Sennheiser HD 558 Needs To Be Modded!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- My review of the Sennheiser HD 558 and how to transform it from a flawed but good sounding headphone, into an amazing headphone, with amazing sound stage, that converts into a gaming headset.
Previous Review of the Audio-Technica ATH-m50x: • Review: Audio-Technica...
Featured Adapter: www.amazon.com/...
Please Note!!!: I have three of these adapters because the first two would not work with the HD 558. For some reason that I don't understand, there is an issue with the pairing of this adapter and the HD 558. The first time I bought the adapter, it was intermittent in the right ear cup. I tested it on my m50x and it worked flawlessly. I bought a second adapter and the same issue occurred. I contacted their customer support and they sent me a new adapter, for free and no shipping costs, and the new one works perfectly. If you order this adapter on amazon and it is intermittent, contact their support team and tell them what is wrong. My experience with their customer support was very good and that is why I recommend this adapter.
Featured Microphone: www.amazon.com/...
Thanks for watching. Please like the video if you found it helpful!
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Wrong, you can replace things on your Beats. You put them in a dumpster, replaced.
After trying (unsuccessfully) 3 different adapters to mod my 558's for the boompro, the one you listed ended up being the perfect one. Thanks!
dude i literally bought this pair right now to play games and watch movies- these mods are awesome
+Cal Chan Cool man, glad I could help.
This video is pretty awesome.i have this headphone and I never knew about these mods.
I can tootally see you making this type of thing a series of videos maybe some editing and raking in a solid couple of thousand views probably. lol I really appreciate your intense picky-ness, it helps me out. I've been wearing my new ("like new" quality from amazon that costed a total of $123 ) M50x headphones all day, and I have a headache now from what I believe to be the pressure you talked about in your previous video.
your voice is calming to listen to lol
Sad Pleb Thanks, man.
I bought the brainwavs HM5 thick velor pads and put them on my HD 558 just fine. Way softer and thicker, but the trick is to stretch the back out patiently before you slide them over the earcups. Otherwise you may tear it unintentionally =-O
I'm seeing conflicting information about whether the VMODA Boom Pro are actually adaptable to the HD 558s. Anyhow, I bought the Sennheiser HD 558 last week and have ordered the Nokia Audio Adapter Cable Stick AD52 3.5mm(F) to 2.5mm(M) and the D & K Exclusives® Gold Plated 2.5mm Male to 3.5mm Female Audio Adapter. I've already taken out the foam inside and the locking mechanism, although I will want to fix in place the adapter (if it works). Are there any high quality adapters out there for this purpose? Does 3.5 even take a 4 pole plug?The headphones sound great!
+Nosherwan Yasin You don't need a 4 pole going into the headphone. You just need left and right audio. The mic is part of the cable itself, not the headphone. In order for the vmoda boompro to be functional with the hd 558, you need to use the 3.5 mm female to 2.5 mm male adapter.
I want to get the 598's. I'm learning about something called HRTF (head related transfer function). It is a free computation any modern computer can do in any game very easily to give your brain the exact location of an object at any height or axis in front or back of you in 3d space using headphones. I am very angry because this technology is free and easy to do, but is often not used in video games and people don't know about it. We need to raise awareness. It is built on top of the OpenAL audio driver. It has also been around since the 90's ! We have been able to get total 360x360 degree immersive positional audio with headphones since the 90's without essentially any developer effort and it is not being done! HRTF is the synthetic way you calculate the same thing you can record in real life with those binaural recordings like the virtual barber shop. I thought we didn't have the technology to calculate that in games, but we do and it is free and does not require extra hardware or software. There are various people who have implemented the HRTF equations such as OpenAL Soft, RealSpace3d, Rapture3d.. You can find demos on youtube. Some games support it, some are very old too like Unreal. This should be in every game since it is not extra work and any game development company that does not know about HRTF and do it should be ashamed. We need to raise awareness of HRTF and also that HRTF Headphone output gives you total 3D sound space!
+MrApplewine there has to be a downside to using this tech. I would guess this wouldn't require more information to be sent through the internet in order to be utilized, otherwise it would obviously increase the required down and up speeds. More likely, the calculations would be done on each user's own gaming device based on a limited amount of data provided. In this case, the gaming system would require more processing power in order to run the game. I suppose that is why some game developers choose not to use it. I would suppose that they prioritize visual graphics over audio.
