Comparing the SHP9500, HD558, and AD900x from a competitive gaming perspective. : headphones
My old gaming headset broke and I wanted to upgrade so I tried a few headphones in store along with ordering a couple and I’ll give you some impressions.
I have a gaming computerl and I use onboard audio from the dedicated headphone jack to power these headphones so YMMV. My motherboard is a z97-GD65 and has a realtek 1150 chip with some built in amp. Supposedly it can power headphones up to 600ohms but I wouldn’t trust it to power anything insane. It DOES however have the onboard audio isolated from the rest of the circuitry and gives me no noise even at really loud volumes.
I do use my headphones for music but I won’t go over those pros and cons much here because I am not experienced enough nor have any evidence to back up any of my experiences.
I must disclose that I am not an audiophile, just a very enthusiastic gamer that is very picky about how my games sound. Feel free to correct me if I’m using any of the terminology incorrectly.
The SHP9500’s are great for their current price on newegg. They’re like 57.99 and I would hop on it if you want to get the cheapest «good» setup. LINKY.
Pros:
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Cheap.
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Easy to drive.
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Pretty comfortable with the oversized ear pads. They just kind of lay on your ears and the material is pretty nice on them.
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Decent clarity and pretty good for gaming. They allow me to separate the footsteps from other sounds decently and don’t make for a congested gaming experience. If you’ve been using shitty gaming «headsets» this will be an immense upgrade for a low price.
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Responds well to EQ to bump up the missing subbass a bit which can make them more immersive depending on what you’re playing.
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Compatible with V-Moda boompro which is cheaper than the modmic and lessens cable clutter, but has its issues (more on that later).
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Detachable 3.
5mm cable is awesome at this price. If your cable goes you can always replace it, or just replace it with something nicer anyways. -
Hype
Cons:
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QC in my experience was hit or miss. I had to return two of these to amazon. First one played the left cup at ~50% volume compared to the right. Second one had the right height adjuster in freefall, it wouldn’t hold its position and would even slide while in use which was painful for the top of my ear.
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No subbass out of the box.
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I found them to be quite fatiguing without EQ’ing down the treble. The mids seemed a bit recessed to me and certain positional cues are missed because of this.
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Surprisingly small soundstage for an open headphone, good clarity and positioning but distancing how far people were from me was not super easy. Also found that it lacked vertical positioning.
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If you don’t like the pads you’ll need some aftermarket parts and some very light modding to get other pads on them.
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Extremely light clamping force. I have a medium sized head and these just slide all over the fucking place. It was annoying moving in my chair and having to adjust my mic constantly because it had shifted too close or too far from my mouth. I even had them fall off twice after dropping something and just reaching down quickly to grab it off the floor. This might be a minor issue but it was annoying enough for me to just sell them.
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Hype
The HD558 was a better headphone in my opinion if the SHP9500 isn’t on sale. At the 9500’s normal price of $75-$80 on amazon I’d rather pay the $100 or so these go for.
Pros:
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Cheap
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Easy to drive
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Excellent for FPS games because the audio positioning is better than the SHP9500’s IMO. It was easier to determine vertical positioning with these and I could tell when someone was in a room below me for example, where as with the SHP9500’s I could just tell which direction they were coming from.
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Large soundstage for the price. Considerably larger than the 9500’s and can be somewhat enhanced with a simple foam mod, but I chose not to as I didn’t like the overall change too much.
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Laid back sound signature which can be a pro or con. I found the mids to be even more recessed than the SHP9500’s and the highs were more mellow. The bass was infinitely better, but that’s comparing it to a set of cans with almost no subbass to speak of. I found it to be tight but couldn’t get over this almost muddy feeling to the overall sound signature. Everything sounded like it had been muffled slightly, but it did make it so I could wear these for extremely long sessions with no fatigue.
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You can replace the pads.
Cons:
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Didn’t respond well to EQ in my experience. If you don’t like how they sound out of the box you probably won’t like them no mater how much tweaking you do.
