Sennheiser HD 580 Review

The slightly cheaper version of the Sennheiser HD600, considered by many to be THE standard in great all around performers, the HD580 provides all the quality and comfort for $50-$100 less.

Summary

If you want absolutely crystal clear, comfortable, and moderately priced headphones for music and gaming, seriously consider the Sennheiser HD580s.  Many audiophile quality stores will have generous return and exchange policies, so be sure to give them a try if you have any doubts.  While they can be driven by portable players, the HD580s are meant for slightly more powerful and cleaner sources.  Many owners will swear by the performance boost of adding an amp, which comes at an additional cost that can range from $100 to several thousand, but most soundcards and stereos should be able to put out enough power to overcome any volume limitations seen on portable players.  Overall, the Sennheiser HD580s perform superbly, and produce absolutely beautiful, balanced, and spatial sound.

Forward

Before saying a word about how amazing the Sennheiser HD580s are, two issues must first be addressed. 

First, there appears to be a divide in the audiophile headphone community with many people falling into either the Sennheiser or Grado side.  Both manufacturer high quality headphones with unique characteristics and this review is not meant to be a comparison or ranking of the HD580s in comparison to other offerings.  It is a standalone, hands on review discussing the use of the headphones in the situations below.  Your taste may vary.

Second, this review assumes the intended use is for PC use.  As such, there is no amplifier, which may sound like heresy to audiophiles.  Perhaps later, we will add a review with amp performance.  That having been said, the Sennheiser HD580s are not for use with portable devices, which will drive them to decent levels, but to really get volume and added clarity, you’ll need to boost them.

Introduction

The Sennheiser HD580’s are the slightly cheaper version of the flagship HD600 headphones.  The primary difference between the two is the material making up the housing and the grill.  The HD580s use plastic, while the HD600s use carbon fiber and stainless steel.  There are also the HD570 and HD590, which are not as similar to the HD600.

One thing stands out about the Sennheiser HD580s, besides sound quality, is comfort.  The ear pads apply very little pressure, the material is soft, and they do not slip.  The cord measures 10 feet, which is the source of endless modding by fanatics.  Most brick and mortar stores will only carry the HD600s, so online ordering may be your best bet when ordering a pair.

The hardest thing about reviewing the Sennheiser HD580s was actually stopping the music to switch discs.  Every sound component is perfectly balanced.  No screechy highs, no boomy bass, no flat mids;  absolutely wonderful sound.  The soundstage feels comfortably wide, but not too wide and close and not ‘in your face’.  The open design allows for a lot of leakage, and the outside world is only slightly muffled, if at all.  Sound placement is precise.  So much so that you could probably close your eyes and point to exactly where the instrument in the orchestra is located within a few feet.

Use and testing

To continue with the previous two reviews (Koss KSC-35, Shure E2C); we used the same selection of music.  Bjork’s "Vespertine" (DVD-Audio and MP3), Mahler Symphony 10 (Berliner Philharmoniker