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Versatility
Posted by somedude from east bay, ca on 2013-06-10Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: build quality, clarity, adaptable
Cons: slightly uncomfortable
These phones are my first real step into hi-fi headphones. I owned a pair of Sony MXB-500s prior to the K550s so I had grown used to overwhelming bass.
I have a recording studio and record people that play flamenco guitar, classic piano, slap bass, and saxophones. They are great for vocalists too because the closed back seals quite well.
The clarity of these cans is remarkable. I have an Allen and Heath Zed10 mixer which is my primary headphone out so I don't use a headphone amp. To exemplify this point, ever since recording with these phones, my final projects come out crystal clear on any sound system. This is a huge deal. This means what your hearing is what your getting, anything different and it's the sound system the song is coming out from.
The only issue is that the cushion on the band isn't too cushy and causes some uncomfortability after a couple hours of straight use. However, its a simple DIY fix I'm sure.
I'm anxious to upgrade to the balanced xlr cables.
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Excellent pair of Closed headphones
Posted by Nfslmao from Toronto,Ontario,Canada on 2013-01-04Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Comfortable, sealed, mids, lows, highs, sound stage, build quality, looks, value.
Cons: Small head will have a tough fit.
I just got these pair about a month ago and i already used them for well over 200 hours and i think its safe to state my view on these headphones.
I'd first like to say that i am NOT an audiophile. I do NOT have proffessional equipment. Nevertheless i love my music and appreciate sound in its entirety.
Looks & Feel
By far one of the more stylish pairs I've seen on the market. The matte black finish is complemented by the slight dark grey aluminum headband. It just looks elegant and very attractive. The build quality does not fall short of its looks. Most of the build is made from metal (i'm not sure what metal). The headband is very sturdy and flexible enough to stretch for those bigger heads. The headband measurement adjustment system is marked with numbers so that you know where the best fit is for your head. I thought that was a neat addition, very user friendly. Overall the headphone is very solid and very good looking.
Comfort
I found these headphones very comfortable, perhaps the most comfortable pair i've tried yet. The ear pads are very plush and they do not, at least for me, cause my ears to sweat unlike most closed headphones. Thus i can listen for hours on end. Now there is a problem with the fit. I found that if your fit was off, the bass would be the first to degrade. This isn't a big problem for me because i have a rather large head and i very rarely have a problem with the fit. However, if you have smaller heads, or even normal sized heads, be cautious because these headphones require a good fit for a proper seal. Other then this issue, the only thing i wish for is more padding on the headband. Just a tad more would be nice, but they are still comfortable.
Sound Quality
Bass & Lows
The bass is there and clear. Each thump of a beat can be hear but it is not boomy or muddy. Very clear and thumpy bass without being overwhelming. For bass heads, this might not be a very good pair because they don't overpower, but if you do want more bass, these can go fairly boomy and still remain clear and tight. Not much distortion either.
Mids
The mids are probably my favourite part of these headphones. The smoothness of the mids make its very nice to listen to. Vocals will and have undoubtedly shined. Very clear crisp and very smooth. Great mids again with no distorions.
Highs
The highs sparkle like a star at night. Very clean sound to it and definitley not harsh on the trebles. its very crisp and smooth much like the rest of the spectrum. Again no distortions here.
Sound stage
The sound stage is amazing. There are some other headphones that are better in this area but they are open headphones. Considering these are sealed and have relatively good isolation, they are easily the winners compared to other closed headphones. I can think of maybe one, but then you'll have to spend over $1500 on them. The soundstage is very wide with great instrument separation and imaging. I found that these headphones can reproduce the location of the instruments very well and they do not dissappoint. I personally love the sound stage on this pair.
Bottom Line
Overall these are great pair of headphones for a very good value. Considering these are sealed headphones there really aren't any other headphones that can beat these in their price range. The comfort, style, and build quality are nothing short of amazing and the sound reproduction is very very good. The low impedance (32 ohms) is also great for people that don't have a headphone amplifier. But i would recommend using one, even a cheap one would make a difference. But for $300 this sweet pair is a keeper.
I cannot recommend this enough.
Just be cautious of your head size, you might not get the best fit.
Devices used to conduct this review :
Iphone 4 (Alone)
Iphone 4 amped with FiiO E6 and E11 with LOD
Sony Walkman (NWZ-E464) alone
Sony WAlkman amped with FiiO E6 and E11 with LOD
19 out of 22 people found this review helpful. Did you?
These headphones are scary good...
Posted by breakfluid from nelson, bc on 2012-10-07Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Build, Comfort, Resolution. Mids and Lows, Vocals
Cons: Hi-top basketball shoes.
