[Shaffer]

Which is mostly psychological, as Tyll describes quite eloquently at the end of the Jan 2012 article:

It's Tyll's prerogative not to trust his own ears. Just as it's my prerogative to take his writing with a large grain of salt, having bought the K550 he put on his Wall of Fame.

Edit: text

 

[raidenwolff]

What don't you like about them?

 

[Shaffer]

What don't you like about them?

Here's a comparative post from yesterday:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/608889/audio-technica-ath-a900x-discussion-thread-formerly-a-900x-review/375#post_10378783

 

[raidenwolff]

I see. Really just a matter of preference; also depends on the genre of music you are listening to. I have tried some songs where the K550 is overly bright, but I think they perform relatively well across the board for all song types generally. I think they are very comfortable and perfect for listening to music while I work at my desk at night for hours on end. I listen to music on low volumes while working and the sound signature of the K550 is perfect for this. They're really detailed and accurate. 
 
I've never tried the A900x but with my small head, I think I'll hate the wing design. And I think it's a bad design where the earcups cannot be adjusted to let the earcup lie flat to your ears. The K550 fits me perfectly as they clamp with minimal force. 

 

[ratinox]

Here's a comparative post from yesterday:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/608889/audio-technica-ath-a900x-discussion-thread-formerly-a-900x-review/375#post_10378783

I read that. And re-read it. And I'm trying to figure out how you get from "break-in is real" to "I broke them in for ~100 hours and nothing really changed". But never mind that.

There's the point you make: "a lack of upper bass to give the sound any sense of foundation, congested mids." The culprit here is not having a good seal. If you turn the volume up to compensate then you'll experience a sound that is, "overly bright (and I mean BRIGHT)," because, you know, master volume too loud. It seems to me that most of what you find wrong with K550 is due to not getting a good seal.

Patience is necessary with memory foam pads. It takes time for the foam to warm up to your skin temperature and the pads may need to be repositioned as they warm up. If you don't take the time to get a good fit then you won't get a good fit.

I have a small head. A big ego to be sure but my hat size is a mere 7 1/8. Despite this I can still get a good seal with my K551 but it does take a few minutes for that to happen.

 

[raidenwolff]

Might I also add that you have to place the earcups (they are HUGE) correctly. Align your ear so that it's on or near the edge of the earcup; or align it yourself so that the cone points clearly towards your ear canal. You have no idea how many people don't know how to use headphones properly. If you don't do this, the K550 also sounds overly bright. 

 

[ratinox]

Indeed. Setting a slightly "knock-kneed" angle to the cups can also increase perceived bass response. Again, it's positioning the drivers and directing sound so that the pinna will have the most effect. Alpha Pads are angled for the same reason.

 

[GirgleMirt]

Really?

 
That video is pure failure though:  It's a dumb test and a waste of time.  To have any worth, they'd have to make sure that the two headphones are identical from the get-go, which was never done.  So all we know is that the two headphones FELT or sounded different.  Might have just been the pads too, the pressure on his head, etc.  It definitely does not prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that break-in makes an audible difference.
 
As for validity of break-in:  Can't remember the site but a speaker manufacturer measured drivers before and after break-in and there was measurable and significant difference.  Ah, there it is:  http://www.gr-research.com/myths.htm   Headphones work in the same way and have similar components, so they're bound to also be affected.  But to what extent?  That remains to be seen.  I'm skeptical that the effect is dramatic, especially since it lacks the crossover of the speakers, but it might still be audible.  Might... 
 
[edit] Also the guy started off saying he wanted to do a double blind test.  Guy doesn't know what a double blind test is...  Anyhow, as I said, waste of time.  If you don't start with two identical headphones, the only thing you can conclude is that those two headphones weren't identical, not that break-in has an audible effect.

 

[ratinox]

Headphones work in the same way and have similar components, so they're bound to also be affected.

