[Tshiknn]

Hi everyone. I've had a pair of HD558's for about 2 years now (basically my first serious headphone purchase) and I have been overwhelmingly happy with them - I love their warm-ish, natural sound, and I've found that they really do justice to my orchestral and ambient records in reproducing performances in a neutral, spacious way. The problem is that, since I just got to college, I'm spending a lot of my time in libraries / noisy areas where I really need something with more isolation. After doing some research, I got a pair of ATH-A900X's, but to be honest I've been pretty disappointed - they sound thin and almost clinical compared to the Senns. Are there any closed headphones around the same price point that might approximate the sound of the HD558's a little better? Specifically, I've been looking at the AKG K550, and the Shure SRH840. Is there anything else that should be on my radar?
 
Thanks for your advice!

 

[fourrobert13]

Are you set on getting cans?  I would suggest some Dunu Titans IEMs.  I found them to sound pretty close to my HD558 and due to their design, they have a nice sound stage for IEMs.  I only returned them because I found I didn't like things in my ears.  Other than that, they were comfortable and the sounded almost identicle to my HD558.  FiiO has the EX1 which looks just like the Titans with a new cable.  The FiiO's are cheaper.  Other than that, I have no experience with closed back headphones.  

 

[MrSw1sh]

Quick question (i just got these today), how durable are these? I was planning on making them my on the go headphones and using them at the gym. Would the sweat/moisture cause damage?

 

[fourrobert13]

  Quick question (i just got these today), how durable are these? I was planning on making them my on the go headphones and using them at the gym. Would the sweat/moisture cause damage?

Just got what?

 

[MrSw1sh]

The HD558!

  Just got what?

 

[fourrobert13]

  The HD558!

I don't know that I would work out with them.  Sweat would get into the ear pads and headband.  Also the cable is really long unless you got an after market short cable.  I would look into some athletic earbuds like the Phillips I have listed in my signature.

 

[DangerClose]

  Specifically, I've been looking at the AKG K550, and the Shure SRH840. Is there anything else that should be on my radar?

 
I haven't listened to my 558 in a bit, but I listened to the K553 lately, and I guess it'd be in the HD558 ballpark.  The soundstage is wide (for closed), but the front depth is close, similar to the 558.  They're neutral-ish.  I wouldn't call them clinical, but they're not exactly warm either.  A small eq bump on the low end can do wonders for that. 
 
The pads are big but overly squishy.  Isolation is good but doesn't match the total soundproofing of say an HM5.  (Stay away if you don't want clinical.)
 
You'd be wearing them in public?  They're kind of big since they're full-size, but they sure beat a lot of other headphones on style points. 

 

[Tshiknn]

The reason I'm a bit wary of the K550-553 is that people have said it's even less warm than the A900X, which sounds cold to my ears (although I'm not sure how that's possible, since people have been very vocal about how forward the mids are). Don't care about size or style - I'll be wearing them in the library or on the subway, style isn't really an issue.
 
Out of the ones I've listed, the one with the most similar sound signature is the Shure SRH840 (actually, the SRH940 has a more similar sound signature, but people have said it's brighter). I'm curious to see how people say they stack up against each other.
 

  Quick question (i just got these today), how durable are these? I was planning on making them my on the go headphones and using them at the gym. Would the sweat/moisture cause damage?

They're pretty durable but I wouldn't use them for working out since they're pretty large, the cord is long and they're open so they'll let in pretty much all of the sound in the entire gym so you'll have to turn up the volume. I regular throw them into my backpack with a lot of stuff, and I travel with them, and they have literally no signs of wear or cracks - even the paint is still in prime condition. I could probably sell them with "Like New" on Amazon, and like I said I've owned them for probably 2 years or so.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hi everyone. I've had a pair of HD558's for about 2 years now (basically my first serious headphone purchase) and I have been overwhelmingly happy with them - I love their warm-ish, natural sound, and I've found that they really do justice to my orchestral and ambient records in reproducing performances in a neutral, spacious way. The problem is that, since I just got to college, I'm spending a lot of my time in libraries / noisy areas where I really need something with more isolation. After doing some research, I got a pair of ATH-A900X's, but to be honest I've been pretty disappointed - they sound thin and almost clinical compared to the Senns. Are there any closed headphones around the same price point that might approximate the sound of the HD558's a little better? Specifically, I've been looking at the AKG K550, and the Shure SRH840. Is there anything else that should be on my radar?
 
Thanks for your advice!

 
Wow, I thought my ATH-A900X were better for music, them my HD558s.

 

[DangerClose]

  The reason I'm a bit wary of the K550-553 is that people have said it's even less warm than the A900X, which sounds cold to my ears (although I'm not sure how that's possible, since people have been very vocal about how forward the mids are). 

I've read similar comparisons that say the A900x is warmer than the K550-553.  But I've also read people saying the A900x's soundstage seems "farther away."  Maybe that adds to its thinness and clinicalness.  
 
I was thinking of the K553's sound "presentation" compared to the HD558, but if warmness without eq is a big concern, then the neutral-ish K553 wouldn't be the way to go.

 

[Nemoona]

  Quick question (i just got these today), how durable are these? I was planning on making them my on the go headphones and using them at the gym. Would the sweat/moisture cause damage?​

The 558's would be the last thing I would bring to a gym.
They are fantastic for at-home but for at the gym they just aren't designed for situations like that.
The cord is incredibly long and comes with a 1/4" connection meant for home systems but when connected to the adapter, it's the bulkiest thing you would ever be able to connect to your phone. 
They have velour padding which is one of the most comfortable I've tried but picks up every single piece of dust, hair, dandruff, etc. that it touches, it would definitely absorb sweat like a sponge. 
They are open-back headphones which means they have a great sound-stage but let 95% of all exterior noise in which may not be the greatest in a gym.
They are very large, this isn't a bad thing for at-home, but in public or at the gym, these things are just a few notches shy of monster headphones like the HD 800 or Audeze LCD collection when it comes to size (and if you've seen a pair of HD 800 or LCD collection, you know what large headphones actually are) and don't get me wrong, the HD 800 are significantly larger, but the HD 558 is still huge when compared to other cans.
Lastly, while they seem to be incredibly durable cans, I cannot say if they are unusually vulnerable to conditions introduced in a work-out environment.
Some headphones are just made for different situations than others, and the 558 was not meant for going to the gym in.
I mean you could take them to the gym, nothing wrong with that.  There are people that do weird things with weird headphones, but for the gym, you can find can much more fit cans for the job.
Since this thread was originally designated to closed-back headphones that compare to the 558, I will make no further comments on how the 558 performs in a gym unless in a separate thread.