Customer Reviews

Sennheiser HD 580 Dynamic HiFi Professional Headphone

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Firstly, I want to mention that this is the 7th headphone I have purchased. I have/had the Grado RS1, 325i, Westone UM2, Grado SR80, SR60 and Sennheiser HD497. For this revew, I am basically going to compare it to the Westone UM2, Grado 325i and Grado RS1.

!. The Comfort: The comfort level of this headphone is outstanding. For short durations of up to 2 hours, it is second to the Westone UM2 (IEM). But since I find wearing an IEM without custom ear mould not comfortable more than 2 hours, the HD580 is the winner here. Coming from the Grado, I find the circum aural (covering the entire ear) design of the Sennheiser a welcome change. The headphones was once (when it was released) regarded as on of the most comfortable headphones, so you really cannot go wrong with this one.

2. Construction: Overall.. Excellent construction. Though my plastic Grill is not cosmetically perfect, it made of a hard plastic and will withstand daily strenuous use. The headphones feels very sturdily build and backed up by Sennheisers 5 year warrantee if purchased from an authorized dealer, you can have a very pleasing usage for many many years to come.

3. Sound :-)..: THE MOST IMPORTANT CATEGORY: I am going to divide this into sub-points:

(a) For Slow Rock like U2, Scorpions, Rainbow, Pearl Jam, Morphine, Little River Band, Eagles etc, it really boils down to your personal preference. Though I would say that most people the Grado RS1 will easily outperform the HD580, it should be noted that the RS1 is $550 more expensive. Having said that, I can still imagine many people preferring the Sennheiser sound signature.

If you haven't ever listened to a Grado or a high end Sennheiser, Byerdynamic, AKG etc before and if you are coming from a Bose or other low quality headphones, you can be assured that the HD580 will blow you off right of your feet. I am a fairly critical listener and have spend more than $2500 on headphone related gear and I can assure you that for $150, I would doubt if the HD580 has any serious rivals.

I hate pop music, but I can imagine that it will fit in this section.

(b) For Metal & Hard Rock: Seriously, if this is your category of primary interest, then you really really ought to get yourself a Grado instead. I have read many folks claim that they are very satisfied with the Sennheiser performing Metal and Hard Rock.... With all sincerity I can assure you that those are mostly folks have not owned a higher Grado or very rare people with very rare kind of music taste. Personally, I cannot stand the HD580 playing Metal, not even for one song.. may be I because I have been thoroughly spoiled by the Grados :-(.... :-). Again, if you have not owned any of the above mentioned high end headphones, you may be happy with the HD580... but if you really want real adrenalin flow for this genre of music, you have to get a Grado.

(c) Classical - Yanni, Mozart, Beethoven etc...: This is the definitive category that the Sennheisers have been made for. The HD580 makes even the $700 Grado RS1 sound like a joke. I never imagined that I liked classical so much before this HD580. Man.. I can go on and on how well the HD580 performs in this genre... its simply almost perfect, probably beaten by only the HD600 or the HD650. Without dispute, Classical is Sennheisers home ground that I doubt if any other brand dare challenge.

(d) Drivability: Although the HD580 can be driven to satisfactory volume using mediocre devices like PC soundcard etc. for this kind of high end headphones should be considering some sort of headphone amplification. After all you want to get the best out of your high end headphone.

OVERALL: The HD580 should satisfy almost any audiophile, but its far from being perfect. As I mentioned above, its strengths comes with some weakness too.

When stacked against with the Grado SR325i, I would be 50-45, that is 55% inclining towards the 325i. This is also considering that the 325i costs $300, almost double of the HD580. This could completely change if you listen more to Classical. For a Classical fan, the HD580 is a hands down winner

When stacked up against the Grado RS1, for me it is a 80-20. That is 80% inclined towards the Grado RS1, despite its $700 price tag... The wooden RS1 is simply too musical and in all genre except Pure-Classical, the RS1 beats the HD580 by a fairly large margin.

When stacked up against the Westone UM2: :-) Well, there is no comparing an IEM with a full sized can. An IEM will find it really hard to outperform a full sized can.

In conclusion, this a Headphone that deserves 5 starts without exception... particularly when considering it costs only $150 or so. IF you listen to lots of music, your ears will thank you for getting this.

