[banghead]

Will the Hd555's work good with an Xtreme Gamer soundcard, and are they alright for Metal, Industrial, Ambient and Classical genres?

 

[spraggih]

I owned a pair once-- they were OK but I reported on their *OK-ness* here on head-fi and everyone said you cannot listen to a Sennheiser phone without an amplifier-- it's necessary.

Would you also have an amp? // Sorry about your wallet.


I also thought they were best for Classical and related genres because of their smoothness but that they could play middle of the road and suit all your genres mentioned.

 

[jgonino]

They will work fine with your sound card, but will not sound very good with metal.

I would suggest a pair of Grados for the genres you listed. They will also sound good from your sound card. Look for a used pair of SR80's.

 

[Pianist]

Umm... I don't think grado may be a good choice for ambient, but otherwise a Grado will be way more exciting and faster headphone than the HD555.

 

[spraggih]

The genres listed are fairly diverse so it might not be possible to meet all the needs perfectly in one phone. You may have to compromise on one genre versus another.

The AKG 701s are great all-arounders -- worth a consideration.

 

[legcramp]

Denon D1000 or D1001K ( same thing sound wise different appearance? )

Should be great all-rounders

 

[banghead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spraggih /img/forum/go_quote.gif I owned a pair once-- they were OK but I reported on their *OK-ness* here on head-fi and everyone said you cannot listen to a Sennheiser phone without an amplifier-- it's necessary. Would you also have an amp? // Sorry about your wallet.

no I don't have an amp, and headphones are really expensive here in Canada, at least that I've found. I'm trying for a pair of 99$ HD555's but it'll still come out to around 140$ with shipping from the states... so if anyone knows the cheapest place to get these kinds of headphones in Canada, let me know ):
I'm also on a budget, so..

and yes you're right Spraggith, I listen to alot of internet radios though so I'm always changing genres, but mostly I listen to Black Metal and Industrial

I'll check out the SR80's and AKG701's, thanks

 

[Guarneri]

HD555s are actually relatively easy to drive compared to most mid-fi phones. They are also very suitable for many styles of music because the sound is fairly neutral. Should be a decent choice to start off with. Check out the AD700 too.

 

[liamlw]

The AD700s are better than the HD555s are don't cost that much more, so get those. X-fi will drive them fine.

 

[spraggih]

Re: costs. I would like buying used would be a good option then. Also by buying used if the headphones do not work then you are only down the shipping costs to you and the shipping costs to the new buyer when you resell them.

I think the shipping charges to/from Canada from head-fiers would be $20-$30 USD and the headphones themselves would be cheaper because they are used.

Hope some part of this or the above feedback helps.

I agree the 555s are *relatively* easy to drive but I recall some head-fiers reported they do not come into their being without an amp. YMMV. I think you could search for threads I started with HD555 in the title for some history.

[edit] did a search myself to help you out on the sound of HD555. Also this includes the HD595, which many head-fiers see a worthwhile upgrade to the 555s.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/hmm...-595-a-154360/

Used 555s for sale right now--> http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f10/fs...ighlight=HD555

Long thread on the SQ and benefits of 555s --> http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/new...ighlight=HD555

 

[banghead]

Thanks very much, great feedback from everyone, helped alot