[Trunks159]

  So I went to best buy today and what did they have on display?... two headphones that I have been dying to hear the akg k545 and the p7. Now I have to hear the l2...not available yet and unfortunately bestbuy doesn't have philips hp's
 
My longtime favorite portable headphone was the momentum and since replaced/bested by the sony mdr 7520 and yamaha hph mt220.
 
I was expecting the k545 to be smashed by the p7.... Not the case at all
 
The k545 held its own in everyway. It does have a much more flimsy feel than I thought but the mids are great, the bass is adequate and tastefully done. Timber went to the p7 with a slightly larger soundstage.
 
the k545 had better instrument seperation, bass response, and soundstage with similar  mids but slightly less emphasized. This is all from a short listen but I was really surprised how much I preferred the k545 to the momentum. It was like a no brainer type of preference, not even close. I preferred it to the psb as well. I well never repurchase a momentum.
 
But to be honest the p7 sounded a tad better but it wasn't that noticeable at first. The p7 had better timbre, similar imaging, more depth, and was captivating in instrument presence. Both sounded similar in the bass with the p7 sounding tighter a little. Neither have the bass interfering with the rest of the fr. It did not however sound 150 dollars better... not even close. maybe more like 50 dollars better. So given a choice and a budget I would go with the k545. The k545 was the easy choice of all the headphones that were on that specific display.(since the p7 was mounted on its own bowers and wilkins display). But that p7 is no joke. Also I preferred the fit of the p7. The p7 build though with the small metal headband extension felt loose.
 
the k545 looks cool. When I saw the k550 I was like whoa those are the coldest looking headphones ever made. Not so with the k545 which barely caught my eye. The black is very low profile.... so low profile that I barely noticed it and kept staring at the k545 letters to reassure myself that it was the new hp. The other colors would pop out im sure but they didn't have em.
 
Also since I am rocking out to the jvc dx700 at home I the k545 would make the better choice.
 
The k545 cups were a lot smaller than the k550 but my ears fit well inside. The pads were very soft. The fit was odd at first, you have to adjust the headband snug to the head for the top of the cups to fully seal the ear. 
 
The k545 is definitely an improvement over the k550 sonically, it is tons more natural and when compared to other headphones with good mids it doesn't take the back seat. It was very clear as well. 
 
I think overall though I prefer the yamaha hph mt220 and sony mdr 7520 to both in a lot of ways.

Thanks.  Couldn't get to Best Buy today.  Too much work to do.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

  The k545 is definitely an improvement over the k550 sonically, it is tons more natural and when compared to other headphones with good mids it doesn't take the back seat. It was very clear as well. 
 
I think overall though I prefer the yamaha hph mt220 and sony mdr 7520 to both in a lot of ways.

So why are you selling 7520 and getting K545 then? 

Interesting that you got impressed by P7, they didn't move me at all, same level as modded MDR-1R, only less comfortable.

 

[Ph3nom88]

i think i posted wrong when i should have posted here. sorry new to these forums still kinda. hope you guys can help out a fellow music lover.
 
i listen to a lot of different music from all ranges, but mainly listen to edm (trance and house mainly) and all kinds of rock music. some hip hop here and there..
 
im somewhat still new to headphones and i want one i can use at home and on the go with great music. i like my highs and mid to be clear, clean, and good. my bass, i like it tight and loud but im not a basshead like some people who just want bass BLARING OUT LOUD like my friends who like beats studios and beats pro...bleh...
 
my friend all said join the crowd and get beats studios and beats pro. i told them they suck, but i give respect where do, they are good but NOT amazing like hipster make them out to be.
 
so i came down to two choices, either the akg k550 or the new akg k545. i was looking at others like the akg q701 and i like open ear for the sound stage but they say the bass is really lacking on them. i hear a lot about the akg k550, and mix reviews for closed cans, but they said they have good everything and good all around. good highs, mids, and lows, but they are HUGE which kinda turn me off for travel but perfect for home use. then they finally announced the akg k545, which is basically the portable version somewhat, still big imo, but smaller. they also said the akg k545 has better low for bass and the highs and mid are almost identical. i did a lot of research on here on people reviews on them and decided to pull the trigger on the akg k545. 
 
they are going for 302 at amazon and 249.98 at best buy. since i work at best buy, i got them at a deal for 126.01. CANT BEAT THAT SORRY which is partially why i pulled the trigger. also the reviews of the akg k545 over the akg k550.
 
i know sound is subjective to everyone ears and i wanted to test them out. unfortunately, i dont have any friends or family that own these headphones and the display at the store dont have them either, did have the akg k550 but the demo was broken, damn huh? so i was out of luck...
 
 
so all in all...DID I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE? i can still return these, if needed if i didnt make the right choice. please help me out and thanks for the help and feedback!!!
 
ps....also do these need an amp to make them truly come alive?? or can i use them without an amp? which i hope since imma use them to travel to school and easy home use. if i need an amp, the amp i was looking at was the audioquest dragonfly or the audioengine d1, which is better and why?
 
again thanks for the help!!

 

[dweaver]

I think you made the right choice going K545. They don't need an amp to sound great but you will want an amp if you want amazing .

