Curious fact. I was visiting Seattle last year and, while having a beer at Hard Rock Cafe and my wife going for shopping nearby (a.k.a. peace/break), this song started to play…
… then It has been on my playlist ever since. Great melody.
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Mine was a Spotify discovery track from last summer I think =) not nearly as cool a story…but I was in Seattle as well! Lol
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The 58X such a great value especially at the original price ($150 I believe?).
Anytime someone asks me for suggestions under $200 I always point to the 58X if they’re not planning on getting an amp/DAC.
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If you’re into EQ, try to hook this VST up in your APO. Follow the knobs:
EQ’ing our audiophile rigs is nice. And it’s part of journey. No questions asked.
But trying to fight the Pros – or reinventing wheels of any sort – is a whole different discussion. 
This company typically offers good discount on Black Fridays.
HD58X on steroids and with wider soundstage. 
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Might be cool to look into, I listened to their website’s sound demo. Definitely a very interesting approach. 
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Man, EQ’ing is addicting. hahaha
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Great review @Chrono. This is becoming a habit. 
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Yeah, I had a note from some folk at Sonarworks claiming they no longer shoot for flat. So it will depend whether you are running their older software profiles or the newly release program.
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Haha I must admit, I have a lot of fun with these. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
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Oh, yes it is. I’ve modified my LCD-2 EQ like 20 times. It’s always very subtle variations, too hahaha
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Just so everyone is aware, @Chrono’s excellent Drop X Sennheiser HD58X review is now published on the headphones.com main page here:
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Oh I did, I really enjoyed reading it.
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YAXI for Sennheiser HD-580
I’ve got the original pads on my HD-580s, and while I’ve seen others say that they don’t last, these still seem pretty fresh after 20 some years. But today, I was noodling around on the internet, and as my Drop Porta-Pros finally shipped, I was thinking about getting some more YAXI pads. I went straight to their website in Japan - Google translate is great - and saw that they would ship 5 pairs for $39.95 any color choice. While I was looking, I saw that YAXI makes other pads, including a set for the HD-580. It appears to be constructed from the finest Toyota fabric, so I went ahead and ordered. If I don’t like them on the 580, I might try them on the 650, which although comfortable, has the clamping force of a snapping turtle. (I mention this because one was under my car today. Can’t upload a 10 second video because the forum says it’s not an accepted image type @taronlissimore, @andrew, that’s a feature that should be fixed)
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I had to replace my 580 pads (ear and head) at 13-years: I should have replaced them sooner but… the frog doesn’t notice the heating water. My replacements are about eight years old and just this year started feeling thinner.
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That said: the 58x pads are not the same. The foam feels firmer and the headband pad has a better relief cut into it. (For my head shape)
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YAXI, DHL, and the World
Sometimes you get outstanding service; sometimes you don’t. I’d mentioned that I ordered some YAXI pads for the 2 pair of Drop Porta-Pros that I’d ordered months ago. I also picked up some YAXI pads for my old Sennheiser HD-580. I haven’t listened to them yet, will report later.
What I find remarkable is that I ordered on Sunday with an expected wait time of about 2 to 3 weeks for delivery. Then I got a ship notice Monday, with an expected delivery on Friday. Today I got notice it was coming today (Wednesday), which it did. 3 business days from Tokyo via DHL. OUTSTANDING.
Meanwhile, I still pay for Amazon Prime, which gave me “free 2 day delivery” which is only “Free” if you buy the subscription. In my industry, FINRA and the SEC would fine you for that, or worse. Now, Amazon’s 1 to 2 day delivery has become, “Like Covid-19 man, get used to it, give it a week or three, we don’t know, be cool, we’re doing what we can. Yeah you still gotta pay for the free delivery, whenever it is.” Because of that, I buy more on eBay and elsewhere.
Did I mention outstanding service? Sometimes you get it, and sometimes you don’t.
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Quick Impression - YAXI for HD-580
The YAXI box says that they are made from “protein leather” and Alcantara. Protein leather is the better kind of pleather, not plastic leather, and I think Alcantara is made from the skin of dead Toyota seats, the fabric kind. In any event, the pleather is at this point supple, and the Alcantara, while not velour, is pretty comfortable.
Although ordered for my HD-580, the package touts use with the HD-650. I tried putting one on my HD-6xx, but had trouble pressing it into place- seemed not quite to fit. Probably my not wanting to use enough force. So I moved to the venerable HD 580 Jubilee, and removed the original earpads for the first time. More than 20 years, if it ain’t broke.
Comparing the pads and the filters, the new YAXI pads are maybe 1/16 inch (2.5mm?) thicker. The filter foam is also slightly thicker. I don’t recall the original pads having been crushed. They still feel good, but it’s always possible that they may have deteriorated a bit over the years. The original pads are a velvet or velour type fabric.
After putting on the new YAXI pads, my old headphones appeared quite different. The original pads seemed to visually go away, and these are prominent. The clamping force is a bit greater with the new pads due to their thickness, but it is not objectionable and they are quite comfortable.
I listened to a selection of streaming and downloaded music from TIDAL, and a bit of Radio Paradise. All at FLAC 44.1/16 or better (MQA master) running the HD-580s from an older iPad Air through the Dragonfly Cobalt. Either the headphones sound a bit better, or the placebo effect is working. I think the soundstage is slightly improved, noted on both the Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” (MQA, 2012 remaster) and Shenandoah from Dave Gruisin’ and Lee Ritenour’s Two Worlds album (Tidal HIFI 44.1/16).
Bass may be slightly improved also, but it will take a bit of listening. I think the pleather is good for the bass. I was concerned at the slightly greater distance from the drivers, but it didn’t seem to cause any problems. What I did find, when listening critically to this headphone again, is that it is beautifully balanced, and is truly a gateway into the headphone hi-fi world. I still prefer the HD-6xx with the Lyr3 powering it, but the HD-580’s ability to go with a DFC is great.
I think I like the YAXI pads. Need to see if they heat up my head too much on warm days, or are more resistant to sweat than the original pads. I can’t see at this level headphone doing a lot of pad rolling. It’s quite good enough.
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Thanks @pennstac. Can you share a link where one can find these pads?
Depending on the price, I’d like to get one pair.
Thanks much!
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Excellent impressions sir.
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There you go, sir. After having bought through Amazon and direct, I think I like direct. Although Amazon seems to link to the manufacturer, the .jp site works just fine.
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