Massdrop HD58X (revised) Review and Measurements

I got these earlier this week and I’ve been loving them so far. Listening to them from the magnificent Sonett 2. I’ll do a better write up when I have time but brief impressions thus far:

- As others have mentioned, the FR of this headphone isn’t a far cry from the 650. It sounds pretty much like the measurements indicate in comparison - more subbass quantity / extension, less mid bass / lower mid warmth, less upper mids, more treble.

- The bass character as a whole is improved over the 650 IMO, it can slam and rumble about as well as any open back dynamic that I’ve heard. Roughly on par with the Focal Clear IIRC

- Mids don’t quite have that smooth lush flavor of the 650 and I feel like I’m missing a little bit of detail? I feel like it’s not just FR related; it seems like the driver falls slightly behind in detail retrieval in comparison

- The mild treble rise is growing on me. At first it sounded a bit strident coming from the 650 but now I often find myself appreciating the increased clarity and engagement factor.

TL;DR - A *slight* v-shape signature applied to the 650s. More dynamic and fun but not as smooth or detailed. Keep in mind all of these differences are minor and it still sounds very close to its brethren.

It’s the headphone I wanted the Focal Clear to be, at 1/10th the price. To say it’s a fantastic value is an understatement.

 

^^ I was also thinking that Valhalla 2 would be a pretty special match for the 58x. I'm really liking the 58x on the lyr3. And I can see full OTL/high end being even better. BUT...not sure how well this headphone scales. Likely not as good as the 650 though. Absolutely worth adding a 58x to your collection if you like the Senn house sound. This is a very well done signature and tuning...special even.

I'm digging to find faults. Paint quality looks "cheapish." Like I did it with some Krylon in the backyard (not quite). But not as good as the automotive pro look of the 650.

 

650 vs 58x

The 650 is able to flesh nuance, detail and layering of the recording....subtlety. This is only really apparent with good recordings that have that information to give. Otherwise, these two are fairly close.

Ultimately, for those who are freaks about tonal accuracy, the 650 wins out. The mids are just better across the spectrum.

 

The tonal freak inside me would like to specifically thank you for confirming what I saw when comparing measurements of HD650 and HD58X.

 

Quick impressions (mostly repeating what other have said)

• A+ great headphone/price ratio!
• More fun bass vs. 6xx
• Highs slightly rolled off/less detail extraction vs. 6xx
• Makes great work headphone! Doesn't leak sound as much as the other 6xx

This is my new recommendation for a starter/work/beater setup.

 

I blame this thread for making me impulse buy these, but I'm glad I did.

Day 1 impressions (connected balanced to Mjolnir 2) compared to 6xx:

• Treble seems a touch brighter, but I'm assuming this will calm down with break-in
• I honestly have a hard time telling it apart from the 6xx unless I'm really paying attention. FR is pretty damn similar, but I concur with other "slight u-shape" comments (relative to the 6xx anyways, again may change with break in)
  
• Bass is noticeably cleaner, but you probably gain less from the improvement in the bass than you lose from the midrange and treble of the 6xx detail-wise
• Sounds pretty good from my phone

 

Can u explain what u meant by more fun bass, @neogeosnk ? HD6XX already has a big mid-bass boost that I consider really punchy and fun.

 

I feel it's not about the frequency response as much as its lack of distortion makes which it feel more punchy sounding.

 

I just wanted to add that unless you are a computer don't try and volume balance between the 58X and a Audeze LCD-2. Its not possible. Just don't.

 

Has anyone compared HD58X to HD600/650/6XX on the ZDS? I actually found ZDS/HD650 (stock) veiled and congested, ZDS/HD650 (modded) less veiled but still somewhat dark, and ZDS/HD600 (stock) a bit too bright. I wonder if the stock HD58X might hit the tonally sweet spot for me, which is something I could live with despite its less resolving 150 ohm driver.

 

Bass hits harder and is louder on the 58X then on any other can in the family.

 

If it sounds like what the differences in their measurements show then the 58x should sound less bloomy in the upper bass and more planted down below.

 

I dont own the ZDS, but the HD58x falls right between the HD600 and 650. The bass is an improvemebt over the 600, but at the expense of the mids a bit, as well as the trebble. To me, it falls right between those two.

 

Coming from the Hifiman HE-400i with aftermarket angled leather earpads, and the Onkyo A800, the HD58x has a fairly conservative acoustic presentation. I'll have to spend some time with it, but my guess is the HD58x is more 'correct'. Bass is good, midrange is good, highs are good, overall seems to do very little wrong. Sub-bass presence/impact is less than I like. Highs are more subdued than I'm used to, but that's because of the other headphones I listen to... I think a lot of headphones I regularly listen to have more intense treble in one way or another than the HD58x. Haven't done a side-by-side with my AKG K612 Pro yet, but I have a feeling they're going to be the closest sounding out of what I have out right now, though I think the K612 is probably brighter still than the HD58x.

Did try the Yaxi earpads (which come with their own, slightly denser foam to cover the driver, and are made out of a combination of synthetic leather and Alcantara, with thin walls and a fairly dense, slow-rebound memory foam, and wow what subtle but complex changes... extensions to the bass, sure, some subtle alterations to what is emphasized in the midrange, but most significant the treble is just so subtlely subdued. Wide soundstage but less instrument separation. I think the stock HD58x treble is pretty special, managing to be both detailed yet not too strident or fatiguing. I don't think I'm a fan of having it slightly dialed back. Maybe with the weaker bass of the rest of the rest of the HD6xx family the Yaxi earpads offer a better set of tradeoffs?

When I switch to the HD58x (with the stock earpads) from some of my other headphones initially my brain thinks they're missing treble, but after a few minutes my brain adjusts and realizes there's quite a bit of treble there and the quality is very good. I think if they had more sub-bass they'd be close to my ideal headphone.

 

If you find the hd650 dark on the ZDS the same will probably be true for the hd58x. They are very similar tonally. Unfortunately, unlike the 650 the 58x did not scale up quite as much with my ZDS as the 650 did. Some may still prefer the 58x just for the FR but it does have it's limitations.

Personally, I'd track down an older 580 if you find the 650 dark and the 600 bright. Still my favorite of the bunch.

 

Just received mine on Saturday. Listening it now. I like it. The bass is bigger than I expected. Not in the league of the Nighthawk in terms of quantity, but it actually surprised me.

I remember once going into a Seven Oaks in the UK and listening to a Senn, cant remember which one, but it turned me off. But this is good. No detailed impressions yet.

Listening from PC > Eitr > Modi2 Uber > Massdrop CTH.

Never heard the HD600, or 650, My only other Senn was an HD497 I bought maybe 15 16 years ago.

So, This has to hold me for a while. I cant afford anything else for a long time...... lol.

Anyway, in my view, well worth it. Happy purchase.

D

 

These cans sound great. My Ifi nano lacks balls for them though and I can see the potential since they tightened up when connected to a cheap samson 4 channel amp. Now I am itching for the cheapest way to get at least 90% performance or so of what these can do. I wonder if a magni3 will be the ticket.

 

Magni 3 would be fine, but I'd save a few extra dollars and get a Vali 2 and a NOS tube. 58x has a sweeter tone and is ultimately more enjoyable on tubes if you are so inclined.

 

Ah yes I loved the hd650 out of the first Vali. I just felt that I could use more volume with low output music like some 80s original pressings.

EDIT: Oh I just noticed that the vali2 has a gain switch. hmm I guess this would be the one for these.