General Headphone Audio
- Thread starter garyfl
- Start date
Latest headphone; Drop x Sennheiser HD58X Jubilee
Like the HD650/PC38X/H6pro combination I've been using recently but have been wanting something else to go with them; easy to drive, more as a daily driver/general use. I researched loads of headphones in the £100 to 300 range and just couldn't decide. For example was interested in the new DT 770 Pro X LE but worried about that brightness, DT 900 Pro X wasn't quite right. Have owned the HD 560S and TYGR 300R already. I have also owned and loved a few AKGs like the K702, K712 and K361 but 2 of the 3 have had durability issues and that elastic on the 7xx series can fail. Then I looked at the Sundara which always intrigues me but at £230 wasn't quite sure again. So I circled all the way back to HD 6xx line and realised the HD 58X matches many of my requirements. They are super comfy, very light weight and easy to get replacement parts. Very similar to what I already have but differentiates itself slightly through being easier to drive.
Initial listening impressions are that it's a less refined. Listening to Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song on both; you can really feel the guitars more on the HD 650. There's slightly more detail and texture. The HD 58X has slightly more bass. However with the 58X being easier to drive it is more consistent and easier to use on lesser audio equipment. Seems to pair much better with the Sound Blaster GC7 I'm using for PS5. Just different feeling because the plastic and mesh on the earcups isn't painted. Also the painted areas are a solid colour and lack that subtle flecks in the paint. The stock cable is much better that the 650 though. Much more usable although I've ordered another aftermarket cable. A lot of headphone for the price and does give you 90% of that HD 650 experience. Danger it makes the more expensive headphones redundant.
The HD 58X kind of reminds me of the old HD 595/98, in that it's clearly a solid all rounder and a bargain for the US that get it at $130 (when on sale). One observation with the current UK market is that the HD 560S is an issue, in that at £130 it is sold for, does make a lot of more expensive headphones seem overpriced. I did like the 560S for gaming but found it to be too clinical or analytical. The HD 58X (& 650) are on the warm side of neutral, which I prefer. Part of me is curious to hear the HD 600 and 6XX as well, but realistically I know they are very, very similar to the 650 and there's no point in owning those too.
Like the HD650/PC38X/H6pro combination I've been using recently but have been wanting something else to go with them; easy to drive, more as a daily driver/general use. I researched loads of headphones in the £100 to 300 range and just couldn't decide. For example was interested in the new DT 770 Pro X LE but worried about that brightness, DT 900 Pro X wasn't quite right. Have owned the HD 560S and TYGR 300R already. I have also owned and loved a few AKGs like the K702, K712 and K361 but 2 of the 3 have had durability issues and that elastic on the 7xx series can fail. Then I looked at the Sundara which always intrigues me but at £230 wasn't quite sure again. So I circled all the way back to HD 6xx line and realised the HD 58X matches many of my requirements. They are super comfy, very light weight and easy to get replacement parts. Very similar to what I already have but differentiates itself slightly through being easier to drive.
Initial listening impressions are that it's a less refined. Listening to Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song on both; you can really feel the guitars more on the HD 650. There's slightly more detail and texture. The HD 58X has slightly more bass. However with the 58X being easier to drive it is more consistent and easier to use on lesser audio equipment. Seems to pair much better with the Sound Blaster GC7 I'm using for PS5. Just different feeling because the plastic and mesh on the earcups isn't painted. Also the painted areas are a solid colour and lack that subtle flecks in the paint. The stock cable is much better that the 650 though. Much more usable although I've ordered another aftermarket cable. A lot of headphone for the price and does give you 90% of that HD 650 experience. Danger it makes the more expensive headphones redundant.
The HD 58X kind of reminds me of the old HD 595/98, in that it's clearly a solid all rounder and a bargain for the US that get it at $130 (when on sale). One observation with the current UK market is that the HD 560S is an issue, in that at £130 it is sold for, does make a lot of more expensive headphones seem overpriced. I did like the 560S for gaming but found it to be too clinical or analytical. The HD 58X (& 650) are on the warm side of neutral, which I prefer. Part of me is curious to hear the HD 600 and 6XX as well, but realistically I know they are very, very similar to the 650 and there's no point in owning those too.
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Caporegime
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The Arya's are back on sale for £510I wonder why they're trying to shift them.
