AKG K550 vs Denon AH-D600 vs Others
Jan 13, 2013 at 8:01 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 50
BillsonChang007

BillsonChang007

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Hey guys!

I happen to audition quite a lot of headphones during my stay in Singapore last year(actually end of the Dec 2012 xD). Out of all the headphones I tried(that includes HD800 with Beyerdynamic A1), I prefer AKG K550 the most. It's precious details & soundstage are excellent. Not to mention it's extreme clarity & I heard no sibilance/hisses/grains throughout my roughly 45minutes audition with it. The entire frequency sound fantastic to me. Right amount of bass (something very rare to me as I dislike too much bass or too less bass or lack of controls)

Everything, was ruined after seeing AH-D600 online. There's plenty of great reviews. Just wanted to see if the AH-D600 does everything better than AKG K550. If not, is there anything that sound better than K550 at most $500? Closed design.

Thanks!
Billson :)
 
Jan 13, 2013 at 8:13 AM Post #2 of 50
Tyll at innerfidelity recently reviewed the logitech ue6000 recently and prefered it over the k550's. At a price point of $200.00, I would audition them if you have the chance. Though, it didnt stop me from ordering the k550's :wink:.
 
Jan 13, 2013 at 10:28 AM Post #4 of 50
The K550 was a disappointment imho - having been a big K701 fan and being at least familiar with some of the older AKG studio designs. They aren't terrible headphones, and compared to more contemporary ~$300 closed headphones (the ones that don't completely suck - so let's say, the AT A900X, Klipsch M40, Sony X10, that kind of thing) they stand up relatively well assuming you can get a good seal. Personally I like the B&W P5 and ATH ESW9A better at the same price point, and the Kenwood K1000 better at a higher price point. Basically I found the K550 to be kind of flat sounding, with a bit of upper-mid emphasis; I agree with you that they aren't harsh, clashy, or sibilant, but they just didn't do anything for me beyond that. The ESW9 have better mids and more textured bass, the P5 have more isolation and overall texture, and the K1000 (which I have not A/B'd to the K550 - the other two I have) will likely best them when it comes to soundstaging and overall extension, and certainly have a (to me) more enjoyable mids oriented presentation.

Having said that, if you're raving about the K550 over basically everything you've ever heard, they're probably a good match for you. My complaints based on the above are more related to preference than any specific gripe with the K550 (they're well built, they sound fine, nothing really sticks out and says "wow this sucks, don't buy this!"). And based on that, I'd probably just go ahead and order them and enjoy yourself. :)

Regarding the AH-D600 specifically, I cannot say I've heard them - I can say that I've seen A LOT of mixed feelings about them, some people really seem to enjoy them, and some people really seem to despise them. They certainly have not filled the AH-D2000's reputation (and honestly I didn't think the AH-D2000 was the best thing since sliced bread; the K550 for less money is probably a better choice there - build quality feels MUCH better too). Additionally, my understanding (and this seems to be one thing various people can agree on) is that the D600 is a relatively bass heavy headphone. I know the D2000 before it was. I wouldn't consider that kind of sound signature if you like (or love) what the K550 are doing for you. But take this with a massive grain of salt, given that again, I have not tried the D600.
 
Jan 13, 2013 at 11:25 AM Post #5 of 50
I owned the D600 and have the K550. I listened to the Ue6000/9000 was not very impressed. Muddy compared to the K550 which is technically superior imo. D600 is very nice but it did not isolate as well as the K550 and the bass was lacking depth (and too boomy) - K550 goes very deep.
 
Jan 14, 2013 at 12:31 AM Post #6 of 50
tim3320070 said:
I owned the D600 and have the K550. I listened to the Ue6000/9000 was not very impressed. Muddy compared to the K550 which is technically superior imo. D600 is very nice but it did not isolate as well as the K550 and the bass was lacking depth (and too boomy) - K550 goes very deep.
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Jan 14, 2013 at 12:40 AM Post #7 of 50
UE6000 are no good to me but UE4000 are great! Detailed and smooth overall sound except for the vocals which sound artificial.

Thanks for all the inputs! Really appreciate that! Looking forward on how others think about both of these two headphones. Also, since I have a max budget of $700($200 reserved for amp/dac. Looking at E17 if I can find one or D-Zero). If I get K550, I can afford another pair of open headphones. :)
 
Jan 14, 2013 at 1:10 AM Post #9 of 50
The sound signature of the D600 and the K550 are very different. K550 is more reference-ish while D600 is more fun. I do find the D600's bass to be too much at times so that may not suit your preferences. Keep in mind that they are made with portability in mind and the bass heavy sound does very well at reducing low frequency ambient noise. Even though I love my D600 I would not recommend it in this case.
 
You can also look at the Tesla line by Beyer, the flagship T1 sounds really great to my ears, completely different from my D7000, which is quite similar to the D600 in some ways. The T70 and T90 seems to be in your budget. Bass amount is just right, after some time with the T1, going back to the D7000 gives me some headaches with its bass.
 
Jan 14, 2013 at 2:37 AM Post #11 of 50
I haven't heard the Denon AH-D600 so I cannot compare it with the AKG K550. However I think that the AKG K550s really are superb for the money.
 
I bought mine prior to a trip to South America. I was going to be sharing accommodation and I wanted something closed back and good for use on the aeroplane and while in South America. They were perfect for that.
 
I'm listening to music with then now actually as I type. Some wonderful piano works by Franz Schubert. The level of detail is very high indeed. Piano is often hard to get right but I think the K550s do a great job.
 
They are very open sounding for closed back headphones and the soundstage is very good. I find I quite like the reduced background noise even when there hardly is any, it creates a very focussed musical world.
 
Having headphones of this quality for this sort of money is not something that you could regret.
 
Jan 14, 2013 at 2:46 AM Post #12 of 50
Quote:
obobskivich said:
T70 is...very disappointing. Not worth $500-$700 imho. At all.
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Agreed, the T70 is not worth $500-$700,
I was lucky enough to get some good used T70s off Amazon for $315 (including shipping).
They do sound sweet to me. not a heavy bass, but to me it has enough bass.
 
Jan 15, 2013 at 12:50 AM Post #15 of 50
i tot the k550 sounded great...clear enough for classicals. The seal on my head was perfect. :p
The D600 needs a portable amp i think, my fone or ipad couldnt really tighten the bass...enough.
But its still good enough for pop songs..not too complex music. ..background music. 
 
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On ear... if u like reference kind of sound...then the dt1350...hard to beat this one...u can have classical music on the move...resale is going for around 200ish.
If u can find a ESW10Jpn on the cheap.... its heavenly off my ipad, the synergy is crazy emotive n dynamic at the same time, nothing weak about this portable.
But of cos its impossible to find this one.
rolleyes.gif

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