AKG K551 out soon.
Nov 6, 2012 at 10:39 AM Post #108 of 119
I unboxed it this morning.  
 
Initial impression is almost the same as K550 aside from the color and much shorter cable.  I am not a fan of the relatively hard and thin wire.  I am burning it in right now.  Will report back with listening impressions.  
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/635064/new-akg-k551-silver-unboxing-video
 
Nov 8, 2012 at 3:02 AM Post #109 of 119
I'm pretty sure these sound the same as the K550's (which sound absolutely fantastic). They probably just wanted to make a more portable version with a remote. If this is indeed the case then I really don't understand AKG's logic behind this. Why wouldn't they make the cable removable and include 2 cables in the package for this price. One shorter cable with a remote for portable use and one longer cable for home use?
 
Sorry about this offtopic question, but I'm interested to know if mr hifiguy528 has plans to review AKG K702 65th anniversaries any time soon?
 
Nov 8, 2012 at 3:27 AM Post #110 of 119
Quote:
Sorry about this offtopic question, but I'm interested to know if mr hifiguy528 has plans to review AKG K702 65th anniversaries any time soon?

 
Not sure why people are so excited about the new K702. Isn't it basically the same headphones with minor differences (headband + earpads)?
 
I just realized how much AKG loves to release the same old headphones with different paintjobs...
 
Nov 8, 2012 at 4:06 AM Post #111 of 119
Quote:
 
Not sure why people are so excited about the new K702. Isn't it basically the same headphones with minor differences (headband + earpads)?
 
I just realized how much AKG loves to release the same old headphones with different paintjobs...


Looks like you haven't been able to test these. Anniversaries pack a lot more punch than the standard 702's. I was very impressed when testing these last weekend and actually ended up ordering these for myself. I just like to read or watch reviews of interesting products. Especially when the reviewer is experienced.
 
Nov 8, 2012 at 10:18 AM Post #112 of 119
Quote:
I'm pretty sure these sound the same as the K550's (which sound absolutely fantastic). They probably just wanted to make a more portable version with a remote. If this is indeed the case then I really don't understand AKG's logic behind this. Why wouldn't they make the cable removable and include 2 cables in the package for this price. One shorter cable with a remote for portable use and one longer cable for home use?
 
Sorry about this offtopic question, but I'm interested to know if mr hifiguy528 has plans to review AKG K702 65th anniversaries any time soon?

 
Agreed. 
 
Me too, waiting for Mike's review for K551.
I tried K550 the other day and still debating wheter K551 worth to own.
 
Jan 1, 2013 at 8:50 PM Post #116 of 119
Feel a little sold out by AKG.
 
Jun 20, 2013 at 6:05 AM Post #118 of 119
Bumping with some user experience.
 
I've been using the K551 for about a week now, and I completely adore the sound. It has precisely the sound signature I've been looking for for home and portable use, staying on the bit bright, clean side but also being able to reach deep down when needed.
 
Much like how I've heard about the K550, the correct positioning of the headphones might take a small while before you manage to get a proper seal. In my opinion it doesn't affect the sound too much though. I'm kinda big-headed personally, so the pressure level is comfortable and it stays on my head securely enough. The size might be a little bit silly to look at in very portable use, but if you use this while, say, commuting and such it shouldn't pose as a problem really. A carrying case and some extra adapters of sorts would be nice but once you have a few headphones you kinda don't really need any more. All in all, I only manage to find one major design flaw in these headphones though:
 
The plug doesn't fit all the way in with quite a few of the protective cases for iPhones and iPods. This includes the official bumpers for iPhones. This lets the sound work fine enough, but the microphone and remote controls will be offline.
 

 
With the cable being pretty much the only new thing in the K551 over K550, I can't help but to wonder how the engineers didn't take this to account. The iDevices are (some might argue intentionally) fragile pieces of equipment, and using them without at least some sort of protection is basically asking for an excuse to buy yet another expensive piece of fashionable elecrtonics. I don't mind the cable being non-detachable really, but limiting the prime function of the new cable in a manner such as this seems like a pretty major design flaw in my books.
 
So if you're considering about buying these, make sure that you can actually plug the headphones all the way in.
 

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