I've had the HD555 for over 2 years. They do improve with amplification: mainly soundstage and bass will improve. An amp is not a must with this can but to my ears the improvement is quite obvious. Next to my bigger amp which brings out the soundstage and bass I also have the portable fiio e5...

Quote: Yeah totally. For comparison: I also have a Sennheiser HD555 which sounds completely lifeless in comparison to my ATH M50 (out of an iPod Touch). I can't comment on the Grado's though, never listened to them because I live in Europe where these things are too expensive. The...

I'm a metal fan and I use the ATH M50's for all my rock/metal albums. From The Doors to Opeth, these headphones deliver! I'm no audiophile but to my ears these cans sound excellent (for metal): punchy bass, clear highs and alot of detail.

I also recommend the AKG K518DJ. It is a good sounding and very portable (they are foldable) headphone that provides plenty of bass. It's not as good as the HD555 or the m50 which I both own but for the price (got it for 50 euros from amazon.de) you can't go wrong. Besides, those other...

4-5 hours easily, no pain or sweat at all.

I own the HD555 and the M50. Straight out of an Ipod I prefer the M50. For home use with an amp however, I'd have to give the edge to the Sennheiser (I like the bigger soundstage) but that's just my opinion. I use both cans to listen to hard rock and heavy metal.

I bought the Sennheiser HD555 a little under a year ago, I had also read about the issue of cracks appearing over time but I can tell you that my pair is still in perfect condition. I have been using them for gaming and music intensly, I even have them on my head while I'm typing this. If you...

  Quote: What are you talking about man? I always give the high frequencies a serious boost with an equalizer when using the HD555. I don't think they are bright at all.

Oh is it really? I looked for some high resolution pictures but couldn't find any. Thank you very much!   Quote:

First of all I am a complete dummie in all things audio.   Now, I have been thinking of buying a cd player (a used Marantz CD5001) and I read that "it sounds great straight from the headphone out" and that you "don't need an amp" but I don't understand how people can say this since the...

I happened to do a comparison between the HD202 (which is said to be a little bit worse than the HD201) and the HD555 quite recently and there was obviously a massive difference between the two. When listening to the 555 everything opened up, you could hear every little detail, big soundstage...

My vote also goes to the AKG K81 DJ. Don't know about the XB700 though.

Get the AKG K81DJ. They're very good for their price and from what I've read on these forums they don't sound that different from the Sennheiser HD 25-1-II. The AKG's are miles ahead of the Sennheiser HD201.

I recently bought the HD555 and to me they sound fantastic through my amped source: good bass and a big soundstage. With a weaker source like an Ipod it still sounds OK. I listen mostly to heavy metal and hard rock.

It sounds just OK from an Ipod, nothing special though. It is a completely different sounding headphone out of a powerful amp however.