Name: Sennheiser HD 558
Brand: Sennheiser
Price: 179.99 USD

The Sennheiser HD 558 ranks #87 out of 523 total Over-Ear Headphones for sound quality. See all Headphones rankings for every top pick.

Brand: Sennheiser

Prices on this page were last checked October 20, 2026 at 10:35 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.

Sennheiser HD 558 - ranked #87 of 523 Over-Ear Headphones · Editor's rating 4.2/5

#87 Sennheiser HD 558: $179.99 Discontinued eBay

Pros: An open back over-ear with a high preference score of 86 and a light 260 g frame. At 50 ohms and 112 dB it runs easily from a phone.

Cons: Sub bass rolls off early, falling 6 dB below target at 38 Hz, a 5.2 dB peak near 3.1 kHz adds glare, and dips near 10 kHz and 11.5 kHz dull the top treble. It is discontinued, the Sennheiser HD 560S is the current model, and the score rests on a single measurement.

Is the Sennheiser HD 558 right for you?

Buy it if

you want the tuning most listeners prefer in blind tests out of the box (Harman score 86).

Skip it if

you are treble-sensitive (treble sits about 3.0 dB above target).
you want deep sub-bass: it falls away below about 38 Hz.
you need isolation or will use it in public: open-back headphones leak sound both ways.
you want to buy it new: it is discontinued.

Released	2012 (14 years ago)
Back	Open
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	2.38 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Form Factor	Over-ear
Frequency Response	15Hz - 28kHz (Manufacturer specified)
Harman Preference Score	86 (1 squig.link measurement, calibrated to AutoEQ)
Impedance	50 ohms
Sensitivity	112 dB
Sub-bass Extension	Falls 6 dB below target at 38 Hz (-8.8 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-0.04 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)
Weight	0.6 lbs (260 g)

EQ Presets

Target sound

Harman target

Set a preamp of -6.4 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from a single measurement from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Harman match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 86.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+3.8 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-5.2 dB	0.70
Peak	30 Hz	+3.1 dB	1.74
Peak	64 Hz	-0.8 dB	1.57
Peak	160 Hz	-6.2 dB	0.67
Peak	1,635 Hz	+3.0 dB	2.76
Peak	2,939 Hz	-1.8 dB	6.00
Peak	3,443 Hz	-5.3 dB	1.67
Peak	5,702 Hz	-2.0 dB	4.88

Neutral target

Set a preamp of -4.7 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from a single measurement from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Neutral match with this EQ: 99 out of 100, up from 70.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	-0.8 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-5.2 dB	0.70
Peak	23 Hz	+5.9 dB	2.36
Peak	58 Hz	-1.5 dB	2.21
Peak	150 Hz	-6.5 dB	0.61
Peak	1,630 Hz	+3.1 dB	2.69
Peak	2,939 Hz	-1.8 dB	6.00
Peak	3,443 Hz	-5.3 dB	1.67
Peak	5,702 Hz	-2.0 dB	4.88

Studio flat target

Set a preamp of -4.1 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from a single measurement from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Studio flat match with this EQ: 94 out of 100, up from 40.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	-2.7 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-0.5 dB	0.70
Peak	23 Hz	+5.7 dB	2.32
Peak	172 Hz	-8.1 dB	0.57
Peak	1,753 Hz	+4.4 dB	3.35
Peak	2,273 Hz	+2.4 dB	3.57
Peak	3,573 Hz	-3.3 dB	1.47
Peak	5,695 Hz	-2.5 dB	3.96

Warm target

Set a preamp of -6.5 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from a single measurement from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Warm match with this EQ: 98 out of 100, up from 73.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+4.0 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-6.0 dB	0.70
Peak	30 Hz	+2.9 dB	1.78
Peak	160 Hz	-6.0 dB	0.70
Peak	1,621 Hz	+3.3 dB	2.33
Peak	2,966 Hz	-1.5 dB	6.00
Peak	3,573 Hz	-6.7 dB	1.13
Peak	6,269 Hz	-2.4 dB	2.18

Bass target

Set a preamp of -6.3 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from a single measurement from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Bass match with this EQ: 100 out of 100, up from 71.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+5.5 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-5.2 dB	0.70
Peak	43 Hz	+1.4 dB	1.48
Peak	110 Hz	-1.2 dB	3.32
Peak	190 Hz	-5.8 dB	0.77
Peak	1,633 Hz	+3.0 dB	2.74
Peak	2,939 Hz	-1.8 dB	6.00
Peak	3,443 Hz	-5.3 dB	1.67
Peak	5,702 Hz	-2.0 dB	4.88

Bright target

Set a preamp of -4.7 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from a single measurement from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Bright match with this EQ: 94 out of 100, up from 54.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	-0.8 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-3.1 dB	0.70
Peak	23 Hz	+5.9 dB	2.34
Peak	57 Hz	-1.5 dB	2.29
Peak	150 Hz	-6.5 dB	0.59
Peak	1,601 Hz	+2.6 dB	3.07
Peak	3,085 Hz	-5.8 dB	4.37
Peak	4,490 Hz	-1.3 dB	6.00
Peak	7,271 Hz	+2.0 dB	2.76

V-shaped target

Set a preamp of -5.7 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from a single measurement from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted V-shaped match with this EQ: 92 out of 100, up from 77.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+5.7 dB	0.70
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-2.3 dB	0.70
Peak	191 Hz	-4.3 dB	0.79
Peak	1,669 Hz	+2.7 dB	3.49
Peak	3,082 Hz	-5.3 dB	5.05
Peak	7,313 Hz	+2.0 dB	1.77

Search eBay for Sennheiser HD 558 →

Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Frequency response measurements of the Sennheiser HD 558 by 1 squig.link measurers

Frequency Response

How the Sennheiser HD 558 measures across the audible range, against the Harman over-ear target that most listeners prefer in blind tests. Where the line sits above the target that range sounds louder (more bass, brighter treble), below it quieter. The curve is a single measurement, and both lines are shifted so their 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB.

Sennheiser HD 558Harman target

Measurement data: a single measurement from the squig.link database of auricularesargentina. Thanks to them for publishing their work.

More Sennheiser headphones →

Sennheiser HD 558 Review: Ranked #87 of 523