ThoseWhoStayUofM The reason is ignorance on developer and consumer side of the existence of it. It does not require any extra bandwidth and can be done by even the slowest computer without any additional hardware or cost. The only way it is going to change is through advocacy. It also isn't done because traditionally people did not like to play video games wearing headphones. So the downside if you call it that is you have to wear headphones. The same is true with VR, you have to wear goggles. These are not big downsides, they are just how the technology works.
MrApplewine well, that's why you have sound settings. You set the settings for the audio device you're using. So I don't see why companies would ignore this if they could just file it under the "headphones" sound setting.
ThoseWhoStayUofM There are not good arguments against it. There just needs to be strong advocacy.
+MrApplewine Of course they wont implement this, gaming headphone which marketed as virtual 7.1 surround will lose to this free software. Therefore gaming audio industry pay the dev to not use free software like hrtf. Come on its obvious.
Btw this is just like OpenGL vs directx, OpenGL is free and open and better than directx and the feature always leading compared to directx. (just go research). However developers rarely make a code optimized for openGL, because the company pay them to use directx. Duhhh.
it has a quarter inch jack because it is for home use and alot of people do actually have an amp/DAC or plan to use an amp/DAC. I plan to buy these headphones and I have an amp/DAC (bravo audio v2 and presonus usb audiobox studio one 2). I'm currently using the sennheiser HD 280 pros but I want an open pair of headphones so I'm probably getting the 558s.
+Pulp Free Fiction It's a low impedance headphone, and doesn't require an amp/dac to use. Also, quarter inch adapters are much more functional than a massive eighth inch adapter that will run a very high risk of damaging the eighth inch jack on the device you plug it into.
Like... that eighth inch adapter is harmful to any device you plug it into. It shouldn't be defended it's not good. It's very very bad.
ThoseWhoStayUofM it may not require a DAC or amp to be enjoyed but alot of audiophiles such as myself like DACs and amps because it sounds much better than most on-board/pc motherboard sound cards, and the 558s are a good affordable pair of nice sounding headphones to go with a DAC. but if you have suggestions for high impedance open headphones for $100-$150 then feel free to throw some headphones at me.
Pulp Free Fiction My criticism of the 3.5 mm adapter is not reliant on the fact that the HD 558 doesn't need an amp to drive it. The simple fact of the matter is that, if one was so unfortunate to need the adapter, which is why they include it... because somebody presumably will need it... then that person runs a very serious risk of damaging any device they plug it into. I'm not just saying there's a risk but really it's low risk. No. I'm saying, if you use this adapter with your smart phone, and put your phone in your pocket, and then go for a 30 minute walk... do that for 14 days straight... then your phone's headphone jack is going to break, and now you can't listen to headphones with your smart phone. It's that bad.
This entire issue could be resolved by simply having the cable terminate in a 3.5 mm connector and then include a very simple quarter inch adapter, which doesn't typically add any bulk to the connector. This is the route that most headphone manufacturers take, for good reason, and Sennheiser's way of doing things is inferior to that in every way.
ThoseWhoStayUofM ah, well that would make more sense.
Arod24 Actually, yes. This happened to me. I purchased my adapter on amazon, so I was able to return it and get a replacement free of charge. The one replacement also had this intermittency problem so I emailed the customer support of the seller directly (not through amazon). They sent me a new adapter, without requiring me to send the old one back, and that one works flawlessly. No matter what I do, I get no intermittent connection now.
So my suggestion to you is to contact the customer support through email and try to get them to send you a functioning unit for your specific situation.
NOTE: The intermittent adapter works flawlessly with my modded m50x. The only headphone it was intermittent with was the HD 558. I don't know why or what is different about the new adapter they sent me, which works flawlessly with both headphones. They look identical.
ThoseWhoStayUofM
Since 558s are opened, will the BoomPro pick up sounds off of my headset?
MrSamuelAdam4 No. They don't leak as much as you'd think and the boompro is pretty good about not picking up ambient sound.
So I pulled them out tha box and they sound a bit too bassy- According to discussions and reviews I expected little bit more neutral sound. Ppl also say they lack bass (?) So Does the mode actually remove a bit of their boominess?
