Advice on Sennheiser HD-558 and HD-598

[Essarr]

I am seeking help from owners or those who have audtioned either or both of these two headphones. I am aware about the specification and cosmetic differences between the both. What I will be grateful for, is their sound signature, say, how close or apart, and their neutrality or adversity to suit several genre of music.

Though I won't classify myself a bass-head, I a nice tight kick-in-the-butt bass will not be unwelcome. I mostly listen to jazz, Indian and western classical, folk, some pop/rock and a lot of acoustic music. The hardware is a FiiO X3 (with a possible add-on of a E11, in case I drift towards one of the higher impedance HD600 or HD650). At present, I am using a Sennheiser HD-320 (from the early '90, which I find too laid back), and a Sennheiser PX-100 II (that is not as refined and with a modest bass attitude). Thanks!

 

[jit_devil2]

One question. Do you listen to a lot of female vocalists?

 

[mowgli80]

Slightly off topic but I do have HD-598 for sale. Used it for less than 2 hrs so do not have an opinion. Check the sale thread.

 

[Cherian]

Was in the same dilemma and chose the 558.

Purely going by online reviews, the difference seems to be very little, with the 589 being a bit more refined version soundwise. I use the HD558 with the X3 and it works beautifully throwing a wide and layered soundstage, though I prefer the M-50 for its enhanced punch. Both 558 and 559 are open backed, so your bass love may be under-served by either.

 

[Essarr]

One question. Do you listen to a lot of female vocalists?

Not particularly, I listen to both equally. Why?

 

[Essarr]

Slightly off topic but I do have HD-598 for sale. Used it for less than 2 hrs so do not have an opinion. Check the sale thread.

Saw the sale thread - this may be unfair, but frankly I wish that HD598 had similar color and design as the HD558, I tend to lean towards HD558 for that reason alone. Thanks.

 

[Essarr]

I use the HD558 with the X3 and it works beautifully... Both 558 and 559 are open backed, so your bass love may be under-served by either.

Thanks, I am very used to Sennheiser open backs at a lower level. The X3 works well with HD320 I have, except I find it a little veiled. And I am no bass-head. The X3 by itself is a 'smooth' operator. So, the HD558 may be a better bet as long as there is no harshness creeping in anywhere. Thanks again.

 

[mowgli80]

Saw the sale thread - this may be unfair, but frankly I wish that HD598 had similar color and design as the HD558, I tend to lean towards HD558 for that reason alone. Thanks.

No worries ... looks are a personal taste. I impulsively bought the 598 after seeing a non working demo piece which I thought looked very royal in beige color and was impressed with its light weight on my head .

 

[jit_devil2]

Not particularly, I listen to both equally. Why?

HD 598 really shines with female vocals. I have heard the 598 a few times and the 558 once for a very limited timeframe.

Have a friend who upgraded from 558 to 598. According to him the 598 offers minor refinements and details over the 558 but enough to make u feel you are taking a step up. His words "598 can be considered as your entry to high end head-fi whereas 558 can only be considered a very good mid range headphone."

From my limited time with them, I tend to agree. 598 seems to just have that sparkle over the 558 that makes you say, "Hey! that was kind of cool" hyeah:

 

[kapvin]

http://derek-d.hubpages.com/hub/Mod-MY-HD-555-Audiophile-Stereo-Headphones

Suggest you check the link..

And while they apply for the older series, the new ones might be similarly badge engineered..

Edit: seems that way.. Here you go

http://www.headfonia.com/sennheisers-new-hd558-and-hd598/3/

 

[Essarr]

How to mod your Sennheiser HD 555 audiophile headphones

the new ones might be similarly badge engineered..

Sennheiser HD558 & HD598 Review

kapvin, thanks. I have read about the HD558 mod earlier. But just 12 days after the mod, author 'Mike' has gone back into the shell. And, I like his statement "...when you gain some, you also loose some...."

Sennheiser HD555 HD558 HD598 Review

And the HD558 mod does sacrifice some amount of bass control, resulting in a slightly boomy bass area. Without going into too much detail on other changes with the mod, I f"elt that in the long run, the stock HD558 configuration is the better version, and Ive reverted my HD558 back to the stock configuration."[I][/I]

 

[kapvin]

kapvin, thanks. I have read about the HD558 mod earlier. But just 12 days after the mod, author 'Mike' has gone back into the shell. And, I like his statement "...when you gain some, you also loose some...."

Sennheiser HD555 HD558 HD598 Review

And the HD558 mod does sacrifice some amount of bass control, resulting in a slightly boomy bass area. Without going into too much detail on other changes with the mod, I f"elt that in the long run, the stock HD558 configuration is the better version, and Ive reverted my HD558 back to the stock configuration."[I][/I]

your money. your call.

no such doubts exist about the 555 versus 595. at least not from users of both. the difference in price between 595 and 555 has more to do with the cost of leather etc, the drivers in both are absolutely the same.

