[viralcow]

Quote:

 
 
When I purchased them, I found the sub-bass empty and lacking. I heard about seal problems, and clamped them very tight.  It made a small difference and I can see how if a pair was looser than mine, there could be an issue.
 
How variable is the clamping from pair-to-pair out of the box? I don't know the answer to that and I am skeptical.  Seems more likely people get a small improvement from clamping (They are very big and cushiony), and then continue to adjust their ear to the very natural sound signature.
 
The seal issue seems pretty controversial and difficult to test/prove
 
What we do know is these headphones are tuned for a more natural sounding bass. So it's important to mention that to someone who is planning to spend 300 dollars and is concerned about the seal.

 
That means you had a seal from the very beginning if it made little to no difference. Your sub-bass issue is with the sound signature itself, then. I also found my first K550 (probably the first batch since I bought it as soon as they were available) lacking sub-bass out of the box. It slightly improved through burn-in but I never found them to have very good extension. However, I purchased a refurbished pair just last week and that had noticeably better sub-bass. I reckon AKG has been tinkering with the K550 since it came out.
 
IMO the seal issue was never controversial. Seal problems (if they exist) are virtually the same across every closed headphone- you lose much of your sub-bass and the midrange tilts to the right- which becomes pretty unbearable for me.

 

[PhiliP190]

I have actually Fidélio L1 and the headphons don't cover all my ears and it's a problem for me. I have to put the little part of skin downside of the ears (poor is my english, you've seen) up into the headphones because i don't want it to be compressed.
 
So i was thinking to replace for AKG k550. Could someone tell me wich is the size (in centimeters) of the inner space of an K550's headphone, the one wich is for the ears to be in, please ?

 

[plakat]

The inner diameter of the pads is ca. 6cm (round shape, not oval like the L1). 

Hope that helps with your decision. The tonal balance is quite different though... you may want to try the K550 out before you buy.

 

[KiruDub]

I had to return a pair I'd ordered online (no shops in my area that carry them to try out).
 
Again, the problem was the seal, but only because I wear glasses.
 
Specifically, the arms of my glasses were keeping a portion of the ear cup from sealing, therefore screwing up the tonality.
 
Glasses off, it was good. Glasses on, it was crap.
 
I've never had this be an issue in my 40 plus years of wearing cans.
 
This is something that folks with glasses should consider before buying these.
 
I wanted the AKGs for recording vocals so there would be no bleed-through, but, again, I wear glasses. Sigh.
 
I ended up getting a pair of HE-400s, and am happy.
 
I'll use my in-ears for recoding vocals until I can find a decent sealed pair that isn't so fussy.

 

[PhiliP190]

Thank you for your help, both of you.  I didn't mentionned it...i wear glasses.
 

 

[Pondu]

Quote:

The inner diameter of the pads is ca. 6cm (round shape, not oval like the L1). 

Hope that helps with your decision. The tonal balance is quite different though... you may want to try the K550 out before you buy.

 
That is defenetely a good advice: I tested the K550 during one hour and the highs are a real problem,  vocals also  (I heard sibilances).
The bass is rather good.
It might sound more open than the FA-003, but I am not convinced at all by the AKG...

 

[4nradio]

I purchased Viralcow's refurbished K550s from him a couple weeks ago, and have burned them in over 130 hours now. 
 
I only listened a little when the headphones first arrived, but I think I heard some of the upper midrange glare that others have mentioned. The headphones went right into the burn-in process after that (I use a combination of white & pink noise, frequency sweeps, percussion, and a variety of music).
 
Now however, the response seems to be smooth throughout the range of frequencies. Only on one very revealing track by Mapleshade Records, a prominent saxophone solo seems *slightly* grating to my ears on certain notes. It's easy to overlook it though as the issue is so minor...and I've only heard it on this one track so far. K550 sub-bass is very good too; not in the league of my LCD-2 rev. 2 headphones but still enjoyable.
 
I had to tweak the headband carefully but extensively to get a good seal with the K550s. In addition, I added a single circular "gasket" made from boot shoelace material under each ear pad to space the pads outwards a bit. These laces are circular in cross-section and about 3/16 of an inch in diameter. This worked much better for me than cotton batting stuffed underneath and around the pads. IMHO the cotton sucked out too much of the treble frequencies.

 

[cheuh]

Quote:

I purchased Viralcow's refurbished K550s from him a couple weeks ago, and have burned them in over 130 hours now. 
 
I only listened a little when the headphones first arrived, but I think I heard some of the upper midrange glare that others have mentioned. The headphones went right into the burn-in process after that (I use a combination of white & pink noise, frequency sweeps, percussion, and a variety of music).
 
Now however, the response seems to be smooth throughout the range of frequencies. Only on one very revealing track by Mapleshade Records, a prominent saxophone solo seems *slightly* grating to my ears on certain notes. It's easy to overlook it though as the issue is so minor...and I've only heard it on this one track so far. K550 sub-bass is very good too; not in the league of my LCD-2 rev. 2 headphones but still enjoyable.
 
I had to tweak the headband carefully but extensively to get a good seal with the K550s. In addition, I added a single circular "gasket" made from boot shoelace material under each ear pad to space the pads outwards a bit. These laces are circular in cross-section and about 3/16 of an inch in diameter. This worked much better for me than cotton batting stuffed underneath and around the pads. IMHO the cotton sucked out too much of the treble frequencies.

 
 
How do they compare to your Mad Dogs?

 

[4nradio]

Quote:

 
 
How do they compare to your Mad Dogs?

I ended up selling the Mad Dogs so I don't have them to compare right now. The smaller sound stage was not to my liking, and that was the main reason. Less important but still a factor is the look and feel of the Fostex based Mad Dogs; to me they are a bit too "DIY" or plain looking. In contrast, the K550s are classy and understated headphones. Also, I'm finding the K550s to be more comfortable for me to wear for long stretches compared to the Mad Dogs.

 

[SwanSong]

Do you compare these favorably to Senn HD 600 and 650?

 

[SwanSong]

I ended up selling the Mad Dogs so I don't have them to compare right now. The smaller sound stage was not to my liking, and that was the main reason. Less important but still a factor is the look and feel of the Fostex based Mad Dogs; to me they are a bit too "DIY" or plain looking. In contrast, the K550s are classy and understated headphones. Also, I'm finding the K550s to be more comfortable for me to wear for long stretches compared to the Mad Dogs.

Sorry about the double post! How do the 550s compare to the Senn HD600/650?

 

[Tsujigiri]

I hear fuller mids and bass with my HD650's, but my K550's have more treble energy that brings out some details well and makes percussion sound sharp. I'd say that the HD650's produce a more pleasing sound, but the K550's are clearer sounding.

 

[SwanSong]

I hear fuller mids and bass with my HD650's, but my K550's have more treble energy that brings out some details well and makes percussion sound sharp. I'd say that the HD650's produce a more pleasing sound, but the K550's are clearer sounding.

Sounds like the HD650s are a good can if you only have one. I do like good highs though so would the HD600 be a better choice between the 550 and 650?

 

[Tsujigiri]

Yes, if I could only pick one I'd go with the hd650's. I'm not sure about the 600's because when I listened to a friend's he had the EQ jacked up on it. There are some people who prefer the 600's for being more neutral, but I'm pretty happy with my 650's.

 

[SwanSong]

Thanks I'll look into the 650s closer I only wish they were in the $300 range