[zsejk]

  Interesting to find another member who enjoys classical on the HD650. I read a number of owners disliking the genre with 'warmish' headphones. I was in that camp, but I've gradually grown to enjoy the HD650. Instruments sound very natural, and provide detail that had been previously masked by excessive treble. 
 

 
I didn't know there were camps ... haha 

Glad we're in the same one though, it's good not to be alone. Would you have any recommendations in the classical genre that you like to listen to on the HD650? Preferably stuff that also sounds good on the AKG K550 of course!
 

 
I wonder what the people who don't like the HD650 for classical, like instead.
 

 

 

[zsejk]

@RockStar2005: thanks for the info!
 
HDtracks is available here in the EU, so I'm good to go with that. Thankfully I own a lot of the U2 CDs, so I can possibly put some effort into ripping them into some high quality files. No biggie for me they're not available on HDtracks.
 

 
I hadn't heard the "Attack & Release" album yet, I will definitely give it a go. I guess I mostly listen to their "Brothers" and "Fever" albums, of which I like "Brothers" best I think. Do you find The Black Keys are particularly well suited to the K550? Any other musical tips for the K550?

 

[yo mama]

you rock

 

[SunTanScanMan]

   
I didn't know there were camps ... haha 

Glad we're in the same one though, it's good not to be alone. Would you have any recommendations in the classical genre that you like to listen to on the HD650? Preferably stuff that also sounds good on the AKG K550 of course!
 

 
I wonder what the people who don't like the HD650 for classical, like instead.
 

 

The HD 650 is not the go to recommendation for classical music. People seem to prefer a more brighter presentation like the beyers, or the HD800 (which I have not heard), and even the K550. There is logic to this as the treble gives a sense of air to the sound of instruments and the sensation of greater headstage.
 
I think classical listeners place value on that headstage, particularly in their enjoyment of orchestral works. More than I do at least... it's nice, but I prefer how natural the instruments sound through a headphone. Overemphasis of the treble is not natural, at least to instruments I have heard live. That's the strength of the HD 650 and the K550, along with being able to listen to music for a prolonged period without fatigue.
 
I currently listen to a lot of chamber music, especially string quartets (Beethoven, Dvořák, constantly along with Tchaikovsky, Britten ...etc etc) , because the emotional intimacy really gets me, rather than because the headphones suits that genre well. However, both the HD 650 and K550 are excellent tools for enjoying that genre (or any other classical genre/instrument I would add).
 
Today I finally got my hands on Bartók's string quartets by the Tokyo String Quartet. I'm still learning to enjoy more complex melodies of Bartok and Shostakovich string quartets... but I am enjoying pushing my tastes (albeit slowly...)

 

[RockStar2005]

zsejk, 
 
Yeah but that annoys me that they're not available over there too. I have Achtung Baby on CD too, but I did feel the Hi-Res one sounded better, at least a little better. Just keep an eye out for it, and check Qobuz too to see if they perhaps have it (will probably be in 24/44.1 as that's what I got.) 
 
Just make sure when you rip them that you do so to FLAC or ALAC/Apple Lossless, not mp3 (for YEARS I did that b/c I didn't know any better lol). But in this last year or so, my knowledge went from minimal to extensive, with Hi-Res (and Hi-Fi headphones) being the main catalyst. 
 
Yes check out "Attack" and see what you think. I'm sure Psychotic Girl will more than impress on the K550! Lots of echo and a cool piano riff that stands as the main riff as well. I only have their albums in mp3, but I may one day get the Hi-Res versions. I do like them, but there were too many other artists/bands I wanted first. Over the last 15 months I've amassed QUITE a collection of Hi-Res albums. It has revolutionized my love of music, so I owe it a great debt! Albums that I perhaps got kinda tired of long ago now sound incredible and amazing to me again!
 
Cases in point: 
 
Forget mp3 to Hi-Res, in some cases, even the CDs I had were much improved by comparison with the Hi-Res version. Here are just 2 examples: 
 
1) Lenny Kravitz - "Are You Gonna Go My Way". Incredible! As great as my CD version of this album sounds, the Hi-Res versions takes it to NEW heights! Just compare the opening track's intro on the CD (if you have it or can get a copy) to the Hi-Res one. It's not even fair. lol I am waiting IMPATIENTLY for Universal/EMI Records to release his other 90s greats "Mama Said", "5" and one of my personal favorite 90s albums, "Circus" in Hi-Res. I guarantee when they are released, I'll be first in line to buy them. (If that link works, BUY IT! lol Or check Qobuz if it doesn't.) 
 