I had a pair of Fostex T20 Headphones that I used for playing video games and listening to DVDs late at night. They sounded really good too. The only problem is that the were really uncomfortable after about 30 minutes of having them on.

So I decided to try the open air type headphones. My father got an Alien-Ware computer that came with the Sennheiser 570s. I had tried them on and thought they sounded good, so I eventually bought a pair at the high end electronic shop here in town. But after paying 80 bucks I decided they didn't sound much better than my Fostex headphones and eventually returned them.

So I did some online technical research and discovered the 580s actually had technical specs that were well beyond that of the Fostex or 570s. You can look it up yourself on Sennheisers website. Then I started reading review after review after review of these 580s that were all just absolutely glowing. This many people can't be wrong, so I bought a pair online.

Let me just say that I didn't know music sounded this way! WOW!! I can hear each pluck of the guitar! Every single thump of a drum... its hard to describe. I feel like I am standing on stage with the musicians while they are playing in front of millions. You can pont to exactly where every single musical instrument is located in space. And the beauty of the human voice has never been so magnified before to my ears!

These headphones were worth every red cent that I paid and then some. What price can be put on the true crystal clear reproduction of music? I have never heard it this good on ANY system.

Yeah, there are better headphones in terms of quality in this universe, but sold at the cost of your arm and leg. The HD580 really shines when you get audiophile quality sound at a bit over $100 (I bought mine at $130).

The phone delivers silky and solid feeling sound in all frequency ranges I can hear. Listening music from this headphone could become an addiction.

The con side? I found almost all computer sound cards should be thrown into junk yard since the headphone reveals all kinds of weekness (dullness, flatness, etc.) in the sound decoding and amplification. In other words, if you mainly use computer sound card for your music, don't bother buying this headphone. It will ruin your feeling. A $10 headphone is a right match.

The headphone has no trouble driving my portable CD player (I use a SONY D345 which is a very old model) since the player delievers ample power. Nowadays portable CD players delivers less power to headphone so it may sound weak on these CD players. But don't blame HD580, just blame these manufacturers - deliever a CD player with better sound and power!

Another issue is the headphone enclosure gives plastic feeling which does not really suit its quality sound. I wish Sennheiser could design a better looking one. But hey, a headphone's most important task is to deliever quality sound, and HD580 certainly delievers 5 stars.

The final issue may be this headphone may be liable for thefts due to its popularity. My HD580 was stolen some months ago - someone might really like this and took it for free without my consent. I am looking for HD595 which is the supposedly next version from Sennheiser. But really miss HD580.

The HD-580s are probably the best buy in quality headphones going today. These are true audiophile headphones that bring quality construction and sound with them. The 580s are akin to the equivalent of a pair of $1100 speakers if you use the rule of thumb of $1 for headphones for every $6 in speakers. [I own a pair of ACI Sapphires and a pair of Quad speakers].

While other headphone companies make quality gear, they really don't have anything at this price point that performs well. Grado's R2, a great headphone in its own right, is over two hundred dollars more than the 580.

The reason for their value, I think, is that it contains much of the same internal electronics as the HD-600 and 650s. These retail for at least $150 or so more than the 580s, the only difference being the 580s are made of hard plastic and the 600/650s have additional electronics that only nominally effect sound.

These get my highest recommendation.

I was under the impression that these were discontinued by Sennheiser, so it's not clear to me why they just became available on Amazon.com; perhaps it's a special shipment. In any case, I highly recommend them. I have used about four other pairs of headphones, some better than others, but none to rival these for sound quality or comfort. These send you straight to heaven, most of all with well-recorded acoustic (classical or jazz) music. Those who want lots of boom and pop with their music should look elsewhere; these headphones are too subtle for that. They are exceptionally accurate and very detailed, and the velvet ear cushions are extremely comfortable. Those with large (or wide) heads will find that the headband is a bit tight, but it's not that bad. Also, I should mention that they are open in design; there are advantages to this, because open-air headphones sound better and are more comfortable to wear (much less buildup of heat and therefore less sweating). The trade-off is that they do virtually nothing to seal you off from outside sounds, and those in the immediate vicinity can hear the music, so it may not be such a good choice for listening late at night while your significant other is trying to fall asleep next to you. But if these drawbacks don't bother you, you should absolutely get these headphones.