Ok, let's get something out of the way first, if you're looking for headphones that are really, really bassy... These aren't for you. However, if you're looking for headphones that reproduce the frequency spectrum in a very clean, non-overbearing way, these phones should be at the top of your list. Don't get me wrong, the tight and beautiful warm bass these beauties put out is nothing short of amazing. The bass isn't the loudest you'll hear, but it could be the most warm low frequencies you've heard to date. I worried a little bit about whether or not these phones could really handle the low, low frequencies that are being made in the bassy dub, hip hop, reggae, dancehall, funk, soul, house, music I am searching out and dj'ing these days...The answer is yes, if your favorite producers are making non-muddy, crystal clear, well balanced productions, then you'll hear every detail the way it should be heard, with no distortion. The one area I really feel that the phones stand out is in their mid bass and vocals... The mids and vocals through these are easily the best i've heard in my 20 year career. Mind blowingly good...The highs are very nice as well but i find myself always getting blown away by the mid range and lows. To top it all off, the soundstage is super open, especially for closed headphones. If you're looking for phones strictly for dj'ing, you'll prob want to look elsewhere as these just aren't really suited for that. (Although they can work for that if you needed them too). For the record, I only talked about mainly electronically based music because i wanted that crowd to know how well suited they are. If accoustic music is more your thing, buy them, they're amazing in that world as well... The only other advice i have would be to order yourself a small portable headphone amp to help power the large drivers, it makes a huge difference... I can't wait to get off of work evertday so i can go home and listen to music through these headphones... Brilliant sound.
20 out of 22 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Maybe I just have a weak skull
Posted by Kaleidocherry from Seattle, WA on 2012-07-12Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: comfortable ear pads, brilliant sound
Cons: heavy on the head
I picked these up locally after reading a lot of internet reviews; everyone said they were "comfortable," which is always my prime concern. (For example I had the AKG K81DJ and loved them and wore them, but they killed my head. I tried a thousand mods to get them more comfy and then threw them away.)
They *are* comfortable - on the ears. Unfortunately the band was pressing down onto my skull the entire time; I only made it through ten songs before giving up.
Musically, they were great; I listened to my smartphone, to songs purchased from Zune and to songs I ripped to .wma at 256Kbps, and they all sounded nice and clear. I would have loved to keep them, but...can't.
I do recommend them if you have a tough skull?
23 out of 40 people found this review unhelpful. Did you?
Fantastic pair of headphones
Posted by charlieboy from sydney on 2012-06-14Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: wonderful clear sound
Cons: None
I purchased these headphones looking to upgrade to something past the Audio Technica M50. And boy did these babies ever deliver. They sound so open - great soundstage, full bass but not overpowering.. and the mids are the best I have ever heard, these headphones love guitars and vocals.
The one word to desribe these headphones is MUSICAL - they make the music come alive with such a great level of detail.
I read a review that said these cans were cold and analytical - personally I don't think anything could be further from the truth. these cans are warm and inviting and you just want to keep listening.
26 out of 29 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Fantastic
Posted by Dave from Chicago,IL on 2012-05-29Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Clarity while completely maintaining musicality
Cons: Still trying to find one
Absolutely one of the best.
19 out of 29 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Great can! Bad fit
Posted by Travis from Austin, TX on 2012-05-27Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Excelent sound through the full spectrum
Cons: Don't seal on smaller heads
To keep this short, yet still helpful... I have owned some high end sennheisers and etys. I was amazed at the clarity and balance of these headphones... When I pressed them against my head. I am 6'1 and 180lbs. I'm not a small guy, but without holding these against my head all the low end drops out and they sound very thin. I was using my headroom amp and iPhone as a source, so it wasn't that they were underpowered. Also, after an hour the too of my head began to hurt due to lack of padding. Again, if your head is big enough, these will be one of the best headphones you can buy for even double the price.
8 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Superb (true) closed headphones
Posted by Mishalex from New York, NY on 2012-03-21Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Finally! A great-sounding closed headphone for under $400
Cons: None come to mind considering these are a true closed heaphone
I must say that I am super-excited about this headphone. In the past, you either had to accept poorer sound-quality to some extent if you were looking for a headphone that isolates well, or you had to be willing to shell out over a thousand dollars for some of Ultrasone's higher-end offerings. This headphone bridges the gap between the two, providing AKG's characteristically awesome mids, with an equally awesome tight and controlled bass that, for the first time in AKG's recent history, actually has some real body and presence to it! The treble in my opinion isn't quite as good as on the AKG K701 (sometimes it can sound just a tad indistinct, but never bright or harsh), but on the whole, I actually prefer the sound of these cans to even the K or Q 701 series! These have a much better bass, giving a richer quality and better overall "roundness" to the sound, without sounding uncontrolled or bass-heavy at all, while at the same time maintaining the awesome mids we've all come to expect from AKG, and correcting the slightly bright tilt of AKGs to some extent on the high end. I'm also happy to report that these headphones amazingly don't require burn-in either, and are some of the most comfortable things I've ever put on my head. AKG has truly taken the three biggest customer complaints of the past to heart (lack of bass presence, annoying bumps on the headband, and ludicrous burn-in time requirments), and fixed them all with this headphone! Definitely a very well-balanced headphone, and a solid new contender from AKG. In fact, I like these headphones so much that I'm planning on selling all my other AKG headphones (namely, the K701 and the K272HD). Any takers?
