The HD558 is one of those headphones that even when you're not specifically listening to music, some soundtrack might randomly come up in a show or whatever and you catch yourself thinking gosh that sounds so nice. And that is not something that goes without saying, even with expensive headphones. Sometimes audiophiles may get in a habit of setting up their circumstances for listening to music: it needs to be this or that track or otherwise my gear just shows the problems in the recordings etc. None of that with these. These simply sound really nice upfront and they're a solid all-rounder too, although I'd have to say their particular "main skill" has to be vocals, just really good. I was listening to Blind by Korn a few days back and the growls came through beautifully. But it just catches you in general, there is no sibilance and it's noticably pleasant whenever someone starts singing, or even talking for that matter. I also like the stronger bass that these offer over the HD598. I've seen some people say that these are boomy, but I disagree. The way I see it there are two kinds of people: the one that needs to have that warmth in the midbass for the sound to be 'right' and those that want clarity above all. If you're in the latter group, then there are many other options that will suit you better than this. The bass sounds good to my ears, although you shouldn't be expecting super deep bass. A very good kick, but the bass is not blowing through the mids or anything like that at all. It's only the treble that can occasionally be a bit much for my tastes, but usually it's all good without any EQ. These are mostly dark and warm sounding, but they seem to have a bit of a surprising bright tilt to them that sometimes shows up out of nowhere. The comfort is probably the best out of all over-ears I've used. They're better than the HD598 and 599SE because those have a headband with pleather that tends to slide around on your head. The 558 has a thick layer of velour that is super soft and keeps the phones in place. I have average ears and the pads are big enough for me.

Recommended! Try to pick up a used pair while these can still be found in the wild. Even if it's just for podcasts or watching youtube videos, I can't think of a headphone more suited. I can't rate these higher than four stars because alternatives such as the DT770 and HD560S have a significantly more high-end sound to offer at very fair prices, but still, I really like the HD558.

I'll start with a strong statement: these might be a candidate for best headphone ever made. They have so much to offer it's pretty wild, but keep in mind that I'm reviewing these entirely as an audiophile headphone. I'm not pulling any punches, there will be no "it's pretty good for a closed back", or comments about isolation. I'm looking at these the same as I have done the 58x, 560S and others.

The first thing we have to talk about is the bass, because wow. The bass on these is awesome and frankly not comparable to what you get on open backs. I've heard some really nice bass on for example the Fidelio X2 and the 560S, but these are the real deal. Whenever I judge any headphone on bass performance, my benchmark is always this - the DT770. The bass on these catches you by surprise all the time, because it happens even in music that you didn't think needed bass so much. The thing is, whenever I pull out some other headphones, like the Senn HD58X and I listen to those for a few weeks, I feel like hey that's nice bass! I mean and it really is, the 58X has a very nice bass response. So why do I bother with the DT770s? But then you go back to the 770s and it really hits you. Listening to Safe from Harm by Massive Attack for instance, the bass on the DT770s has a place right next to the vocals and snare hits. You understand that the bass is supposed to have a leading function in the track and you understand how this song was intended to sound. But on the 58X, the bass sits under the mix and the vibe isn't there.

The other thing that makes me love this headphone is the almost cavernous feel to the music. The deep bass, the somewhat withdrawn but highly detailed and smooth mids, the excellent soundstaging and imaging... All of its aspects come together to give you a sound experience that other headphones almost categorically don't. Closed backs don't usually come with soundstage, and honestly you can't even keep most closed backs on your head for longer than half an hour, but the latest revision of the 770s is very comfortable indeed. And the sound is just so enjoyable. Vocals are accurate and well separated, guitars are crisp, violins are to die for, but mainly it's that you get a fair representation of the actual recording. Listening to Genie In A Bottle for example, the quick drum rolls and the clarity of Christina's voice, the whole production seems 1:1 captured. The sound is clear, cohesive and tight, in a way that contrasts notably with for example the Fidelio X2. There's no shoutiness in the mids, no bloat in the bass, no harshness or grain in the treble, no thinness, no muddiness, nothing. The only thing you might criticize is the amplitude of the treble, but it's very easy to remedy. And once you do, you will be surprised how laid back the DT770's sound actually is. Snares are not in your face at all but still punchy. But it's also the way the sound is presented, with the spaced out mids, lack of bass bloat and precise imaging, that makes this headphone fatigue free for endless listening.

And then you look at the other aspects of this thing. The affordable price, the light weight, the replaceable pads, the reliable build... Every single aspect that could tank an otherwise good headphone is accounted for. No replaceable cable but who needs it? The cables on these old Beyer models have no history of failure.

All in all this is everything a headphone should be. By introducing no problems of its own it gets out of the music's way entirely and lets you simply hear what's there. They're plenty analytical, but they're also engaging and immersive. Pick your ohms version, put on your music and away you go. Recommended for bass lovers in particular, but really anyone who likes audio should probably give these a try.