I came to post that!
It's Amazon. They have deep pockets and don't care. Grab 'em while they're hot.The Arya's are back on sale for £510
Enjoying them, their tonality is excellent and I'd only tried the pre-2020 version before these and they've definitely addressed the problems those had. I'm using them with a Zen DAC V2 so the Truebass button is coming in handy.
Does anyone else with the HE400se find the headband really clamps down on the top of their head? They get uncomfortable for me to wear after awhile sadly. I've tried to adjust the headband height but hasn't made much of a difference.
Got the DT 770 Pro with same style headband and don't have same issue.
Got the DT 770 Pro with same style headband and don't have same issue.
In your experience have you found the Arya's to improve with burn in?
I have to say they've sounded great straight off the bat. I've probably only had about 10hrs of play time.
Much prefer the original
That is indeed a class track!
The K11 R2R is being delivered on the 7th Sept. Excite mode is up.
Unlike dynamic drivers there's no soft membrane that softens or beds in with planars even though hifiman does say about 150 hours to "break in" - I have not noticed a difference from new either way, they sound A+ right away.
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I've got over 80 hours on my Aryas now and I don't think they have changed at all, they sounded great out of the box. As mrk says, planars don't need bedding in like dynamics as there are not really any moving parts, the membrane carrying the driver traces just vibrates back and forth and should be loosened up within seconds, whereas my Grado RS-1x needed about 30 hours and were constantly changing during that time.
I don't have the HE400se, but was researching them last night as they are on this current deal for £69. It seems almost universal that people prefer the suspension style of headband Hifiman uses on some of their other models like the Sundara. Even one Youtuber (The Techne) who is very gaming focused didn't outright criticise them but kinda alluded to the 'stiffness' of the headband. I think the padding material is fairly common area of complaint.
It's difficult to know how a headphone is until you try it on of course but these days I do put far more emphasis on comfort as a buying consideration. I think Beyerdynamics, particularly their cheapest models like the DT 770/880/990/TYGR are sublime in their comfort. The headband padding works. And even the newer DT 770 Pro X LE (uses a frame very similar to the classic line) improves on that age old design with a gap in the headband for the fontanelle. Another reason to lean towards these classic/mature headphone models.
Hopefully someone else with a HE400se provides their input to help. Only solution I could think of but don't know if it would work would be one of those headband covers that people use on certain models to stop wear and tear. But might add an extra layer.
Appreciate the reply. I've seen people swap the headband all together but I'd rather not do that in case I damage something taking it apart.
They are really good sounding headphones for the price. I managed to get them for just £20 with a voucher and will be keeping them I may just have to modify them. The headband is well padded but whether its the material they've used as you say, I'm not sure, but they are like a torture device on the top of my head after I've had them on for awhile. Maybe too much padding is a thing?
The suspension type is what I'd prefer as my AKGs had similar design but sadly the headband elastic broke and wasn't worth the repair cost. I've done some research and came across this mod which looks ideal and could be worth a gamble for the sake of £20 just need to decide which of the two sizes would be best for me.
Yea, they do seem like an absolute bargain for what they are. Even at their normal price; lots of headphone for the money.
I can only speak from experience but two of the more uncomfortable headphones I can remember (ironically gamer headsets rather than headphones) either hurt the top of my head from too much pressure across (the headband being stretch and therefore pulling down) or from not having enough padding over the fontanelle area as the padding simply collapsed under any pressure.
I think your solution looks good, albeit there probably is a bit of risk but £20 isn't too bad.
If you've never had Planar like me before they are worth picking up. Wasn't expecting them them to be back on sale again already. Guess they've got a load of stock they can't get rid of!
I'll still keep an eye out for other solutions. I like the ease of the installation as there's no need to take anything apart. Leather strap and some double sided tape. Job done. It does seem a bit on the steep side despite that though but guess they've got to cover the cost of making it somewhere.
Associate
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Just got some Aune AR5000 - early days but these sound superb to me, for music and also for gaming. Looking forward to testing them more.
Congrats on the new phones, they review really well at a great price too - I would be considering these if I hadn't recently bought the Arya Stealth
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Mine just got delivered but no time to test it until this evening.
I got it from ali express which took a week, no customs charge either.