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Not as comfortable as the SHP9500’s. I found the clamping force to be too tight (once again medium sized head) which made me have to take them off for a bit every hour or so.
The sound wasn’t fatiguing but the headphones themselves were. There are many out there who think these are incredibly comfortable so take my experience with a grain of salt. -
Stupid twist and lock 2.5mm headphone port. This limits you to clip on mics or the modmic. You CAN remove the locking ring and use a 2.5-3.5mm adapter but I’ve heard mixed reviews on this as far as audio cutting in and out with this method. Really depends on the size, fit, and quality of the adapter.
The Audio Technica AD900X’s are what I ended up settling on after trying out all three. It’s a bit higher in price range (comparable to the 598’s price) but I got it for a good price. If you’re paying full price it’s gonna be twice as much as the SHP9500’s and around $25-30 more than the HD558’s.
Pros:
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Easy to drive. These get really really loud with my onboard audio. The price is comparable to the HD598’s, but those supposedly need a bit more juice than onboard audio can provide to get the most out of the bass.
I didn’t need an amp to power the 900X’s enough to fully enjoy them, so it was an easy decision for me between these two. -
Very large soundstage. It’s massive compared to the SHP9500’s and larger than the 558’s modded or un-modded. I haven’t tried the 598’s so I can’t comment on them, but I would assume it’s still a bit larger.
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Crisp highs and forward mids, but they weren’t as fatiguing as the 9500’s in my opinion. Footsteps and gunfire were easy to pick out when compared to the previous two (although the other two did just fine). YMMV with this one as some people say they’re too sparkly and if you’re treble sensitive it might be an issue. These have more bass than the 9500’s, and are less congested sounding than the 558’s although the 558’s had substantially more bass. From my research the bass in these is comparable to the 598’s which is is still considered to be on the weak side.
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Great audio positioning. Distance, direction, and vertical positioning/distance were all very easy to determine with these headphones.
They improve on the clarity of the SHP9500’s and give me the positioning accuracy of the 558’s. -
Clamping force is just right. They don’t move when I don’t want them to, but don’t choke my ears.
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You can replace the pads.
Cons:
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First and foremost the «wing» system doesn’t work for everyone. If you have a smaller sized head these will just straight up sag. You can use a rubberband between the wings to make them sit just right, but some people don’t like this either. You will have to think about whether or not you can live with this as it’s extremely important. If the pads sag they will press the tops of your ears and you wont’ have them in the sweet spot. This is the sole reason why some people say they are the most comfortable headphones they’ve ever worn, or unwearable garbage.
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Soundstage is actually a downgrade from the cheaper 700/700x’s. The 700x’s are a better value from a purely gaming perspective and I consider them to the ultimate soundwhoring headphones.
The 700/700x’s are more precise and positional accuracy is razor sharp when compared to the more echoey 900x’s. My old 700’s were not enjoyable for music however, and I wanted a better all-arounder so that’s why I chose the 900x’s. -
Bass is anemic to some. I found them fine even with electronic music, but you’re definitely not going to get the full experience with bass driven music.
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Extremely stupid non-detachable cable that has lots of cable memory. I cannot get the cable to lay flat, and I know if the cable ever goes out that I’m gonna have to bust out the soldering iron. Making headphones that cost over $100 that don’t have a detachable cable should be punishable by law.
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Limited to modmic and clip on mics.
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More expensive than the other two.
For microphones I have only used the V-Moda boompro and the Omnidirectional Modmic.
The BoomPro and Modmic have very comparable sound quality, but the boompro is almost half the price of the mute-switch version of the modmic.
I opted to go with the Modmic because of a few issues with the Boompro.
