[Lukalop]

Under 350

 

[dweaver]

Headphones with amazing sound stages almost always have an open grill design which will not work in any setting other than home.

In regards to sound stage the AKG Q701 has an amazing sound stage and is well worth it's price. The K545 in comparison only has a "average to great" sound stage. I do believe the K545 will be better than most gaming headphones though.

If you want HD800 levels though, pull out your wallet as the HP is $1500 and needs close to that for an amp.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Nothing spectacular under that price comparable to the hd800, you can try a used akg 712 or he400. Neither of them portable.
 
I would stick with the k545

 

[Lukalop]

So many terms to discover!
Can anyone explain to me what resonance is as I can't seen to find the meaning anywhere. I ask because in a review or a different set of headphones they referred to the term resonance, so what is the resonance like of the K545.

Also you said the K701 had great soundstage. What about the K545's imaging or is imaging just an acronym for soundstage.
Do you find that too much soundstage is bad or the wider soundstage the better? Thanks again for the feedback.
It is much appreciated! ;O

 

[dweaver]

Resonance refers to sound waves bouncing inside a closed cup headphone. The K550 has a small issue with resonance, the K545 does not as far as my ears can hear.

Please reread a couple responses already posted to in regards to imaging versus sound stage as I believe they already answer this question.

The Q701 has a wider sound stage than the K545. I think they are both equally adept at imaging. The only difference is that the Q701 will have more distance between sounds.

 

[grizzlybeast]

lol @Lukalop I can tell you are zealous and overlooking previous explanations. the k701 is even worse bass than the k550 and is hard to drive. you need an amp. go with an akg k712 for a good all arounder with soundstage that is open but not portable still you need an amp.

 

[dweaver]

Lukalop, what is your current headphone?

 

[Ph3nom88]

ok i bit the bullet and brought the dragonfly. i got the older model at best buy. i didnt know if the newer dragon fly is worth it. help me answer these questions i was thinking about.
 
 
1)is the newer dragon fly better? should have i gotten it or am i ok with the older model i got at best buy.
 
2)the dragon fly is a dac i know and im using with my soon to be here from delivery akg k545. do i need an amp as well or no i be ok without an    amp and just use the dragonfly to the k545 and it be powered ok.
 
3)can i use the k545 with my andrioid phone and ipod player as well without an amp since i cant use the dragonfly with it and it will sound good and still power well.
 
thanks for all the help!!

 

[Marximus]

Can somebody measure the internal diameter of the K 545s earcups/earcushions?  I'm trying to decide if they'd fit my ears.

 

[jwong]

This is just a measurement with a ruler, but looks to be roughly 2-3/16" (56mm) on the inside. They're laying right here on my desk because they were a tad too small for my ears!

 

[Lukalop]

dweaver
I do not have any headphones currently, but I have apple EarPods. And Motorola s9 which are wireless but not headphones, just earbuds that are wireless. I used to have an AKG K506 AFC wireless TV headphones.

How do the K545 compare to the ATH-M50 in terms of bass and soundstage?

 

[dweaver]

The K545 has a much better sound stage than the M50. The bass will be deeper but a bit less in quantity and more in quality.

OK I am going to make a suggestion. Based on your current equipment most of the mid tier equipment your looking at will be immensely better so just decide on a headphone and go for it. Having said I also suggest you get something with a bit of bass in it because your current equipment has boosted bass and if you change the signature to dramatically you might find yourself struggling to enjoy the new headphone. So go K545 or M50 vs a K550/Q701 route. I still think the K545 will give you tremendous audio feast that will keep you satisfied for a long time but anything with less bass potentially won't.

 

[Lukalop]

K545 it is.
Definitely getting them for Xmas but May wait for a price drop. Btw, how many pairs of headphone do you own?

Is an impedance of 32 ohms good to be used with just an iphone? I don't think I will buy an amp/dac until later down the line.
I don't understand why people use amps with headphones or dac's because surely the sound file is the exact same so what is the point?

 

[dweaver]

The K545 will be fine from your portable for now and better when you add an amp later so something to look forward to

Order of importance, good headphone, good amp, good DAC, cables and interconnects. But you should always start with a good headphone. The only time you need to consider your amp at the same time is if the headphone needs a lot of juice to work correctly. The HD800 is an example of a headphone needing the right amp. The K545 on the and is an excellent starter headphone because it does not need an amp but will scale up when you can afford one.

I have owned over 25 headphones and about 40 IEM's...

 

[grizzlybeast]

I wouldn't expect to see the price drop any time soon. 249 at best buy and the akg website is a great price already. Amps definitely improve headphones. Especially in the bass department where eq bass distorts hardwar amplification improves it