[JDGAFFLIN]

So far I'm enjoying them. There is some adaption taking place as I've been primarily using IEM's for the last 6 months..(V-Moda Bass Freq's)

The one thing I notice is the soundstage. The last full size can I used are the Byerdynamic DT231's, and the HD555's definitely seem to have more body then the 231's.

These are also really comfortable. So far so good... Right now I'm just using a Sansa Clip+ and most everything on it is 320 kpbs MP3. They seem to really bring out the horns in TV on the Radio's "Lover's Day"..

Would these improve much with an portable headphone amp?

 

[JDGAFFLIN]

Alrighty then....

 

[ekliptiko]

be patient, a response will come. you waited 5 hours. good for you.

to answer your question: an amp will definately help these headphones. they have an impedance of 50ohm if im not mistaken. that close to twice what general consumer headphones have at 32ohm. an amp will help for sure. even a mid/high gain cmoy would get you most of the way there.

 

[Mad Dude]

There would definitively be some improvement with a portable amp, but it won't be a day and night difference. How much money are you willing to spend? For around $100, you could get something like the NuForce Icon Mobile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ekliptiko they have an impedance of 50ohm if im not mistaken. that close to twice what general consumer headphones have at 32ohm.

There are some top-end-Headphones that have an impendance of 32ohms (Grado PS1000, for example) or even less. There are IEM's with the same impendance. But the impendance alone does not have to mean anything, the sensitivity is just as important. The HD555 are in fact easy to drive - though they will improve with amplification.

 

[Palpatine]

There would be some improvement, but I wouldn't bother with a portable amp for them. Use the money towards a decent desktop amp when you decide to upgrade headphones. In the meantime enjoy your HD555.

 

[feiraron]

i had them and i had to comment on this..
i dont hear any difference with a portable amp.. albeit it is not a high end one but i dont think the headphone had that much room for improvement anyway..
dont waste your money.. save it and do the 555 to 595 mod... juz take off the foam.. its free and will improve on the bass.. makes it "airier" too..

get 595 if u want something that can improve with amplication

 

[pp312]

Not sure I understand the last post. If he does the 595 foam mod...why would he contemplate getting a 595? It's the same thing.

 

[feiraron]

it is just called the 555 to 595 mod coz it will make it look the same (on the inside)..
removing the foam does improve sound, but no one can prove/disprove whether it will actually become the same as 595 unless they try ABX test on both headphones...

 

[JDGAFFLIN]

Thanks for the replies people. Just read one of the threads about that mod, so I'm contemplating it.

Thanks again...

 

[KCChiefsfan]

Do the foam mod. It's quick, it's painless, and you'd have to really be a klutz to screw it up. I can personally vouch for the fact that it does indeed improve the sound (the lower frequency response improves), and it's completely reversible as long as you save the foam. As for whether or not the 555's are the same as the 595's, I've read plenty of material saying they are. They literally have the same drivers, inside the same housing. The only difference (that anyone can tell, and plenty of people have opened both) is the headband, and a small chrome accent on the outside (not to mention the included headphone holder, and the foam on the 555's).

As for whether or not an amp will improve them, it will, but not by a huge degree. There is a bit more bass impact using an amplifier (on my extremely well burned in pair), but it's not enough that I'd say go out and buy an amplifier to try out.You don't need a desktop amp either; there is no difference using my 555's out of my uDac (portable amp/DAC unit) and my Headroom Micro amp (which is basically a full sized desktop amp).

So yeah, enjoy your 555's, and improve the sound via the foam mod, and burn in. When you're ready to upgrade to a higher end model, that would be the time to upgrade to an amp.

 

[JDGAFFLIN]

At KCChiefsfan: Thanks for the reply. I am going to do the mod. It's simple enough. Thanks for your post.

This buy has lead me to this question observation, however: 99% of my music listening is via portabe sources, i.e. DAP's, MP3 Players, PMP or whatever people are calling them these days.


Any suggestions for a portable rig with solid sound quality that has great synergy between the source, amp, and phones? Just trying to gain a concensus here. Thanks again.

 

[KCChiefsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDGAFFLIN /img/forum/go_quote.gif At KCChiefsfan: Thanks for the reply. I am going to do the mod. It's simple enough. Thanks for your post. This buy has lead me to this question observation, however: 99% of my music listening is via portabe sources, i.e. DAP's, MP3 Players, PMP or whatever people are calling them these days. Any suggestions for a portable rig with solid sound quality that has great synergy between the source, amp, and phones? Just trying to gain a concensus here. Thanks again.

The 555's should be fine directly plugged into a DAP. They are very easy to drive. If you want a little more oomph, you could get something like an iBasso T3, but at more than the cost of your 555's, it's not really worth it. You could get someone to build you a Cmoy for relatively little money, but again, it's not really going to improve the 555's by a very noticeable margin.

Personally, I prefer IEM's for portability. I've never found full sized headphones to be portable in any respect. I guess you didn't like IEM's though, since you've switched to a full sized headphone (I hate the feeling of having the universal ones in my ear, that is why I'm going to get some custom IEM's made soon)

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feiraron /img/forum/go_quote.gif it is just called the 555 to 595 mod coz it will make it look the same (on the inside).. removing the foam does improve sound, but no one can prove/disprove whether it will actually become the same as 595 unless they try ABX test on both headphones...

What I'm confused about is that you first said do the 555 to 595 mod, then said, "get 595 if u want something that can improve with amplication". If he does the mod he'll already have a 595. Why would he want to buy another?