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AKG K550 vs Some others (denon d2000, akg k271, ultrasone edition 8, shure 940, shure 840, beyer... - Page 6

post #76 of 169
4/5/12 at 3:21am


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by electropop View Post

Just got mine this morning. Been listening music for a good half an hour, but these were instantly groovy! You're right in saying that they're definitely AKG, but to me seem a definite upgrade to the K272HD, which I was using on my way to the post office. Awesomely tuneful bass presentation, smooth sailing with the music across the register. I have no trouble distinguishing harmonics. Modal jazz is a breeze, Duke playing those low volume synth things on Zappa albums... Fantastic, everything's there. 

Ah, might be new toy syndrome, but I've been instantly disappointed with many other purchases: in other words, I know what I like and don't usually let anything fool me outside of context, which is the music itself. 

 

Can't wait for these to burn in! ... In other words, gain more experience with different music with them and learn to appreciate them for their qualities even more. 

 

Ooh, very musical! ... Just have to add, these are probably not for Rhythmdevils. Bass is very linear and notes are distinguishable, haven't heard better bass-reproduction in any closed headphone. I'll try to compare these to the 8400's at some point, since they have some really good points. These are much smoother though and the bass production of the 8400 doesn't come even close I'm safe to say. 


 

I've never heard the K272HD, but I did own a set of K271MKII which many sources indicated were the same (with different accessories e.g. cables included.)

The K550's are immensely better.  Especially the extension at both ends, but in other ways as well.

 

As for the KNS8400's, I sold mine after buying the K550's. 

I do think the 8400's are good value at their price point.

 

Also like your comments about the bass on the K550's - must agree it's tuned very well.

Very "there", but not overwhelming.  Controlled and articulate.

 

 

 

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post #77 of 169
4/5/12 at 12:04pm

Heh, yeah, the bass of the 8400 is to the K550 like ED9 to 8400. Used my breaks at work to listen to these and I'm thoroughly impressed. Extension is excellent at both ends, though having moved from 8400 some treble seems to be a bit... less. But they were prominent on the 8400, so I'm not worried, although they seemed faster for something. Was missing out on so much with the K272 that both of the aforementioned ones are preferable. 

Brass is amazing and midrange in general. Those small musical cues become more evident, like  those small shakes or even misplays... Background harmonics are clear, whatever the instrument.

 

These are so good that even bad recordings sound good. Hash turns into musical information! Bass drum is always distinguishable even when a poor recording of a crappy bass amp is trying to ruin everything. Glad I ripped even the not so adequate recordings in ALAC when I did :)

I'm enjoying Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention's Roxy and Elsewhere like never before. On 'Don't you ever Wash that Thing?' I could never hear the bass player play those high notes midst of the guitars and everything... Very resolute. Surprised how people are dissing these and the general consensus of these being that they are marketed to compete with the Beats boom. These compete with absolutely everything! And on the box it indicates "home" with pink... 

 

Commuted with these today and isolation is adequate. Not sure whether I was just playing them at higher volumes, or that the bass was otherwise just higher in volume with the selected music... Nice thing about the 8400 was the elevated bass to compensate for the rumbling of the bus' motor. 

 

Hey, bass drum has texture! This recording is from the 60s and I've listened to it way too many times (Nucleus - Elastic Rock).. Wait what? Hah, amazing album presented in even more detail. Musical detail. Magical group... Recommended to anyone, even to those who don't have these cans. :)

 

Not as comfortable as the K271/272: that headband mechanism is unsurpassed. Pads are nice, but I feel the pressure a bit on the top of my head...

 

Ok, enough. Let's give them a bit more time shall we. 

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post #78 of 169
4/5/12 at 12:29pm

Hello,

 

I am considering AKG 550 and I have almost decided to go for them however I keep thinking about Ultrasone Signature PRO (highest US model I can reach, Edition8 is way over my budget). Any chance of you being able to compare these two? I know it might to be fair comparison given the price difference but still...

 

I have described my music and sound taste in following thread which I started to discover closed headphone models meeting my requirements. 

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/602650/looking-for-help-with-regards-to-closed-over-ear-headphones-fulfilling-the-requirements#post_8282209

 

Thanks a lot,

Petr

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post #79 of 169
4/5/12 at 5:12pm
Thread Starter 
All the more evidence that i'm not continually hallucinating- cheers electropop!!