Firstly the Boompro likes to turn, a lot. If I’m adjusting in my chair or move my head too fast it would twist from where it plugs in and would often end up too close or too far from my mouth. This wasn’t a one time thing either, it happened all the time. It also made the right channel more quiet when plugged in, I’ve read that it draws power from the right channel exclusively and others have had issues with this (cannot confirm this, but I did in fact have issues with my right earcup being noticeably more quiet than the left with both the original and replacement boompro). You might not notice, but I would go grab another cable if I was just listening to music. It is important to note that I had people complain my mic was too quiet on a regular basis, so I exchanged it only to find the same problem. I fixed it by finding out that the in-line volume control changes the volume of the headphones and the microphone.
. at the same time. This makes no sense to me as I thought the in line colume control would allow me to change my volume on the fly without using the windows settings, but if I wanted to put my windows volume at 100% and just adjust with the in-line controls I would be inaudible at anything below 40% volume. Very stupid design flaw IMO.
Edit: Several people have commented that their Boompro’s did not have a channel imbalance issue. It is possibly I got unlucky twice or it is limited to certain batches.
The modmic fit my preferences better but still has it’s downsides. Most importantly it adds an extra cable to your setup. I used the included clips to make everything neat, but I do notice the extra weight sometimes. It’s also kind of a pain in the ass to set up properly. After fucking up my first time I ended up just putting the headphones on my girlfriends head and attaching the 3m adhesive pad that way to make sure I had it in the proper position relative to my mouth. It is stiffer and more obtrusive than the Boompro and I can sometimes see the mic out of my peripherals which annoys me more than it should.
I have also heard that some people have issues with mic loudness and static, but I haven’t experienced this and the quality is superb on the one I got. I have also heard that the ones with the mute-switch then to break more easily because it is a weak point in the cable.
In case anyone is curious if I had to order these 3 (sorta 4) headphones in order based on pure gaming price/peformance my list would be:
AD700X > HD 558 > SHP9500 > AD900X.
If the SHP9500 is on sale, you can swap those with the HD558’s in the list.
If you don’t care about spending a little more my all-around preference list (including music listening and non-competitive gaming) would be:
AD900x > HD 558 > AD700x > SHP9500.
This order is of course not concrete and many variables are taken into consideration, like personal comfort and overall sound preferences so be sure to read the pros and cons and decide for yourself! I hope I could help someone out that was in the same position as me 🙂
Sennheiser HD 558 — Reviews | Headphone Reviews and Discussion
When looking at a headphone, you almost always forget that the more pretty, or whatever in may be that wins you over in this case, that headphone, it has a sibling.
This is the brother of a widely loved, and chosen as best for $200 bang for buck headphone, the Sennheiser HD598.
If we look around the headphone, there’s really no difference when they sit side by side, maybe one has a bigger logo on the opening, and you also notice a huge contrast.
I’d argue that an idiot who looked at both of these would choose the 598 just because of its smooth color, and someone who didn’t mind price would grab the 558, do research, and still appreciate his purchase.
The differences are fairly large in the grand scheme, but if you wanted gorgeous quality, and a fancy pair of cans you’d choose either of the two, let’s be real. These two both look better than the Momentum.
So…
Sennheiser HD558 vs. Sennheiser HD598
First up, Sennheiser HD598
So, in my original review I wasn’t very considerate of these, and that’s not the case fully.
The 598 is a lovely can for someone who can appreciate a wide open soundstage at $150-200, and they do it best in this range.
I feel in this price range, when going for a can you wanna use often, you should often go for something more close, especially if it’s your first pair of headphones.
My argument? Not everyone’s ears are going to understand the point of an Open Ear/Back Headphone. But it’s your money, you decide.
Mids:
The 598 is honorably a great listening piece, and warm like both cans in discussion. Though the emphasis is very different, the details to mids in the 598 is pretty forward, the mids are nearly close to fully bodied with detailed tones on most acoustic tracks. The mids aren’t aggressive in most cases, but I heavily recommend an amp, and slight tuning. Working the mids around with the EQ without an amp can pump up the mids, and definitely begin to show highlights when you listen to the Slow Post-Rock/Trip Hop of Massive Attack, and Bowery Electric, or you can EQ them properly and pull some really gentle, crisp, and almost whisper sounding mids.
