[maverickronin]

Quote:

 
I thought it sounded like the sound bouncing off of an undamped plastic enclosure.  I opened the cups, and indeed, behind the driver is an empty plastic cup.  Which explains at least part of this glare.  I'm going to see what happens when I damp the cups.  Problem is that they are already on the bass-lite side, and damping usually reduces/absorbs bass.  So there may not be much that can be done. 

 
Keep me posted on this.  I'll be interested in these if that can fix the issue.

 

[KimChee]

Less bass on the 550 sounds kind of scary.

 

[Watchmaven]

So I decided there has to be a way to get these the way I like it. After reading the posts on modifying Grado sr80's I grabbed the bag of cotton balls and Unravelled a few into strips. The AKG's pads have a cavity beneath them to accept a 1/2 to 1/3 inch strip of cotton. I got it fashioned neatly and nervously put them on. A definite change! The lows improved to where I don't have to push with my hands and the highs lose their sharpness. I need to spend more time comparing the sound with and without the E7.

All that said, I'm not happy to spend $300 and have to stuff cotton. If I'm to keep these, I ned to find a proper substitute or return them.

Lastly this little mod firms up the pads and helps with the lack of clamping. Maybe AKG has a better pad that would fit.

 

[crzycuyler]

How would these headphones hold up when gaming? I'm considering both the K550 and the A900X.

 

[audionewbi]

headfonica gave it two thumbs up! Darn I wish I bought a pair

 

[electropop]

Quote:

IMHO they can best be described by the following car
 
 

 
For someone who knows nothing of cars, could you explicit?

 

[Anthony1]

Quote:

 
For someone who knows nothing of cars, could you explicit?

Gutless and plastic sounding. BTW I drive a Prius for work so hence my reference. Maybe Im asking too much for a $300-$400 headphone and this is my opinion only.. others do like them. I want to like them but I just can't get my head around the distant bass and in your face glare. BTW Im not a bass head by any means...I was listening to Coltrane and the double bass player sounds like he is so far down the back, off the stage and in the change rooms and the cymbals sound front and centre. Somebody described them similar to the 009 and I agree to a point but the 009s have everything.. bass, mids and top end all there in a perfect balanced surreal way plus they are 5k more so they should.
 
The K550's are good for what they are worth but the bass thing is just more of a prickly issue for me.. thats all.
 
Whats alarming for me is that Headfonia says that the HD700 pre-production model they auditioned has less bass than the K550's 

 so I'll be striking the HD700's off my christmas list.
 
This is all FWIW and again only my opinions.

 

[Face]

The bass issue is due to a bad seal or weak clamping.  When only applying a small amount of pressure against my head they sound nice and full.
 
Anyone know how to remove the pads without damaging them?

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

The bass issue is due to a bad seal or weak clamping.  When only applying a small amount of pressure against my head they sound nice and full.
 
Anyone know how to remove the pads without damaging them?

Normally wearing them would fix this issue. Over time the pads will change their shape take the shape of your head. There is no other quick way (unless people start looking for pads mod  which is a challnege as normally such mods alter the sound stage)

 

[Watchmaven]

I totally agree with the comments about the bass and lack of clamping.
 
Right now, i have cotton rolled up and placed under the existing ear pads and there is a noticeable improvement with only the slightest change to the soundstage. It shrinks only the slightest. I've started looking to see if there are any replacement pads in the market only to come up empty. If I can't find a suitable alternate to cotton, I'll start to audition new cans. The Ultrasone Pro900 keep popping up.

 

[Louie from SF]

Hi all,
 
I already own a pair of ATH-M50s that I like but was wondering if the 550s would be a big improvement over the M50s... I'm looking for an affordable closed can with good sound stage. Any opinion?
 
Thank you.

 

[rhythmdevils]

vs M50,
 
K550:
midrange is much more upfront
much less bass in quantity
less bass punch as well, bass is really a backdrop for the mids
slightly bigger soundstage, but not much
sounds a little faster
sounds airier, more open
has glaring upper midrange resonance issues that the M50 does not have.  The M50 has well engineered cups that are precisely damped. 
 
M50 has a slight U shape, and the K550 has a slight rainbow shape
 
M50 is cleaner with better tonality overall, but the K550 has a bit more sense of clarity, but that's at least partly due to the lack of bass, which gives it the "clarity FR"
 
The M50 is the better headphone overall simply because the engineers made a finished product, but the K550 does have some advantages, but looses out because it's not a finished headphone.  It's just a good driver slapped into an empty cup. 

 

[Louie from SF]

Quote:

vs M50,
 
K550:
midrange is much more upfront
much less bass in quantity
less bass punch as well, bass is really a backdrop for the mids
slightly bigger soundstage, but not much
sounds a little faster
sounds airier, more open
has glaring upper midrange resonance issues that the M50 does not have.  The M50 has well engineered cups that are precisely damped. 
 
M50 has a slight U shape, and the K550 has a slight rainbow shape
 
M50 is cleaner with better tonality overall, but the K550 has a bit more sense of clarity, but that's at least partly due to the lack of bass, which gives it the "clarity FR"
 
The M50 is the better headphone overall simply because the engineers made a finished product, but the K550 does have some advantages, but looses out because it's not a finished headphone.  It's just a good driver slapped into an empty cup. 

 
Thank you very much.
 
I think I'll wait until I have a better budget for new closed cans. I'm looking for a wide sound stage. My HD650s are great on that side but I need something more "quiet" to be able to enjoy music while others are in the same room.
 
I'm opened to suggestions.
 
Thanks again.
 
Louie.

 

[litster]

Quote:

 
Thank you very much.
 
I think I'll wait until I have a better budget for new closed cans. I'm looking for a wide sound stage. My HD650s are great on that side but I need something more "quiet" to be able to enjoy music while others are in the same room.
 
I'm opened to suggestions.
 
Thanks again.
 
Louie.

We re in the same boat.  I have HD 650 now and will receive a K550 next week or the week after. 

 

[electropop]

Quote:

vs M50,
 
K550:
midrange is much more upfront
much less bass in quantity
less bass punch as well, bass is really a backdrop for the mids
slightly bigger soundstage, but not much
sounds a little faster
sounds airier, more open
has glaring upper midrange resonance issues that the M50 does not have.  The M50 has well engineered cups that are precisely damped. 
 
M50 has a slight U shape, and the K550 has a slight rainbow shape
 
M50 is cleaner with better tonality overall, but the K550 has a bit more sense of clarity, but that's at least partly due to the lack of bass, which gives it the "clarity FR"
 
The M50 is the better headphone overall simply because the engineers made a finished product, but the K550 does have some advantages, but looses out because it's not a finished headphone.  It's just a good driver slapped into an empty cup. 

 
... If you're not listening to music that is. 

 
Why are people commenting on the sound when it really has nothing to do with how good they are, objectively. M50 makes it impossible to follow and jam to Jaco's bass lines while the K550 makes it a breeze. What are the conclusions we can draw from this? (Just one example and area)