the damping somehow.
The KSC75 has a much smoother treble IMO.
To be fair, Iâm coming from headphones that cost several times this one, so maybe Iâm asking too much from a $99 headphone. On the other hand the HD6xx I picked up at the same time as the 58x was a pleasant surprise on my Ares 2/Flux FA-12 to the point that Iâm considering buying a tube amp for it.
My experience with the 58x and tubes was limited but not great. Now I still havenât heard the 6xx, and most of the tube amps I had didnât improved the sound in any significant way. Granted I only got the cheaper ones, so there is that.
Maybe try your gear upgrade and if you donât like it, just go after a 6xx?
Oh, the 6xx will be for home office use, so the 58x still has itâs use case. Mostly out of Nintendo consoles. I just wish to smooth the treble. Lots of people here are removing the inside foam for a brighter sound signature. I tried this and even though it does bring out the treble detail, itâs still grainy. Maybe I can hide the grain by using thicker foam haha.
Removing the outter foam (not inner) and an impedance adapter (80 ohm) improved it for me.
I just ordered some damplifier pro dampening foam for my 6xx that Iâll also apply to the 58x and Iâll report back on how it goes.
1 Like
I got my headphone used from my brother and always assume my pads were pretty newâŠi was wrong. Iâm trying some replacement dekoni earpads and I found the treble that was always missing in my hd 58x lolâŠthe difference in treble of a used pad and a new pad is HUGE
1 Like
welcome to the world of pad rolling.
Iâve had a good amount of listening time with the 58X, 6XX, and HD600 since buying all 3 last year. This is going to sound super obvious to many, but the 58x is clearly not in the same league as the 6xx and hd600 mod or no mod.
The main issue of the 58x is a scratchy treble that just does not sit well with me. In fact Iâd be happier to run with a pair of KSC75 due to the less fatiguing tonal balance vs the 58x. I would sell my hd58x, but the pads it came with are a good replacement for when I need to replace what came on the my other sennâs lol.
I currently have a pair of 58x on my desk with a pair of KZ x Crinnacle IEMâs (paid $38 CAD for those), and no doubt I would rather reach for the KZâs over the 58x any day.
With that said, Iâm sure many would be happy with the 58xâs performance for the price, but they lack the what make the hd6xx a compelling option like their scalability and unfatigueing sound, and at the same time add no real pluses except price, but they get beaten there too with all the wonderful chi-fi/koss options these days.
1 Like
I didnât enjoy them all that much until I did the tea bag mod and now I use them a fair amount. Very light and comfortable, but probably not much of use for critical listening.
That is interesting how everyone hears them differently. I own both and found the Crin KZ set to have some sibilance, and always found them hard to listen to for any length of time. It is the worst sounding IEM I own, and I have two other KZ sets, plus another 8 or 9 IEMs.
Interesting that you claim the KSC75 is less fatiguing, since I found that to be the brightest of the big three KOSS sets, and always preferred the KPH30i, which is the warm one.
I spent time listening to both the HD600 and the 58x. I went with the 58x, but I liked the faster attack and decay, and the slightly recessed mids worked better for the things I was listening to. I get the appeal of the HD600, but I always feel like I am missing bass and sub-bass that I want. It could be purely a function of the genres and types of music I enjoy, and I can see that going either way.
The HD58x is a great bargain, and I rank it behind the HE400se for best value in over the ear. The biggest knock on the HE400se is the weight.
1 Like
4 Likes
Well. Going back to my (September 2019!) review. I now have HD6XX. Be aware 6XXâs were supposed to be like 400-500$ until Mass/drop called em and said âhey, how much do you want if the Drop community wants, like, 10 000 pairs?â. And it really shows.
A/B-ing 58X and 6XXâs, Iâd say Sennheiser HD58Xâs are for monitoring and 6XX are for enjoyment. Itâs really âin-your-face-everything mid-fiâ versus âaudiophile-approved naturalness and width/depthâ. I still stand by what I said. HD58Xâs will give you âpure, unadulterated musicâ. Still one of the best open-back headphones for the price, probably â and you will hear a lot with HD58Xâs.
But I also said I felt like I was âin the studio, or on the stageâ with HD58Xâs, though, and I donât know how I could have said that. Well: I had not heard 6XXâs yet, thatâs how. If you can have 6XXâs for a similar price than 58Xâs and want to feel like youâre âon stage or in the studioâ ? Get the 6XXâs. Thereâs no comparison.
2 Likes
@LeDechaine Two of my friends each wanted a recommendation. The first a casual listenerâŠthe other a modern composer/professor. The first got 58x and
the second the 6xx. Both are happy. PS Iâve heard both and feel both have their
place. 
1 Like
I agree. Also you wonât hear much of a difference between 6XXâs and 58Xâs if you plug both in a JDS Atom or a Liquid Spark for example: You might even prefer the 58Xâs. But thatâs only because your amp is the 6XXâs bottleneck.
6XXâs will sound much better with a much better amp â HD58Xâs wonât (my personal experience). But if you donât imagine yourself spending 200, 300$+ on an amplifier (âŠlike me until my finger slipped on a âbuy it nowâ button 
), yeah, HD58Xâs are a good choice.
2 Likes
I think they sound a bit different, for people that want that Sennheiser mid-forward sound, that people talk about, the 6XX and an amp are what you want. I find the HD58x has a bit more bass, where the 6XX is a bit lacking, and of course works on any source.
I like the HD58x better most of the time.
2 Likes
How do you install them?
I used a double sided tape my wife has for her dresses. I donât think it matters which type of double sided tape but this worked the best and it never came off.
1 Like
Do you have pictures of how it should look like when itâs fully installed, I only ordered 2 should I order more, just in case I mess up?
1 Like