I really recommend giving them an EQ if you wanna use them for portable house listening and not have to worry about amping them.
My ending statement, they’re beautiful, warm, and can be tuned to come off clean and crisp.
Vocals don’t come off too bright, they properly lay in the middle of everything without becoming overpowering.
Lows:
Let’s discuss Lows with these.
Lows aren’t a huge strong point for these by default. And it makes me wish we all used the same players, because I’ve got great tuning for these.
So these headphones aren’t genre specific by any means, but! I don’t recommend these if you’re a Hip-Hophead who wants to blare his favorite bangers at top notch volumes, I’d promptly ask you to stop reading and look at the M50, SRH840, or MDR-7506, you’re not gonna enjoy these cans as much.
So I said they aren’t for Hip-Hop fans, correct! It’s listenable, but I feel these headphones cater a lot to different genres.
Genres with more vocal coverage work awesomely with these! The headphone takes a lot of focus and buries it around a mellow, but warming bass, and not strong by any means, maybe a bit slim, but they are detail headphones.
Without an amp the Lows are great if you can find that tune, they’ll pop a bit more without an amp, and may come off a bit more slim as I said, but it’s what they do best! Jazz, Classical, Orchestral, & maybe even Blues come off with a detailed pace, heavy instrument focus, and no stress on any elements.
Highs:
Personally I feel the HD598 has a huge emphasis on the true acoustic measurement of a studio recorded songs tracking.
With all the elements in a song creeping up on you, you never really know what you’re going t get out of a song with each full listen.
Cymbals are prominent, and very detailed, I’d arguably call them relaxed, which I think is good for beginners.
To myself, they don’t have a whole ton of Splash, but you do get it in a Clean measure, definitely makes the Cymbals that come from the M50(my last headphone) swallow their tongue.
Conclusion:
Detailed beginner can, and relaxing, very clean, not too forward. I feel these provide something new with every listen, they are a bit of a unique character when it comes being a detailed pair of cans.
Warmth is very prominent in these at immediate listen, vocals are delicate, but very different from what AudioTechnica does with female vocals.
I hope that if you decide you want one of these, and you come to this site this really helps you get an idea.
If you get the HD598, here are some recommended Albums, & Test Tracks(My Taste):
[track]Angel Olsen — Windows[Jangle Pop]
[track]Wolf People — Morning Born[Woodsy Indie Rock]
[album]Tool — Lateralus[Progressive Rock]
[track]Alvvays — Adult Diversion[Indie Pop(Really Candied Fuzzy Pretty Indie Rock Based Pop)]
[album]Dan Wilson — Free Life[Pianist Rock/Singer for Semisonic]
[track]Best Coast — Our Deal[Beachy Rock/Female Vocalist(Best song I’ve listened to in the genre, brings out the patchy guitars notes, and truly makes the other Cymbal based instruments shine)]
[track]Miami Horror — Infinite Crayons[Synthpop Revival(One of those tracks where the beginning atmosphere shine right through, and you’re greeted by warm male vocals with a soft background inhales)]
[album]Ty Segall — Melted[If you’re into cruddy Lo-fi, this album is something that’ll make this headphone sound «fun»]
[track]The Moldy Peaches — On Top[Anti-Folk(An Anti-Folk track with a cute soundstage.
Just listen, make fun of me later)]
[album]Neutral Milk Hotel — In The Aeroplane Over The Sea[It’s a Cult Followed Indie Classic not everyone will enjoy, but I thought I’d throw it in for good measure, (listen if you’re an acoustic fan)]
[track]Amy Grant — I Will Remember You[Random find, great for beat tracking, in my opinion]
So, we’ve discussed the 598
REMEMBER!
Before we jump in, I don’t feel as if a certain headphone is better than another! Not with any headphones.
