[vlatko]

Hi all!

I'm pretty much a noob in the audiophile world so I need some advice from you kind folks.

I've done some research and in accordance to my budget decided on the Sennheiser 555. I've read a lot of good reviews about them and the general consesus seems to be: "if you're being your first audiophile headphones, these are the ones you want". Sounds good for me.

Now to my question, excuse me if it sounds ridiculous or whatever.

I'm buying these headphones for PC use, not for my stereo. Will the PC make use of these headphones 100%? I have a Creative Audigy 4 sound card and I want know will those two work together and give me a good listening experience, the same as a stereo would? I hope I made myself clear.

Looking forward to your response and thanks in advance.

 

[wolfeinstein]

i just ordered mine for pc use and it supposed to be awesome for games and movies!
So you wont be dissapointed!
They will tell you to get this get that give you a bunch of different choices in my case i just got confused to what to get so i went read a lot of different reviews on it and just went for it!

 

[spanks]

I really quite like my hd-555's

I recently got some grado sr-225's, and while their audio quality was obviously better, they lacked a full sound imo. They did treble and mids amazingly well, but the bass was far too soft...granted I don't have a tube amp so

The hd-555's are a LOT darker sounding, and are not as good in the treble, and the bass kinda gets a bit muddy....but if you aren't trying to scrutinize and evaluate the music with each note played, they sound quite decent for what they are.

If you do get them, be very careful with the EQ. It is VERY easy to raise the bass far too much. They sound great for a while, but I think I've kinda damaged the drivers. I've read other people doing the same with 555's/595's.

I have used them with both on board audio, and an audigy 2zs, and recently purchased an X-fi fatality something or other proffessional and it greatly improved the sound quality over both of them.

 

[vlatko]

Thanks for the replies guys.

As for the use of the cans, I'll mainly be using them for listening to rock music, flac encoded. What worried me is that my soundcard would not be "worthy" of the headphones.

Thanks for the EQ tip spanks, I don't think it will be a problem for me, I never did like what EQ's do to the music. I like to listen to it the way it was meant to be listened to.

P.S.
I've been searching the forums on these headphones and wow, there was so much discussion going on about them, getting through all of it is really exhausting. There are mostly good experiences with them, I think I'm gonna order them.

 

[spanks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies guys. As for the use of the cans, I'll mainly be using them for listening to rock music, flac encoded. What worried me is that my soundcard would not be "worthy" of the headphones. Thanks for the EQ tip spanks, I don't think it will be a problem for me, I never did like what EQ's do to the music. I like to listen to it the way it was meant to be listened to. P.S. I've been searching the forums on these headphones and wow, there was so much discussion going on about them, getting through all of it is really exhausting. There are mostly good experiences with them, I think I'm gonna order them.

haha yeah I had 0 guidance when I got the headphones. I got them for serious counter strike playing because they have such good positional audio for cheap. But man, I just cranked that EQ and it was

 

[HFat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif What worried me is that my soundcard would not be "worthy" of the headphones.

I wouldn't worry about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the EQ tip spanks, I don't think it will be a problem for me, I never did like what EQ's do to the music. I like to listen to it the way it was meant to be listened to.

Maybe you haven't tried the right EQ software/hardware or the right approach.
Most music was meant to be heard through speakers... you'll never hear it as it was meant to be listened to with headphones. And since most room distort the sound badly, you would most likely need corrective EQ to hear it the way it was intended actually.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are mostly good experiences with them, I think I'm gonna order them.

At some point, you're going to have to make a choice and order something so I don't want to prolong you misery but you should be aware that this is a poor way of choosing headphones because it's a very personal matter... you may not like what most people like.
Personally, I don't care much for HD555s but I think they wouldn't be a bad choice for an general-purpose headphone. Some head-fiers despise them though.
In any case, if you've never owned good headphones, you're probably going to be enjoy your HD555s a great deal. Just be careful with the volume... if your sound card is up to it, you can make them play music VERY loud without distorting so you'll have to discipline yourself if you don't want to end up with a hearing aid.

 

[HFat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif Will the PC make use of these headphones 100%?

Oh, I nearly forgot: Welcome to head-fi. Sorry about your wallet!

This is a dangerous attitude... you can spend four-figures (yes, I'm talking USD) chasing the elusive last percent or two.
Truth is, nothing will make use of your headphones 100% so you better get used to that. For a fraction of what it would cost you to approach that, you can get better headphones anyway.

 

[Alleyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll mainly be using them for listening to rock music, flac encoded.

For that music preference you should also look at a Grado or an Alessandro headphone.

 

[skellington]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies guys. As for the use of the cans, I'll mainly be using them for listening to rock music, flac encoded. What worried me is that my soundcard would not be "worthy" of the headphones. Thanks for the EQ tip spanks, I don't think it will be a problem for me, I never did like what EQ's do to the music. I like to listen to it the way it was meant to be listened to. P.S. I've been searching the forums on these headphones and wow, there was so much discussion going on about them, getting through all of it is really exhausting. There are mostly good experiences with them, I think I'm gonna order them.

There is often special offers on this headphone, so shop around, or buy used. You can easily save half the RRP.

 

[Lou Erickson]

I use HD555's with an Audigy 4 and they sound good with it. I think it's a good combination for the money, and good for general use. It handles music, movies and gaming reasonably well.

I'm sure you can spend more to get "better" sound, but this is a fine starting point.

I still use my HD555's on the computer for light music and gaming. I have picked up another system for music listening, but it would be overkill for my computer.

 

[tbonner1]

Senn 555's are similar to the 595's. Look for the recent thread comparing the 595 to the $500 Audio Technica 2000.

 

[almach1]

pay the little extra to get the 595's. you'll be happy.

 

[James63]

I say get the 555, I have A/B them with my 650s and they have a very similar sound signature. The 650s are a little sweeter in all aspects but the 555 held their own.
I should note I used and Ipod/total air head for my comparison.

So get the 555, run way and never look back while you till have your $$

 

[carlineng]

From my experiences, the HD555 are very neutral, balanced cans. They are also very comfortable. Some people complain that they're boring. I don't think that's necessarily true, but I definitely prefer the Grado sound.

 

[Toby M]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlatko /img/forum/go_quote.gif Will the PC make use of these headphones 100%? I have a Creative Audigy 4 sound card and I want know will those two work together and give me a good listening experience, the same as a stereo would?

They will improve with a better source, and will sound better out of a decent audio setup than straight out of the average PC soundcard. But that doesn't mean they won't sound better than a cheaper headphone out of the same soundcard. So although they won't sound as good as they possibly can straight out of a soundcard, neither will any other headphone. I don't think they'll be "wasted" on your soundcard.

HD555's are often recommended for PC use because they don't really require an amplifier, they'll sound good straight out of a PC soundcard. They benefit from an amp, but it's not nearly as critical as many other higher end headphones. The other common reccomendation for PC use is Audio Technica's A900, you can use search for more info on that (there's heaps).