Search the Community

Hey everyone, recently been looking at getting either the HD 558 or the HD 559 from Sennheiser, does anyone know the differences between the too? I also considered the 600s or 650s but don't feel like spending that much.

Sennheiser HD 558 Review - Audiophilia on a Budget For a long time, my go-to solution for music listening both at home and on the go have been earphones or in-ear monitors. They were (at the time for me) pretty affordable, offered great sound for the price, and were easy to tuck in a bag or pocket to have with me at all times. But as much as I loved and still love the sound and convenience of IEMs when I'm out and about or traveling, I soon realized that there's just something more distinguished and refined to owning and using a quality pair of over-ear headphones. And thus my search began. A search that would span several years and several hundred Euros worth of investments to this day. The first set of headphones I discovered for myself were a pretty basic pair of closed-back headphones from Philips, which served me well for more than two years. After they had died eventually, I looked to replace them, but never found something that would serve all my needs. I tried a variety of products ranging from open- to closed back, from HiFi-grade to DJ headphones, all from a wide range of manufacturers. None of them quite lived up to what I was looking for. Fast forward roughly three years, I decided to give the entire problem another shot. I had previously bought a fresh pair of Sennheiser IEMs, which were great, but kind of left me hungry for more. So I checked out - casually at first - what Sennheiser had to offer for over-ear headphones in the 100-150 € range. Unsurprisingly, the HD 500 series (consisting of the HD 518, HD 558 and HD 598) quickly caught my attention. I tried out the HD 518 and HD 558 in detail, since the 598 were just outside of my budget, and quickly settled for the HD 558 due to their clean, non-flashy look, great comfort and outstanding sound clarity and definition. The cashier then scraped 130€ off of my debit card and I officially owned my first pair of somewhat audiophile-grade headphones. The HD 558 are marketed by Sennheiser as entry-level Hi-Res headphones, and they live up to that without a doubt. They feature Sennheiser's E.A.R. technology, which means the drivers inside the ear cups are angled in order to better focus the sound into the listener's ear canal, as well as a frequency response ranging from 15 Hz to 28.000 Hz, a 50 ohm impedance and they blast 112 dB at 1 kHz/1 Vrms. Taking a closer outside look at the headphones, you'll find velours padding on the inside of the ear cups and inside the head band that is comfortably soft, yet does in no way feel flimsy. On the outside of the ear cups, over where the drivers are located, Sennheiser put protective plastic covers with holes in them, which are covered again by a layer of black fabric. A black and silver Sennheiser logo can also be found centered on the outside of each ear cup. On the bottom of the left ear cup, a 2.5 mm (1/10") jack is located where you can plug in either the 3 m (9 ft.) oxygen-free detachable cable that terminates in a 6.3 mm (1/4") plug and is included in the box, as well as the optional 1.2 m (4 ft.) cable with a 3.5 mm (1/8") plug that is available from Sennheiser's online store. However, there is also a 6.3 mm (1/4") to 3.5 mm (1/8") adapter included with the HD 558, so you can still use them with your PC, laptop, iPod, phone, etc. right out of the box. The headband features a plastic mechanism for size adjustment, and both ear cups swivel enough to comfortably fit on pretty much any size and shape of head. Combine that with the velours padding and the 260 g (9.2 oz.) weight the HD 558 pack, and you got a rock solid pair of cans that's easy to wear for a prolonged period of time, yet does not feel clunky on your head at all. But of course, it is the audio quality and listening experience that form the heart and soul of a headphone, so let's get to that. In a word: the HD 558 blew my listening mind. From the lowest bass notes to the highest overtones and sizzles in a song, the clarity and amount of detail these headphones recreate music with is staggering. In tradition to Sennheiser's typical sound signature, the extreme highs are not quite as sharp as the mids and lower highs, but that does not impact the experience the slightest. In fact, I do quite like this aspect of their sound, because it makes listening to music at higher volumes a whole lot more comfortable if the highs don't feel as piercing to your ears if you crank a track up. The excellent clarity in the highs and mids is also contrasted and complemented by saturated (but not oversaturated) lows, giving especially low guitar notes, bass guitar and drums a favorable spice. Since the HD 558 are open-backed headphones, the sound stage is naturally pretty large. I personally first really got what that is all about while listening to U2's 360° live album, where when I closed my eyes, I would actually get the sensation of the band sounding like it was playing in front of me, and even being able to hear different instruments being located in different places around and at different distances from me. So, in conclusion: The build quality is superb, in spite of the plastic construction. No complaints here. The sound is clear, rich and focused, and listening to music on the HD 558 is just a pure pleasure. The design of the headphones as well as the packaging feels professional and does not promise anything it can't live up to. One small thing I would have liked to be included in the box, however, and be it at a 5€ or so increase in price: the 3 m (9 ft.) cable that's included is way overkill for me. I use the HD 558 with my iPod and laptop 90% of the time, and a 1.2 m (4 ft.) cable terminating in a 3.5 mm (1/4") plug like the one you can buy from Sennheiser's website would have been a nice thing. Bottom line thoughts: Overall, I would whole-heartedly recommend the Sennheiser HD 558 open-back headphones any time. But please be aware of what they are and don't demand else from them. For instance, don't expect them to have pounding bass, or be quite as focused as IEMs or closed-back headphones. But if you are looking for headphones that offer a clear, detailed sound signature and great overall construction, then do give them a try if you get the chance.