2) Fleetwood Mac - I had all the mid-late 70s Fleetwood Mac albums on CD, and they sounded great too. But the Hi-Res versions simply offered more detail to the music. Even the Live (1980) album sounded more livelier (especially the drums) than what I heard on my CD. If you like them at all, then get (96/24 for all and 48/24 for Live) Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, and Live, and enjoy what you hear! (FM was remastered even lower than usual for Hi-Res, so you will have to turn the volume up even more, but it's smooth like butter!) Just listen to the drums on songs like Rhiannon, Blue Letter, Crystal, Over My Head (the bass, sweet), and Oh Daddy...... amazing. The drumming on the ending of Crystal and on Daddy sounds like Mick Fleetwood is playing both right next to you and from outer space at the same time! (It's that incredible K550/K553 soundstage baby! lol) On Second Hand News, you can actually HEAR Stevie Nicks' backing vocals very clearly, and the bass and sound separation is very well-balanced too. 
 
Lindsay Buckingham's guitar playing (no pick, crazy!) on the live versions of Go Your Own Way and I'm So Afraid are beyond insane. Just listen to that live (and extended) solo on Way........ it will blow your mind dude. lol 
 
Try those out and let us know what you think! 
 
Other musical tips? I mean definitely make sure you have a premium DAP or a premium amp/DAC in the mix. And keep that EQ off. Or if you mean other album suggestions besides what I've given you........... that could be a very LONG post. lol Let me just list off the names of band/artists that I have at least one song or album in Hi-Res (aside from what I've told you already), then you tell me which ones you like and we'll go from there: 
 
Adele, Band of Horses, Beck, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Counting Crows, Cream, CCR, Daft Punk, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Faces, Foster The People, Garbage, Gary Clark Jr., George Harrison, Gin Blossoms, Heart, Houndmouth (can only find the individual tracks in mp3 for them online, or just buy the CD online or locally; get their newest album "Little Neon Limelight", great album! So many great songs like their big hit Sedona, Otis, 15 Years, Gasoline, etc), Hozier, Interpol, Jeff Buckley, John Lennon, Journey, Led Zeppelin, Linda Ronstadt, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, My Morning Jacket, Nirvana, Norah Jones, Otis Redding, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rick James, Rod Stewart, Ryan Adams, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, The Band, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Eagles, The National, The Righteous Brothers, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Van Halen, Van Morrison, Waylon Jennings, and Wolf Parade. 

 

[RockStar2005]

mama, 
 
Who are you talking to? lol

 

[zsejk]

 
HDtracks is available here in the EU, so I'm good to go with that.

 
Or maybe not. It definitely looks to be available in Germany and the UK though, so that's something.
 
Back on topic: tried the K550 out with watching some TV shows, and it does not disappoint there either. The quality of the material was truly awful, but the K550 manfully played all the crazy artifacts that were present in the audio track.
 
The U2 song I tried before definitely becomes better with a better quality version of it, but the song still sounds like Bono is singing from the back of a large room somewhere. Just an oddity with the song I guess, nothing to do specifically with the K550. "New Year's Day" from the same album (FLAC this time) sounded great on the K550.
 
@SunTanScanMan: I think I know what you mean. Like the Beyerdynamic T1 for instance? I think I would have to admit it sounds truly impressive and definitely gives an awesome rendering of some of the symphonies a listened to with it. But sometimes I'm not quite in the mood to do that kind of listening, and I just want to be comforted by the HD650 with some great classical music. I personally find the space between the instruments (as I like to describe what I hear, not sure if it's accurate enough) pretty impressive in the HD650. It's also good in the K550 (a little less so than the HD650, but pretty damn good considering it's closed), which on the other end perhaps impresses a little more with violin concertos? More listening is required! Thanks for the tip about Bartók, I had all but forgotten about the good man.
 
@RockStar2005: that's a lot of suggestions... haha... thanks a lot! I will be trying them out.
 

