[ricerocket]

Sounds like Dazron never got his K550s fitted right. 

 

[draven5494]

Quote:

Sounds like Dazron never got his K550s fitted right. 

I agree with this.
 
While it's true that K550s don't have much mid-bass, with a good seal I can hear bass that extends deeper than any headphone I have ever heard... and I have nearly been through the entire Ultrasone line... 
 
I wouldn't call the K550 a basshead headphone but to me the bass is just about perfect.  

 

[Dazron]

Well I did everything I could to fit them right. What more can I do except put them on my head? They are just too loose. I tried bending the top band but it did nothing.

Forgive me for saying but if a £230 bit of kit can't fit your head to sound anywhere near right, they are a waste of time and money. Why buy something you HAVE to mod to get anywhere near acceptable sound and fit? Total and utter fail.

 

[draven5494]

Quote:

Well I did everything I could to fit them right. What more can I do except put them on my head? They are just too loose. I tried bending the top band but it did nothing.
Forgive me for saying but if a £230 bit of kit can't fit your head to sound anywhere near right, they are a waste of time and money. Why buy something you HAVE to mod to get anywhere near acceptable sound and fit? Total and utter fail.

I have returned several pairs of headphones due to fit issues, so I can definitely relate.  

 

[ricerocket]

Quote:

Well I did everything I could to fit them right. What more can I do except put them on my head? They are just too loose. I tried bending the top band but it did nothing.
Forgive me for saying but if a £230 bit of kit can't fit your head to sound anywhere near right, they are a waste of time and money. Why buy something you HAVE to mod to get anywhere near acceptable sound and fit? Total and utter fail.

 
The cups that rotate don't really rotate when placed on your head, you have to use your hands to force them into a position to fit your skull.
 
 
Anyways, I wasn't chastising you or your opinion, I'm just saying you didn't get the full intended user experience.

 

[Dazron]

I'm prepared to accept that. Is there a fitting guide anywhere? I'll re-evaluate!

 

[ricerocket]

Dazron: See the first post in this thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/588230/akg-k550-vs-some-others-denon-d2000-akg-k271-ultrasone-edition-8-shure-940-shure-840-beyer-dt770
 
 
 

5. Fit
5.1 Clamp
The second least in my list. Denons have the least followed by these. Or is it.......
 
[size=10pt]Q2. These are way too loose for my head. Only for big heads is it?[/size]
The following paragraph may be the most important thing for you in this entire review, so please read it carefully:
Out of all of these headphones, the k550 is very unique in one aspect. The clamp is adjustable. Yes, I'll say that again. Without any mods at all, the completely new out of the box akg k550 allows, by design, for us to adjust the clamping force the headphone exerts on our heads.
 
How and why?
This is simple. You see the actual earcups can be moved in both the up/down and right/left directions (read below) BUT each 'change' you make to the inclination of the pads require application of actual force- using your hands. This is especially true for the up/down movement. Unlike other headphones where the cups are attached to a loose swivel hinges, these won't change shape once on your head as the force required to make this change, to make the earcups move, is far greater than the outward (normal) force that your head can provide- so there is no movement.
All this is largely independant of how you use the headphones left and right size meter (how big your head is!). 3 clicks on either side or 5, you can still change the clamp of the headphone by moving the earcups.
 
Importance?
Getting a good tight fit is crucial for good sound. When I first got these I thought they sounded awful. I had them ready to send back to amazon. The next day however, I couldn't believe my eyes when the earpads moved up and down after I pushed them. THEN I had the fit. THEN I realised what headphones these are. Gone were the tinny mids and highs, the bass deficiency and the grating highs. A few experienced headfiers I suspect haven't really played with the fit- as their final impression of the k550 is exactly what I thought of it when I first tried it out. 
Look at my profile and see the closed headphones I've owned. I'm not embarressed to say that I got fooled at first with the k550, as it's just so unique in this regard. You know what- I doubt that there is another full size headphone that functions like this...
 

 

[CB3874]

I have both headphones. I think the K550 warmer while the SRH940 is more detailed and crisper in the treble end. I think they both have sufficient bass. It's natural, based on the source, not exaggerated. I've listened to both of these on my iPhone, iPod, and Apogee Duet 2. I normally listen to just Rock & Jazz, no Dance, Electronica, or Hip Hop.  The K550 is also super comfortable, the SRH940 require some adjusting. The SRH940 have a really tight clamp and sometimes I have trouble positioning the pads over my ears. I use the SRH940 & HD650 for mixing tracks in Logic & home listening while the K550 I use primarily at work. The K550 is more portable because they fold flat, the SRH940 don't fold at all & the case is huge. I like them both a lot. Hope this was helpful.