I think the bass is awesome too. A fine headphone indeed.

petr, i've quickly read over your posts in that other thread and it seems like the k550 is definitely suitable for your music tastes. Don't bother with the denon's for that music (jazz/classic). Consistently outclassed by the k550.

The k550 are great with lower amplification but defo improve with it. Which is a good thing btw!!
I expect the ultrasones to beat it in pure sq- but in these genres and with little amplification i'm not sure. Remember, that those with them ultrasones are going to have monster setups. My ed8's sound good only from my denon cdp and aren't that impressive from more portable setups. I barely use them since i've had the k550- that's the honest truth. Long term comfort is good but not good enough for my uses.

I won't be getting them new ultrasones any time soon that's for sure. Promise.
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post #80 of 169
4/5/12 at 7:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by electropop View Post

 

Hey, bass drum has texture! This recording is from the 60s and I've listened to it way too many times (Nucleus - Elastic Rock).. Wait what? Hah, amazing album presented in even more detail. Musical detail. Magical group... Recommended to anyone, even to those who don't have these cans. :)

 


OT -

 

Have often thought of picking up Elastic Rock, but the fact that Karl Jenkins is involved scares me.

I'm not a fan of the later Soft Machine albums on which he took over from Elton Dean.

Not at all.  His tone, his style...not for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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post #81 of 169
4/5/12 at 8:31pm

I just got my K550s and I'm really enjoying them.  They sound great out of my Fiio E11.  I really like the soundstage and the fact that its closed.  

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post #82 of 169
4/6/12 at 1:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zazex View Post


OT -

 

Have often thought of picking up Elastic Rock, but the fact that Karl Jenkins is involved scares me.

I'm not a fan of the later Soft Machine albums on which he took over from Elton Dean.

Not at all.  His tone, his style...not for me.

 

 



Heh, yeah his oboe solos might be a little wild. Outside of that, some really excellent tracks. My favorite probably being 'Torrid Zone', where two guitars and synth just fantastically support the saxophone solo. Gets a little out of hand toward the end, but still excellent. Have you tried any other of their albums? This is my favorite, but 'We'll talk about it later', 'Solar Plexus' and 'Under the Sun' are all worth it in my opinion. 

 

Back on topic. I'm not scared to say that purely regarding SQ, these are miles ahead of the ED8's. Much smoother, easier to listen to, accurate... The ED8 didn't stay on my head for long when I tried them. Some of the recent graphs have shown that they aren't exactly of high quality standards, sound or music presentation -wise. So while subjectively speaking they might be liked by many, I wouldn't recommend them for accurate music reproduction. 

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post #83 of 169
4/6/12 at 1:56am
Thread Starter 
I'd put them very close to the ed8. It's just sometimes the slightly unnatural timbre- aka akg plasticy mids- sometimes kicks in. In many other ways it's easily better than the ed8 though.
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post #84 of 169
4/6/12 at 2:49am

Heh, you must mean the uncolored mids :)

 

Timbre wise, I think these are quite transparent in that it largely depends on material. Put on some Stan Getz and say the tone of his Saxophone sounds plasticky, I dare you wink_face.gif

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post #85 of 169
4/6/12 at 3:16am
Thread Starter 
'plasticy mids' meant as a joke!

lol, It's just when there are heavy instrumental passages with or without vocals (rock/pop) sometimes it sounds less real COMPARED TO the d7k or the ed8. That's about it on the negatives of this phone.

But timre wise in jazz, ambient, classical and especially trance- these akg's are supreme.
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post #86 of 169
4/6/12 at 3:29am

Could be... Reality is hard to come by when you talk about headphones. Though balance wise, these are very close to what I would be hearing at an unamplified jazz venue, for instance. I'd probably be hearing the crash and cymbals in general a bit more forward, something which the 8400 sort of simulated, but these are still very articulate. 

 

What do you mean exactly by heavy instrumental passages? Many tracks and some are indistinguishable or the tone of such an instance? Amplified venues are hard to put under the scope of reality... I think I sort of understand you, but personally I prefer "musical accuracy" maintained at the cost of utmost sense of reality, since it's overall very hard to produce in headphones, as I said...