 

[RockStar2005]

zsejk, 
 
Ok. What country are you in? I guess just to try to find any Hi-Res sites that DO cater to your country. (Qobuz might? Check.)
 
That's cool that it brought out the best in the TV's sound (as best as it could considering lol). I don't use my headphones for TV watching. For that I have some $60 Sony infrared wireless ones that are pretty cool. But I barely use them. What I usually do though is sit on the couch when I listen, turn the TV but keep it on mute or a low volume, and then put on my headphones & music..........and listen to that and watch TV at the same time. Though I'm usually reading articles from my Flipboard app off my phone. Kind of switching between the two. Sometimes though I just listen. lol
 
Nice. Yeah U2 has some really great albums. I really hope one day you get your hands on that Hi-Res version of Achtung Baby. Also, I have a CD-Quality version of their newest album, which sounds great too. And also "All That You Can't Leave Behind", and others. All those are CD-Quality as well. As far as I know, Achtung is currently the ONLY U2 album available in Hi-Res, but if I had to choose one, it'd be that one. lol
 
Yes it is a lot. lol But now you're in absolutely NO danger of running out of music to listen to on the K550! 

 
Some of those bands will sound more "magical" than others, but they seem to always sound better in SOME way over the mp3 or even CD versions. I would say at least 98-99% of the time the Hi-Res one has SOMETHING noticeable to offer over lower resolution formats, especially mp3. 

 

[zsejk]

@RockStar2005: I see Qobuz is available there, which looks like a pretty good hi-res streaming service (also offering hi-res downloads). Thanks for the tip! I actually hadn't heard of it before (I know, shame on me right?), so pretty happy to have found it.
 

 
I have the "Achtung Baby" CD somewhere, I will go grab it, dust it off, and listen to it on my K550. I'll report back with results!
 

 

[RockStar2005]

zsejk, 
 
Nice! What country are you in though? You never said. 
 
You're welcome! Yeah you could do streaming but I'd rather download them. lol 
 
Qobuz is not currently available in the U.S., but I'd read on some forums that if you e-mail them and ask, they can make an exception. But then someone said they stopped doing that, so I dunno. Anyway, I just e-mailed them anyway with my fingers crossed! lol One of the bands they have in Hi-Res that no store in the U.S. does is Interpol, specifically they're most recent album (which came out Fall 2014), El Pintor. It even includes an additional great track too which I already have but in mp3, not Hi-Res.........."The Depths". Hopefully they respond and say I can do it! I have their other albums on CD so not so bad. I actually have El Pintor in Hi-Res from Qobuz through a friend who bought it for me in Europe, but he didn't get The Depths, so I still wanna buy that! 
 
If you get the chance, check them out on Qobuz. I've seen them live like 4 times now........amazing! They were actually a "special guest" of U2 when I saw them in 2011, so you know they're good right there! lol They tour Europe a lot too, so look out for them. Albums or singles to get are (CD-Quality, but still must-haves if you try them out and like them): 1) Turn On The Bright Lights (Tenth Anniversary Edition) (2002/2012) 2) Antics (2004) 3) Our Love To Admire (2007) 4) Evil EP (2005) (Song Seven!! Worth buying the EP for it. Amazing bass! lol) 5) Lights (2010, single.....from the "Interpol" album, which is their worst. Don't buy it. Just this. lol) Bright Lights is magical man. Probably the best album mentioned in this post. One of the best albums ever.......period. lol
 
Also, The National is up there too with Interpol IMO. Amazing shows (seen them 3 times)! And Band of Horses & My Morning Jacket too. MMJ has 1 album in Hi-Res on Qobuz, they're newest one which came out last May. I highly recommend track 8 and also 15. 8 (Big Decisions) is easily their best track in 3-4 years. Qobuz lets you download singles like Pono here in the U.S. does. BOH doesn't have any Hi-Res albums on UK HDTracks or Qobuz, just CD-Quality (Qobuz), but still worth checking out. MMJ......... check out Evil Urges (CD-Quality). "Touch Me Part 2" will blow your mind! lol
 
The National though does in Hi-Res.........also their newest, Trouble Will Find Me (2013). Just buy the whole album (can't buy singles for it anyway lol)...........it's THAT good! lol Pink Rabbits, Sea of Love, Demons, etc etc.  A solid album, though their best best might be their last one before it, High Violet (Expanded Edition). I got into them along with my best friend when that album came out (2010), and that's the album that made us fall in love with them. The other albums before it, Boxer (2007), Alligator (2005), and The Virginia EP (2008) are all worth buying too. 
 
