[Tim D]

555 is better judging by the graph and more closely matched to its bigger brother the 595.

In fact the graph for the 515 looks 'bad'.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim D 555 is better judging by the graph and more closely matched to its bigger brother the 595. In fact the graph for the 515 looks 'bad'.

I noted the peak at about 2.6kHz on the 515, resulting in a 'tinny' sound. Nonetheless, that 'tinniness' is modest, and easily forgivable in a sub-$100 headphone (which the 515 is).

 

[crimsonadam]

Is it just me or does it seem like the bass is pretty absent from the 555s.

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim D 555 is better judging by the graph and more closely matched to its bigger brother the 595. In fact the graph for the 515 looks 'bad'.

Agree, that chart make 595 a questionable improvement over 555. I found 515 to be noticably brighter (sr80-er) than 555 on a short period a/b.

Quote:

Originally Posted by crimsonadam Is it just me or does it seem like the bass is pretty absent from the 555s.

I'm sure it's not just you. Many headfiers hate "thin" bass from 555/595 - yet I found them to be more neutral overall plus I can still feel the vibration on very low bass notes.

 

[Reck45]

It's not just the bass that's thin, it's the sound as a whole. I wouldn't call them "neutral" since they do alter the sound...not in a pleasant way. The 555s turns instruments that should sound thick and rich into weak thin sounding things that are utterly devoid of emotion. Icky icky...

 

[HiroshimaJoe]

I've tried the whole Sennheiser HD5X5 series from a high end Marantz CD player amplified with the Creek OBH-21SE and found the 555 and 595 to be very very similar, but the 515 is a different class altogether, and I didn't spend too much time with them since the price difference between 515 and 555 is too small and the sonic difference too large to even consider the 515.

 

[Andrea]

Needless to say, turns out once more that graphs (esp. freq. response)
do make sense at all.
Not only, in my opinion they are almost ineluctable in evaluating an headphone, nearly as much as 'comparative' listening.
Then I'm so fond of Headroom, no matter I can't buy online...

 

[hentai]

hd515 , hd555 hd595 all sucks ,

hd580/600/650 are much better

can't explain why

though its all matter of preference , i always believe hd580.hd600 and hd650 are better bets for all rounder cans

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hentai hd515 , hd555 hd595 all sucks , hd580/600/650 are much better can't explain why though its all matter of preference , i always believe hd580.hd600 and hd650 are better bets for all rounder cans

Only on expensive, high-end equipment and with a huge amp. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of music listeners throughout the world have something less than that ideal - and mostly, far less. In that case, the HD580/600/650 can seriously underperform or even suck on such mass-market equipment, especially if the equipment is at least moderately underpowered to begin with.

 

[HiroshimaJoe]

Hentai have you even heard the 5X5 series? I compared them (rather quickly) with the HD 580 and HD 600 and the differences are there, but they do not differ so much from the 5X5 series that you can brush them off as "sucking".

 

[cylanes]

I own the HD 515 and must say they`re pretty alright.

Good bang for your money.

 

[hentai]

i heard them all. to me hd600 is better than hd595 and hd555 as its smoother, . even if unamped i still say hd600 better.

 

[hentai]

i can't decribe the differences as i don know how to use terms like mids , highs , lows , i can only tell how my ears feel

 

[Andrea]

smoother = better ?


Not to anyone's ears, I believe.

Probably, to someone else's:


more balanced, more forward, vivid (less distant sounding), less dark, somehow more detailed = better

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiroshimaJoe but they do not differ so much from the 5X5 series that you can brush them off as "sucking".

sucking = boring = neutral.

580/600 may have more punch and bites but they're definitely not smoother or for that matter "much better" w/r/t 595. For noticable improvement on that smoother thing you'd have to go 650, but your wallet will hate you.