[Quadpatch]

Quote:

 
Wrong, Burton did direct that atrocity.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_in_film#Batman_Returns_.281992.29

You were talking about the Schwazenegger one which is Batman & Robin, that's directed by Joel Schumacher. 
 
Anyway... I need to come back to say that I bought the K550 and I absolutely hate it after putting it through decent amps. It has no bass at all and sounds veiled it has so little power to the low end. It was obviously my phones muddy sound that was making it sound half decent bizarrely enough. Yeah it actually sounds best to me through my Samsung Galaxy S which is a horrible horrible sounding output normally. I will be getting rid of the K550 as soon as I can and swapping it for something like the Audio Technica ATH-M50 which I tried recently and really liked.

 

[draven5494]

I bought a pair of these with the expectation that I would either return them or sell them.  I have read how they are inferior to the Q701s, which I love and are probably my favorite headphones that I have ever owned.  
 
So, you can imagine my surprise when I hooked them up to my ODAC - m-stage and listened to them for the first time.  Shock is a word I suppose you could use.  I did not expect the K550s to sound this good! 
 
Ok, right off the bat the K550s are giving me more bass that the Q701s.  When I say "more" I mean quantity and yes quality as well.  With the K550s I am hearing some seriously deep bass.  I have already taken them off twice thinking there was thunder outside.  I'm not kidding.  I don't think I have heard sub-bass like this before and I have tried several sets of Ultrasones.  I don't even remember the bass on the HE-400s going this low when I tried them.  I am sure it has to do something with the fit.  I am getting a really good seal on my ears with the K550s.  When pushing the cups against my head, I can actually feel my ear drums move a bit.  Like there is some suction there.  
 
The highs are a tough one for me to call.  I do hear a slight difference between the K550s and the Q701s.  I think the highs on the K550s are every so slightly smoother than the Q701s.  The upper-range of the Q701's highs have a little bite or edge to them.  The K550s are smoother in that region to my ears.  All-in-all they are very similar in tone and detail.  That's a good thing.
 
The mids are excellent.  They may sound just ever so slightly thinner than the Q701s, but to me the difference is very minimal. 
 
The soundstage definitely has more air on the Q701s but that is to be expected.  The K550s however have surpassed my expectations here as well.  They have a very coherent and expansive soundstage.  For a closed can it is quite the accomplishment.  I have heard open cans with a smaller soundstage than the K550s.  
 
Comfort-wise, the K550s are very comfortable.  They don't have any bumps on the headband so that's a big plus! 
 
If there is one negative, it's that I don't like leather/pleather ear pads.  It's not a flaw of the headphone itself, it's just my preference.  I like velour earpads.  Oh and these really do have a smell as some have reported.  It's almost like a plastic/pesticide smell - a very chemical-like odor that I hope goes away soon. 
 
 
I wasn't really in the market for a closed can, but the K550s are impressing more and more as I listen to them.  I may just have to keep them.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Glad you like them, the most improvement over K/Q701 that I feel is better low bass section, better midrange focus and better depth in K550.

 

[FritzS]

I have Q701, K701, K501 and compared them ....
It depends from music what headphone I prefer - mostly I hear with Q701
Q701 have more deep bass, in direct compairing sometimes K501 sounds a bit thin.
 
And if I want deep bass or the black in the music of a Mahler symphony I use the D7000

 

[Soundfreak33]

I have had both the Q701 and the K550, after exstensive listening, i find the Q701 a much more refined and better overall headphone.

 

[Chininho]

hi, i want to buy this headphone, but my head is a bit smaller than the average so im not sure if i will reach a good seal with these headphones (probably if i bend the headband i will). What do you think, should i take the risk and buy them?

 

[draven5494]

Quote:

hi, i want to buy this headphone, but my head is a bit smaller than the average so im not sure if i will reach a good seal with these headphones (probably if i bend the headband i will). What do you think, should i take the risk and buy them?

