[elvergun]

   
Alright, thanks a lot! I'll look up more into those two. About the X3, though, will it do the job just as well as the E07 or E17 as a dac/amp, plus the added benefit of being a portable player?

I guess so...but I'm not familiar with the X3.

 

[frapp2latte]

 
I guess so...but I'm not familiar with the X3.

Ok, no worries, thanks friend! The descriptions up on the Fiio website seem to say so.

 

[money4me247]

 
Ok, no worries, thanks friend! The descriptions up on the Fiio website seem to say so.

the X3 has the same WM8740 dac chip as the Fiio E07 and E17. didn't look at the amp specs tho.

 

[frapp2latte]

  the X3 has the same WM8740 dac chip as the Fiio E07 and E17. didn't look at the amp specs tho.

Oh, that's good. Will probably go for the X3 then as I've been meaning to get a FLAC player, too.

 

[GuidoF]

I run K555 off a FiiO X3. It's a superb combination. You won't be disappointed with it.

Guido F.

 

[frapp2latte]

I run K555 off a FiiO X3. It's a superb combination. You won't be disappointed with it.

Guido F.

That's good to know, GuidoF! Thanks! 

 

[CaRlBeAtS]

Hello everyone!!! Newbie here and im a proud owner of a new pair of k550. Got them for Christmas for a "hell of a deal!"... They were on Crutchfield's for an amazing $139 ( factory refurb ) GET EM while you can! I must say that these cans are simply amazing... Really love em! Now I have to figure out what to do with all the other phones i have.
A little background... Im a DJ/Producer of tech-house music and come from a long line of headphones from fart cannons to k550s. These i must say are not for portable use unless you have a portable amp. If you do run these out of a portable amp and you are daring enough to leave the house (lol) you run the risk of looking like a modern day "Princess leia" and may get slayed by a light saber! I must say i receive incredible sound straight out of my Mac laptop (thats why i say these do function better with a portible amp). Im actually waiting on an amp (Pyle PHE7AB).
Can anyone tell me if they had any experience with this amp?.. and if its any good?

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

Guys a little help here.... first of all keep in mind that my experience with measurement graphics are..... well... 0..... XD
 
So heres the the thing.... as i already shared with u guys my momentums are about as gone because of the fit, although i love the sound of the momentum.... since i have my hd25 for portable i thought of getting something for home use and i thought of the k550's and the hd598's but i am a bit affraid of getting the akg's because of the seal and the 598's because after trying them i missed the low end body of the momentums (as i said i really enjoyed the momentums sound and if it was not for the bad seal for outside use they would absolutely remain here), since i listen to rock pop and edm ....
 
So heres the thing..... today i tried to look at some measurements and is it me or the bass responde on the k550's is not that far from the momentums...??? I can clearly see that the akg's have more treble but next to the measurements of the amperiors, momentums and hd25-1 ii's the k550's do not seem to have a very bad low end...
 
Am i wrong??? 
 
(the hd598s definitly do not seem the best choice for me musical genres does it?)

 

[vaibhavp]

Yes, hd 598 will not be that good for pop. I own hd 518 and have auditioned other models in store. its that they are slightly slow and a bit thick sounding, so tracks with actual instruments and vocals come out really well from them. pop not so much, despite 518 has good bass quantity. i am looking forward to buying akg as they tend to do these genres quiet well as well. 
 
for pop music i prefer a headphone with V-shaped sound signature (audio technica m50 for one). but it wont be as good for rock (for that I prefer mid focused headphone, I believe akg is one)  
Its a personal preference though.

 

[money4me247]

  Guys a little help here.... first of all keep in mind that my experience with measurement graphics are..... well... 0..... XD
 
So heres the the thing.... as i already shared with u guys my momentums are about as gone because of the fit, although i love the sound of the momentum.... since i have my hd25 for portable i thought of getting something for home use and i thought of the k550's and the hd598's but i am a bit affraid of getting the akg's because of the seal and the 598's because after trying them i missed the low end body of the momentums (as i said i really enjoyed the momentums sound and if it was not for the bad seal for outside use they would absolutely remain here), since i listen to rock pop and edm ....
 
So heres the thing..... today i tried to look at some measurements and is it me or the bass responde on the k550's is not that far from the momentums...??? I can clearly see that the akg's have more treble but next to the measurements of the amperiors, momentums and hd25-1 ii's the k550's do not seem to have a very bad low end...
 
Am i wrong??? 
 
(the hd598s definitly do not seem the best choice for me musical genres does it?)

The AKG K550 does not really have seal problems if that is what you are wondering about. If you have a large head, it should fit fine... and if you have a small head you can press down on the headband gently to make it fit tighter.
 
I've never looked that any FR charts for either headphones. I have personally found that looking at charts doesn't really help me pick headphones. I prefer to go demo them in person.
 