Yes, but not drastically. The difference in sound is modest, but present, and I can best describe it as more open with slightly less bass and mid bass.
@@ThoseWhoStayUofM I gave them several hours of initial warm up and it significantly improved. It seems like the mids & hihs were initially muffled which is no longer the case. The base dont seem to leak to.mids any.more. I didnt expext such improvement after the warm up period. I will probably leave the mod as an option for later. Thanks for the review.
What material did you use to bind the hd600 headband to the M50s? Also I can't wait to mod my 589s to use the boompro mic!
+DJ Everest I just used velcro tape. I stick the furry side to the headband and the poky side to the HD600 padding.
Arod24 Yes, all the info you're looking for is in the video description beginning with "Please Note!!!"
Arod24 No, it's the adapter. The adapter is malfunctioning. You need to contact customer support.
Arod24 Cool, glad to help.
When I took out the mechanism, the silver lining of the 2.5mm audio jack kept getting pushed back in when I put the adapter in, any tips?
TrivisionZero Super glue should work I'd think.
+TrivisionZero Heat shrink will do the magic
Zolofto Isn't heat shrink what you use to cover cables? How would heat shrink help in this instance? The metal piece, if I recall, isn't even really metal, and it's just used for aesthetics for the inside of the hole that the cable is inserted into.
The port on the 558s is pretty loose so whenever you tilt your head slightly with the V-Moda mic, it moves. So use an Antlion ModMic with the 558s.
+Jack Hart The v-moda boompro works perfectly with my HD 558. I get different results depending on which adapter I use.
ThoseWhoStayUofM I find with mine, the adapter doesn't hold the mic in securely enough so it's easy to pull it out and when you tilt your head slightly, the mic turns. That's why I use a ModMic
Jack Hart That's not the case for me. I'd contact customer support and have them send you a new one that works for your circumstances.
The adapter I have is firm and stays attached very well.
+ThoseWhoStayUofM I have 6 of them and none of them work so well with the Boom Pro, and I don't feel like getting any more / swapping any. So I just use the Antlion ModMic.
Jack Hart If you message the customer support for the adapters, and tell them exactly what you are using the adapter for and what the problems you're experience are, they will send you a new adapter that will work.
thats scavenging and makes them both sennheiser and audio technica look bad quality chinese replicas
what mod did you need to do to add the vmoda boom? Is there an adaptor? Did it work with the adapter lock in the headset? I appreciated the info. thanks.
The info is in the description.
Sennheiser starts at 2:44
I am not sure if the sound improves when you remove the pieces of foam. It could as well lead to resonances or make the bass loose.
+fpm1979 I was concerned about the same thing. I did some research and on the head-fi forum someone showed the 558 and the more expensive 598 side by side- the inner cavity, the driver housing, everything is pretty much identical. they even looked up the driver you can order from sennheiser and it literally says: for 558/598. So it's the same exact everything... except that piece of tape. I'm almost certain sennheiser didn't "improve" the 558 from the 598 as they were released at the same time.
here's a direct quote from a review on headfonia, "The HD598 is clearly the more refined sounding of the two, and with a slightly brighter presentation and fuller mids, with clearer background details."
same exact driver, and casing. Gee I wonder why it's more refined.
+Cal Chan The inner cavity of the headphone is slightly different on the HD 558 from the HD 598. It shows up in the sound signature in the mids. The mids of the HD 558 are actually slightly more present at around 3k. In my opinion, the modded HD 558 is better sounding than the HD 598, but I prefer a peak at 3k.
wait you tested the frequency response? is there a way to do that at home? what equipment do you need?
+Cal Chan Not with a headphone. It would require a head simulator. But you can find tons of measurements at +InnerFidelity ’s homepage. www.innerfidelity.com/headphone-data-sheet-downloads
What mm extender are you using for the sennheiser 558m
hey can you link the adapter that you used for the HD558? would it work for HD 598? is there any play with adapter sitting in the headphone slot?
+David Tran click "Show more" link below the video. Happy listening bro! Yeah, it works with any of the HD 5xx headphones.
