Anything comparable to AKG K550/551 in ~130 £ range?
Jul 30, 2013 at 8:23 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19
Sephael

Sephael

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Hi there,

I have an option to buy AKG K550/551 for 130 £. Are there any headphones that are (in general) better than the AKG at around 150 pounds? I am led to believe that this price is a huge discount but I'd rather verify that with this awesome community!
 
I've been told to take a look at  ATH-A900X - as they are in the same price range (~140). What do you guys think?

Regards,
Simon
 
Jul 30, 2013 at 10:51 AM Post #2 of 19
Quote:
thereem said:
In my opinion nothing compares to them in that price range to get better you are probably looking at the mad dogs. I own both and they are by far the best closed phones I have heard. The k551 sounds a bit less in SQ compared to k550.
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I had the Mad Dogs and the K550.  I preferred the K550's sub-bass, so I traded the Mad Dogs away. 
 
But yeah, these two models are the best closed, full-sized headphones I've heard.
 
Jul 30, 2013 at 11:07 AM Post #3 of 19
You will be hard pressd to find too many closed headphones better than K550 irrespective of price. However if you can make do with open headphones then there are several options under $300-500.
 
Jul 30, 2013 at 11:14 AM Post #4 of 19
Quote:
thereem said:
I see you have the k702, How do they compare to the k550? are there soundstages similar etc?
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The sound stage is much wider on the K702.  The K702 is just a better headphone all around...except for the bass.  The K550s have excellent sub-bass and they give you better impact. 
 
I just got the K702s last week and upgraded to the Annie pads - so far so good.
 
When I put on the K702s after listening to K550s, all I can think is, "this just sounds so much better". 
 
 
The problem with the K702s is that some music, like reggae or edm, will sound too thin and anemic.  Jazz and classical are perfect with the 702s.  When I listen to Bob Marley with the K550s after using the K702s, all I can think is, "this just sounds so much better". 
biggrin.gif

 
Jul 30, 2013 at 11:43 AM Post #5 of 19
Quote:
sephael said:
Hi there,

I have an option to buy AKG K550/551 for 130 £. Are there any headphones that are (in general) better than the AKG at around 150 pounds? I am led to believe that this price is a huge discount but I'd rather verify that with this awesome community!
 
I've been told to take a look at  ATH-A900X - as they are in the same price range (~140). What do you guys think?

Regards,
Simon
Click to expand...


I don't know where you are planning to buy these from, but £130 is also the current price on amazon uk, & buying from there will be risk-free if you don't like them and want to return.
 
Jul 30, 2013 at 3:11 PM Post #6 of 19
Quote:
sephael said:
I have an option to buy AKG K550/551 for 130 £. Are there any headphones that are (in general) better than the AKG at around 150 pounds? I am led to believe that this price is a huge discount but I'd rather verify that with this awesome community!
I've been told to take a look at  ATH-A900X - as they are in the same price range (~140). What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I own the ATH-A900Xs and really like the audio quality, I believe the K550 and A900X are roughly the same audio quality (per others who have compared the two).
The K550 would seem to be good if your planing on traveling with the headphones.
 
Aug 3, 2013 at 9:05 AM Post #7 of 19
Quote:
purpleangel said:
I own the ATH-A900Xs and really like the audio quality, I believe the K550 and A900X are roughly the same audio quality (per others who have compared the two).
The K550 would seem to be good if your planing on traveling with the headphones.
Click to expand...

Well Per Others and Per your own ears is a different thing there,
 
but Non the less I like what I'm hearing about the K550, I'm in need of a good closed back and the mad dog is just to dark for me. So a brighter can is needed. this seems to fit the bill! 
 
Aug 8, 2013 at 12:16 PM Post #9 of 19
So I noticed that the ATH a900x are being sold for 140 pounds on Amazon.co.uk, but they are imported from Japan. Does it mean that I'll have to pay the tax/vat as well? That's 33% of the value which makes it 200pounds = not worth it...
 
Aug 8, 2013 at 1:02 PM Post #10 of 19
I have the ATH-900X and the K550s. I would be glad to sell the A900X to you if you were in the US since I don't listen to them anymore since getting the K550s (been too lazy to put them on Ebay). To me, the K550s have a more engaging sound, and the soundstage is definitely bigger. The A900X are more demure to me. My bias is that I have found that I seem to like the AKG sound better than the ATH, so that may be a factor here.

The one downside is whether or not you will get a good fit with the K550s. Some people have trouble with that with the K550s. Which, btw, some of the negative testimonials of the SQ for the K550s are probably coming from people that did not get them sealed and fit right.

More information on the K550s at http://www.head-fi.org/t/613707/the-akg-k550-appreciation-discussion-thread.
 
Aug 8, 2013 at 1:51 PM Post #11 of 19
Yeah, that's my biggest concern as well - I am unsure if they will be a good fit, and as I am unable to test them (as they do not seem to be available anywhere in Dublin) I am leaning towards a900x... 
 
Are you sure you wouldn't be interested in selling these to a non-US head-fier? :frowning2:
 
Aug 9, 2013 at 12:09 AM Post #12 of 19
sephael said:
Yeah, that's my biggest concern as well - I am unsure if they will be a good fit, and as I am unable to test them (as they do not seem to be available anywhere in Dublin) I am leaning towards a900x... 

Are you sure you wouldn't be interested in selling these to a non-US head-fier? :frowning2:
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Sorry. Yeah. Not interested in doing international shipping. Might not save you any money over a new pair anyway.
 
Aug 9, 2013 at 4:31 AM Post #13 of 19
It probably would, the only way I can get these bad boys is by importing them from Japan... 200 euros :frowning2:

Coming back to the K550 and A900x comparison - Which ones would you say are better for movies/games? I'll definitely be using the new headphones for music, but I also want them to be good for gaming and movies and I've read here on head-fi that the a900x sound better.
 
Aug 9, 2013 at 5:43 AM Post #14 of 19
Quote:
sephael said:
It probably would, the only way I can get these bad boys is by importing them from Japan... 200 euros :frowning2:

Coming back to the K550 and A900x comparison - Which ones would you say are better for movies/games? I'll definitely be using the new headphones for music, but I also want them to be good for gaming and movies and I've read here on head-fi that the a900x sound better.
Click to expand...

If I remember correctly, when the A900X and K550s were first compared, the K550 seem to come out ahead, but then after awhile there were a few comparisons where the A900x come out ahead.
 
As it seems you can get the K550 for a fair bit cheaper then the A900X, get the K550.
 
Aug 9, 2013 at 10:01 AM Post #15 of 19
purpleangel said:
If I remember correctly, when the A900X and K550s were first compared, the K550 seem to come out ahead, but then after awhile there were a few comparisons where the A900x come out ahead.

As it seems you can get the K550 for a fair bit cheaper then the A900X, get the K550.
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Yep. To me it's like comparing the DT880s and Q701s and trying to say one is better than the other. In both pairings--DT880/Q701 and A900X/K550--the AKG wins on bigger soundstage. But otherwise, with each set of headphones, individual listening preferences will be the deciding factor between the two, and in each case, it is probably tough call to guess without hearing them. Their tonal quality balance is just so different.
 
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