So I've had a Xonar DG 5.1 soundcard for a little while now and it's been working fine. Last night I went to bed and everything was good but I woke up to this loud static in my left ear cup on my 558s. I tried switching what mode it was on (headphone/2 speaker etc.) and nothing helped. After reinstalling the drivers my problem went away but only if I use the 2 speaker option in the Audio Center, if I tried to use the headphone mode like I always have the buzzing comes back. Headphones are good on other devices and I have no idea what the issue is could use some help, thanks in advance

So I currently have the Cloud 2, I was just wondering if I should upgrade to the 558 since I'm mainly using them for music and no longer use it for gaming (upgrade to external mic).

Hi guys, as the title says, I am thinking about upgrading my listening experience with a new pair of headphones along with a good sound card/dac/amp. Currently I am using Sennheiser HD 439 plugged into my PC's motherboard which has Realtek ALC892 chip in it. I am using this headphone for the last 2-3 years (!!) but the motherboard is fairly new. I am very happy with the sound quality of the headphone and its comfort level. I have speakers but I hardly use them, let's say, may be just 5 times a month! So, I am completely a headphone person. I use them for about 4-6 hours a day on weekdays and over 16 hours on weekends. I play games everyday but love music and movies too. I don't take my headphones out of home so I don't need portability. I wear spectacles, so too tight headphones are not welcome to me! I live in India where weather is generally on the hot/warm side, therefore I usually avoid leather/pleather type of cushions because they become very hot, humid and uncomfortable sooner than I want! That's why I went for HD 439 over HD 449 on the first place as 439 has cloth/valor (??) padding while 449 doesn't. I never used any dac/amp so I have no idea how much they can improve my listening experience! Kindly note that in India brands like Schiit are not available, even not all products from FiiO are available! Now I am thinking about getting a new pair of headphones as well as a good sound card/dac/amp to boost my experience. I have spend some time reading/watch reviews etc. on several headphones, sound cards/dac/amp and finally came up with (after considering current Indian online/offline market and price) 4 headphones/headset that I might like! 1. Sennheiser HD 558 Price (Approx.) : Rs. 10,268 / $162.15 2. Audio Technica ATH-M50X Price (Approx.) : Rs. 10,124 / $159.87 3. Beyer Dynamic DT 770 PRO (80 Ohm Version) Price (Approx.) : Rs. 14,990 / $236.715 4. Sennheiser G4ME One (Just because I play games!) Price (Approx.) : Rs. 16,499 / $260.54 As for sound card, I like 1. Asus Xonar Essence STX Price (Approx.) : Rs. 9,650 / $152.39 Official Link: http://www.asus.com/Essence_HiFi_Audio/Xonar_Essence_STX/ 2. Asus Xonar U7 Price (Approx.) : Rs. 5,899 / $93.15 Official Link: http://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_U7/ 3. Creative Sound Blaster Omni Price (Approx.) : Rs. 6,194 / $97.81 Official Link: http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-omni-surround-5-1 I have included the sound cards just because I heard/read/watch that all of them have pretty descent DAC as well as good AMP. Adding their official spec page link as well, please take a look, if you want! For Dac/Amp I can only find Fiio E10K Price (Approx.) : Rs. 8,090 / $127.75 even if it's not widely available! Now can you help me choose? NOTES: 1. I like my Sennheiser HD 439 very much for all possible reason! 2. I am from India so I like Bollywood music, Rabindra Sangeet (i.e. Tegore Songs), Rihanna, Enrique Iglesias, Guiters etc. (But I don't mind listening to any kind of good music except Opera) 3. I watch many movies. 4. I play games very seriously! 5. India is hot and humid. 6. I wear spectacles, so comfort will be a big issue. 7. I will not spend huge amount of money any time soon after buying these because these things are pretty darn expensive in India man! 8. I love HD 439 but don't have any Idea if I will like open headphones like HD 558 or closed one like ATH-M50X. 9. I don't have a place to live demo these headphones from where I live 10. I will not take out my headphones out of my home. 11. Budget around $200 for headphones and $100-$150 for sound card! Thanks for your help and time, if you need any more information, feel free to ask. Happy listening guys