Yes please do that! U2 & K550 sound like a GREAT team! lol 

 

[zsejk]

@RockStar2005 haha... wow man... you have *so* many musical suggestions! It's awesome, I'ma be discovering all kinds of new tracks this way.
 

 
At least I've heard of My Morning Jacket before, so I don't feel like a complete dunce... haha. I even have "The Waterfall", but I have yet to listen to it. I'm moving it upwards in my "To Listen" list.
 

 
I'm from the Netherlands by the way, so definitely Qobuz available here. Thank you very much (again) for mentioning them, I'm getting a 15-day trial tomorrow for sure.
 
So far U2 does not disappoint on the K550 by the way (getting slightly back on topic). I will have to definitely re-rip everything in FLAC though, currently they're all done in lame -V2. Not that I will hear a difference of course (my hearing is not *that* great), but who knows... maybe I will.
 

 

 

[RockStar2005]

zsejk, 
 
Haha......yeah I get a lil crazy sometimes. But it's to YOUR benefit zsejk! lol
 
Yeah I'd print out my last few posts and then cross off as you move down the list. lol 
 
Do you have "The Waterfall" in Hi-Res? If not, you may want to consider buying it from Qobuz then. I only really got into those 2 songs I mentioned. I listened to the other songs in part (samples or whole song). Maybe if I listened to 'em more I'd like them, but those 2 are great. "Big Decisions" is a BIG winner IMO. lol I played that for my buddy and his wife, and they loved it. 
 
I love those 4 bands........ to me, I'd say Interpol and The National are the best 2, with MMJ and BOH being very close in rank. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on them, when you can. Interpol is more harder rock than The National, but The National can rock out too (they just have a lot of slower songs as well as rockers). Just read what I said in my last post about them and use the links provided and you'll be on your way. lol 

 
No problem! I'm just glad you have a couple Hi-Res sites to choose from. Or did you say HDTracks UK didn't work for you? If so, then ok, ONE Hi-Res site to choose from! lol
 
Nice on U2. Well you might notice a difference? I'd definitely say give it a try. I tend to notice that when ripping a CD to FLAC vs lossy mp3 that the bass sounds better on the lossless FLAC or ALAC version. For ripping I'd recommend dbPoweramp. It's what I use and it's fantastic! Even after the free 21-day trial ends, the converter STILL works for free. Or else just use whatever you got. iTunes, Windows Media Player, VLC, etc are all very good too. 

 

[Burkebang]

I got my K550 MkII for ~£100 in a new years sale. My first impressions was not that great. Laid back thin mids was my main concern. The sound was a bit clinical, not engaging at all. Vocals sounded far away. I liked them for classical music, opera and orchestra works, not much else. I was in for quite a ride as I burned them in while listening to them. I remember one night I felt something happen during a Shostakovich symphony. To see what was going on, I switched to Diana Kralls Live in Paris album. An album I know very well and love and have used extensivly when testing sound equipment. I was almost floored by what had happened. In stead of being 50 feet away from Diana, now I was hearing her directly from the mic position. The mids had lept forward and taken on a lot more weigt than before and now the timber of Dianas voice came through as it should, not as well as with the K340, but really not that far away. Even after this, the sound kept improving slower but noticably for at least 20-30 hours more until it seemed to stabilize to where I no longer can hear any changes.
 
When I got the K550, I was seeking to upgrade from my early `80s K340 electret/dynamic set. I love these cans. I brought them with me for A-B testing to several highend hifi shops to make sure that whatever I got was in fact a real improvement. I didn't find any improvement to these, not even in the HD700 or HD800. So I ended up buying the K550 to use with music that didn't suit the K340's soundsignature and mostly because they had more bass and where cheap.
 
