Headphones at OcUK - An Update

Psycho Sonny said:
I'm on my phone atm so I cannot look it up properly but many people say that the HD 558 to 598 mod is not real.

The 555 to 595 mod however worked perfectly.

Also parts like the grill as well as some others are different.

The drivers are also different from head fi reviews
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Psycho Sonny said:
Are they wired up exactly the same? Use the same wiring?

Plus 558's are hardly cheap the price difference between them and 598's is a few quid. 598 were as low as £140 brand new a couple of months back.

The mod doesn't make it a 598 but it opens it up more. 598 is still built better.
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Yeap they are pretty much exactly the same inside. The drivers are the same, the wiring is the same. Build quality is the same. The only real difference, as mentioned is the black tape stuck to the inside of the housing on the 558 and the different shaped grill.

Have you actually heard both phones? before and after the mod? You keep mentioning headfi as if it supports your argument, but yet the information you got from head fi is wrong, about the drivers for a start, so how can you trust the rest of what those reviews say?

At the end of the day 2 people here, who have both phones and done the mod say they sound very close. And Rids57 linked to a professional review site who says the same thing.

Are you still going to say that we are talking rubbish?
 
If you are selling good cans, PLEASE can you find and stock a good desktop mic with noise cancellation or a lapel Mic of better quality than the Zalman.

Thanks :)
 
I think the AKG K and Q series should be mentioned. The Q701 is at a crazy price now and it's probably the best I've tried outside of the HD 800 for gaming. Close to Reference level neutral with an air, super wide sound that can't really be beat without going HD800.

Not hard to drive, console gamers are sorted with just a mixamp.
 
melmac said:
Yeap they are pretty much exactly the same inside. The drivers are the same, the wiring is the same. Build quality is the same. The only real difference, as mentioned is the black tape stuck to the inside of the housing on the 558 and the different shaped grill.

Have you actually heard both phones? before and after the mod? You keep mentioning headfi as if it supports your argument, but yet the information you got from head fi is wrong, about the drivers for a start, so how can you trust the rest of what those reviews say?

At the end of the day 2 people here, who have both phones and done the mod say they sound very close. And Rids57 linked to a professional review site who says the same thing.

Are you still going to say that we are talking rubbish?
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This is why I am asking those questions. The thread I read through on head fi a few months back must have been wrong then.

They said the drivers were different, as were the grills and the mod made the HD 558 better but it was probably on a similar level to a 595 than a 598.

Basically HD 598 > HD 595 = HD 558 (modded) > HD 558 (stock)

That's from all the reading I had done.

The only advantage the HD558 had over the 595 was that it has a removable cable.

So I decided to get HD 595's for gaming. Looking at prices for the HD 558 they are £120+ and if I'm paying that kind of money I would want 598's (was offered them at £140 - brand new) simply because of their looks or Fidelio X1's (I paid £140 brand new a couple of weeks back).

Therefore IMO HD 558's even with the mod that makes them close to the 598 I would still pay the extra £20 to get 598's, unless you go second hand then I imagine you can get 558's for around £55, at that price point it's probably best you buy 558's than anything else.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
This is why I am asking those questions. The thread I read through on head fi a few months back must have been wrong then.

They said the drivers were different, as were the grills and the mod made the HD 558 better but it was probably on a similar level to a 595 than a 598.

Basically HD 598 > HD 595 = HD 558 (modded) > HD 558 (stock)

That's from all the reading I had done.

The only advantage the HD558 had over the 595 was that it has a removable cable.

So I decided to get HD 595's for gaming. Looking at prices for the HD 558 they are £120+ and if I'm paying that kind of money I would want 598's (was offered them at £140 - brand new) simply because of their looks or Fidelio X1's (I paid £140 brand new a couple of weeks back).

Therefore IMO HD 558's even with the mod that makes them close to the 598 I would still pay the extra £20 to get 598's, unless you go second hand then I imagine you can get 558's for around £55, at that price point it's probably best you buy 558's than anything else.
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But you are the one that rubbished my claims that the 558 couldn't be modded to sound like the 598 and this despite not having heard either phone.

It's actually 598 > hd558 modded > hd595

The important word in your last post is "reading" You haven't actually tried either headphone?

I don't know what those guys on Head fi are on. You will get a better and more honest opinion of headphones here or on OCN.

And like Rids57 says, don't know why I am telling you this stuff, because you aren't going to change your mind but here goes, there isn't £2 difference in sound never mind £20. In my opinion the only reason to get the 598 over the 558 is if you prefer the look.

Just look at the photo of the inside of both phones on this link.

http://www.headfonia.com/sennheisers-new-hd558-and-hd598/3/

Spot the difference!!

Knowing what both headphones sound like, I would save the £20 and put that money towards an amp/sound card/drinks at the weekend :D
 
rjkoneill said:
What I am asking in this thread is what would you like to see at OCUK?

Dacs? Headphones?

any feedback is appreciated and we will explore everything suggested here.

Cheers

Rich
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Very niche and specialist products your selling considering some of the major brands are selling gaming headsets (essentially a headphone with a mic built in that you stock anyway).

Just get the popular "gaming" oriented headphones with discrete clip on mics and it should sell well. Some headphone stands would be good too, although most people use a banana stand from Argos. :p

Demo room set up at OCUKHQ would be good for people wanting to demo the ranges you offer.

I already have a ATH-AD900X so I won't be buying anything for a good while, unless there is something in the £150 price bracket that beats it for gaming.

If you're looking to stock audiophile headphones like Oppo pm1 then I won't be interested as they are far too expensive.
 
melmac said:
But you are the one that rubbished my claims that the 558 couldn't be modded to sound like the 598 and this despite not having heard either phone.

It's actually 598 > hd558 modded > hd595

The important word in your last post is "reading" You haven't actually tried either headphone?

I don't know what those guys on Head fi are on. You will get a better and more honest opinion of headphones here or on OCN.

And like Rids57 says, don't know why I am telling you this stuff, because you aren't going to change your mind but here goes, there isn't £2 difference in sound never mind £20. In my opinion the only reason to get the 598 over the 558 is if you prefer the look.

Just look at the photo of the inside of both phones on this link.

http://www.headfonia.com/sennheisers-new-hd558-and-hd598/3/

Spot the difference!!

Knowing what both headphones sound like, I would save the £20 and put that money towards an amp/sound card/drinks at the weekend :D
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may try and get a pair second hand - mod them and compare with my 595 then
 
Noooo way ;) The thick, romantic sound! They sound so liquid.

HE400 are awesome though, I nearly grabbed a pair for £180 open boxed. If I didn't have the 650 I'd snag em.
 
They are still on there now. I'm currently trying to get another set of Denon D5000's so getting the HE400 would have set me back some.
 
Head-Fi has a plethora of threads and reviews on them - mostly pretty accurate.

I also think they perform admirably for gaming, despite the initial sense that the midrange is slightly recessed. Better for immersive gaming than comp, but their wide soundstage doesn't detract from positional accuracy in the slightest.
 
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