[DGriff0400]

mmm for someone who does'nt have the option of testing them out before listening to them because im buying overseas which is the safer buy between the two?

 

[meton]

Quick note on finish and materials quality since I have used both the K550 and the ATH-A900X for about the same amount of time now (approx. 60 hours).  
 
A900X plastic ear cups present a fine satin finish that highlights fingerprints and smudges and is difficult to clean.  A900X ear pad material is somewhat stiff and shiny though not at all uncomfortable when in use.  
 
K550 plastics are matte finish and textured and are easy to clean.  Similarly, the K550 ear pad material is more compliant and less shiny. My K550s smelled strongly of industrial adhesives, etc. upon opening and the odor took 4 or 5 days to dissipate, which is the only negative to the K550 from a materials standpoint.  
 
While I prefer the sound and comfort of the A900X, the K550s still look great and its materials appear to be wearing better overall at this point.  

 

[RP2X]

thx meton for your review,  I currently have my audio technic A900s (closed) and my k550s here,   am gonna give it a good testing and A/B comparisions.
 
I gotta admit the K550s build quality and that seal and ear pads are very nice,  better then my Audio technic A900s.....  but the A900s arent bad exactly and its the sound that counts !
 
Time to fire up some tunes !

 

[bonfirehay]

Quote:

 
Interesting how you mention the A700X was sliding down your head. The A900X are actually even heavier! So it would be even more exaggerated.
 
Yes, I think the K550's bass has more weight and overall quality to it. Not sure about the DT770, have never heard those. But I think the K550's are better than any Beyer I've tried (DT880 and DT990).

How do you compare the confort of the K550 to the DT880/DT990? Can you use them for 10h/day? Don't they get sticky like other leather pad headphones?

 

[bonfirehay]

Quote:

The long story.
I've always thought about getting the A900s, then when the A900Xs came out I thought about getting them, but as I already have two DT770s, so really could not come up with a good reason to buy.
Then the K550 came out and I really wanted those too, still could not justify.
Finally figured outmy ear really do not like to wear the DT770s for long periods of time (too much bass), but I live in an apartment, during the summer with open windows and four fans running, I need to used closed headphones.
So I decided I would sell off my two DT770s to justify buying new closed headphones (with less bass).
Then when I checked prices on the A900X and K550, the K550 had gone up $40 in price, costing $45 more then the A900X, so I went for the A900X.
A few reviewers liked the A900X better then the K550 (most prefer the K550), but I liked the idea of saving $45.

Which ones were more confortable, the DT770 or the A900x?

 

[Katun]

Quote:

How do you compare the confort of the K550 to the DT880/DT990? Can you use them for 10h/day? Don't they get sticky like other leather pad headphones?

 
Woah, surprised I caught this.
 
As much as I love Beyer's velour, I'm not a fan of the very shallow DT880 earcups. The DT990 is more comfortable than the DT880 due to having more room inside the cup.
 
While the K550 is really comfortable, any closed headphone is bound to heat up after extended use. I would stick with open headphones based off the fact of how much you'll be using them.

 

[bonfirehay]

The problem is the noise from the street, and why I'm not considering open headphones..
DT770, being velour, shouldn't present the sweaty problems of pleather closed headphones, and someone wrote that they offered more sound isolation than the K550.
 
I'm just worried with sound quality since I usually don't like V shape signatures.

 

[Katun]

So, how come you asked to compare the comfort of the DT880/DT990 to the K550 if you aren't considering open?

 
If you got the DT770, you could always attempt to EQ. And if you got the K550, you could always take brief breaks.

 

[bonfirehay]

Because I thought the confort of the DT770/880/990 was equivalent..
I will certainly remove the headphones for at least 15min every 3 hours. Not sure if that is enough, because I get very fatigued with the M50s.. so much half the time I just use earbuds (Yuin Pk3)

 

[RP2X]

I have yet to give my review comparing my K550s to my Audio technics A900s,  Im giving the K550s a good 100+hours burn in time,  hopefully over sunday ill give it a good testing again !
 
Either way the pleather type feel of the K550s is quite nice,  I can wear them for long times like 2-3hrs without much trouble,  but yes you can feel a little warm with them,  having regularly breaks will always help.  The K550s seal really does tighten the grip around your ears and head one would imagine your ears would be so hot after minutes but so far that has not been the case over the weeks use and I used them 10hrs + on sunday and 3-4hrs each day since.
 
Compared to the comfort level of my Audio Technic A900s,  there very similar I dont mind either one but that smooth texture of the pleather on the K550s is nice,  I find the A900s alot more Airy so there less likely to get hot but as a result leak noise about a good 20-30% more then the K550s which is bad especially at 3am.
 
Ill try and get my review sorted for weekend !

 

[meton]

Interesting point on the decreased noise isolation of the A900X leading to a little more air circulation and therefore comfort - hadn't noticed it but could be part of the reason the A900X are definitely easier to wear for longer periods of time, although mostly (for me) due to the wing design.  

 

[RP2X]

Yes I believe this is why the Audio technics 900 series are very comfy, there more bigger cups,  and there seems to be more air circulation inbetween them,  the ears are less likely to get more hot and sweaty as a result.
 
I find the Audio technics A900s wing system quite nice and I like the way the headband does not touch your head,  with the K550s the headband is pressing against the top of my head so its kind of there "always"
 
The K550s did not need much break in time,  where as the Audio technics if I recall took a good week or 2 before the vice grip and slipping off effect went away.
 
Anyhow ill try and post a proper little review soon,  its the sound quality that counts also

 

[bonfirehay]

Do the heating/sweating problems disappear in the winter and it becomes a feature, or is it still undesirable despite the cold temperature?

 

[SashimiWu]

Hi there aristidesfl.
 
Though I have only had the A900x's for about 3-4 weeks, I think I can give you some feedback on that headphone since I have never had the chance to get a pair of AKG550's.  When wearing the A900x's in the summer it did get a bit hot but never anything unbearable.  I would list it as a slight bit of uncomfort on the scale of how intrusive they felt to me.  When comparing them to the SRH840's in comfort, the Audio Techinica's blow them out of the water.  They are much lighter and get much less hot and intrusive when being used for long amounts of time.  Whenever I had the air conditioning on, I did not sweat at all and my ears never really got hot.  I don't know how well this translates to winter temperatures but I hope I gave you a good idea of what expect.

 

[RP2X]

The hot and sweaty issue is not really that bad with the Audio technics since there is quite a bit of breathing space between the cups and ears... you do get it a bit and no doubt worser in summer/hot days but nothing to throw you off them.
 
If anything this is always going to be an issue with closed headphone types,   you can of course take regular breaks and take your cans off and give your ears some breathing space and air.
 
As long as its placed correctly over your ears,  and your ears fit inside the inner circle of the cups and the seals done well and even you will always find them ok,  be it Audio technic 900 series or K550s.