If I were Sennheiser, i would be very "materially grateful" to anyone who insisted that the product is different after trying the mod, since the mod represents a huge potential loss of profit for them.

again, it's your money. the 598s do look really nice in blingy kinda way.

 

[cyber_cat]

If you want comfort go for the 598. There really is not much of a difference between the two soundwise. http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2861&graphID[]=2851&scale=30

598's are super comfy, but you will save some money with 558's.

PS: I own a 558 after listening to a 598. hyeah:

 

[mshifi]

Was contemplating to buy Sennhiser hd 558 when someone had suggested a superlux 668b which is half the price. Read a lot of good reviews on the net and just ordered one from Amazon on 30 july. Recd the headphones today. On impression on initial listening is that they are excellent for the price. The highs are really smooth, the mids and vocals are clear and the bass is good. Would have liked it with a little more bass though. With the burning in hope things would improve. These are real vfm. You may consider this before you buy.

 

[Essarr]

......someone had suggested a superlux 668b which is half the price.......

Thanks for suggesting Superlux HD668B. Did some reading on this... build quality is a concern. However, the contest here is between two Sennheisers.

 

[Essarr]

PS: I own a 558 after listening to a 598. hyeah:

Thanks for a dead giveaway... I'm in for 558.

 

[Essarr]

your money. your call.

Money was not in question, but thanks anyway.

 

[mowgli80]

Even I read good things about superlux and its clone samson SR850. Plan to buy it if my 598 sell .

 

[Essarr]

I wish to thank each and everyone who helped me make a decision - Sennheiser HD 558 arrived this afternoon. How does it sound out of the box? Pretty good, nice clean and open, I would say (with FiiO X3 and FLAC/WAV files). It is now being cooked with the XLO Reference Burn-in track, say for the next 10 to 12 hours. I am only waiting for the shorter 1.2 meter replacement cable to arrive from Sennheiser.

For those who are stuck with the 3 m cable (that comes with HD 518, HD 558 or HD 598) and its bulky 3.5 mm connecting-adapter, here is news:
HD 518/ HD 558/ HD 598- 4.5ft Short Replacement Cable

As far I am concerned this post can be considered closed (I don't know how to close it). Thanks again.

PS. You may shortly find a Sennheiser HD 320 in good nick in For Sale topic.

 

[Essarr]

My Final Say:

I have now used the Sennheiser HD 558 in partnership with FiiO X3 (1st Gen) player for 2 years and 2 months at an average of 2 hours every single day (that's around 1500-plus hours). Frankly, this is a tough combination to beat in terms of (a) realistic sound quality, (b) comfort and (c) to say the least, reliability. (And yes, the HD 558 sound gets better, all-around, with time.)

Upgrades:
- 128GB memory card (from 64GB) Sandisk.
- Firmware V3.2 from V3.0 (and returned to V3.0 due to a slight grittynes in sound on V3.2, and that perhaps, my guess, was due to Bass/Treble in V3.0 was repaced by 10-band graphic equalizer in the V3.2).
- Sennheiser 4.5 feet accessory headphone cable.

Other high-end combos tried (from a friend and a relative).
- FiiO X5 with Sennheiser HD 600 (2015 - Rs. 21,000 + Rs 36,000)
- Astel & Kern AK-120 Mk II with Grado PS1000e (2014 - US$1,400 + US $1,500)
Both these setups sound better than HD-558 + FiiO X3, but in my opinion, the purchase cost does not justify the difference in sound quality, which many will find it hard to distinguish, given the same formats and resolution for a given track (that included me, at times).

Formats used for comparison: MP3 (320mbps / 44kHz-16-b), FLAC & WAV (96kHz / 24-b)

Some of the music tracks choices for test purposes:

1. Any track - 'Jazz At The Pawnshop' Vol. 1 & 2 - First Impression Music (XRCD version).
2. "Rich Woman" - Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, 'Rasing Sand', - Rounder Records
3. "Chiltins Con Came" - Kenny Burrell, 'Midnight Blue' - Blue Note (RVG Re-mastered)
4. "Ganges Delta Blues" - Ry Cooder, VM Bhatt, 'A Meeting By the River' - Water Lily Acoustics
5. JS Bach - 'Well Tempered Clavier' BWV846-869 - Evgeni Koroliov (piano) - Tacet France
6. "The Lover of Beirut" - Anouar Brahem, 'The Astounding Eyes of Rita'- ECM
7. JS Bach, - Brandenburg Concertos 1 to 6 - Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini - Naive France
8. "Freddy Freeloader" - Miles Davies, 'Kind Of Blue' - Columbia / Sony (remastered)
9. "Soukora" - Ry Cooder & Ali Farka Toure - 'Talking Timbuktu' - Hanibal
10. "Tin Pan Alley" - Stevie Ray Vaughan, 'Couldn't Stand the Weather' - Epic
... and few others.

Thanks again, to everyone who made it happen for me.