Edited by electropop - 4/6/12 at 3:32am
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post #87 of 169
4/6/12 at 4:18am
Thread Starter 
take a standard half decently recorded pop song. Scratch that, i don't know- mike oldfields new age albums. Any will do. It benefits from thicker more lasting, emphasized, individual notes. putting this in the soundstage of the denon and you get a full, dynamic lush sound. I don't get this with the K550- a bit too light for this.

I'm not saying that in any heavy instrumental passage the k550 sounds unnatural- that'll be stupid. That doesn't mean anything here, as its a property of cheap headphones or beats/bose!

In orchestral pieces the denons would fail badly in
presenting the music with a sense of air and this makes their whole presentation rather subdued.lazy. It's like their headstage is too defined wheras the k550s extends into the air around you. In some orchestral pieces (London philharmonic) the denons sound decent (better than the k550 here). The akgs always pull ahead when given lighter music. Brian eno ambient, john coltrane jazz, bach .....Also they shine in trance (avb for example). Fast punchy bass, unexaggerated non tinny highs,.balanced fr spectrum and so much light space for notes to extend in.

In all this the ed8 lie straight bang in the middle. Literally do nothing wrong. That's why overall i'd say they are the best. consistently good.
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post #88 of 169
4/6/12 at 7:23am

Can those currently enjoying the K550 comment on the size and comfort of the ear pads?  Do your ears fit inside them fully or do they sit partially on the ears? 

 

I am strongly considering these and have no opportunity to demo them,  I generally prefer a more oval shaped cup as I find they suit my ears better.

 

Also, any thoughts on these as an all-around use pair of cans (i.e. how are they with a mix of mostly rock and some electronic/hip-hop).

 

Thanks!

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post #89 of 169
4/6/12 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrR0Ck View Post

Can those currently enjoying the K550 comment on the size and comfort of the ear pads?  Do your ears fit inside them fully or do they sit partially on the ears? 

 

I am strongly considering these and have no opportunity to demo them,  I generally prefer a more oval shaped cup as I find they suit my ears better.

 

Also, any thoughts on these as an all-around use pair of cans (i.e. how are they with a mix of mostly rock and some electronic/hip-hop).

 

Thanks!


The K550s have huge ear cups. My ears are completely enveloped by the pads. they are not too deep but enough to not let your ears touch the drivers. In short, the k550s are extremely comfortable for extended use.

 

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post #90 of 169
4/6/12 at 3:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CantScareMe View Post

take a standard half decently recorded pop song. Scratch that, i don't know- mike oldfields new age albums. Any will do. It benefits from thicker more lasting, emphasized, individual notes. putting this in the soundstage of the denon and you get a full, dynamic lush sound. I don't get this with the K550- a bit too light for this.
I'm not saying that in any heavy instrumental passage the k550 sounds unnatural- that'll be stupid. That doesn't mean anything here, as its a property of cheap headphones or beats/bose!
In orchestral pieces the denons would fail badly in
presenting the music with a sense of air and this makes their whole presentation rather subdued.lazy. It's like their headstage is too defined wheras the k550s extends into the air around you. In some orchestral pieces (London philharmonic) the denons sound decent (better than the k550 here). The akgs always pull ahead when given lighter music. Brian eno ambient, john coltrane jazz, bach .....Also they shine in trance (avb for example). Fast punchy bass, unexaggerated non tinny highs,.balanced fr spectrum and so much light space for notes to extend in.
In all this the ed8 lie straight bang in the middle. Literally do nothing wrong. That's why overall i'd say they are the best. consistently good.


Ok I see. I can cope with that reasoning :) ... It would require extremely minimalistic music for me to be able to enjoy it with either the Denons or the Ultrasones. 

 

The problem with both of those are, as we both have agreed, that they "mask" some musical information. Whenever the word "sloppy" is used to describe headphone performance, you can be sure that everything about it isn't up to task. The problem with the ED8 for me: can't hear bass notes represent individual pitches, non-linear overall presentation and "peaky-ness" (for lack of a better word) that was obtrusive to me. As I said, could be a "fun" experience with VERY minimalistic music, but that's all the credit I can give them. 

 

Not bashing or anything, just doing this for the sake of conversation :)

 

Anyone else with K550 revelations..?

 

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › AKG K550 vs Some others (denon d2000, akg k271, ultrasone edition 8, shure 940, shure 840, beyer dt770.....)