What headphones should i get i like to play csgo and i mic have
let me ask you a question when you do the cable mod will the new cable you put in be loose or will be securely in place?
+Krabby Patty Express It has the same amount of secure fit as the end that plugs into your phone has. It sort of clicks in but can be yanked out if the cable gets snagged on something.
Hi I was wondering is the vmoda speakeasy cable is compatible with the Sennheiser HD 558
+Jasoon Z It isn't unless you remove the locking mech and get the adaptor. Link in description.
I could see how your first mod serves a purpose; why did they put the foam tape in there? My guess would be to limit the amount of leak, but that's not a good reason. The locking mechanism, however, is useful depending on how you use these. I don't believe you gave your reasoning for NOT having the locking mechanism. Finally, regarding the 1/4" vs 1/8", these headphones are clearly intended for use with a home stereo system. Inclusion of the 1/8" adapter is for the convenience of using these with other devices. If you hate the adapter, the cord itself is replaceable; just get one with the 1/8" connector. That mic mod is pretty cool, but I don't have a need for that. I do appreciate your thoughts, though. Thanks for sharing!
POPcrackle.com I can only assume the foam tape is in there to make it sound worse than the HD 598, which they sell at a higher price point.
The locking mechanism serves no purpose at all. The only thing the locking mechanism does is it puts extra tension on the cable when it's snagged and potentially rips the headphones off of your head. Without the locking mech, when tension on the cable increases, the cable will simply detach from the headphone so neither the cable nor the headphone will be damaged. Also, with the locking mech removed, you will be able to change out the extremely bulky cable for a 3rd party cable like the v-moda cables or a headset cable such as the boompro. Those cables are far more durable than the stock sennheiser cable, and won't destroy your devise with a bulky cable.
If you're using the adapter provided, the strain of that massive connector can ruin the headphone jack on your computer.
Ah, thanks for the explanation. I will keep it in mind.
Which should I get Superlux 668b or Sennheiser 558? Price isn't a problem (however 100$ is the most I'll pay), but I heard the 668b have better soundstage and bass, just waned to know whether the bass was worth it compared to the modded 558's 'amazing mids', and 'treble'. I'm getting them for fps gaming, so positional audio is key, and I like a bit of bass for the gun shots.
Again, I've heard the 668b has more bass but I thought the 558's would 'burn in' so to give better bass.
HD 558. No question. Anybody says that these headphones are comparable in quality, they're lying. Easiest answer to any question I've ever had. The 668 has less bass and more sibilant treble. Get the HD 558, no question.
I won't speak to burn-in on any headphone. I just know the HD 558 is better than the Superlux garbage headphone by every standard imaginable. The Superlux was a good deal back when the HD 558 was >$200.
Thank you for the quick answer, I'm honestly really grateful, before this I would have went for the 668b because of all the reviews saying it was a cheap wonder, and how 558 had less bass than 668. I'll be sure to be getting (and modding) the Sennheiser HD558 without a doubt :)
Could you do a video on the new HD 559?
why does no one understand why the piece of padding is there, its to bounce the sound waves back to your ear. if you keep the pad in, you get more bass and less music goes into the surroundings. take it out you get less bass and a more open headset. choose which one you want. also i like the locking mechanism, id rather my cable be secured into my headset. i have a blue yeti so i have no reason to change the cable on the headset. also it has a 1/4 inch jack to be used for musician equipment. and i use the given adapter to plug into my phone and i put it in my pocket, i dont understand the issue. its not 6 feet long, its like 3 inches long. lol.
Noise dampening for people around you.
You really need to find something else to do than complain about a cable for a headphone and its adapter. Because you do realise these headphones weren't primarily designed for out and about/ on the go use. More primarily for sitting home, getting comfortable and listening to the music, not jogging up the road... Regardless this tutorial was nice and I find it did improve the sound.
Uber Fresco Still if they want to make headphone to have 3/4" adapter, they should better make 3.mm jack, and add 3/4" adapter, not the other way around. This way just makes the jack so huge and heavy.
Fair point. But you can get replacement cables off Amazon that just have the 3.5mm jack for under 10$
Māris Samats The primary use is for at home, connected to a stereo system, so that's why it uses the 1/4" jack. Connecting to anything with an 1/8" jack is secondary.
