[thefiend1]

Hey guys,

I've been loving my AKG K550 for about 6 years now but the thing is literally deteriorating. I found a great replacement for the ear pads but the headband is shot and not exactly replaceable. I spent about an hour and a half removing it and cleaning the residue off of the metal band but the wire going across it to the connect the drivers is flat and fragile... I'm going to attempt to put a foam Seinheiser headband on it tomorrow. Also the "soft touch" rubber coating is deteriorating... It's unfortunate because they still sound amazing to me. Sucks that they don't make these things easily repairable

However I am curious as to what else is out there that might fit what I'm looking for:

- Similar sound profile
- Closed Back
- Over the Ear
- Easily replaceable stock ear pads and headband
- Removable cable (maybe but not necessary)
- Bluetooth and/or active sound dampening (maybe but not necessary)
- No soft touch coating garbage
- Doesn't feel "cheap"
- Doesn't need a ton of power - just my mobile device (iPhone/iPad)
- $400~

There were a few I was looking at online:
- Bang & Olufsen H7 (or H9) for $399 which ticked all the boxes except for the not knowing how they sound and whether or not they sell replaceable ear pads... But I love the raw aluminum look!
- Bowers & Wilkins P7 $349 has the most easily replaceable ear pads I've seen so far with some clever ingenuity. I demoed these at Best Buy not too long ago and was extremely unimpressed...it was very dark sounding. I'm not sure if it was just a bad unit or if it needs an amp but am still curious.

I use these for music listening about 99% of the time at my desk at work and listen to them for about 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. So they get a lot of use. Am I asking for too much?

Thanks guys!

 

[axle_69]

You may want to consider the Oppo PM 3, the headband should last a long time, and although the earpads aren’t specified as user replaceable, they are easy to replace. The cable just on one side and the noise isolation makes them very convenient for office use. They are comfortable even with glasses on but the faux leather makes them a bit warm. As for the sound… you should try them before buying, may not be your cup of tea. You can drive them directly from a computer or an iPhone but an external DAC/headphone amplifier makes some difference.
You may consider in-ear phones like the Etymotic ER4, Shure SE535, etc. as an alternative, some are very comfortable and offer good noise isolation (35-42 dB for the Etymotic).

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Another option you may like is the Meze 99 Classics. They are actually fully replaceable, with almost all parts (except the drivers) being screwed together instead of glued, making them almost infinitely repairable. Haven't been able to hear them yet (they are in all likelihood sitting on my porch, of course because I am out of state until Tuesday ) buth I see them described as having an incredibly fun sound that makes for an amazingly entertaining listening experience. They are also stupid easy to drive apparently, so your iPhone and iPad should have absolutely no trouble driving them.

 

[akg fanboy]

There really isn't any CLOSED back headphone in that price range with a similar sound presentation, maybe the brainwavz hm5 which has slightly more bass. But the k550 series are very unique in its almost balanced armature like presentation, none of the headphone listed above will sound like the k550, doesn't mean you will not enjoy them but they are the furthest from the k550 sound.
I would highly recommend b&o headphones but the h7 is kind of overpriced for the $400 price considering what the h6 is going for

 

[thefiend1]

Thanks for the reply guys!

  You may want to consider the Oppo PM 3, the headband should last a long time, and although the earpads aren’t specified as user replaceable, they are easy to replace. The cable just on one side and the noise isolation makes them very convenient for office use. They are comfortable even with glasses on but the faux leather makes them a bit warm. As for the sound… you should try them before buying, may not be your cup of tea. You can drive them directly from a computer or an iPhone but an external DAC/headphone amplifier makes some difference.
You may consider in-ear phones like the Etymotic ER4, Shure SE535, etc. as an alternative, some are very comfortable and offer good noise isolation (35-42 dB for the Etymotic).

Ive heard of the Oppo! Had those on my radar too but ive heard from a few peeps that have them that they heard a significant difference when it was driven from an small external amplifier versus straight out of your mobile device :\
 

  There really isn't any CLOSED back headphone in that price range with a similar sound presentation, maybe the brainwavz hm5 which has slightly more bass. But the k550 series are very unique in its almost balanced armature like presentation, none of the headphone listed above will sound like the k550, doesn't mean you will not enjoy them but they are the furthest from the k550 sound.
I would highly recommend b&o headphones but the h7 is kind of overpriced for the $400 price considering what the h6 is going for

Im probably going to have to audition these in person to tell for myself. Theres a B&O showroom in town, maybe they will have them.
 
In the end, the replacement headband I went with turned out great! I purchased the "Sennheiser Foam Headband Pad for HD600 / HD580 - 549375" for about $15 on Amazon and it feels great and didnt affect the seal at all. I did have to trim the thin plastic edges off a bit but it looks perfect. Double sided tape to affix it to the metal band. Good to go.

 

[akg fanboy]

  Thanks for the reply guys!
Ive heard of the Oppo! Had those on my radar too but ive heard from a few peeps that have them that they heard a significant difference when it was driven from an small external amplifier versus straight out of your mobile device :\
 
Im probably going to have to audition these in person to tell for myself. Theres a B&O showroom in town, maybe they will have them.
 
In the end, the replacement headband I went with turned out great! I purchased the "Sennheiser Foam Headband Pad for HD600 / HD580 - 549375" for about $15 on Amazon and it feels great and didnt affect the seal at all. I did have to trim the thin plastic edges off a bit but it looks perfect. Double sided tape to affix it to the metal band. Good to go.

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN
Cool, so it looks like you won't have to get a different headphone in the end. I hope they have the h6 in the showroom because they are really fantastic, have a good one pootis spencer!