I see headphones as a thing with a personality, and each does something different, which makes us choose an older headphone over a newer one, or other way around.
The Sennheiser 558
The 558 does have a role that you’re not going to catch on the 598, again. All headphones are different, they’re basically a personality.
For the price, you get the same sized package.
My argument here is actually pretty different.
If you want a headphone similar to the HD598 at a cheaper price, get the HD558. I also feel it’s safer getting into these first!
If you came from the M50, and were to ask me for something Open Ear/Backed for $100 or a bit more, I’d recommend these in a heartbeat.
Why I’d Heavily Recommend To An M50 User
These cans are my style, the HD598 belong to my brother anyway.
Dark, Smooth, and sound Luxurious to any who prefers a thicker sound.
They’re quite a bit Bass influenced in my opinion, not HUGE BASS, but bass that shines brighter than what the HD598 provides.
An M50 user could get used to these with a proper EQ, and perhaps fall in love if he/she were open to Open Ear/Back Cans.
HD598 & HD558 True Difference
They’re both gonna provide a warm sound, but hand in hand, if you want a Mid focused headphone, the HD598.
The 558 carries a good portion of that detail, but lays the warm blanket over it’s head with a smooth, thick, warm bass. It lacks in depth at some points, but sill fares to it’s own.
Mids:
The 558 is extremely unique!
The mids will almost seem squished to you, they feel really shut into the background, which isn’t bad at all for a darker sounding pair of cans, it’s almost pleasing if you bought these for relaxing.
You get a bass that’s fit in really well, tight at points, but doesn’t choke out cymbal points. And on acoustic songs with a bit more Synthesizer in it, it’s a sexual feeling almost… To the point to where these cans can be so warm, with closed eyes I felt as if vocalists were pressed against my chest and singing in my ear.
I want to warn people about using an EQ an messing up the bass too much, the bass is nice and rich like dark chocolate where it is stock, but if you over-tune the bass signatures, you can accidentally close out vocals on tracks at times, and the headphone loses its origin.
Vocals are an important part of the discussion. While they are formed kindly into the background, they are piercing, and fierce! I almost get a Grado Labs styled vocal presentation.
Male vocals that are more light will show better, and vocals in general shine on both at nearly the same frequency.
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2861&graphID[]=2851&scale=30
Don’t take this to the extreme, but do you research! Sound is subjective. If it’s good, you’ve owned/own them both, and you have different listening situations for them both, then that’s your taste, there probably isn’t anyone out there with your desires.
Your EQ is subjective to your sound preference.
Lows:
The treble might come off as a rumbling form of treble. I found this to be a strikingly good thing!
I enjoy that feeling of a 450,000lbs rock tumbling down a cliff, and you hear every pleasuring detail. I’d argue that the bass is more pleasing, yet remember, this is a dark headphone.
Bass is an Open Ear/Back generally brings in that warmth.
So, as I described the mids, they feel pressured onto you, and if you love warm, smooth bass, this is up your alley.
The headphone excels in the lows, but I feel they do their job of comforting your ears all round. This is definitely a headphone for getting home, and just laying down, or prancing around the house with these on.
My last bit on the lows, they’re literally dark, no question.
I don’t recommend these to anyone who wants a nice bass, but less warm feeling, I’d shoot you to the HD598.
Highs:
The highs are not much like the HD598, they’ve got some traits, but the Cymbals in tracks pierce more, the drum set stays like it should, balanced. But detailed.
I’d argue that the HD598 has more detail in the highs, and the HD558 keeps them placed in with the lows in the mids. Sure, you’re definitely going to notice the highs with the HD558, but they attack you almost again like a Grado Labs Headphone. I really can’t sign off a lot on these as there a bit more different.
Conclusion:
These are something everyone might be able to appreciate.
They’re a 24/7 Headphone for me since I can’t/don’t need $400-700 cans.
