When I first came back home to this package, I couldn't wait to see what AKG had done this time for one of their fans. Quickly plugged it into the e7+e9 alongside the K702's and started up the music.
My first thoughts were that the detail and clarity of the 702's wasn't there, but then I realised that it was because I was having to actually focus on a more prominent bass as well as the trebles and mids! I had gotten strangely addicted to the dry analytical and distant feel of the 702's and my only other closed phones from this century I had were the Superlux 662B's (with velour pads) which had been collecting dust for some time. As I continued to listen, I realised that the mids on the K550's were really creamy and brought a smile to my face in a way the 702's couldn't. That isn't to say the mids on the K702's are bad, they are excellent, but for the first time I am seeing why some people may prefer to go for warmer sounding phones, whilst sacrificing some of the "true" sound of the music.
When listening to Bach's suites for violoncello the sound actually brought a lump to my throat it was so beautiful, with comparable clarity to the K702's but a closer and "friendlier" feeling to the instruments. I had heard people mention that these headphones were not compatible with classical music but I would definitely have to disagree. The soundstage is more than competent, and significantly better than my closed 662B's and I don't feel I would anger too many people if I said one could compare the 550's soundstage to that of an open headphone, and for this I really must applaud the people who worked on this beautiful product. The imaging may not be perfect, but I felt that I had more height than with the 702's, which feel like a flat plain which expands out into the distance, where the 550's are closer but more layered, which was noticeable especially when listening to choral pieces.
Moving on to techno music and the bass seemed overwhelming compared to the 702's that I had grown so used to, which again, worried me slightly at first, but I am starting to appreciate the bass more than I could really with the 702's. If I can I would like to come back to this again maybe in a few weeks or months time, to see how I feel about this. I would like to say that the kick the bass has to it is amazing and something I have not heard with my 702's at all, which makes me feel like I have been missing out, at least with some genres of my music.
Moving onto Toho@Arena, a song that starts with cymbals opening I really appreciated the crisp sharpnesss of these phones, that I find again are comparable to the 702's, but in the overall package of bass, treble and mids and how they work together in these phones, one gets in my mind a very different feel to the music than with the 702's and if anyone thinks they can get either headphone to substitute the other, I would have to disagree with them wholeheartedly.
I did however take this opportunity to test how much sound leaks *out* of the headphone by placing them flat on my wooden desk. At first I wasn't impressed until I realised the 702's were the ones producing all the music behind me. I unplugged them and was immediately taken aback by how little these leaked. I had them up to 10 o'clock on the e9, which is probably slightly above what I would usually listen to whilst on commute, and think that the person next to you on the bus would definitely have to be quite picky to become annoyed at the small amount of volume coming out of these headphones at normal listening levels!
As for fit, I have always found that despite the fact a lot of people seem to find AKG's difficult to seal on their heads, they always suit me just fine. As these headphones have a nice numbered system of notches on the metal, I can always know to go for 6 on each side, in case someone else has been wearing them. The numbers go from 1-12 and so in my mind they should be able to fit most heads without a problem, unless you are trying to fit these on a small child or have an exceptionally large head (no offence to anyone who can't fit in these!).
As far as comfort goes, the pads are made of pleather yet feel like a premium good and I am very happy with their performance. The padding on the headband is very small and takes a step away from the iconic self fitting AKG headband, to make these viable as portable phones without being laughed off the bus or train and are significantly more comfortable than what feels like a hide band on the 702's which at least at first, dug marks into my head after long periods of wearing (this still happens, but to a lesser extent now) which was genuinely physically uncomfortable. Despite the sleek form factor of the 550's head padding, it is comfortable for long periods of time surprisingly and even if not at the level of the Senn 580's it gives sufficient comfort for most of us to really have nothing to complain about.
Cable: I really do not care for people who spend almost as much on cables as they do on their headphones. The plastic around the cable of the 550's is thicker than that of the 702's and feels like it is of a much higher quality (the 702's cable really disappointed me since the start as it feels more cheap and flimsy, so I am just happy I have the ability to replace it). The 550's cable has to be good however, as it cannot be removed sadly, and time will tell whether this will be an issue if it is being bent about in a bag on the move or not...
Value: at £180 some may view these as expensive, but seeing as they are over £40 cheaper than the beats studio headphones (at least on Amazon), in my opinion more stylish, if not the most stylish portable closed headphones, with a crisper and more refined sound, and a superior soundstage there is a distinct realisation that for headphones of this quality, you really aren't paying too much, even if you paid the full rrp, which I find I can rarely say when it comes to AKG products. Maybe you won't like me comparing to the beats, as it is like beating on some child who has already had his lunch money taken, but I think that is who AKG are trying to compete with with this model. The AKG's are the Blackberry to Beats iPhone. One may be more subtle and won't go out of its way to part you with your money while the other will throw all the cheap gimmicks and celebrity backing and funding it has for advertisement in every mainstream music video you will see nowadays. I know what my preference is, and I'm sure that will be share by 90% of the community here also.