Well, actually, no, they don't. Headphone drivers aren't miniature speaker drivers. Headphone driver materials are thin, delicate, plastic or metallic films compared to the thick, stiff paper and plastic used for speaker cones. Headphones don't have the big suspensions that speaker drivers require. Headphones operate with much less power and produce much less heat as a result. Most of what goes into speaker break-in, specifically woofer break-in, simply doesn't apply to headphones.

 

[Shaffer]

I read that. And re-read it. And I'm trying to figure out how you get from "break-in is real" to "I broke them in for ~100 hours and nothing really changed". But never mind that.

There's the point you make: "a lack of upper bass to give the sound any sense of foundation, congested mids." The culprit here is not having a good seal. If you turn the volume up to compensate then you'll experience a sound that is, "overly bright (and I mean BRIGHT)," because, you know, master volume too loud. It seems to me that most of what you find wrong with K550 is due to not getting a good seal.

Patience is necessary with memory foam pads. It takes time for the foam to warm up to your skin temperature and the pads may need to be repositioned as they warm up. If you don't take the time to get a good fit then you won't get a good fit.

The post had nothing to do with break-in as a concept. It was an honest description of my experience. The seal was good minutes of receiving the cans, the volume was not too high, and the memory foam pads had plenty of time to soften (as if they weren't soft to begin with). It's astounding to see you prorating my comments via your imagination. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to count every single strawman argument above, but as long as you're happy with your religion is all that matters.

I have a small head. A big ego to be sure but my hat size is a mere 7 1/8. Despite this I can still get a good seal with my K551 but it does take a few minutes for that to happen.

This is brutally obvious.

Edit: as a friendly hint, it's logically impossible to prove a negative. Good luck to you.

 

[GirgleMirt]

Well, actually, no, they don't. Headphone drivers aren't miniature speaker drivers. Headphone driver materials are thin, delicate, plastic or metallic films compared to the thick, stiff paper and plastic used for speaker cones. Headphones don't have the big suspensions that speaker drivers require. Headphones operate with much less power and produce much less heat as a result. Most of what goes into speaker break-in, specifically woofer break-in, simply doesn't apply to headphones.

Break-in isn't caused by heat, it's the suspension loosening up due to the forces applied to it.  The principle of a dynamic speaker and headphone driver is exactly the same & they both have the same components.  Headphone driver on the left, speaker driver on the right:
 
 
 
And besides, like every other material they have to obey the laws of physics, and when you apply force to a flexible material such as driver suspension, its flexibility will change over time.  It's not a matter of if it will change, it's a matter of how much.  For speakers, it's significant, for headphones, can't say I've seen definitive evidence yet.   http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-break-page-2    http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/measurement-and-audibility-headphone-break-page-2
 
 

 

[cel4145]

Here's a comparative post from yesterday:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/608889/audio-technica-ath-a900x-discussion-thread-formerly-a-900x-review/375#post_10378783

So what? I owned the A900X and got rid of them once I had thr K550s for a few weeks. I would say those two headphones are comparable in class. Seems to me that poster probably never figured how to put the K550s on his head correctly.

 

[Androb]

Here's a comparative post from yesterday:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/608889/audio-technica-ath-a900x-discussion-thread-formerly-a-900x-review/375#post_10378783

No hate, but it sounds like you been listening to a whole other phone than I did when I listened to them lol.

 

[Shaffer]

So what?

I'm the one who should be asking that question. I answered someone's query (in this thread) and now this. I've said the same in this thread, as I was working with the 550s. No one got upset. Either way, nothing is going to change.

I owned the A900X and got rid of them once I had thr K550s for a few weeks. I would say those two headphones are comparable in class. Seems to me that poster probably never figured how to put the K550s on his head correctly.

Because, wearing headphones is really, really complicated.

 

[cel4145]

Because, wearing headphones is really, really complicated.

Because many people have discovered that the AKG K550s sound quite different depending on how they are positioned front to back; it's not just about getting a good seal. For instance, people have repeatedly stated that positioning the headband farther forward in a way that is counter intuitive to how most headphones are worn was necessary to get good sound.

So yeah. I would suspect more complicated than you realized, or why make such a statement for a headphone that it is clear that is finicky in fit.