Yeah, with any large variety of people reviewing products for an organization, there will be inconstancies. I wonder what would happen if they started reviewing products where two separate people wrote reviews, and then worked together on the final review. That could yield more consistent reviews
Would definitely lead to much better results but then they are paying 2 people per review rather than one
Prioritizing quality of output over profits? Blasphemy.
I don’t even read their reviews, sorry. I know their measurements are excellent, though.
5 different people with microphones in their ears to get an average + the plastic head, etc etc.
Was thinking about investing in a head just for fun but that’s kinda alot for someone who kinda values the actual sound over measurements lol
Although audiophile asmr would be something I could ruin peoples day with
lol @ audiophile asmr
Binaural Asmr: absolute sound salesman tries to sell you a $4k power cable while whispering the benefits of high end cables in your ear
HD58X final review: Smooth, full perfection. Pure, unadulterated music.
Warning: Bad seal = bad sound. For the first week, the HD58Xs were really shrill to my ears, and lacked bass/sub-bass. It made no sense, because the bass/sub-bass is already (according to the mass/drop graphs) boosted. But as you can see in the rtings graph… Sorry, it’s not. I went to bed one or two times telling myself “man, Metal571 was right about the grain”. But one day I twisted the metal (not 571) headband a bit to get a better “seal” around my ears. Then, I put the HD58Xs over something to crush the pads overnight (heresy!). Annnd it fixed everything. The bass is there and the highs are not harsh anymore. At all. Just beautiful detail. Anyway, here’s the review.
First: Everything, everything sounds fuller with these headphones.
-Bass: Extends all the way down, and (with a good “seal” around your ears) you get accurate, deep bass and sub-bass. I’d be lying if I’d say they have accentuated mid-bass. IMHO, they’re bass-boosted to compensate the fact they’re open-back. I believe you need to “tilt” frequency response graphs a bit for open-backs (-5dB less bass) and closed-backs (+5dB more bass + kick “slam”).
-Mids: Remember, they’re based off the (discontinued) HD580 “Precision” headphones, which were Sennheiser’s take on “the most neutral” headphones. The graph shows they were, and still are, pretty much spot on – dare I say, more “spot on” than ever, actually – especially if you look at the 10khz-to-20khz region.
-Treble: Accurate treble, extends all the way up. Even higher than 20khz. (No, I can’t hear that – but diy-audio-heaven measured it. Where most headphones, today, start “failing” at 10khz, these start “failing”… at 20khz). So, uh, if you’re a human, you’ll hear everything. This can be a problem: All the damn recordings with boosted highs will sound harsh. Yup, “grainy” even. HD58X have excellent detail, but cymbals harmonics aren’t meant to be heard, god dammit. Lol.
Soundstage: “Shoulders wide”, more or less. I feel like I’m in the studio, or on the stage. I never knew mp3s could sound like that.
Detail retrieval: I know when I listen to 128kbps mp3s now. I notice something’s wrong. Media player on shuffle, trying to enjoy a song: “hmm, something’s missing – oh, is it 128kbps?”, and yes, it is. It happened to me multiple times now. The cymbals are screwed up, the singers sound thin, the bass isn’t as extended as it should be. Compared to my Sennheiser HD280s, my Fostex T50RPs, my KZ ZS10 Pros, everything sounds fuller with these headphones. Multiple times fuller. And because they’re so neutral (harman curve), you don’t have to concentrate to hear anything. I mean, I’m shocked. I pictured myself throwing my HD280 Pros in the garbage after A/B-ing a song… from youtube.
Finally: They’re definitely, definitely worth their price. Excellent tool for home studios, but even excellenter (sorry) headphones for people who love music. Pure, unadulterated music.
Also, pardon my french if I screwed up the english language.
-Le Déchaîné
thanks for the detailed summary of your exp. I cant wait for mine to arrive…
Oh man I want to get these. A relative of mine has the 6xx and I tried them and loved the amount of detail they had. Just incredible. I would have liked a touch more bass and it sounds like these have that tiny extra bit. I don’t know if I will ever have the money based on the other things I am saving up for though lol.
Yup, people who have both 6XX and 58X sometimes prefer the 58X for this reason too.
Also, IMHO it’s way easier to get used to “a bit more bass” than “a bit more treble”, too. It’s the safe choice. Treble can be damn annoying, fatiguing, can hurt your ears, can trigger tinnitus, etc., and with a bit more bass from your headphones, you can also “safely” enjoy some modern recordings with too much treble.
The 58x is pretty much more extended in the low and high end, and also easier to power correctly. Slightly more fun sound signature as well imo
Yeah, I can even power these with my Samsung Note 3, heh!
Now I’m going to have to find my old Note 3 and see how it powers some of my headphones.
There is no question it powers the 58x well, I’m just curious how it actually performs as an audio device now that you mention it.
No worries, I can even power my T50RPs with my Note 3. Barely, but I can. 100% is too loud, one “click” lower is okay. Lol.
Received my HD58X’s today. I just started listening to them using my Nano BL and Spotify… Best $380 I have spent in a very long time… Jeeeze I have not heard music this way in many many years…
I am guessing they will get better after some break in…
I found these didn’t need break in. Just more break in in your head really. But then again I don’t believe in break in so…
The pads break in and get more comfortable after a bit of use. And the clamp lessens
ooh I I was mistaking burn in with break in