Well after my last entry I thought I was clear and free to send my 660s back. But something happened on my way to the post office. I decided to allow them a burn in period to be fair. When I bought my 58x ...they were already broken in and used. So why not allow the 660s the same respect, I thought. I know there is debate on burn in but it's a real thing for me and many others, even the manufacturers of the products themselves. Even top reveiewers out there believe in it and have even created rigs that do burn in test for headphones and earphones. So for the last few days ...burn-in was on top prorioty before shipping this headphone off. And what I learned didn't shock me forsay but did change my mind.
Now this unit is still listed at $499...and let me say, right off the bat, that I wouldn't be keeping this unit over the 58x or along side of it at this price. Amazon has this unit for $300-$349 on a regualar bases, so this is what I went with and suggest to you. Now, that's out of the way, lets talk.
After the burn-in what I found very quickly is that I found more clarity in the 660s over the 58x in the treble highs. That range really opened up more and I could tell that on some tracks the extention of the treble and frequency response was faster and cleaner than the 58x but a very small to moderate amount. Then while hearing this difference ...I notice one of the bigger difference...the soundstage. It was wider and very nicely done in tamdem with the treble extention. This, I think, was trained a little by my earphones A4000 by Final that had a large soundstage, making my ears more sensitve toward it. This led to sounds fading off in the distance in key moment where the 58x sounded every so slightly muted or cut off a little, almost like it had congestion in the upper treble, yes by a small amount mind you, but none the less, it was there and present and made difference ...fiinally.
So when I started notice this, the things that I already liked about the 660 already stood out even more. With the 660s ...it was brand new ...with a warranty. It was also my favorite looking and feeling of the two and in fact my favorite looking Sennheiser headphone period. I also enjoyed the fit of the 660s on my head more than the 58x. If there was a complaint I always had against the 58x, it was the feel and look. It really looked cheap compared to all other headphones I've tested like the Sundara and the 660s. And even though I'm pretty sure any Sennheiser build quality will last most likely...having that warranty is better for me and my peace of mind, especially once it started to show it's worth in the sound vs the 58x.
So for me now, I have a tougher choice to make now. Even though the 58x is still, in my opinion, the best price to performance headphone in the world. The 660s,in hand, is a little better overall while still not a headphone that is double the sound quality like it's price. But if I"m honest enough if these were the same price, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the 660 over 58x. The bottom line is that the 58x isn't better than the 660 but it's close enough to disturb it's overall dominance in the Sennheiser rankings for a lot of people. But at the end of the day the 660 is better and I think I would rather have the peace of mind with the warranty, better looks and built quality, and a small but finally good enough difference in sound quality. And lastly I can make this my end game for headphones. With the 58x ...I always knew it was more about the price to performance fact more than it was with it being truly technically better than any other Sennheiser or other headphones like the Sundara in all areas. At least with the 660's I actually believe that, even if it's by a small amount, it's the technically superior headphone in sound and build. And this is something I can better live with as my end game headphone until there is something truly better.
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