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Hello thread! I have a pair of Sennheiser HD558s that have been treating me well for the better part of 12 years. Problem is the ear pads are loving disgusting (shoulda been washing them!) and are now cracking. Is the 560S a reasonable choice to replace-in-kind?
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Aug 2, 2023 08:02
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 17:51 |
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Helter Skelter posted:You could also just replace the pads if you're still happy with how they sound. The Grumbles posted:Yep you'll find loads of perfectly fine pads on Amazon or Ebay! Ok, I could go that route. Say I did want to replace them, would the HD560S be a decent choice for the sub $300 price range? I mostly use headphones for gaming and I've really gotten in to Hunt: Showdown which has an insane emphasis on sound. I drive my headphones with a Schiit Magni/Modi stack.
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Aug 2, 2023 17:04
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I think (emphasis on *think*) I'm looking for a pretty neutral sound profile with really fantastic imaging. Googling around it appears like my 558s are pretty well regarded in this aspect, with a bit more bass than you would hear on really neutral studio monitors. I've read mixed opinions on whether the 560S is really an upgrade over them. I've got official OEM earpads ordered to replace the gunked up ones on the 558. The headpad is proving to be more difficult to deal with as the OEMs are impossible to find, and 3rd party versions have middling reviews for fit and finish. edit: RTINGS seems to like the HIFIMAN Sundara's.
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Aug 2, 2023 22:36
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:I think the 560s are a significant upgrade, personally. 6xx are possibly a bigger upgrade depending on what you're looking for. sundaras are better, but more expensive and the fit can be divisive. Cheers, I ended up ordering the HD560S and I'll give those a whirl!
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Aug 3, 2023 02:43
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Mr. Mercury posted:You'll probably love them, they're quite good I've had them for a couple of days now and yup, I'm enjoying them! Something very apparent is the pads on my old 558's had become so flat that the drivers literally touched my ears; these new headphones are much more comfortable. I haven't A/Bed the audio quality between the two, but the 560S seems to have slightly better imaging than the 558, but again this wasn't scientifically done. I went through with my order for replacement earpads (OEM) and the headpad (sadly can't find OEM) for the 558s and I'll restore them and will be nice to keep them around.
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Aug 4, 2023 20:14
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Agreed - I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if these new pads restore the 558s to their former glory. Audiophiles seem to have a derisive opinion on the 560S (apparently they are very popular with youtubers and streamers) and said the older 5XX series did it better. Might just be old people being old and grouching about new poo poo. Who knows, I'm definitely not an audiophile and have tinnitus so I'm not the best judge.
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Aug 4, 2023 20:30
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 17:51 |
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Dogen posted:Yeah I’m a grouchy old man and that or 6XX is my headphone rec at that price point I looked hard at the 6XX, and I’m not gonna lie - I mostly chose the 560S over those because it uses the same cable as my 558s which has been routed neatly in my setup with ties and raceway. Was a very simple replacement and I can hot swap back to my 558s quickly.
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Aug 4, 2023 21:35
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