I just want to let people know that the person who said that you can't get replacement parts for this doesn't know what they're talking about. I've had my HD580s for more than 6 years, and I beat on them. I wear them all day at work, and the cord gets rolled over with my chair and pulled hard when I move too quickly. All that considered, I'm impressed that I've had to replace the cord only twice. I just (two months ago) got a new cord and new earpads for mine, and they're like new. I know of very few companies that design their equipment with replaceable parts, and I'm astonished by how inexpensive the parts are, considering the quality/price of the equipment.

Buy theses headphones. You won't be sorry.

*UPDATE* I've had these headphones for twelve years now. Bought a second pair several years back. Still love them.

I'd originally put a link for Sennheiser's website (where you can find the replacement parts), but Amazon removed it. It can be tricky to find.

[...]

I have a pair of 580s I bought over 9 years ago, and paid almost twice the current price. They are still the best sounding, most comfortable headphones I've ever used. I listen to music 8+ hours a day at work. These headphones are incredibly comfortable. Sound reproduction is excellent, I originally bought them to listen to live recordings I was making of local bands. They work great with my dat deck, or with my pc. After nine years the only signs of wear is the thin piece of foam between your ear and the speaker element. It's finally worn enough to need replacement. Should anything happen to these, I would buy another pair immediately.

I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 580s a little over three years ago. They sound great on a good home stereo system--very warm and natural, with a nice bass response. They're also very comfortable to wear, even for hours at a time. For the first few weeks, I couldn't have been happier with them. Then, one of the earpieces started sputtering out on me when I turned my head or moved around the room. When I checked to make sure the connector plugs weren't loose, I discovered that the plugs don't fit snugly in the earpiece sockets: They jiggle just enough to make the sound cut out sporadically. Making sure the plugs were as secure as they could be, only fixed the problem temporarily.

I took the HD 580s back to the local store, and made an even exchange for a replacement pair of HD 580s. The replacement pair suffered from the same problem, which, I now understand, exists with other Sennheiser models, as well.

If Sennheiser ever corrects this problem with the connector cable plugs, the HD 580s will be solid, five-star headphones.

I originally was educated about the audio beauty of Sennheiser headphones over 5 years ago, having only experienced the most basic of Sony headphones that you would get at a local electronics store. I was under the assumption that headphones are headphones, what could possibly be different about a pair with a name I had never heard of versus a pair made by an electronic giant like Sony? As I slipped the Sennheisers on my ears, I never looked back.

Ignorance was NOT bliss in this case.

Soon after I got to experience what music is supposed to sound like, I quickly purchased a pair of Sennheiser headphones of my own and have enjoyed them ever since. From their cool, velvety feel to the crispness of audio clarity, I challenge anyone to find a headphone manufacturer that exceed Sennheiser.

There have been models since the 580, and while I am sure they are wonderful sounding as well, I am in no rush to "upgrade" my headphones. They have given me hours upon hours of sonic joy and I guarantee you will not be disappointed if you give them a chance. Are Sennheiser headphones more expensive? Are Mercedes more expensive? I am sure if you ask a Mercedes owner to give up their keys for a Ford they would laugh at your just as quickly as I would if someone wanted to replace my Sennheiser headphones with a Sony pair from Best Buy.

You will NOT be disappointed.

***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

I would love to add to the rave reviews for this product, considering its great sound quality and comfort, but there is a significant flaw you should note before making your purchase. After a few months of having mine I started to hear an annoying crackling noise that seemed to occur randomly. At first I thought it may be interference to my soundcard, but soon the crackling transpired into the entire right channel of the headphones dropping out. I ended up ordering a replacement cord for $20 from Sennheiser, and while the problem seemed solved at first, it has resurfaced (albeit less severely). There seems to be a design flaw with the connectors that attach the cord to the headphones, as has been mentioned in other reviews. If you like to move your head with your headphones on, definately do not buy these; I have to remain still while listening for fear that if the connectors are disturbed even slightly, the music will drop out.

Before purchasing this myself, I did catch eye of a minority of reviews mentioning this problem, but assumed it was a rare fluke that I would be invincible from. Now I wish I had bought different headphones. However, the headphones are great otherwise, and some truly do not seem to have this problem, so it's up to you to roll the die.