Sennheiser HD558 Headphones

[pong 187]

 

Sennheiser HD 558 Headphones

 

The Design/Construction

 

The construction for these things is great. You expect plastic to be, well, plastic...but these headphones feel solid in your hands, not flimsy at all. At only 9oz these things are also light, and you forget that they're on your head in about 30 minutes. 

 

The ear pads and padding are made out of Velour, a step up from the HD 518, and they feel the same as the HD 598.  It's very soft, and it feels like memory foam. 

 

The cable is EXTREMELY long, at 10ft. You can basically walk across the whole room with these headphones still plugged in...or you know, scratch your balls, or your foot, and they won't be unplugged.  You don't have to worry about standing up and dragging your laptop/ipod/phone off the table with you. 

 

BUT

 

This would be nice if it wasn't for the fact that YOU CANNOT REPLACE THE CABLE EASILY. Yeah, Sennheiser is great, but they didn't really think this one through. The cable is their own twist and lock 2.5mm cable that you have to buy separately. I won't because I'm a cheap bastard. 

 

Ultimately, this is what you get when you have focus on SOUND, not jam packed of extra useless features. 

 

Still, as you can see, the design is great, and they look fucking sexy. The mesh is a nice touch, and I like that Sennheiser is written on the top in big bold letters, strictly for vain reasons. 

 

The Sound

 

I like a headphone that is neutral and that I can modify the sound how I please with an amp or an equalizer. With most headphones, besides studio monitors, you have some sort of weird built in equalizer-like sound. Either it's too damn bass or the treble is insane, or the mids are killed off. 

 

These headphones are neutral. BASS HEADS GTFO. If you're a basehead you're gonna have to use an amp, as simple as that. But, also lucky for you, these headphones are a pleasure to amp because it's so easy, and it just does not distort the sound what so ever. 

 

Don't be mistake, the bass is there, and oh god does it sound lovely. Why it's great is that you can still hear the strings, guitar, voice, and everything else behind the bass. You can hear every string pluck, and every time the bow touches the violin. 

 

Jazz music sounds inFUCKINGcredible, and electronica like Bonobo sounds absolutely heavenly. 

 

The soundstage is amazing, it's like you're right there in the middle of a concert or orchestra, and you even know where the guitarist is standing. It's great. 

 

Final thoughts on sound: 

 

-Neutral even sound, with great poppy bass. 

-Large soundstage

-Mids are amazing

-Highs are amazing

-Lows are perfect, just the right amount

 

Cons

 

-Cable is too long, and is a fucking BITCH to replace/exchange. (-1.0)

-The sound leaks like a motherfucker, but you bought open headphones, so what did you expect? This is for enjoying in your room by yourself, or at a 50%-60% at a place with people. NOT FOR STUDY HALLS OR LIBRARIES. 

 

Arbitrary rating out of 10: 9/10

[Skeezix the Cat 3,089]

Having the 518s, I'd like to address the cable replacement issue. I have had no need to replace the cable in over a year of use, and I have stepped on or had 7 of the 10 feet get stuck under my chair and I get up, jerking my head down because I realize pretty quickly what's happening. As for replacing it if you DO need to, you do not need to buy Sennheiser's locking cable. You can simply get a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable and it will work, although obviously it won't lock into the headphones. That can actually be advantageous if you pull on the cord a lot.

Other than that, the review is pretty spot on. Mine don't leak sound quite like you say the 558s do, unless you're listening at a very high volume. Of course, you wouldn't be jamming out to Metallica in a library so that is a non-issue to me. I can get mine fairly loud and there isn't a disturbing amount of leak.

If you like bass, you can get a $30 headphone amp and it'll make these headphones literally rumble.

[Aurodox 424]

Would you recommend using these headphones with a headphone amp and/or DAC?

 

I currently use an un-amplified HD 280 Pro. In a few months I will be looking to upgrade. I prefer bass when not in a neutral mood. Do you these will perform enough on their own, or do you have any suggestions as far as amps/DACs go?

[Skeezix the Cat 3,089]

Sorry if I'm stealing your thread pong, lol but they can stand on their own for sure.  The only reason I got an amp was to significantly boost bass because power is really the only limiting factor for most headphones.  But be warned if you get an amp; most of them are going to be 20Hz-20KHz meaning you're pretty much cutting off your headphones beyond that point even though they can go well beyond it.