M50x are kinda neutral but they aren't that neutral, they have a bass boost
Flat loudspeakers in a room will acquire an elevated bass of 5 dB above the midrange due to sound reflections in the room. A "neutral" headphone, based on this standard for neutrality, should have a 5 dB elevated bass similar to the m50x sound signature.
The issue with the m50x is not the bass, despite what less educated reviewers might tell you, but rather the treble. The m50x has a hot treble that causes the reverberation in vocals to sound a bit unnatural. the bass of the m50x is exactly where you want it to be for a closed, dynamic, headphone.
So I can use my v moda boom mic?
troy mccalvin Assuming you're using the HD 558 or 598, you can only use the boompro mic if you open the headphones, remove the baffle plate, unscrew and pull out the locking mechanism. Then you have to purchase a 2.5mm male to 3.5mm female adapter.
www.amazon.com/Exclusives%C2%AE-Adapter-Converter-Headphone-Earphone/dp/B00CXX8748/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1430704862&sr=8-8&keywords=2.5+to+3.5+mm+adapter
ThoseWhoStayUofM Do I need an adaptor to use the Boom Mic on my Xbox 360, or does it have a 2.5mm connector, in which case do I need an adaptor to use it on my computer?
Jack Hart You need to buy an xbox stereo adapter that will plug into the xbox 360 controller. The boompro terminates in a 3.5 mm connector perfect for mobile phones. It comes with a y-splitter with the typical green and pink connectors for computers.
dude you're funny I love your style you can grow your channel if you level a little up these videos. I mean be a little bir professional without losing your style
dont buy audiophile grade headphones and hook them up to a phone...? i think you would be better off with those m50's or beats, maybe skull candys. get a proper amp for these headphones, or ones like them and no modding is needed. period.
+joe pool The foam mod increases the soundstage regardless of what the headphone is plugged into. I use the modded HD 558 for listening to music, gaming, and talking on the phone.
This headphone is fairly high impedance. It doesn't get up to the volume I want in the slightest, especially for hardcore and metal.
+TheSneakyOnion The HD 558 impedance is very low. You may be thinking of the HD 600. If you're turning the volume up to 90% on any given smartphone with these, you're going to seriously damage your hearing.
HD 558 = 50 Ohms
Audio-Technica ath-m50x = 38 Ohms
Momentum = 18 Ohms
V-Moda m-100 = 32 Ohms
HD 600 = 300 Ohms
I just plugged them into my phone, and max volume isn't loud enough. If you imagine that the slider could keep going, I'd want it about 150% - 200% of the max. I find it hard to believe 100% is damaging my hearing. But then again - my mom has complained about me needing to turn down my headphone volume because she could hear it about 35ish feet away through a wall. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I forgot to mention that's the reason why I bought a Bravo v2 amp. My hearing is probably already shot. When I turn up the volume, the shaking of the headphones against my head gets annoying before my ears start hurting. I'll be deaf before I'm forty.
TheSneakyOnion Dude....
GO BLUE
Sennheiser HD 558 or Audio-technica ATH-M50x?
HD 558 IMO
i thought that the Audio-technica ATH-M50x would be better but my friend has both and he said that the ath-m50x has to much bass and the high end is kind of bad, so i went with the HD 558 i never got them yet but i hope they are as good as he says they are :D
+logan polson I have both the ath-m50's and hd 558's, and I personally like the hd 558's better
yeah thats why my friend said too :)
same friend probably
there are 3 lines on the audio jack so it sounds better if you use a plug with 2 lines you won't get as good sound quality.
+Top5EDM I have no idea what you're talking about.
The 3rd "line" has nothing to do with sound quality. That's when the headphone have an in-built mic
+Samkitt the 3rd line controls the surround sound
Top5EDM Alright, this statement is false, for children that don't know.
One line is for left audio. One line is for right audio. And one line is for an inline microphone. Headphones are stereo. There's a left and right channel. That's it.
ThoseWhoStayUofM really thought that was what it was for sorry ;/
This dude has anger management issues or something. So heated because headphones not made to plug into phones - wait for it - don't plug into phones.
Matt Emmott then he complains about lockin mechanis. Hes just dum, thoose headphones lock cable and unlock when you rotate the tip of cable on headphone end