Sennheiser HD 580 Dynamic HiFi Professional Headphone Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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The Sennheiser HD580 Over-Ear Headphones are a first-class audio solution ideal for use in recording studios. The diaphragm uses an advanced design to avoid resonant frequencies. The headphones use neodymium ferrous magnets in a system that ensures optimum sensitivity and high dynamic response with minimal harmonic and intermodual distortion. The ultra-light aluminum voice coils also provide excellent dynamic response, and the detachable OFC copper cable is reinforced with Kevlar for extremely low handling noise. Overall, the HD580 delivers natural, spatial sound that's highly accurate.

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