I'll be mainly comparing the 560S to the DT770. I think it's a good comparison for two reasons, first being they both cost about the same and aim for an analytical, balanced sound. The HD560S seems designed from the start to compete with Beyerdynamic's offerings like the DT770 and DT990, which operate in the same price bracket with a similar purpose as the 560S. The second reason is that I think the DT770 remains one of the absolute best headphones out there period. Sennheiser has always had pretty good offerings in its 5xx series, but never did they try to place a sophisticated analytical product in that range to go head to head with Beyerdynamic. Did they manage to pull it off?

So let's start with the midrange. I think the DT770 as an analytical headphone is a bit better than the 560S. I feel that I can hear more into the recording with the DT770. This midrange for me is as close to perfection as I've heard on any headphone. Smooth from start to finish, they give a highly faithful rendering of the recording. On the other hand I think that the actual sound of the 560S is inherently a bit more "pretty", and the mids on the 560S are beautiful. Vocals are a bit warmer and more forward on the 560S, but I'm not convinced it's more truthful than on the DT770. A big thing for me is that snare hits come off very strongly on the 560S, whereas on the DT770 they are laid back. Both these headphones get very close to perfection, with highly accurate vocals and very good separation and imaging.

Then there's the bass. The HD560S has great bass. They seem a bit light because of the excessive treble, but once the treble is reduced a bit or the recording isn't bright, you'll really notice how good the bass is. The bass on the DT770 brings a heaviness to the sound that I love that the 560S can't quite match, but listening to "Safe From Harm" by Massive Attack both these headphones do a great job of giving the bassline all the presence and power it needs. You can hear the individual bass notes more clearly on the 560S, but the depth of the bass - the resonance and heft you get from the 770 on the other hand is hard to resist. As a semi-basshead I'd be very happy with either of these headphones, which is the first time I've ever been able to say that about a Sennheiser. Looking at the unassuming plastic 5xx chassis you wouldn't expect these to be capable of this kind of bass, but wow. Very good indeed.

Treble goes to the 560S. It's just a bit more refined and clean sounding. The 770 has good treble but I've found it obvious that the 560S consistently outdoes it. The 560 has a very nice and even treble, no complaints.

Soundstage goes to the Beyers. It seems evenly spread out and precise with an excellent sense of distance, whereas the 560S can be in your face and a bit shouty at times, which is probably my biggest gripe with them. The 560S is a spacious sounding headphone though, and it's a big step up from the 58x or HD650, but I find presentation on the DT770 exceptional. It's one of the key things that mark the DT770 as a true high end headphone for me.

So, which of these two wins? Both are built well, both are comfortable headphones. The 560S will get very loud from a computer, whereas the DT770 may require an additional amp. For my taste both headphones do need some equalization, since they have too much treble in their stock tuning. In my opinion the 560S is the most exciting, most enjoyable headphone Sennheiser have done, beating the HD600 series at half the price. But the DT770 is a beast of a headphone. I think I'd recommend the 560S over the DT770 on the basis that it requires less amping and the overall sound is a bit more inviting, but when it comes down to it the DT770 edges it out on pure performance, mainly owing to it being able to combine reference bass with an extremely accurate sound. But anyway, just to make it clear (since this is a review of the 560S after all): this headphone is a banger and one of the best that I've ever heard. Absolutely recommended.

On my continuous quest to find a headphone that can finally dethrone the Fidelio X1 that I've mained for the last nine years, I've stumbled upon the Jubilee 58x. I've heard and owned a lot of Sennheiser headphones, including the HD650 and HD600. I think there are great things about them, but their lack of quality bass and soundstage has always been a big turnoff. The 58x on the other hand does better, so for the second time, first being the HD598, I have on my hands a Sennheiser that I actually like.

But uh... I don't like them enough. The main problem I have with them is their rather aggressive sound. They sound well balanced when playing on moderate volume, but when I want to turn the music up for a bit then their shouty nature comes to the surface. Snare hits in particular are too loud often times. The other thing is that the 58x is more closed-in sounding than my Fidelio headphones, which I find contributes to the fatigue. The soundstage seems more fluid than the 650's 3 blob presentation, but for me it's still somewhat lacking. The X1 plays away from my ears a bit, which I never fully appreciated until hearing these Jubilees. Some people love the "vocals close to your ears" thing that Sennheisers do and I respect that, but I'm definitely not in that camp. It's really the tonality that kills it for me though; I can't escape a sense of the music yelling at me whenever I am enjoying a song and trying to get into it. The barrage of close-mic'ed midrange energy is just too much for me. The tonality isn't bad, and I wanna be clear about this, most people will probably be able to enjoy the 58x without any EQ. It's a good offering for sure, but for me it's not good enough when I already have the X1 and the Jubilee doesn't really beat it in any other area anyway.

Overall the 58x is a headphone that will do quite well at any genre, thanks to its extended bass and beautiful midrange. It's just not the groovy cannon the X1 is though, and as such it falls short of my wishes. I'm asking myself why my review sounds so negative while I do honestly think these are impressive headphones and I suppose the answer is they don't align themselves very well with my particular preferences. I think that although these headphones do really well in most individual parts, when put together the music doesn't engage me as much as I would like.