GanChan
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2002
- Posts
- 758
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- 12
I have only had these phones since last night, and the only burn-in they've had is from being attached to my FM receiver overnight, running at moderate levels. So I don't really know where they will end up, sonically. I do know, from personal experience, that Senns need a lot of burn-in. My 590s sounded like mud for about 25 hours, then suddenly developed the treble for which they are (in)famous. It took weeks before they completely sounded like 590s. So I will work the HD555 for, oh, 29 days (love return policies) to see what headphone I end up with. My Sennheiser reference phones are HD497, HD590, and HD280 Pro, so those are the only comparisons I'll be making.
Right out of the box, they sounded pretty good, but also rather confined and dark -- very much like a bigger, better HD497. They displayed a lot of midbass but not much up top. The treble has opened up some, and with it comes more detail and air. I think a gentle roll-off may always be evident up high, but that works for me -- I got tired of always turning the treble knob down to save my ears from the 590s. But we'll see what happens.
Here are my current impressions, after a few hours of burn-in, and without an amp:
-HD555 plays considerably louder at the same volume levels than HD590.
-Mids, and especially vocals, are fuller and more musical than on the 590, I've been listening for "grain," but i must not know what grain is, because I don't hear it. Am I detecting a dark-ish coloration? Will keep listening.
-People have been concerned about the bass. The bass is there; in fact, there seems to be about as much midbass as the 590. Neither phone has tons of low bass, IMO. The impression of less bass might be conveyed because of the relatively strong mids, whereas the bass on the 590 sort of has the field to itself down there. The balance is better on the 555. In fact, I wouldn't mind if the mid-to-upper bass calmed down a little; right now the lower mids and upper bass are sort of dancing on each others' feet. But that may be my ears, which are still used to the 590.
-The highs are pleasant, but I don't think they've fully arrived yet. They are making progress, though. Right now, someone who finds excess treble painful would love these phones. They are certainly less fatiguing than the 590. A little more detail will be nice, though not essential. Come on, phones, you can get there.
-These headphones are comfortable, but not quite as featherweight as the 590. Certainly more comfy than the 280 Pro! I think they need to get used to my head, or vice versa.
-I honestly can't tell any difference in soundstage between the 555 and the 590, not right now. That's fine, since the 590 had a very good soundstage already. At least the new technology hasn't done any harm! Sometimes I feel that the 590 is throwing things a little wider, but that may just be the 555 conveying better center stage due to stronger mids (vocals, dialogue, etc).
I'll have about 20 hours on these by this time tomorrow. but since I'm only using moderate volume levels, my burn-in may proceed more slowly than some.
Right out of the box, they sounded pretty good, but also rather confined and dark -- very much like a bigger, better HD497. They displayed a lot of midbass but not much up top. The treble has opened up some, and with it comes more detail and air. I think a gentle roll-off may always be evident up high, but that works for me -- I got tired of always turning the treble knob down to save my ears from the 590s. But we'll see what happens.
Here are my current impressions, after a few hours of burn-in, and without an amp:
-HD555 plays considerably louder at the same volume levels than HD590.
-Mids, and especially vocals, are fuller and more musical than on the 590, I've been listening for "grain," but i must not know what grain is, because I don't hear it. Am I detecting a dark-ish coloration? Will keep listening.
-People have been concerned about the bass. The bass is there; in fact, there seems to be about as much midbass as the 590. Neither phone has tons of low bass, IMO. The impression of less bass might be conveyed because of the relatively strong mids, whereas the bass on the 590 sort of has the field to itself down there. The balance is better on the 555. In fact, I wouldn't mind if the mid-to-upper bass calmed down a little; right now the lower mids and upper bass are sort of dancing on each others' feet. But that may be my ears, which are still used to the 590.
-The highs are pleasant, but I don't think they've fully arrived yet. They are making progress, though. Right now, someone who finds excess treble painful would love these phones. They are certainly less fatiguing than the 590. A little more detail will be nice, though not essential. Come on, phones, you can get there.
-These headphones are comfortable, but not quite as featherweight as the 590. Certainly more comfy than the 280 Pro! I think they need to get used to my head, or vice versa.
-I honestly can't tell any difference in soundstage between the 555 and the 590, not right now. That's fine, since the 590 had a very good soundstage already. At least the new technology hasn't done any harm! Sometimes I feel that the 590 is throwing things a little wider, but that may just be the 555 conveying better center stage due to stronger mids (vocals, dialogue, etc).
I'll have about 20 hours on these by this time tomorrow. but since I'm only using moderate volume levels, my burn-in may proceed more slowly than some.