I've owned both the AKG K550 & the Momentums. Personally, I thought the K550 had better bass QUALITY than the Momentums with the AKG having nicer bass extension (going deeper frequency) and texture (subtle patterns in bass notes) and a tighter bass (hear each bass note as a distinct note without bleeding). I had no issues with the bass on the AKG K550, but a common complaint against the AKG house sound is the "anemic bass" - either the user is not used to the lower bass QUANTITY (amount of bass) in more neutral headphones or maybe fit issues I guess. I actually never experienced any problems like that though. I thought the bass was very very well done and I really loved the AKG K550's sound. I think the K545 is a bassier, portable version.

 

[frapp2latte]

  Guys a little help here.... first of all keep in mind that my experience with measurement graphics are..... well... 0..... XD
 
So heres the the thing.... as i already shared with u guys my momentums are about as gone because of the fit, although i love the sound of the momentum.... since i have my hd25 for portable i thought of getting something for home use and i thought of the k550's and the hd598's but i am a bit affraid of getting the akg's because of the seal and the 598's because after trying them i missed the low end body of the momentums (as i said i really enjoyed the momentums sound and if it was not for the bad seal for outside use they would absolutely remain here), since i listen to rock pop and edm ....
 
So heres the thing..... today i tried to look at some measurements and is it me or the bass responde on the k550's is not that far from the momentums...??? I can clearly see that the akg's have more treble but next to the measurements of the amperiors, momentums and hd25-1 ii's the k550's do not seem to have a very bad low end...
 
Am i wrong??? 
 
(the hd598s definitly do not seem the best choice for me musical genres does it?)

 
Hi, everyone!

Like Pedro Oliveira, I'm also deciding between the HD598's and the K550's and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me which one between the two is better for Kpop, Asian female vocals, Pop, Indie Pop, Singer-Songwriter, Ballads, and Country? The Momentums were also part of my original list but I have a feeling I'll experience comfort issues with their smaller earcup size so I'd rather not take the risk. Clarity, Vocals, soundstage and depth, and decent bass quality (not necessarily quantity) is important to me and I'd prefer something neutral but a bit on the mid-centric end. I hear the HD598 is stupendous for female vocals but I'm thinking closed headphones like the K550 would be more useful for me as I share a room with other people. Do you think the K550 will do the trick? Or is the HD598 a better choice for me?

 

[money4me247]

  Hi, everyone!

Like Pedro Oliveira, I'm also deciding between the HD598's and the K550's and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me which one between the two is better for Kpop, Asian female vocals, Pop, Indie Pop, Singer-Songwriter, Ballads, and Country? The Momentums were also part of my original list but I have a feeling I'll experience comfort issues with their smaller earcup size so I'd rather not take the risk. Clarity, Vocals, soundstage and depth, and decent bass quality (not necessarily quantity) is important to me and I'd prefer something neutral but a bit on the mid-centric end. I hear the HD598 is stupendous for female vocals but I'm thinking closed headphones like the K550 would be more useful for me as I share a room with other people. Do you think the K550 will do the trick? Or is the HD598 a better choice for me?

If you absolutely need closed, then yes, the K550 is an amazing choice for closed nonportable.
 
Another option to consider if you are looking at the HD598 is the open AKG K701/Q701.

 

[ampair]

  Hello everyone!!! Newbie here and im a proud owner of a new pair of k550. Got them for Christmas for a "hell of a deal!"... They were on Crutchfield's for an amazing $139 ( factory refurb ) GET EM while you can! I must say that these cans are simply amazing... Really love em! Now I have to figure out what to do with all the other phones i have.
A little background... Im a DJ/Producer of tech-house music and come from a long line of headphones from fart cannons to k550s. These i must say are not for portable use unless you have a portable amp. If you do run these out of a portable amp and you are daring enough to leave the house (lol) you run the risk of looking like a modern day "Princess leia" and may get slayed by a light saber! I must say i receive incredible sound straight out of my Mac laptop (thats why i say these do function better with a portible amp). Im actually waiting on an amp (Pyle PHE7AB).
Can anyone tell me if they had any experience with this amp?.. and if its any good?

 
yep, that's me

but i very much doubt that someone would mistake me for princess leia. not if she hasn't lost most of her hair, had an SRS done and gained a few kilos, that is. and i haven't run into a lightsaber yet (phoo...).
 
regarding the amp: from what i found on google, it's basically a fiio e7. maybe there are some people who tried this with k550. i have the fiio e17 (successor), which works perfectly fine with these cans.

 

[frapp2latte]

  If you absolutely need closed, then yes, the K550 is an amazing choice for closed nonportable.
 
Another option to consider if you are looking at the HD598 is the open AKG K701/Q701.

 
From your experience, which one between the K701 and Q701 has better mids and is great for mainstream music? Are they significantly better than the K550 or the open HD598?

 

[Shaffer]

New K550 owner checking in. Just got mine today. Listened to them for ~15 minutes and moved them into another room to break in for a few days. Perfect fit (big head). At first listen, tonally, they're not dissimilar to my K702. I'm very impressed with how non-closed they sound. I'll post back with some impressions.