I have Sennheiser hd 558's, they were refurbished on amazon. Any way theres a sound that comes from the right ear thats like if a fly was flying against a window like a Bizz! for a couple miliseconds and only on one song, Counting Stars by OneRepublic. It doesn't make this noise ever on anything else I've listened to, using it for over a months now, but on this song it does and multiple times https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg#t=55 here at 0:55 when he is saying "I" and here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg#t=79 at 1:19 the lyric is I been losing sleep when he is pronouncing the "L" in "losing". it happens multiple times in this song but those are some examples and I have no idea why these sounds only come up during this song and no where else but I rarely ever listen to this song so it doesn't bother me but I'd still like to know what it is. Any ideas?

Which headset would be better out of the sennheiser hd 558 and game one. The game one has a mic which might be useful for travelling since I use a blue yeti normally. But is there any difference in comfort and sound quality?

Can anyone tell me how these headphones sound.

I was looking around for a headphone stand to hold my HD 558s. I found two that interested me, the Sennheiser stand and the Brainwavz stand. I like the shape of the Brainwavz one but I hate the lettering on it. The Sennheiser one would be alright but I would like something that stands on the desk. I have Amazon Prime so I would prefer Amazon for buying it. I am of course fine with other retailers, but if it's Prime eligible, that would be great. I will be buying these in the US. Any other suggestions or are these two the only good ones for the price range?

My E10 just came in from Amazon, and I have already installed all the drivers and I can hear out of it. My question is should I plug my Sennheiser HD 558s into the headphone port or the line out port? The line out sounds a little bit different, I'm not sure which one I should use.

Hello everyone I´m thinking about upgrating my audio experience. What I have now: Logitech G430 What I am considering: Sennheiser HD 558 for 130€ (168$) however I can get those for 100€ (129$) with a coupon. Sennheiser HD 518 for 78€ (101$) Why are the HD558 better and is there a difference in comfort. The Headphones would be used for listening to music, watching youtube videos and gaming. Which Headphones would you choose? Thanks in advance

which one is better? i game watch movies and listen to music.

Hello people, I'm planning to upgrade from my Brainwawz HM3, since after wearing it for some time it starts to hurt my ears. I listen to progressive house (mainly Deadmau5), PSYTrance (only infected mushroom), occasionally some dubstep, House (mainly avicii, so there are some vocals) and Games that enjoy a beautiful soundtrack, like Trine 2. I also play games that require directional input, like Battlefield 3, CS:GO and later Battlefield 4. Sound leakage isn't a problem. I also am planning to keep the headphones for a good amount of years, and the plasic construction of the 558 doesn't make me too happy. Which one do you guys think is best?

so looking to get some new headphones and they must be over the ear and DO NOT want leather i would like a soft velvet for the ear pads. anyways i came down two these two headphones and i don't know if the HD 558 is worth the extra money? feel free to give your opinion or if you think i should go with something different?

I am looking for the best solution with keeping money in mind. I was using Astro A40s (maybe 2012 edition) before with mixamp. just bought some HD 558's as an upgrade going to buy a mod mic for it to replace the Astros for PC completely I think. To get the most out of my HD 558 what should i set it up with? Should I go get a dac and amp combo? use the mixamp or even stick with the soundcard or onboard audio? X-Fi XtremeMusic i think my card is it says creative sb x-fi in device manger Asus p8z68-v pro/gen3 mobo other things i already have that i could use is: Turtle Beach audio advantage AMIGO II usb soundcard Astro MixAmp Not sure if i should get a new soundcard or go with a dac and amp or even just one of them. PLZ get back to me and let me know what config i should be running to get the most out of my setup or if i am already good then let me know what config i should be running in my setup. Any further info that is needed let me know thanks for your time. Before asking what it is used for answer is: Everything PC sound related.... I play games and listen to music, watch movies/videos not into editing or anything but i like to have the best.