Hailed by Metal571 as the best headphones under $200, I have since discovered that his emphasis in headphones is heavily on frequency response. The frequency response of the AKG k553 mkII pro perfectly matches the Harman target, and as a result was very pleasing to Metal571 in particular. Tyll also praised them, despite their "zazzy" sound. These are a hidden gem. So who should buy these?
These were my first pair of decent headphones after the Sony mdr v55. They were my gateway to the audiophile hobby, and at the time i had a very low budget. Being so shallow-pocketed, I did a huge amount of research before any purchase. I could not afford the luxury of multiple pair of headphones for multiple genres. These are perfect!
First of all, lets get past the practical issues presented by the build.
BUILD:
1) I have an average head, and wear these on the first notch. These are not for small heads. My mother can't really wear them for example.
2) The cable is not detachable and is 3m in length. 'Nuff said. I modified mine without difficulty to 1.2m.
3) These are very big and industrial looking, so even after mod I dont wear them outside the house. I do often play these from an LG quad-dac equipped phone, which allows me freedom of movement about the house, but please stay inside with these. Hahaha! The upside is that they are very robust.
4) Though large, the cups are circular and shallow. This can make them uncomfortable for my average ears. It is tricky to find a fit where they dont rest right on your ears.
5) Speaking of fit, a good seal is absolutely essential to the sound. These sound completely different and possibly intolerable unless they are sealed properly.
SOUND: (!!!!!)
Great. Simply amazing. Better than so many popular headphones at this price. Complete absence of the typical flaws/problems with cans at this price. There is sub-bass. There is width and depth. They are non-fatuiging. They are as fun as the music, and pair well with any genre.
Amazing. Couldnt have made a better choice.
Compared to the AKG k550 which I also have own, the mid-bass boost is firstly noticeable, enjoyable, amd also welcome. It does no harm to any music that is not bass oriented, merely leveling the response. Do I prefer the k553? Maybe. I'm not a basshead. What I really appreciate however, is the removal of the 6kHz peak. Holy cow was that a pain. I sometimes couldnt even listen to speech recorded on a poor Mic.
Versus the Philips SHP9500, these have a singificantly smaller soundstage. However, separation and imaging are better. Possibly depth too. Less "3-blob". These have bass too, where the SHP are useless for any EDM/Pop. The stage is very surprising for a closed back. Compared to the popular hyperX cloud gaming headset, these are in another league. Better everything.
These make any cheap pair of headphones sound "whooshy", "whizzy", confused or just wrong. This is the only pair I know of that lacks any major flaws at the price-point. Comparing it against others in the same class, the flaws are fewer but ever present.
Need I say more? The only thing left to do is to compare them to far superior headphones. Against the HD800S for example, while the 800s are not as finally balanced, lacking bass and with slightly problematic highs, everything else is far superior. Its a huge jump, from cardboard cutout, to lifelike waxwork. From pencil sketch to photographic realism. There really is no compare. With the AKGs I have to focus on the music to hear it, but the Sennheisers display it so clearly it cant be missed. However, on anything cheaper, the qualities such as width, depth, tonal balance, resolve, plankton etc. are simply not there.
Thats where I believe this headphone stands. It is the perfect office headphone, isolating sound and being forgiving of poor audio sources, yet projecting a flattering image of almost anything. Strong recommendation.