43 out of 44 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Pretty darn good and sealed!
Posted by Missoula dad from Missoula, MT on 2012-03-16Posted on AKG K 550
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Comfy, sealed
Cons: None yet
Edit: Review part 2
I sold the Beyers, returned the HRT DAC, I've had these headphones now for a few months and have had more time to swap components around and do some A/B. I still love them. I don't think it would be as useful to review them without an explanation of what I'm playing them through. I ended up buying an M-Audio Profire 610 for doing amateur audio recordings and because it's also a 24/192 DAC via Firewire 400 and dual headphone amp. I bought an Audioquest Carbon Firewire 400-800 cable and I use this all on my MacBook Pro through Audirvana Plus. I rip CDs in Apple Lossless and buy music online in FLAC from 16/44 up to 24/192.
Okay, I have listened to all kinds of music at all kinds of file quality through this rig. Everything sounds good, for one thing and nothing sounds terrible, which is nice. I've used my wife's Denon AH-D2000's and they sound better through this highly revealing amp/dac than they did through the old system, but never as lively and musical as the AKG's. I've had the K550's on now for about 4-5 hours and my ears are just starting to get a little "warm". They are amazingly comfortable in both the physical and auditory senses. I never get tired of listening. They just make me want to find other tracks to hear all those things I haven't noticed before. The detail in these headphones can naturally reveal weaknesses in recordings or sound files, but I haven't found that the cans ruin imperfect tracks. They do a good job of focusing you on the music and not the flaws. They reveal all those echo spacial cues in tracks and nearly transport you to the location of the recording. They have a really great low bass response, but it only seems to be there when it really is there on the track. Very few songs that I listen to have a lot of low bass but when they do! Sometimes a recording track or mic will have picked up a low frequency bump or something and I often take the headphones off to see if something is going on at home. Nope, it's just that realistic and it fools me every time. That's the key to my opinion here. These headphones are so comfortable, so realistic, so natural that I can wear them for hours and enjoy all kinds of music, often hearing things that it would be nearly impossible to pick up any other way except in a perfectly sound deadened custom listening room with a great stereo. Sometimes things are so realistic that I think I'm hearing a sound from outside the headphones. System performance will vary of course depending on what you're using. I compared this set up to the HRT/Creek over and over and this amp/dac was never the loser. The sound was always close but the resolution always won me over. If you can get 24/192 DAC you should. If you have a firewire output, I'd recommend this amp/dac used online. I'm sure the Creek is a better amp, but getting 24/192 to it costs way too much in my configuration. I'd say the weakness in my little system is the headphone amplifier inside the 610 but it's minor. Since I got it for under two hundred on the big auction site, I can't complain. I just keep the volume below the distortion level and it's amazing.
One last thing, I just ordered a pair of Denon AH-D5000s to compare. This whole headphone bug can be an addiction.
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Original review - edited
I recently called Headroom to ask about the headphones in the $300 price range as I think that's the sweet spot for price and performance. At the time I was using my wife's Denon AH-D2000's with a Total Bithead. I have since purchased a slightly used pair of Beyerdynamic DT 880's (250 ohm) and I like them both. I think I like the sound of the DT 880's more but, this is obvious, I like the fact that the K550's are closed and they don't let much sound pass through. I like that the K550's keep me and the outside world separate. Since I bought these I've been so impressed that I bought a Creek headphone amp, Kimber Kable 1/8 to RCA cable, upgraded to Audirvana Plus on my MacBookPro, and have just ordered an HRT Music Streamer with audiophile USB and new Audioquest King Cobra cables. So, really, this is my pre-review. Mostly, I just wanted to lay a foundation and let people know that my initial impressions between these, the DT 880's, and the AH-D2000's is very favorable. They're all good, and I would have a hard time picking between the AKGs and the Beyerdynamics. The biggest difference to me is the most obvious one, closed vs. open. If you use them in an otherwise quiet environment, I do like the openness of the Beyers. If you are wanting to keep your sound in or "their" sound out, the K550's are great. Sound wise, all I can say is the Beyers seem a little more laid back with a more delicate and wide sound stage. Maybe the Beyerdynamics have a little more "air", but I need to do more A/B, which I'll do once I get all my new stuff running. If nothing else, I want to let people know that these headphones have propelled me forward into all this other gear and re-uploading all my CDs in a better format and finding a better playback option than iTunes. Thanks and I hope someone finds this useful.
57 out of 72 people found this review helpful. Did you?
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