[MayaTlab]

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I'm going to be honest - I just want a circumaural DT1350..., and I'm hoping the K550 delivers...

I'm with you on that one - but let's be honest with ourlseves there is very little chance this will be the case. And after all, I'm not sure, for all its qualities, that I want the DT 1350 flaws as well. I'm ready to sacrifice a bit of portability to get a little closer to where I want to get, but I doubt at this price point that it will have all the DT 1350 qualities and more. I think it's rather going to be an altogether different kind of sound. Anyway it seems to be a very interesting design from AKG and I hope it will deliver.
 
I also think that the DT 1350 isn't its main competitor - I'd rather go for the Sony Z1000 for example. They seem to share more design choices.
 

 

[rhythmdevils]

The T70 is more likely to fill that void

 

[wnmnkh]

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My opinion - K/Q701/702 series have a deep but dry bass
D7000 have a very deep, expressive bass (with Magic of Himalayas, Mystical sent, and their big drums, blowing air between my auricel and the earpads).
K550 have a "round", warm, bodied bass - also he is somewhere in the middle.
 
K550 have more bass than the K271 - K550 have a new 50mm driver, the K271/272 capsule is smaller.

 
Not sure I will like it. I really hope for closed version of 70x series... Considering Denons have downright overpowered bass, so I expect K550 to be a bit bass heavy according this impression.

 

[MayaTlab]

Quote:

The T70 is more likely to fill that void

Yes indeed for those not bothered by it not folding flat. 
 
BTW, can somebody explain me what is the intended target for the K550 ? I find its design choices quite strange.
Ex : it's got a 3m cable, non detachable, with a 3,5mm plug, big earcups, but which fold flat. I'm quite puzzled here.
 

 

[Acix]

Quote:

 
Not sure I will like it. I really hope for closed version of 70x series... Considering Denons have downright overpowered bass, so I expect K550 to be a bit bass heavy according this impression.

Questions....
 
1. The K550 is a fancy version of the K-181?
2. The K550 is a bassy version of the K271MKll?
3. The K550 is a close version of the K702?

 

 

[wind016]

 
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Noooooo, not another bass-monster! Oh god, no! 
 
If it's anything like an ED8, I'll rip my chest hair off (just the one). 

More bass than a K271 doesn't make it a bass monster when the K271 is ridiculously bass-lacking. Even much more so than the K701.
 

 

[electropop]

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More bass than a K271 doesn't make it a bass monster when the K271 is ridiculously bass-lacking. Even much more so than the K701.
 

Oh no, not at all. I don't really listen to coloration, or at least prioritize by it, but how well I can discern music and thus listen to it. One headphone that's on the top-side of the bass-spectrum AND does this good, in this price range, is the KNS8400. Really performed wonderfully, even though according to one or two measurements it's a bit more pronounced in bass than neutral. The SRH840 on the other hand for example, well, not so good. And many others that seem to prioritize absolute extension (or just otherwise) by coloration to discerning notes, do not perform well. 
That's why I'm a bit touchy with "omg it has bass!", since that's pretty much the only thing people listen to nowadays. 

 Don't get me wrong, it's important to get it right, but only as part of a bigger thing... 

 

[ponkine]

Lack of bass IS a coloration (in this case, decoloration). And  that's pretty much present on every AKG headphones
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Oh no, not at all. I don't really listen to coloration

 

 

[WhiteCrow]

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Noooooo, not another bass-monster! Oh god, no! 
 
 

Testing the AKGK 601's with the AD700's, the AD700s sounded more like the XB700's up against the K601's. So pretty much any headphon with the slightest amount of bass sounds like a subwoofer compaired to AKG's open headphones.

 

[electropop]

Quote:

Lack of bass IS a coloration (in this case, decoloration). And  that's pretty much present on every AKG headphones


 

 
I didn't say it wasn't. Just saying the ability to follow a bass-line, for instance, prioritizes over "neutrality". For me at least...
 
Also, quote out of context. The rest of my post clears my point pretty well, I think.
 
 

 

[electropop]

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Testing the AKGK 601's with the AD700's, the AD700s sounded more like the XB700's up against the K601's. So pretty much any headphon with the slightest amount of bass sounds like a subwoofer compaired to AKG's open headphones.

Yeah, and I couldn't care less. As I said, coloration is secondary. Distinguishing notes comes first. Usually bass-lighter cans do this better. A headphone that has plenty of bass and distortion (ED9 comes to mind) can't play notes to the pitch, ie. is a bad headphone for a music lover vs. an audiophile. 
 
In my previous post I explained how a KNS8400 does this good even though it has more bass... in quantity. I wouldn't mind more bass, it's just that at the moment I haven't run into a headphone that does what's important to me better with more bass, than the K272. The KNS8400 in my brief experimentation session seemed so good I immediately ordered it. Not many I've tried have done that. 
 
