Massdrop HD58X (revised) Review and Measurements

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Jun 25, 2018.

  1. J.I.T

    J.I.T New

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    sorry for that. bottom labels only show date of measurement in korean. just ignore it.

    as I wrote,
    yellow is hd6xx,
    purple is hd58x,
    red in second graph is hd58x 7month ago(fresh state)
     
  2. kkl10

    kkl10 New

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    Thanks much for this pic. I'm tempted to buy one unit just to put some ring or screw-on magnet on the back of the drivers and see what happens.

    What's the distance between the driver and the grill more or less?
     
  3. Ox Cart

    Ox Cart Facebook Friend

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    The HD58X hadn't been doing much for me lately, even with my curtain mod, so I went ahead and bought a fresh pair of stock pads and voila, they're back! It's well known that these Senns need frequent pad replacements, but it's still quite a thing to experience it in person.

    N.B. I went back to the stock front foam, which sounds nicely balanced with stock pads.
     
  4. chrolls

    chrolls New

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    Anyone KISS modded these? I'm thinking of taking the plunge but have not as of yet seen any impressions..
     
  5. Ox Cart

    Ox Cart Facebook Friend

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    Okay, I've found an even better setup for the HD58X. Old pads, silk curtain mod, 3mm felt solderdude mod. It's warm without being bloated and clear without being harsh. It's maybe a bit less punchy than stock with new pads, but the smoothness and balance are worth it.
     
  6. Ox Cart

    Ox Cart Facebook Friend

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    Here's how it measures on my MiniDSP E.A.R.S. raw, compared to stock HD58X and Focal Elex. Compared to stock, there's a little less mid-bass, a little more upper mids and a little more treble, all of which IMHO are improvements.

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Ox Cart

    Ox Cart Facebook Friend

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    And here it compared to the HD600, basically fixing everything that I didn't like about the HD600, namely less upper mid shout and some actual sub-bass extension.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    only 50 hours of burn in. For the $, they have no right to sound this good.
    These are exactly like i thought they would be after reading the reviews. You guys described them perfectly. Neutral to a T. lacking nuance in the mids, but not that bad either. The bass is simply clearer/cleaner and better attack over 650. but the 650 mids have more plankton and its apparent. The treble on the 58x is more neutral and detailed without screwing the treble ala hd800 (too bright) or too dark (HD650). Sits firmly between the RS2x and HD650 both in term of neutrality and tonality and speed. Going by memory, the 58x also sits perfectly between the hd650 and hd800 both in neutrality, and tonality. I think hd800 are probably slower then 58x drivers?

    Overall, very enjoyable, perfect all-rounder and ideal for budget gears. They are very versatile. Nothing can ever sound extremely bad, nor extremely good. This is a good and bad thing depending on system goal.

    I did not expect that id enjoy them at all, but I really do. Heck, for some music, they are better then the HD650/RS2x.
    Here's a example: dont laugh at the music choice (i did the test with my GF so I have to put music we both enjoy):
    Tina Turner- whats love: the Grado were almost unbearable. The hd650 were ok and the 58X were the winner.
    Dave matthews band- Crash: The grado wins by a mile. the amount of percussion detail is mindblowing here and the way the musician interact between each other is so fun and energetic and live. HD650 are dull here. hd58x. ok.
    Fleetwood mac- Dream on: HD650 pulls away comfortably. HD58x: ok. Grado: great
    Sweet time- Porter Robinson: 58x: ok, HD650: better, grado winner

    as you can see, the HD58x are at least always ok. Sometime the RS2x can be too aggressive and sometime the 650 too dull.

    They retain the 600 series smoothness: they can play very loud and still be smooth. Take the HD650, removes some mids magic/nuance/detail but adds little more speed, gives more neutral treble and cleaner/clearer bass.

    I really wonder if some mods could help to push the mids more forward? This is where these cans basically only really fails.
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2021
  9. Ox Cart

    Ox Cart Facebook Friend

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    Okay, here's the next evolution of my HD58X. Fresh, new-style Sennheiser HD6X0 OEM pads, stock acoustic foam plus my silk screen in front, and Solderdude's felt rear damping mode with apprx. 3mm holes. I've been enjoying this setup for a while, and today got to compare and measure it against an HD6XX.

    TL;DR; almost identical upper mids and treble to the HD6XX, but without the bass bloom, sounds much clearer/not veiled as a result. Also, compared to my old Elex measurements, this is similarly well extended in the sub-bass, with a touch smoother and better extended treble and some warmth in the lower mids. that keeps it from sounding thin. Score!

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. RenEH

    RenEH Acquaintance

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    Thanks for the info. I'm a cheap and lazy SOB so I didn't use a curtain, but Kirkland 3 ply tissue paper, 2 ply plebs need not apply ;) I brought it down to only one sheet and sure enough my findings are similar to yours even though I did not read your posts until after evaluation. The treble is much smoother and the upper bass/mids are fuller. They may not look as nice as your curtains though. For reference, I'm also running the solder dude mod on the other side of the driver.

    I was planning to sell the 58x as I already own two modded 6x0's, but I think they are keepers now. They have a slighly different presentation to the 600 series with very slighly more sub bass and and a much airier treble.

    Anyways, mods or no mods these headphones suck without a tube amp :p

    [​IMG]
     

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