 
You can try them at BestBuy.  They normally have the K550s in their listening station with other headphones.  

 

[Chininho]

Quote:

 
You can try them at BestBuy.  They normally have the K550s in their listening station with other headphones.  

The problem is that i'm from South America and i can't find them in my country, so there is no way i can audition them. I want to buy them on amazon and a friend that travels every 2 weeks to Miami can bring them to me.

 

[draven5494]

Amazon has a great return policy if they don't fit. I buy most of my headphones from Amazon.

 

[Watchmaven]

My head is of average size and they were very loose on me. Liked the sound despite the slight lack of bass. I returned them and picked up the Ultrasone Pro900. The fit and comfort is fantastic. Admittedly, a bit too much bass but I got a Fiio E17 which allows me to tune down the low end. Granted, it's a single adjustment but I'm sure there are other DAC/Amps or programs with a more segmented equalizer to really hone in on the sweet spot.
 
Best of luck and enjoy whatever you end up purchasing.
 

 

[amigastar]

Bought the K550 also because i've read the raving review on headfonia (which i can understand but doesn't correlate entirely with my experience).
Although i haven't burned them in properly (i have about 5-6 hours on them) i don't think i will keep them.
 
My expectations weren't even that high but the problem is my AKG K501 are more clear than the 550's.
The K550 are more clean though, almost like they smooth out the sound with a blacker background but i like the textured sound of the K501 a bit better.
Soundstage imaging is also more precise at the 501's.
 
She only real advantage they have for me above the K501 is the bass.
If only the 501's could have more bass they would be my perfect headphones.
So yeah the AKG K550 aren't bad headphones by any means but for 186 euros i thought they would have more bass AND be clearer than my 100 euros K501.
So i guess i'm sending them back, having bass though is wonderful i have to say.

 

[ricerocket]

Give 'em more time to burn in. I bought two pairs, and the second pair sounded vastly different until I gave 'em a few weeks. They warm up slightly and aren't as distant IMO after burn-in.

 

[joostdh]

Quote:

Give 'em more time to burn in. I bought two pairs, and the second pair sounded vastly different until I gave 'em a few weeks. They warm up slightly and aren't as distant IMO after burn-in.

I agree. I bought them on the basis of reviews and was very disappointed as I found the sound uneven in the highs and the bass insecure. But after some use (20-30 hours) they are starting to sound much, much better.

 

[draven5494]

I am still enjoying the K550s, a lot.  I have had no issues with the fit.  I have pretty decent isolation and they are very comfortable.
 
For those who say they K550s are weak in the bass dept. I suggest listening to Daft Punk's Tron Legacy soundtrack.  It still amazes me how low the K550s bass really goes.  It's almost like I can feel the bass more than I can hear it.  I love it.

 

[kfscoll]

Quote:

I am still enjoying the K550s, a lot.  I have had no issues with the fit.  I have pretty decent isolation and they are very comfortable.
 
For those who say they K550s are weak in the bass dept. I suggest listening to Daft Punk's Tron Legacy soundtrack.  It still amazes me how low the K550s bass really goes.  It's almost like I can feel the bass more than I can hear it.  I love it.

Not only that but getting a good seal is vitally important with the K550s.  The first time I heard about the importance of a good seal with the K550s I thought "yeah, right."  However, I experienced it myself last weekend.  I wear glasses from time to time and put the K550s on such that the pads were over my glasses.  There was absolutely no bass to speak off -- in fact, it was so bad I thought my headphones were broken.  Once I realized what I'd done, I took my glasses off and all of the K550s' bass goodness was back.
 
I had K702s briefly and, while the highs and mids were great, the 'phones sounded positively anemic to me because of their thin bass response.  Now, I'm not a bass head, but the K702s took bass thinness to a whole new level.  The K550s fix all of that and, as a result, are a much more well-rounded headphone IMO.