Sennheiser HD58X Open Back Professional Jubilee Headphones - Black

Product Information

Just keep in mind that the headband has been known to snap under pressure like Henry Hill in Goodfellas.

With the 58X, you’ll notice everything just seems a bit louder, with a little more oomph and sparkle. Soundstage is one of the most peculiar things about the 58X, and something I was fairly surprised by. All that being said, I still quite like the HD58x’s design – all because of the grill alone. While it’s nowhere near the original HD580’s level of refinement (look at those waves!), the grey-painted grill surely gives the HD58x a “new”, weirdly retro and distinct look, one that stands out from its more recent siblings. Yes, I like the way the HD600, 650/6xx and 660s show off their drivers housing, but this is way more refreshing. With these headphones, you can hear the squeak of the guitar string in the greatest fidelity as the guitarist changes the chord. It's already getting difficult describing the quality of sound these pair of headphones produce. The guitar strings sounds natural to say the least and extension of the sound of the strings is just great.Midrange: Onto midrange, this is the highlight of these headphones. The midrange is very good on these, in almost every category. Mids and vocals have a fantastic amount of presence. Vocals never sound shouty or overly present, but they have this degree of separation from the rest of the music which allows for them to shine through in a way which is hard to explain with words. If you’ve never heard the midrange of a Sennheiser 6 series, it’s hard to explain. In a way, vocals sound completely clear in every song, but are never harsh or overly in your face. The S and T region of vocals are also never sibilant, as these headphones have a very natural sounding vocal presentation. The timbre is extremely natural and is the closest to a vocal in real life that I’ve heard. The midrange is very slightly more forward overall then the treble response and bass response though, so vocals will be more present then a flat response. In terms of warmth, these are more warm then other headphones, and that applies to most of the midrange, especially vocals. It’s an enjoyable warmth though, and isn’t muddy. For detail and separation in midrange, these do a very good job for the price, but not nearly as good as the 6XX. It is impressive though especially regarding how the treble response is on the darker side. Due to the treble response being darker though, acoustic music as well as orchestral isn’t fantastic on these, but it is passable I’d say. As a whole, the midrange is very impressive, especially for the price, and especially for vocals. Even though it isn’t perfect, it is very impressive, and among the best I’ve heard in a headphone. Some don’t like it for FPS, but I found it so realistic that I had to stop playing Call of Duty Warzone altogether.

Still, the pattern manifests itself on quite a number of songs so I’m inclined to think the 58X is just a little overexcited at times, like your 8-year-old who just drank an entire 2-liter of Surge and won’t stop talking. Bass & Treble If I could use an analogy, the sound of the 58X is like a photograph that has just a hair too much contrast. It doesn’t feel like air, but it’s also not that noticeable when it’s sitting on your head. COMFORT SCORE: A BUILD SCORE: A+ I can recommend the MASSDROP Sennheiser HD58X JUBILEE without EQ. With EQ, it is a hair from getting top honors from me!

How do the Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee sound?

What I’ve said in my initial impressions still hold true now; yes, the changes made to the HD8XX does cut the treble peakiness of the HD800/S significantly, but introduces a slew of other even more troubling issues that completely overshadow that fix. Again, seems analogous to cutting off an entire limb in response to being asked to lose weight. It’s only when you stop being a shallow insensitive douchecanoe do your preconceived notions of attraction fly out the window.

The set creaks a little too much for comfort, but that was again an issue on my Massdrop HD6xx that stopped almost entirely after a few hundred hours of usage. The same will happen with this HD58x. Again, I’ve always said that you can technically mix on any headphone if you understand frequency response, and the 58X is no different. The value and price to performance on this headphone are beyond absurdly great. One quality I did notice was that the HD58x Jubilee at 150ohm fairs much better at low listening levels than the HD6xx at 300ohm, which obviously requires more power to get a nicer experience from. The latter is very soft, so lower listening levels mutes the top end a bit too much, whereas the HD58x still retains good treble quantity at lower listening volumes. It’s just a smidgen narrower than a 560S, but by and large the Soundstage on these 2 is pretty comparable. Compared to HD-650, the HD58X was noticeably louder so direct comparison was not possible. I was too lazy to set up dual headphone amps & DACs (to EQ each separately) with volume matching for this review. Will do that for future ones.So we don't get much, but the most necessary things, which is also quite sufficient with regard to the price. Here, the headphones themselves are clearly in the foreground, and even without accessories, the price would justify itself for me. The HD58X is even 40 € cheaper than the HD6XX. It’s hard to nail down the right classification for these headphones because they’re technically all of the above. Yes, the HD8XX comes off as fairly warm due to the contrast between the lower and upper mids; yes, the HD8XX is technically “V”-shaped due to its mids being less emphasised than its bass and treble; and yes, all of these characterisations basically revolve around a distinct centre-midrange “hole”. Once there, the sound was delightful with surprisingly good amount of spatial qualities (I give it B+). I listened for the rest of the evening after I tested and did not want to put it down. The mids have a good presence and play clearly and directly. However, I find them a bit demanding in the upper range with a slight shrillness in some songs. But they have the desired energy, which I sometimes miss on HD6XX. Vocals are a bit more in the foreground and have mostly a natural timbre, but are sometimes a bit garish, which can lead to symptoms of fatigue. Qualitatively they are however in sum quite high, both in resolution and tonal. However, you should keep an eye on the volume. This midrange presentation can be a curse and a blessing at the same time, especially if you love vocals. But for me the (upper) mids are still absolutely in the tolerable range.

Again, I talk more about this in the video but I really love the looks and the build quality is the usual "sennheiser build quality," (whatever that may mean to you). And yet with the overwhelming success of the HD6XX, there’s one other classic headphone in Sennheiser’s lineup that remains untouched by Drop: the legendary HD800 (S or otherwise). In the bass we have a quantitative increase to the HD6XX. But this increase does not turn the whole signature upside down, but provides a somewhat stronger punch compared to the HD6XX. Qualitatively, the two don't take much, it's just a bit more present, which could please one or the other, but also scare off others. In the subrange I still miss a bit of pressure, but nevertheless I have the slightly higher expansion on the HD58X. If you plan on purchasing these headphones or any other high-end headphones for that matter, I suggest you get a good DAC/AMP to go with it. It will go a long way to make your listening experience much more enjoyable. Then I upgraded my setup with a Brado Audio Ocean, connected to the Line Out of the G6, and the sound improved as the warm sound of tubes goes really well with dark-sounding headphones like the 58X.Despite the open design of the HD58X, the stage does not set any standards and moves on the same (good) level of the HD6XX with slight subjective advantages in all directions on the side of the HD58X, which certainly creates more tension, but is only a nuance. Crinacle also likes the Dusk which is one of the worst IEM that was ever made. I have not met a single person that likes the Dusk in real life. Everyone just says the treble is so painful, they rather not listen to music. Upon first use on my head, the clamping pressure is too much for me to handle. It was the same with the HD650, my HD600, my HD580 and even my older favorite the HD485. Time is your friend, let it breathe and stretch on some books or a headphone stand that is wide. It’s comparable to something like a Sundara or 400 series headphone – above average in terms of Soundstage, but not exemplary. In fact, basically, I was very impressed. Also, this is a great gaming headphone for those interested in using it for that purpose.