To interpret my tongue in cheek post: Hope they haven't gone the cheap route and prioritized the needs of the mass market or semi-audiophiles who just seek more bass. Keep the bass as just another part of the music, not a skull****er.

 

[svyr]

Yeah, and I couldn't care less. As I said, coloration is secondary. Distinguishing notes comes first. Usually bass-lighter cans do this better. A headphone that has plenty of bass and distortion (ED9 comes to mind) can't play notes to the pitch, ie. is a bad headphone for a music lover vs. an audiophile. 
 
In my previous post I explained how a KNS8400 does this good even though it has more bass... in quantity. I wouldn't mind more bass, it's just that at the moment I haven't run into a headphone that does what's important to me better with more bass, than the K272. The KNS8400 in my brief experimentation session seemed so good I immediately ordered it. Not many I've tried have done that. 
 
To interpret my tongue in cheek post: Hope they haven't gone the cheap route and prioritized the needs of the mass market or semi-audiophiles who just seek more bass. Keep the bass as just another part of the music, not a skull****er.

I used to think rolled off bass was a good thing that let me hear the mids and highs better (be it DT48e, SR-202, K702, K271mk2 or W5000 that I owned, and to some extent SR-404), but really all you do is deprive yourself of the lower end texture and detail and much of the enjoyment and conveyed meaning in the lower end notes (it's even apparent for classical music, whether drums in orchestral pieces, or lower notes on a grand piano and cello where both can go < 100hz. For metal or electro it kinda just screws it big time). Nowadays I'd never buy another rolled off lower end HP.

 

[electropop]

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I used to think rolled off bass was a good thing that let me hear the mids and highs better (be it DT48e, SR-202, K702, K271mk2 or W5000 that I owned, and to some extent SR-404), but really all you do is deprive yourself of the lower end texture and detail and much of the enjoyment and conveyed meaning in the lower end notes (it's even apparent for classical music, whether drums in orchestral pieces, or lower notes on a grand piano and cello where both can go < 100hz. For metal or electro it kinda just screws it big time). Nowadays I'd never buy another rolled off lower end HP.

That might be true. But if a headphone does not convey the notes well separated from each other, it's a big turn off for me. Apparent with jazz and modal music in general. 
 
I don't necessarily think it's good for the mids and higs but the bass (the instrument) itself is so much more relaxing to listen to since it's easier to follow. Pinching my ears to hear what a bass player conveys is bothersome But I understand your point with classical music; the value in expression might be more than just a story in notes and requires absolute extension. Haven't had too much trouble with the K272 though.. 
 
Do you have a headphone in mind that fulfills both of these requirements in this price-class without a mid-bass hump? I'd be interested So far, the KNS8400 has been close, but I have to listen to that more once it arrives...

 

[JamesMcProgger]

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I'm going to be honest - I just want a circumaural DT1350..., and I'm hoping the K550 delivers...

shouldnt you go for the Tesla 1 then?

 

[wind016]

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Yeah, and I couldn't care less. As I said, coloration is secondary. Distinguishing notes comes first. Usually bass-lighter cans do this better. A headphone that has plenty of bass and distortion (ED9 comes to mind) can't play notes to the pitch, ie. is a bad headphone for a music lover vs. an audiophile. 
 
In my previous post I explained how a KNS8400 does this good even though it has more bass... in quantity. I wouldn't mind more bass, it's just that at the moment I haven't run into a headphone that does what's important to me better with more bass, than the K272. The KNS8400 in my brief experimentation session seemed so good I immediately ordered it. Not many I've tried have done that. 
 
To interpret my tongue in cheek post: Hope they haven't gone the cheap route and prioritized the needs of the mass market or semi-audiophiles who just seek more bass. Keep the bass as just another part of the music, not a skull****er.

It seems like you're prioritizing clarity over everything. Having to hear every single detail whether intended or not. If everyone had that priority, probably everyone would have an AKG K702 or Beyerdynamic T1 to throw around, but they fatigue my ears. Clarity doesn't equate to a better music listener, but only that they enjoy more clarity. I'd gladly exchange the highest extension on both ends of the sound spectrum for pristine midrange, but I don't think it's much of a problem once you reach the $300 level (Monster Beats and Bose being the exception). Honestly, I don't mind Denon D7000's bass and I don't see how Denon is as one-noted bass as everyone claims. I can clearly hear the notes. I could probably assume that anyone trying to tune a bass instrument shouldn't have much trouble using a Denon D7000.
 
Does the ED9 really have that much distortion? The only thing I have experience with too much bass AND distortion is the Monster Beats Pros and Sony XB700/500. I've considered the L3000 but not so sure anymore.