[Alghazanth]

Quote:

 
This still doesn't answer one of my key questions. How do they compare to the HD555? I want to know if doing this little upgrade will pay off at all.
 
I got around 200$ and I was a bit shocked by seeing most the discussions revolve around way more expensive headphones. I think it's only fair to investigate a bit before spending them.
 
 
 
As for what music I intend to listen to, it's more often than not of the noisy, harsh and distorted type. Definitely guitar-driven stuff most of the time.
 
 

 
 

There are plenty of discussions centered on low and mid-fi headphones.
 
As for the M50 vs the 555, the M50 will be superior in basically every way. Still, the best advice I can give you at $200 is to try and find a pair of D2000s on the For Sale forum. I prefer them to several $1000+ cans.
 

 

[Arnotts]

Quote:

There is nothing neutral about recessed mids, honky lower treble and a mid bass bloat.

There is nothing about them that make them bass monsters. They are closer to neutral than being bass monsters.

 

[Arnotts]

Quote:

There are plenty of discussions centered on low and mid-fi headphones.
 
As for the M50 vs the 555, the M50 will be superior in basically every way. Still, the best advice I can give you at $200 is to try and find a pair of D2000s on the For Sale forum. I prefer them to several $1000+ cans.
 

I saw you put up a pair of LCD-2's for sale? Are you sure you just didn't like them because you weren't pairing them with a good amp?

 

[crinacle]

Oh look. More bashing directed to the M50s =.=

Seriously, I'm agreeing with the M50s being MORE toward the neutral side. They are definitely not as neutral as the SRH840 or other AKG models, but they have a frequency balance that is only slightly V shaped which I feel gives it a rare combo of fun and accurate at the same time, though I have a bone to pick with it's weird mids.

You Head-Fi guys just LOVE to pick on the 'popular kids' don't you? Just because a pair of headphones doesn't meet your standards doesn't mean that it is truly unworthy.

 

[blacknile]

Quote:

There is nothing neutral about recessed mids, honky lower treble and a mid bass bloat.

You forgot to add that this is purely your (very subjective) opinion.
 

 

[TheGame21x]

The M50s tend to have that effect on people. They're a pretty amazing set of headphones for the price.

 

[KaliKot]

They are neutral to my ears as well, but they are indeed on the "fun" side of neutral
 
Quote:

There is nothing neutral about recessed mids, honky lower treble and a mid bass bloat.

 

 

[Hudson01]

You guys certainly are experienced in headphones !!! I guess if your already heavily into quality cans and have been for a while then i can not add anything to the discussion (given my newbie status), but to guys (and girls) who just want a very high quality set of phones at a very reasonable price then i can recommend these phones without reserve. I find the bass just fine with them, not overpowering but it is there.
 
They are a high quality set of phones which i would say could be used for a wide variety of music without feeling you are missing out on something. I guess if you are at the ''higher end '' of the price spectrum then maybe you would not even be reading this !

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

I saw you put up a pair of LCD-2's for sale? Are you sure you just didn't like them because you weren't pairing them with a good amp?

Everyone told me that is why and I believed it at first. However upon talking to others who tried them with amps better and worse, some with the E9 itself, and reading more about their sound characteristics (the laid back treble is not for me), I'm positive these aren't what I'm looking for.
 

 

[gelocks]

I do think the M50s have a certain 'coloration' on the high freqs but what really
bothered me were the mids... they are just not 'there'...
 
Anyway, maybe I'm used to studio monitors which actually produce neutral output,
but the M50s did NOT sounded 'neutral' to me.
 
Even so, I believe they were good just not great.
For the price (and if you can get it for like $120 or less) I believe it is a good buy.

 

[crinacle]

 
Quote:

I do think the M50s have a certain 'coloration' on the high freqs but what really
bothered me were the mids... they are just not 'there'...
 
Anyway, maybe I'm used to studio monitors which actually produce neutral output,
but the M50s did NOT sounded 'neutral' to me.
 
Even so, I believe they were good just not great.
For the price (and if you can get it for like $120 or less) I believe it is a good buy.

They aren't neutral. Definitely not.
 
They are SLIGHTLY neutral, due to its slight bass bump and slightly recess mids, not the extent of other fun headphones such as the HFI-580, the D1001 or the DT770 Pro. I don't know about the colouration of the highs, but I'm not really a studiohead...