HD 599 vs HD 58X: My thoughts

Submitted by angelf2704 t3_ye8qiq in headphones

Hello everyone, I had the opportunity to test both of these headphones a couple of months ago and I want to share some thoughts since both retail for similar prices and are highly regarded among the audiophile community.

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HD 560s

This headphone is not neutral, it's bright IMO. Bass is very good but It lacks some punch and fullness. Might be boring even for audiophiles. Midrange is very clear but high-mids are very forward even more than the HD600s. Treble is detailed but it's just to much and if you are listening badly recorded music (like everyone) won't be a pleasant experience. Tubes might help but they can cost more than the headphone itself. Imaging and soundstage is amazing, the best of the HD500 line.

Comfort is good, just not the best of the HD500 line. Cable is terrible.

HD 58X

The complete opposite of the HD560s. Bass is more musical but it doesn't feel muddy at all. Midrange is very clear, never shouty. Treble is definitely reduced to avoid any harshness so some people might want more (not me). Imaging is pretty good but soundstage is more intimate. They will have a high clamping force out of the box, but it's gets better with time.

Both are good headphones, but I think if you are just getting started the HD 58X is a better option.

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Comments

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atyne_mar t1_itwrz1g wrote

I agree with most of your findings. 560S is so bright I thought they were broken and got another pair just to confirm they're really bright. It's mostly about the imbalance between lacking fullness in the lower mids/upper bass vs emphasized lower treble while also being a bit peaky in the upper treble. I actually find 58X to sound more neutral. But with 58X, pads are very important. Out of the box they are even a bit sibilant. When pads are worn they're too muffled and that's when it gets muddy. Here is the FR of 560S against my target and here is 58X.

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seekingadvice432 t1_itwu9id wrote

your post title says 599, but your post is about the 560. typo in the title i guess?

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CoffeeCakeLoL t1_itxmeuz wrote

I had two different 560S (due to price change) and the different in sound due to pads was astonishing. Both were refurbished from Sennheiser. One had much denser pads similar to those on the 600 and another one had very thin/soft pads (maybe it was just worn?).

The one with dense pads had more bass punchiness and somewhat smoother treble. It was also more intimate sounding. It basically sounded 95% the same as my HD600s.

The one with the thin pads was a little too bright for my taste, but did seem to have a bigger soundstage.

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RB181 t1_itylp5j wrote

Replying to CoffeeCakeLoL (#249,645)

Sennheiser switched to a different earpad vendor some time ago; ASR measured the 600 series with new earpads, and they sound brighter than old pads like you mentioned. The way they can be told apart is that old pads have black mounting rings on the back and new ones have clear mounting rings.

The same applies to the 500 series, as seen in this video. There's still plenty of new-old-stock pads on the market (at least for the 500 series) so that might be the difference between the ones you have.

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RB181 t1_ityowsw wrote

I agree with your objective observations but my subjective opinions are the exact opposite of yours. I think the 560S has great bass while the 58X has bad bloated bass, and the 560S has exciting treble while the 58X has poor treble and is too dark as a result.

The 58X were some of my first open-back headphones and I liked them at the time, but they haven't really held up against my later purchases and I'm considering selling them. The 560S is still my favourite neutral reference and an excellent all-rounder, if no longer the best headphone I have.

Bottom line, the beauty of headphones is really in the ear of the beholder.

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