[sunnyice]

Hey guys, I need your help. After a lot of researching and reading on head-fi I decided to buy the nuforce HDP PC360 for $230 for my gaming, music and movies. I decided on the PC360 because of the convenience of the headset and a lot of people said they are similar to HD555/595 series (same drivers and all that). I have it paired up with a Xonar DGX. I have no complaints about it and I love the sound it produces. 
 
My problem is I came across the AKG k550 yesterday and saw that they were $200 on amazon.ca and was wondering would these have been a better buy? I can still return the PC360 and get the K550 if they are better and are going to be cheaper. I cant seem to find much information and comparisons on the K550's.
 
What would you guys suggest?
 
Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hey guys, I need your help. After a lot of researching and reading on head-fi I decided to buy the nuforce HDP PC360 for $230 for my gaming, music and movies. I decided on the PC360 because of the convenience of the headset and a lot of people said they are similar to HD555/595 series (same drivers and all that). I have it paired up with a Xonar DGX. I have no complaints about it and I love the sound it produces. 
My problem is I came across the AKG k550 yesterday and saw that they were $200 on amazon.ca and was wondering would these have been a better buy? I can still return the PC360 and get the K550 if they are better and are going to be cheaper. I cant seem to find much information and comparisons on the K550's.
What would you guys suggest?

Do you have a need for closed headphones?

 

[sunnyice]

  Do you have a need for closed headphones?

Not really. Actually I've been thinking about it and the AKG Q701 around $230 on amazon looks like a pretty good deal too.
I guess I just really like how the K550 looked. Looks and build quality seems to be better than Q701. 
 
How would the Q701 compare against the PC360?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Not really. Actually I've been thinking about it and the AKG Q701 around $230 on amazon looks like a pretty good deal too.
I guess I just really like how the K550 looked. Looks and build quality seems to be better than Q701. 
 
How would the Q701 compare against the PC360?

I got the K550s a month ago, not as warm as my ATH-A900Xs, but maybe a touch better clarity.
The K550 do not have a tight seal around the ears, but I kind of like that in a closed headphone.
 
Q701 should offer a bigger surround sound/sound stage then the PC360 (not sure by how much).
I have the Senn HD558, which I believe has the same driver as the Senn PC360.

 

[kookoo]

If you had the choice between the K/Q701 and the K550, pick the 701s, treble is just that little bit smoother and does not have the slight sibilance the K550 has.

 

[sunnyice]

  I got the K550s a month ago, not as warm as my ATH-A900Xs, but maybe a touch better clarity.
The K550 do not have a tight seal around the ears, but I kind of like that in a closed headphone.
 
Q701 should offer a bigger surround sound/sound stage then the PC360 (not sure by how much).
I have the Senn HD558, which I believe has the same driver as the Senn PC360.

How is the bass on the K550? 
 
I've heard that the HD558/598 pc360 all use the same driver but some say they're not the same headphones. I dont know.
 
Well considering i bought the PC360 for $230 and the Q701 are the same price on amazon right now, should i return the PC360 and get the Q701? Or is the difference not that big?

 

[FatmanSize48]

I assume that you are a PC gamer--for that purpose, I too recommend the AKG Q701. The difference in audio quality will be day and night--trust me, as I have listened to both of them. Get an inline mic, like the Zalman model, or a webcam with a built in mic, and you will have the same capabilities as with the PC360.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  How is the bass on the K550? 
 
I've heard that the HD558/598 pc360 all use the same driver but some say they're not the same headphones. I don't know.
 
Well considering i bought the PC360 for $230 and the Q701 are the same price on amazon right now, should I return the PC360 and get the Q701? Or is the difference not that big?

K550 is more a clear bass then a thumping bass.
PC360, HD518, HD558, HD598 all use the same driver, but different cup designs.
I'm not really knowledgeable enough about the differences between the PC360 and Q701, to be able to say if the Q701 is worth it.

 

[sunnyice]

I assume that you are a PC gamer--for that purpose, I too recommend the AKG Q701. The difference in audio quality will be day and night--trust me, as I have listened to both of them. Get an inline mic, like the Zalman model, or a webcam with a built in mic, and you will have the same capabilities as with the PC360.

Will the xonar dgx be enough to drive the q701 or will I need an amp? Also how is it for movies and music? I heard they lack in bass.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Will the Xonar DGX be enough to drive the Q701 or will I need an amp? Also how is it for movies and music? I heard they lack in bass.

The Xonar DGX's headphone amplifier is able to drive headphones up to around 150-Ohms.
The Q701 are 62-Ohms, so the DGX should be able to drive them decently, but getting a more powerful headphone amplifier, in the future, should bring out their best.

 

[FatmanSize48]

The Q701 doesn't lack in bass. It just doesn't punch you in the face with it.

 

[sunnyice]

The Q701 doesn't lack in bass. It just doesn't punch you in the face with it.

How would you compare the bass from PC360/HD598 to the Q701?

 

[FatmanSize48]

The PC360, in my opinion, sounds terrible for the price. Any comparison would need to be made solely between the 598 and Q701.  The Q701's bass has much deeper extension and control, while the 598's is more full of impact, but without the accuracy and clarity of the Q701's. 

 

[sunnyice]

  The PC360, in my opinion, sounds terrible for the price. Any comparison would need to be made solely between the 598 and Q701.  The Q701's bass has much deeper extension and control, while the 598's is more full of impact, but without the accuracy and clarity of the Q701's. 

So the 598 are far better than the pc360? How come some people say that pc360 shares the same drivers of the 558/998 and they all sound similar?

 

[FatmanSize48]

Some people think different SD cards will produce different sounds. YYMV. 
 
The HD600 and HD650 used to share the same driver; the 650 was still regarded by (almost) all as an upgrade over its predecessor. I think that the 598 sound much better than the 360. It is also cheaper than the 360; $150 as opposed to $250.