[derbigpr]

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I'm even concidering these headphones despite I'm a basshead that crave this boost in bass but I see this AKG K550 aren't the typical powerful amp requiring headphones so I thought I maybe could get by adding my basscravings from digiZoid ZO amp.
 
I tried going through thread but it turned out to be just too time consuming so I'll ask in here some of the points I'd find extra interesting to know more about:
 
- Mids, how forward-sounding do you find the mids to be, especially interested in lower mids (300~1000Hz)? I generally prefer more forward in-your-face mids than something like BeyerDynamic DT770 which sounds very distant which leads to a non-engaging/intimate listening experience which I'm not very fond of.
 
- Bass, is it a more fast and attacking/punchy (think Ultrasone, Grado) or slower/softer but more enveloping type (Denon)?
 
- Highs, are they more in-line with the mids or emphasized above that, I generally dislike when highs are greater emphasized than the mids which leads to a sound that lacks body, may sound a little thin, lack of warmness etc.
 
I'm very satisfied with my M-Audio Q40 but at times I feel I'd want more forward sounding lower-midrange and airier soundstage.

 
Mids are not very forward, they're quite balanced with the rest of the sound. But they're kinda lacking in warmth and body.
 
Bass is fast and punchy but with little impact, since there's no mid bass hump. It extends well, but its never in your face, its always balanced with mids and highs. Its definitely not a bass heavy headphone, not by any standard. I find that they have less bass presence, less bass impact, and less bass extension than Q701, which are opened headphones not very known for their bass performance.
 
Highs are pretty much in line with mids. There's a spike between 8k and 10k, but they're nice, clear and crisp sounding. But sometimes there's a problem with sibilance.
 
Overall, the headphones are light and airy in their sound. Its a very non-typical sound for closed headphones. As I said many times, these cans would not be my no.1 choice for music listening as they have a very analytical and cold sound. Of course, if that's what you're after, they're great.
 
 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Thanks for the reply!
 
Sounds like the opposite of what I'm looking for then, especially the last line, cold and analytical which is the kind of sound I personally hate, I gladly trade some detail for a warmer fullbodied sound that is usually less clear sounding. My Q40 are relatively neutral sounding in the mids and highs but have a significant bass bump though, with help of ZO2 it gives it a slightly warmer sound overall and there's plenty of body, I think just lower mids could have a little more presence and the soundstage isn't by any means very airy or large, quite typical closed headphone sound.

 

[Terps Fan]

RPGWiZaRD, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I will say this...there is no sibilance and they are not cold and overly analytical.  Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but if I read that description one more time, I may puke.  I'm listening to Rush's Cygnus X-1 Book II right now.  Lee's bass is deep and tight, Peart's bass drum is punchy and the snare work is snappy sounding.  It's a very good headphone.

 

[roBernd]

Not a basshead, more of an AKG and mid-lover. I don't understand all the fuss about the K550.
While it is true that AKG was able to finally produce a bigger mid-tier can with a bit of body and bass, they completely failed at providing a decent top (like almost any newer can) with this massive treble-spike.
 
Couldn't listen for them for a longer period before they hurt my ears and I had to turn down the volume quite a bit to compensate the treble.
The headband was okay, and the pads are quite comfortable but smell nasty at first.
 
SQ-wise I find the (later, non bass-bloat) ATH-M50s extends better and... what is kinda silly, offers better mids.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

I can attend to this, I've also tried a pair of M50 (non-bassheavy) and I liked the mids of those but that's pretty much the only thing I truly liked in them. Well I've decided to not order a K550, at least for the time being.

 

[audionewbi]

Considering it is from Fuji-avic I am sure it is as good as brand new. 
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Ooooh, used K550 for 10,000 yen. This I have to take a look at

 
Edit: Used HD800 for 63,000 yen (776 USD). Hmmmm....

 

 

[Zulkr9]

Damn the mixed reviews, I was gonna get this and am now having second thoughts ;/

 

[audionewbi]

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Damn the mixed reviews, I was gonna get this and am now having second thoughts ;/

If you like the 70x series you will have no problem with the k550. If you have mixed feeling with the k70x that you should stay away from the k550. (I for one cannot get enough of the k702)

I own HFi 780, I had D2000 and I did listen to number of other closed back headphone, right now in my head the plan is to buy the k550 first and than buy the german mastero 8.35 D. ( I did audition the 8.35 D, it has a sound which leaves a grea first impression)

 

[prayer86]

I guess it's different strokes for different folks, but I have no problem listening to the K550 for at least a few hours at a time. While it is a brighter headphone on its own, I think it really depends on what you are listening to as I've found that If the recording is already fairly bright, it will come through as bright/treble-y. For certain albums, I actually turn the K550 louder than I would if listening with my Senn HD558. If anything, I'm starting to find that the K550 is more picky about the quality of the recording than any of my other headphones, but maybe that's just me.

 

[davidastoria]

Does anyone know any b&m stores that are actually selling them in Southern Cali? It seems they're hard enough to come by online (always out of stock) and I really would like to see and audition them beforehand.

 

[zzffnn]

^ Your local BestBuy should have them.

 

[TheReallyCool]

I've really had no issues listening to them either. They are a bit bright at first, but I got used to it pretty quick. They're also extremely comfortable and I have no problems at all listening for extended amounts of time. I've had two major issues with them so far. The first is that the sound in one of the drivers cuts out sometimes when the cord is bent in a specific way. The other is that it's exposing the crappy recording quality of some of the songs on my ipod. 

 

[Frank I]

mine showed up today

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
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mine showed up today

 

 

[Skar]

i still struggling to give them a try. the headband looks so uncomfortable. availability is no issue (in taipei). oh temptation...