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The phones live up to the positive reviews that led me to them in the first place.... they are definitely a better headphone for mixing compared to the Sennheiser HD280's, which are great for tracking. I especially like how the left and right have a clearly separated cable, whether this is a mental thing or not, it just seems 'right'. And, the length of the cable makes it so a cable extender is not as necessary as other phones with shorter ones. Also, I prefer the straight cord over the curly ones. I'm happy I've finally made the investment in quality phones as my monitors, although top notch, are just not as appropriate for fine tuning a mix.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I'm a High-End Audio Dealer . I am NOT a Sennheiser Dealer ! The Sennheiser HD 580 is one of the finest Audio Transducers ever created . It is the first of three models which are nearly identical : HD 580 / 600 / 650 . Trying to equal these 580s in a Home Loudspeaker would probably cost $50,000 + . One of the great benefits of the Sennheisers is Durability , something that is quite rare in a Full Size Loudspeaker , another is that they sound good with lesser electronics , increasing to dazzling performance as the electronics improve , Combine the Baby Schiit Pair of Modi & Magni ( about $200 ) plus the 580s and you are in Audiophile Heaven !!! The Schiit Bifrost & Asgard 2 plus the 580s will transform you into a Music Addict . An Outstanding Feature of these Sennheisers is the seeming lack of Listener Fatigue . Hours of listing will not cause your ears to hurt or headaches , you probably wont need a half-hour rest between listening sessions , you won't get tired or worn out . The Down-side is wires , it's a wired device . Sennheiser offer a Wireless version of this transducer which I haven't tried . All the above comments are related to regular Red-Book CDs not our best Vinyl . Regular CDs sound superb being downloaded from a Computer iTunes Hard-drive doing the Turntable duties . We never had consistent performance like this from our Turntables and Best Moving Coil Phono Cartridges & Pre-amps . Sennheiser HD 580 is Outstanding !Read full review
I do not believe the Sennheiser headphones are in Sennheiser's cataloge of products. However, they are very, very similar to the HD600 and HD650 headphones for anyone reading this to consider my appraisal worthwhile when considering these three Sennheiser models. Being 300 ohm phones, the HD580s should be a relatively easy drive for amps designed for or have the ability to drive them. The are an open back design and are circumaural so they will fully cover over your ears not ON them like Grado headphones. Being an open back, they do not reduce or attentuate outside sounds, however, because of the open back design, their sound is very clean, open and very, very smooth when listening to CDs through my Meridian 562 DAC, California Labs Delta CD transport and Antique Sound tube headphone amplifier. The HD580s have a somewhat more of an intimiate sound and may not quite have the three dimentional quality of say, Audio Technica's ATH-AD700. When compared to my Grado SR80, the HD580 is a little less forward with voices and upper midrange, equal in bass authority, with the HD580 having a somewhat smoother and less strained upper registry. The primary difference between the HD580 and the 600 and 650 has primarily to with the frame being plastic on the HD580 and metal on the upper end models. I recommend these phones highly, especially because you can sometimes find good used examples on eBay for a fraction of their original price.Read full review
I've been listening to the HD 580's for 14 years but for several of those years they sat, unused, on a shelf because their sound was comparatively flat. Why did I put them away? I attributed the flat sound to the headphones but that wasn't the case at all. It turned out to be the sound sources. These headphones are only as good as the weakest link in the chain that powers them. First of all, they have high impedance and don't sound especially good powered by a portable CD player or even the headphone output of my otherwise incredible Denon high end receiver. The Grado headphone amp turned out to be even worse because of the impedance mismatch. So why am I publishing this review? Because these headphones come into their own when plugged into an iPhone, an iPod touch or an iPod. All I can say is wow. A perfect match of signal and phones. What sound. Full, accurate and airy. I imagine a headphone amp that can power 200ohm phones would also provide a great signal that the HD 580's really demand. If you can provide a correctly matched signal to these headphones don't hesitate to get them, especially at the prices I'm seeing here on Ebay.Read full review
I bought these headphones as a means to edit/mix my recordings in my apartment, which is not acoustically treated, and in which I cannot play loud music for extended periods of time. For this purpose, they are perfect. They are clear, unhyped, and perhaps most importantly to me, unflattering to my mixes, as I was looking for a pair of cans that was going to highlight inadequacies in my recordings as opposed to making everything sound amazing all the time. I have yet to get more than a few days' experience with them, but thus far, I am extremely satisfied. I will say that I still plan on checking all of my mixes, particularly in the bass frequencies, at my studio on a pair of high-end monitors, where the room is treated and I have the freedom to make as much noise as I want (the 580's have great low end extension for headphones, but nothing can replace a good sub in a properly treated room for making sure there are no surprises in those low end frequencies). I have compared these directly to a pair of HD-600's, and as the legends say, they are virtually identical. Short of actually taking readings and looking at graphical representations of the frequency response curves, I can hear virtually no discernible difference between the two. If you are looking for something that will provide satisfactory results and mixes that will translate relatively well while fitting into a mixing situation that is less than ideal, these headphones are for you.Read full review