This is my first ever review of a pair of headphones, and I hope it is up to the high standards of these forums and I may well edit it as I use these more and more in the future.
My first thoughts were that the detail and clarity of the 702's wasn't there, but then I realised that it was because I was having to actually focus on a more prominent bass as well as the trebles and mids! I had gotten strangely addicted to the dry analytical and distant feel of the 702's and my only other closed phones from this century I had were the Superlux 662B's (with velour pads) which had been collecting dust for some time. As I continued to listen, I realised that the mids on the K550's were really creamy and brought a smile to my face in a way the 702's couldn't. That isn't to say the mids on the K702's are bad, they are excellent, but for the first time I am seeing why some people may prefer to go for warmer sounding phones, whilst sacrificing some of the "true" sound of the music.
When listening to Bach's suites for violoncello the sound actually brought a lump to my throat it was so beautiful, with comparable clarity to the K702's but a closer and "friendlier" feeling to the instruments. I had heard people mention that these headphones were not compatible with classical music but I would definitely have to disagree. The soundstage is more than competent, and significantly better than my closed 662B's and I don't feel I would anger too many people if I said one could compare the 550's soundstage to that of an open headphone, and for this I really must applaud the people who worked on this beautiful product. The imaging may not be perfect, but I felt that I had more height than with the 702's, which feel like a flat plain which expands out into the distance, where the 550's are closer but more layered, which was noticeable especially when listening to choral pieces.
Moving on to techno music and the bass seemed overwhelming compared to the 702's that I had grown so used to, which again, worried me slightly at first, but I am starting to appreciate the bass more than I could really with the 702's. If I can I would like to come back to this again maybe in a few weeks or months time, to see how I feel about this. I would like to say that the kick the bass has to it is amazing and something I have not heard with my 702's at all, which makes me feel like I have been missing out, at least with some genres of my music.
Moving onto Toho@Arena, a song that starts with cymbals opening I really appreciated the crisp sharpnesss of these phones, that I find again are comparable to the 702's, but in the overall package of bass, treble and mids and how they work together in these phones, one gets in my mind a very different feel to the music than with the 702's and if anyone thinks they can get either headphone to substitute the other, I would have to disagree with them wholeheartedly.
I did however take this opportunity to test how much sound leaks *out* of the headphone by placing them flat on my wooden desk. At first I wasn't impressed until I realised the 702's were the ones producing all the music behind me. I unplugged them and was immediately taken aback by how little these leaked. I had them up to 10 o'clock on the e9, which is probably slightly above what I would usually listen to whilst on commute, and think that the person next to you on the bus would definitely have to be quite picky to become annoyed at the small amount of volume coming out of these headphones at normal listening levels!
As for fit, I have always found that despite the fact a lot of people seem to find AKG's difficult to seal on their heads, they always suit me just fine. As these headphones have a nice numbered system of notches on the metal, I can always know to go for 6 on each side, in case someone else has been wearing them. The numbers go from 1-12 and so in my mind they should be able to fit most heads without a problem, unless you are trying to fit these on a small child or have an exceptionally large head (no offence to anyone who can't fit in these!).
As far as comfort goes, the pads are made of pleather yet feel like a premium good and I am very happy with their performance. The padding on the headband is very small and takes a step away from the iconic self fitting AKG headband, to make these viable as portable phones without being laughed off the bus or train and are significantly more comfortable than what feels like a hide band on the 702's which at least at first, dug marks into my head after long periods of wearing (this still happens, but to a lesser extent now) which was genuinely physically uncomfortable. Despite the sleek form factor of the 550's head padding, it is comfortable for long periods of time surprisingly and even if not at the level of the Senn 580's it gives sufficient comfort for most of us to really have nothing to complain about.
Cable: I really do not care for people who spend almost as much on cables as they do on their headphones. The plastic around the cable of the 550's is thicker than that of the 702's and feels like it is of a much higher quality (the 702's cable really disappointed me since the start as it feels more cheap and flimsy, so I am just happy I have the ability to replace it). The 550's cable has to be good however, as it cannot be removed sadly, and time will tell whether this will be an issue if it is being bent about in a bag on the move or not...
Value: at £180 some may view these as expensive, but seeing as they are over £40 cheaper than the beats studio headphones (at least on Amazon), in my opinion more stylish, if not the most stylish portable closed headphones, with a crisper and more refined sound, and a superior soundstage there is a distinct realisation that for headphones of this quality, you really aren't paying too much, even if you paid the full rrp, which I find I can rarely say when it comes to AKG products. Maybe you won't like me comparing to the beats, as it is like beating on some child who has already had his lunch money taken, but I think that is who AKG are trying to compete with with this model. The AKG's are the Blackberry to Beats iPhone. One may be more subtle and won't go out of its way to part you with your money while the other will throw all the cheap gimmicks and celebrity backing and funding it has for advertisement in every mainstream music video you will see nowadays. I know what my preference is, and I'm sure that will be share by 90% of the community here also.
This is my first ever review of a pair of headphones, and I hope it is up to the high standards of these forums and I may well edit it as I use these more and more in the future.