I listen using just my smartphone a lot but really appreciate it when I can use my audioengine D1 which an amp/DAC combo.

 

[Ph3nom88]

I think you made the right choice going K545. They don't need an amp to sound great but you will want an amp if you want amazing

.

I listen using just my smartphone a lot but really appreciate it when I can use my audioengine D1 which an amp/DAC combo.

i was looking at the audioengine D1. u recommend that or the AudioQuest Dragonfly v1.2? i heard a lot of great things about the dragonfly which is an amp/dac combo in one as well.

 

[dweaver]

I have not heard that other amp/DAC combo so can't say for sure about it. But the audioengine D1 has amazing synergy with the K545 so I highly recommend it. It also works well with my Q701 so appears to have enough juice for other headphones.

 

[Ph3nom88]

I have not heard that other amp/DAC combo so can't say for sure about it. But the audioengine D1 has amazing synergy with the K545 so I highly recommend it. It also works well with my Q701 so appears to have enough juice for other headphones.

thanks. i might go with the audioengine D1. would that be all i need to fully enjoy my akg k 545? or do i need to pair it with anything else? and how would i go by hooking up the audioengine D1?  usb power the d1 or wall plug power? computer to fiber optic to the D1 to my akg 545?

 

[dweaver]

I just use the audioengine D1 by itself. I am using mine with USB instead of fiber to keep it simple. The D1 has lots of juice for the K545.

 

[Ph3nom88]

I just use the audioengine D1 by itself. I am using mine with USB instead of fiber to keep it simple. The D1 has lots of juice for the K545.

i thought fiber optic has the best audio output? or does usb offer the same as fiber optic in sound quality? after this i should be done. thanks for helping me. a lot.

 

[BillsonChang007]

 i thought fiber optic has the best audio output? or does usb offer the same as fiber optic in sound quality? after this i should be done. thanks for helping me. a lot.

some may believe that cable change the sound while some just don't. It depends who you ask xD
 
Do only PM if you are really interested to know. Starting a thread may start an audio world xD


Opps, I mean war* not world haha

 

[Trunks159]

IOW, you have to try it yourself.

 

[dweaver]

If you have fiber and want to try it I say go for it. For me I have tried both ways in the past and can't tell the difference so like the simpler approach.

 

[grizzlybeast]

deleted accident post

 

[grizzlybeast]

  So why are you selling 7520 and getting K545 then? 

Interesting that you got impressed by P7, they didn't move me at all, same level as modded MDR-1R, only less comfortable.

I am not saying that I am getting the k545 right now. but if after I sell these to get what i want then I would happily pick up a k545 for a portable can... I also only heard them for a brief time and I should have clarified that they didnt win me over from the 7520 instead of making it seem like the 7520 is way better or something. I would have to sit down with them all.
 
The reason that I am selling the 7520 and the yamaha hph mt220 is because I have a loaner right now.... the JVC DX700. The person loaning it to me said that they would sell it to me at a good price and I can't pass it up as I prefer it to all of the mentioned headphones. So the sony is worth selling for the jvc to me. 
 
I liked the natural sound of the p7... they didn't do anything wrong and didn't sound as clustered as the momentum. With the momentum being my standard for portable headphones the p7 exceeded them as well as the k545

 

[Lukalop]

Hello all, after following this thread for a while, I decided to make an account. I am not an audiophile, in fact, I don't think I am qualified on analysing sound what so ever yet, but merely a question of bad or good sound. As I have never owned a pair of headphones or even ever listened to a pair of good ones, I do not know what to expect but from having done an extensive bit of research over the past two days I have decided for certain that I am going to buy a pair. I was searching on youtube for top headphones and the likes of ATH - M50 (Audio-Technica) and the K550/1 (AKG) we're mentioned.

Initially I was going to get the K550's because they are honestly (in my opinion) the best looking headphones I have ever stumbled across hands down. However I was concerned about it lacking a substantial amount of base and the high pitch problems with the treble. I have gradually been learning about the different terms and what they mean but have still got quite a bit to discover. Having originally found myself looking at beats, I have heard they are not good value for money and that there were many other headphones that 'blew them out of the water' bit didn't like the appearance as they looked too retro for my personal taste.

Anyway, to the point, I am concerned about the K545 because in the specifications they only have a soundstage or is it called (frequency response?) of 20 - 20000 Hz, whilst many other reputable cans including the K550's go up to 28000 Hz. I am very concerned as from what I understand a wider range of frequencies equates to a greater instrument desperation where the sound is not congested or something like that, basically it sounds more real (please bare with me if I don't know what I'm talking about).

So could anyone tell me if this is discernible between the K545 and K550? I really want the best sounding headphones but without compromise, i.e a detachable cable and having a great build quality are a must. After reading many reviews I have noted that the odd number of people have said that the music sounds more (although slight) congested. Also how do these stack up to the ATH - M50's. So to summarise, K545 vs K550 (vs M50 but not too concerned about buying these as they are made of plastic and do not have a detachable cable)

Additional Information: I listen to a wide variety of genres but mainly hip-hop & electronic.

Thanks