There’s really something special about these, and the reason I say that is quite simple. They aren’t much like their younger brother the HD555, those are for a different sort of person.
But when I say special, I feel these definitely do their job better than a lot of headphones in their price range.
If you get the HD558, here are some recommended Albums, & Test Tracks(My Taste):
[track]Pure Bathing Culture — Pendulum[(http://purebathingculture.bandcamp.com)Synthpop/Dream Pop]
[album]Mac Demarco — Salad Days[Indie Rock, Pretty Patient(An album I feel the HD558 used to focus more on the separation, and it gets warm as well)]
[track]Dent May — Born Too Late[Indie Pop/Synthpop(A summery album, but the vocals on this song shine through as warm, and relaxed)]
[track]Tamaryn — Mild Confusion[Shoegaze(You’ll understand! Shoegaze is amazing for these cans!)]
[album]On An On — Give In[Shoegaze/Synthpop]
[track]Factory Floor — Fall Back[Electronic Post-Punk(Bass Heavy, crazy track)]
Final Thoughts
I’ve not had the cracking experience, and from what I’m aware of, it’s only common in people who aren’t careful, I’m not sure though.
I personally use these both, I prefer one over the other, then again, the one I’m craziest over is mine!
I hope this was somewhat helpful to you.
My reviews are more of tales, but with a nice quantity of headphone experience, but I like including the other things that really tell you more about my experience. It helps you picture them in your life if they were on your list, and gives you things to consider.
Sennheiser HD 558 review – Inexpensive
monitor headphones
Sennheiser HD 558 are affordable monitor headphones with deep and balanced sound , which is suitable for both sound work and ordinary music lovers. Sennheiser has always been distinguished by high-quality products, and it is not surprising that these headphones have a number of advantages compared to similar models.
They have become quite popular among those who value above all sound quality.
Universal sound:
Sennheiser HD 558 headphones can be called multi-genre, as all frequencies are balanced and suitable for any category of music. Of course, if you listen to electronic music in which bass prevails, then you can choose some more “bass version”, but in general, the headphones are quite versatile.
Sennheiser HD 558 — frequency response:
- Sennheiser HD 558 — frequency response 2
- Sennheiser HD 558 — frequency response
Sennheiser HD 558 — Reviews
Positive feedback:
- The Sennheiser HD 558 has an incredibly soft and natural sound , this is the brightest and most significant plus of this model. All the beauty of sound is heard in classical music, preferably with a cello and other more bass instruments. 16-18kHz is only for those.
parameters, Sennheiser HD 558 goes far beyond these horizons and the result is impressive. It is important to note that the sound source can be a key aspect. With a weak source, the sound will not be as colorful, so be sure to consider this when buying (you can look at a portable amplifier). - Comfort at a very high level . The fit of the headphones is just perfect, this is achieved thanks to the size of the cups themselves and soft, pleasant to the touch, ear cushions. And of course thanks to the soft headband. You can forget about the fact that your ears start to hurt when you listen for a long time. Although the headphones are quite heavy, it is practically not felt due to the competent distribution of the load and the soft design.
- 3 meters long cable will make you feel more free. Detachable cable is also a useful feature, especially when you get tired of constantly fiddling with an adapter.
- Sleek, minimalistic design .
And just because it cannot be called bad, we will classify it as an advantage. - High quality materials . This is especially true of the material from which the ear pads are made. Headphones do not creak or crack. Live an average of 3-5 years.
- Price for monitors, fully justified . For this money, it is difficult for the average music lover to find something more suitable, superior in sound quality.
Negative reviews:
- Sennheiser HD 558 plug — Jack 6.3 mm would be better if they did 3.5 mm. The adapter is included, but the default Jack turned out to be an unnecessary and even inconvenient feature for most of those who bought it.
- Headphones HD 558 rather bulky , but this is not felt when worn. They will not look very elegant when listening outdoors.
Sennheiser HD 558 — Review of monitor headphones: