[NickyaKillah]

I recently got the AKG K553s, which I wasn't too happy with. I expected them to sound more like the Q701, but I was wrong, and something was really missing in them. Anyway, when I tried to use it with the E18's DAC, it seemed to mess the sound up bad, like, REALLY bad. The only word I could find to describe this well is confused.
 
The sound stage was rotated quite a bit to the right, almost like a binaural recording that someone rotated the mic on. The music seemed bass heavy without even flipping the bass boost switch. Neither of my other headphones do this on the DAC.
 
Now I've tried this with my ATH-M50X and Q701 as well, and I get nowhere near the same result. With the M50x, it not only makes the staging better, it makes the highs and lows greatly clearer while improving some clarity to the mids, and somewhat recesses the V-shape the M50X is now known for. With the Q701, it was some of the best sound I've ever heard period. I akin it to a $600+ setup.
 
Now if anyone knows what's causing this issue, I'd be greatly appreciative to know, thanks in advance!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Have you tried plugging the K553 into something besides the E18?

 

[NickyaKillah]

Yes, and it sounds just fine on those sources. I tried the basic amplifier of the E18, and no issues. I don't get why it messes up so bad with the DAC

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Did you try the E18 with any other headphone? Sounds like it's a faulty unit.

 

[NickyaKillah]

Read the OP again. I tried it with the M50x and Q701

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Read the OP again. I tried it with the M50x and Q701

 
Just being very specific because it's an extremely unusual effect that only when the E18 and the K553 are working together that this kind of problem crops up. As much as other issues would be common enough, scrwing up the sounstage completely is usually something either one will do with everything else as well.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Yes, and it sounds just fine on those sources. I tried the basic amplifier of the E18, and no issues. I don't get why it messes up so bad with the DAC

 
So you like the sound of the K553 when plugged into something besides the E18?
Enough that you would want to keep using the K553 headphones?

 

[NickyaKillah]

Well not exactly. The bass seems to overpower and distort a lot of the detail

 

[PurpleAngel]

Well not exactly. The bass seems to overpower and distort a lot of the detail

 
If the bass on the K553 is overpowering and distorts the detail, sounds like a defective K553.

 

[NickyaKillah]

If the bass on the K553 is overpowering and distorts the detail, sounds like a defective K553.

Yeah I thought about that last night. Who do I go to to see how to fix that?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Yeah I thought about that last night. Who do I go to to see how to fix that?

 
I would assume AKG's office, here in the USA.
 
AKG is owned by Harman.
 
USA 
Harman Consumer Group 
phone: (888) 452-4254
Mon – Fri: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (ET)
Sat – Sun: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (ET)
email: hcgcustomersupport@harman.com
 
http://us.akg.com/akg-support-list-us.html

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Yes, and it sounds just fine on those sources. I tried the basic amplifier of the E18, and no issues. I don't get why it messes up so bad with the DAC

Whoa, hold on a sec here. Which port are you plugging into when you report these weird issues? The headphone port? Or the line input / output port?

Basically, which port do you mean by the "basic amplifier of the E18" and what do you mean by "the DAC" in contrast?

 

[NickyaKillah]

Whoa, hold on a sec here. Which port are you plugging into when you report these weird issues? The headphone port? Or the line input / output port?

Basically, which port do you mean by the "basic amplifier of the E18" and what do you mean by "the DAC" in contrast?

What I mean for the DAC is, I plug into my source via USB/Micro-USB, plug headphones into the top port, and listen.

For the basic amplifier, I mean I plug my source into the designated top port, then plug in my headphones at the designated top port.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Ok, so you're plugging the headphones into the headphone port in all cases? In that case, I got nothin'. Carry on...