[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

Would you recommend buying such cans or ones in similar price range to a music lover who doesn't have any experience with hi-end audio or tell him to pick up a pair that lower priced?

Hi muzikfrrrik welcome to Head-Fi. First of all none of us can really recommend anything concerning this can because it's so new it hasn't been released yet therefore none of us know what it sounds like or what it's capable of. Second of all you're in the wrong thread if you're looking for recommendations. My advice is go to the full sized headphones forum and start your own thread and give more information about yourself such as the type of music you listen to on a daily basis the rig you have to drive a good set of headphones (if any) and what you would ideally be comfortable spending. From there write down what ever recommendations you get and do some research in the forums and find out what others are saying about these specific models. Maybe even message a few users who own certain cans and ask what their impressions are. You should also try and find other users in your city and try an get yourself invited to a head fi meet so you can try out some gear first hand and find out if it works for you. I hope my response was helpful to you good luck.

 

[muzikfrrrik]

Yep, thanks a bunch.

 

[CantScareMe]

yea, I won't really recommend a newbie to get these- as none of us have heard it. 
 
It could be anywhere on the scales of sq, comfort, value... all from pure rubbish to pure brilliance.
 
BUT maybe in a few months time...who knows.

 

[muzikfrrrik]

Maybe I'll wait a couple of weeks to read reviews of trusted and knowledgeable people out there to see whether it'd suit my needs. Don't no why, but I'm really going banans about these.

 

[generationally]

 
I haven't seen this danish news story on the K550 posted so I though I'd share it. It features a picture of an AKG guy wearing the K550 giving some indication of how it looks in real life.
 
http://www.avm.dk/artikel/visartikel.php?artikelnummer=5766
 

 

[Rasmutte]

It looks nice!
 
It costs $424,25 in Sweden.

 

[muzikfrrrik]

Hehe, one polish site has it listed for $310. We'll see if it stays like that on the day of launch.

 

[niranhopper]

Just checked amazon.co.uk. It says out of stock. After reading the description, it looks like AKG has developed a new driver. It is quite interesting cause AKG hasnt done that for a while for their high end phones. Looks a lot comfortable. 

 

[msninja]

I assume noone in europe has gotten their hands on these yet? I just got confirmation direct from AKG/harman that they are slightly delayed in sweden and will arrive late october, possibly early november.

 

[CantScareMe]

well, if they're 'delayed' in sweden, they'll probably be 'delayed' elsewhere too.
 
Harmon initially told me that at the end of july they will be on sale in the uk- Amazon haven't got them yet, and I don't think you can get them from anywhere else here. Obviously expected. I reckon about jan 2012 is when I expect these to be out.
 
I mean, don't forget audiophile headphones accompany a very nich market as a whole, and that narrows down further as it's akg and a closed full size headphone. It's not a senn hd 800 or a fiio x3, in that in the world of headfi it's not that much of an 'anticipated' release. That's why I haven't really been holding my breath in waiting, and now that i've spent that £250 elsewhere, will only get these if the initial headfi reviews are positive. 

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

I assume noone in europe has gotten their hands on these yet? I just got confirmation direct from AKG/harman that they are slightly delayed in sweden and will arrive late october, possibly early november.

Hmm... This is kind of reminding me of the false alarm about the K1000 replacement on AKG's Facebook. I know I want a pair, but who knows how long they'll lag it? If Audio Technica's releasing a 50th anniversary headphone, it may not be a good idea to wait too long. I'd probably opt to try out AT anniversary hp instead.

 

[WhiteCrow]

the AT50th is prolly going to be some crappy reskin of the W5000. I hated the W5000 so it's a meh for me.

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

the AT50th is prolly going to be some crappy reskin of the W5000. I hated the W5000 so it's a meh for me.

Doubt it. Nothing else from ATH sounds like a W5000. The only thing that comes close is a Grado RS1i.
 

 

[WhiteCrow]

....the w5000 was all in the high end, I did a side by side at 32ohm with the rs2's and LCD2's. Hated them, hated every last bit of them...okay the pads were nice but they sounded terrible. That's why 32ohm marked them down $300 otherwise they wouldn't sell a pair.

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

....the w5000 was all in the high end, I did a side by side at 32ohm with the rs2's and LCD2's. Hated them, hated every last bit of them...okay the pads were nice but they sounded terrible. That's why 32ohm marked them down $300 otherwise they wouldn't sell a pair.

From what I heard when I owned them, they were still superior to RS1 (in speed and whatnot.) in A/B testing and since ATH did make something reference quality before, they can certainly do it again. My W11R basically sound like a closed Stax O2 mk1 or LCD2 and does certain things better than either like imaging and rock music. FWIW, I didn't like the W5000s either and sold it in a week.
 
Anyways...