Bought these last week , they had them on display at Currys and sat and listened for 30 mins and was impressed.
Strangely my pair sounded pretty different from the store pair. I guess the store pair were burnt in more?
Initially the bass on my pair was a little "PHAT" (deep thumpy loose bass) but after maybe 10 hrs it was calmer and tighter, i use HD600 in the house and HD439 on the move at the moment and was pretty sure the HD439 was going to be a long term keeper.
The V55 is a very entertaining listen, very different from the HD439.
If the HD439 is a refined , Oxbridge educated willowy Blonde with slightly horsey teeth, the V55 is the estate chav princess who sells her charlie.
Things the HD439 does better than the V55 :
1. Soundstage - V55 is ok for a closed can but the HD439 has a wider presentation.
2. Treble detail - on the HD it is easier to pick the higher registers apart from the mids where on the V55 the mids and treble are more of a composite.
Things the V55 does better :
1. Mids - really nice mids on the V55 , they blend effortlessly into the full frequency response, this is one of the best things about the Sonys, they are smooth from top to bottom, someone said they had harsh treble in a review but i dont hear it.
2. Isolation - much better than the HD.
3. Comfort - this was a surprise as the HD is very comfy but they dont grip very well and can move a lot when walking. The V55 has ideal grip for me.
4. Bass - i love the bass on these , it is a smidge more than i usually like but it is clean and Plan B , Frank Ocean and the like sound MUCH better on the V55.
5 .Build Quality - V55 is solid and hefty in comparison to the HD439.
TIP - Some have said the V55 can creak, mine creak when adjusted to number 4 but shorten them to 3 and its gone.
Overall i am very pleased, i think they are worth the £90 RRP but on amazon right now the V55 is £51 , total bargain imo.
Well done Sony, cant wait for the MDR-1R!