I decided to go ahead and purchase the AKG K553s to see if what some people are saying about them being superior to the more expensive Oppo PM-3 headphones is true or not. Before I continue, I must say that everyone's specific sound signature preferences can vary from one to another; i.e., some people like more bass, some prefer more neutral. So I advise anyone reading this to try out BOTH headphones and then decide for themselves which one they like more.
After receiving the K553s, I listened to them vs. my Oppo PM-3s over SEVERAL listening sessions spanning about 10 days. I listened to various song clips on BOTH headphones, one after the other. Each session lasted roughly 1-2 hours. So why did it take 10 days for me to pick a winner? Well, despite the two having some variance in their sound signature, to ME, both headphones sounded very similar actually. It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th session that I really could hear SOME difference between the two.
My impressions of the K553s:
Build & Design: The K553s come with a very beautiful & durable premium look, with plenty of metal parts to make them worthy of my attention. The earcups rotate for easy storage on a table, in a case, or even on your shoulders. I appreciate the machined metallic outer edges of the earcups....... looks really nice! The headphones include written measurements on the outside headband adjuster for an easier experience in finding the right fit for your head. They are an updated & improved version of the famous K550s, and look almost exactly alike except for the headband (see below). The headphones come with a permanently attached 10-foot cable (which I keep mostly tied up) ending with a 3.5mm connector, and a larger screw-on connector which fits into most stereo and guitar amplifier systems. The
box it comes in is not as premium looking as
the K550s' box, but since these are
cheaper (and better) than the K550s in terms of sound quality, I can't complain! lol Also, the interior earcups feature a
GIANT "L" and "R" right on them so it's basically impossible to put them on wrong. Very cool!
Comfort: I found these headphones to be more comfortable overall than even my PM-3s were! And this was AFTER I'd stretched the PM-3s out over 4 photo albums a few times. They were comfortable to me, but it still felt like they pressed just a bit on my sides (but again, I would still say they were comfortable even over long periods). The K553s' earcup leatherette cushions are VERY plush and fit quite comfortably over my ears, while still providing a great seal too. I could definitely wear these things for hours on end! The headband however, while still comfortable too, was not as cushioned as the PM-3's headband was. The K550s' headband had more cushioning under it, and therefore were more comfortable up top than the K553s. Why AKG decided to go this route, I don't know! They seem comfortable enough for me though. I would've preferred they charged a bit more and gave us the nicer K550 box AND more importantly, kept the headband as it was before.
I did find TWO remedies for the headband issue. One was found
here on Head-Fi, while the other is a matching upgrade leatherette headband with snap locks that I found on
Amazon for a good price. I tried the first remedy (the headband part anyway), and I think it DID help a little. I just ordered the upgrade headband last night, so I'll have to wait to see how that looks and works out. I don't know if I really NEED the upgrade headband, but would a little extra comfort hurt? Probably not. lol
Sound Quality (vs. the PM-3s): (Note: I'd burned-in the K553s for about 2 days before using them.) The sound quality of the K553s to me is very similar to the PM-3s. I did notice certain differences after a while. The first was soundstage. Just as I'd been told, because the K553s have bigger speakers than the PM-3s do (50mm vs. 40 mm), this contributes to the benefit of having a larger soundstage than the PM-3s can offer
(Correction: The PM-3's speaker driver units are 55mm, not 40mm. But the soundstage is still bigger on the K553s.). And with these both being "closed-back headphones with an open-back sound", any extra soundstage will ALWAYS be welcome! I would even go as far as to say that the extra soundstage even lends itself to giving the listener a bit more instrument sound separation, which is an added bonus! (If you disagree, please let me know how and why). So I guess just because you have planar magnetic headphones, that doesn't always mean they will sound better than the traditional (dynamic) speakers do. It just depends.
The second difference I noticed was in clarity. It seems like the PM-3s have slightly more bass in their sound signature than the K553s do. When playing acoustic guitar & vocal songs (I played a wide range of rock in each session), I seemed to notice that sometimes the PM-3's bass sound from the acoustic guitar would steal just a bit of the clarity from the vocals, where with the K553s, I did
not notice this. I even made sure to play the songs at about the same volume too, so I could be certain I was accurately judging the two headphones. On a couple songs I thought the PM-3s might've been better, but as time went on, the K553s just kept winning out. So I don't know now if those couple songs would still be better on the PM-3s or not. Perhaps as I was using them more (the K553s), I was simply becoming more accustomed to their sound signature?
The K553s, like most headphones, benefit greatly from a good amp/DAC (or amp if you're using a high-quality DAP already!) as they need the extra juice to get loud enough, and also to give you a solid quality sound too in my opinion (even more so than the PM-3s need this as they are more sensitive). But I mean, why anyone would listen to headphones without a quality amp/DAC setup is beyond me! I use the
Oppo HA-2 portable amp/DAC, and highly recommend it to everyone! Not only is it sleek and beautiful (I like the rotating volume knob), but it has a rapid charge feature and also serves as a battery pack as well! The genuine (stitched) leather casing is an added bonus! However, if $300 is too much, then just get the
Cozoy Astrapi portable/amp DAC, which is much cheaper (eBay has the best price, around $100), still offers great sound (and a nice metallic build quality), and is so tiny you could easily mistake it for an-line remote! lol It uses about 5% of your smartphone battery per hour, which is nothing really (the HA-2 has its own battery). DEFINITELY do not use the K553s without one!
Conclusion: I was shocked to realize that I liked the K553s more. Not THAT shocked, but shocked, considering the K553s cost about $170, which is less than half of the PM-3s usual $399 asking price. Both headphones have been said to be the best closed-back ones for under $400, and that either could rival even those headphones priced at around $1000! Perhaps the fact that the AKG K550s (which I owned briefly about a year ago), being the first headphones I ever owned that I really loved, had something to do with it? Probably. But when I'd considered the facts above, it became clear to me what I had to do. The price, the bigger soundstage, the clearer sound, and extra comfort of the K553s make them a very worthy buy for all music lovers!