Amazingly, I now find myself prefering the K550 for most of my listening. They sound phenomenal, very natural sound, VERY detailed but still musical and not tireing, great soundstage, great instrument separation. Seemless from high to low and it has the same sound signature in highs, mids and lows (I find all Sennheisers I have heard to fall short here). They are forward sounding, but not overly so, just the way I like it. I also love the incredible clarity and total lack of "grain" in the sound from these cans.
 
For classical, opera and orchestra, the burned in K550 MkII are in my opinion much more enjoyable to listen to and clearly better than the HD800. I have no experience with higher end cans, so I cannot make further comparisons.
 
When I found this thread, I did the mods in the first post. That further improved the sound. The mod was done too recently for me to elaborate on this.
 
I run the K550 of a Audi-GD NFB-15 in high gain mode fed with only lossless and highrez music from a Squeezebox. I have never heard any piece of soundequipment that makes the difference between good-bad, lossy-lossless and lossless-highrez recordings more easy to hear.

 

[sludgeogre]

  I got my K550 MkII for ~£100 in a new years sale. My first impressions was not that great. Laid back thin mids was my main concern. The sound was a bit clinical, not engaging at all. Vocals sounded far away. I liked them for classical music, opera and orchestra works, not much else. I was in for quite a ride as I burned them in while listening to them. I remember one night I felt something happen during a Shostakovich symphony. To see what was going on, I switched to Diana Kralls Live in Paris album. An album I know very well and love and have used extensivly when testing sound equipment. I was almost floored by what had happened. In stead of being 50 feet away from Diana, now I was hearing her directly from the mic position. The mids had lept forward and taken on a lot more weigt than before and now the timber of Dianas voice came through as it should, not as well as with the K340, but really not that far away. Even after this, the sound kept improving slower but noticably for at least 20-30 hours more until it seemed to stabilize to where I no longer can hear any changes.
 
When I got the K550, I was seeking to upgrade from my early `80s K340 electret/dynamic set. I love these cans. I brought them with me for A-B testing to several highend hifi shops to make sure that whatever I got was in fact a real improvement. I didn't find any improvement to these, not even in the HD700 or HD800. So I ended up buying the K550 to use with music that didn't suit the K340's soundsignature and mostly because they had more bass and where cheap.
 
Amazingly, I now find myself prefering the K550 for most of my listening. They sound phenomenal, very natural sound, VERY detailed but still musical and not tireing, great soundstage, great instrument separation. Seemless from high to low and it has the same sound signature in highs, mids and lows (I find all Sennheisers I have heard to fall short here). They are forward sounding, but not overly so, just the way I like it. I also love the incredible clarity and total lack of "grain" in the sound from these cans.
 
For classical, opera and orchestra, the burned in K550 MkII are in my opinion much more enjoyable to listen to and clearly better than the HD800. I have no experience with higher end cans, so I cannot make further comparisons.
 
When I found this thread, I did the mods in the first post. That further improved the sound. The mod was done too recently for me to elaborate on this.
 
I run the K550 of a Audi-GD NFB-15 in high gain mode fed with only lossless and highrez music from a Squeezebox. I have never heard any piece of soundequipment that makes the difference between good-bad, lossy-lossless and lossless-highrez recordings more easy to hear.

 
That is quite a glowing review, great stuff. I agree that it has some incredible qualities that make me wonder why I bother with other headphones sometimes, but I have to say that my LCD-2 is the only thing that makes them fall behind. I really recommend that you try out a planar magnetic headphone at some point, especially the LCD-2 and maybe the LCD-X if you don't want as much bass and a more clinical sound. I absolutely love my K550 for travel, though.

 

[knorris908]

   
That is quite a glowing review, great stuff. I agree that it has some incredible qualities that make me wonder why I bother with other headphones sometimes, but I have to say that my LCD-2 is the only thing that makes them fall behind. I really recommend that you try out a planar magnetic headphone at some point, especially the LCD-2 and maybe the LCD-X if you don't want as much bass and a more clinical sound. I absolutely love my K550 for travel, though. 

Yeah, I love my K550s and K545s too.  They are something special, the both of them.
 
K545 = 
 
 
But the K550 = 
 
BOTH are HOT, and I wouldn't complain about either.  The K545 brings that extra BASS & portability, but the K550 just brings that little bit "extra" where it counts to the table...  MAKES you stand up and take notice.