New release - the AKG K553 Pro - featuring a killer Massdrop deal

[Dobrescu George]

You lose bass with HM5 pads if they don't seal properly onto your head, like with all closed-back headphones.

The happy part is that HM5 works well with many headphones, being one of the best universal pads out there!

I'm a bit sad that I didn't manage to get one yet, but they should fit with a ton of headphones. Curious how they work or if they fit with Meze 99 Classics and how they change their sound.

The pads on K550/k553 are a bit shallow, I wish the original pads would have enough depth to form a tighter seal since I do walk around and move with headphones on my head and having shallow pads doesn't help...

 

[147JK]

Folks.. a great deal on these right now. Free shipping and no sales tax (for most):

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/akg-k553-pro-closed-back-studio-headphones

Question.. has anyone tried taking the headband pad off, opening it up, and stuffing more padding in there? Or, is that even possible given how it's made?

 

[SomeTechNoob]

Pretty sure it's adhered onto there. Taking it off pretty much destroys it.

 

[riffrafff]

Pretty sure it's adhered onto there. Taking it off pretty much destroys it.

Well, shoot. That is...unfortunate.

 

[hanouk]

Has anyone tried these XL Brainwavz pad specifically designed for big AKG like K550-551-553-701-702-etc ?

https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/coll...ts/headphone-memory-foam-earpads-xl-sheepskin
https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/coll...s/headphone-memory-foam-earpads-xl-pu-leather

I'm looking for new pads since on my stock 551 pads I feel not comfortable, my ears touching the drivers

 

[147JK]

Has anyone tried these XL Brainwavz pad specifically designed for big AKG like K550-551-553-701-702-etc ?

Yeah I have wondered the same thing. More info can be found here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/akg-k550-alternate-ear-pads.617884/page-9#post-13711064

 

[Mad Max]

Has anyone tried these XL Brainwavz pad specifically designed for big AKG like K550-551-553-701-702-etc ?

https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/coll...ts/headphone-memory-foam-earpads-xl-sheepskin
https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/coll...s/headphone-memory-foam-earpads-xl-pu-leather

I'm looking for new pads since on my stock 551 pads I feel not comfortable, my ears touching the drivers

Worth a try, they're a good bit thicker than the regular memory foam HM5 pads, which is what I'm using, but that thickness will probably hurt bass noticeably.

 

[Mad Max]

Bump

So is the newer MkII version just a cosmetic update?

 

[AKGunkie]

Bump

So is the newer MkII version just a cosmetic update?

I think the MKII just adds a removable cable over the 553 (which is a sonic improvement over the 550)

 

[zombywoof]

This thread is long since dead, but I just acquired these for the second time (had them and sold them a few years ago before the removable cable became standard and before my sojourn into Grado's). I did not recall how impressive they are, especially for the price, $99. I switched out the stock pads for the Brainwavz XL sheepskin and found that the comfort for long listening sessions was improved with little or no change to the sound signature. The Brainwavz pads are a bit thicker but this does not seem to have a dramatic impact on the sound. The fit is perfect. Anyone still an admirer of this headphone? Vastly under rated in my opinion.

 

[B9Scrambler]

Oh yeah. I still use mine all the time. Recently acquired some replacement pads from a third party since the stock set was finally breaking down. Look very similar to the stock set though the new ones are a bit thinner with slightly stiffer foam inside. The resulting fit and sound is basically identical to the original which was all I really cared about. Can happily recommend them to anyone that wants a cheap replacement set for the original pads; www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07XHJ4S6Y

Edit: They also come with a microfibre cleaning cloth and handy installation tool. Didn't need either, but it's neat when an accessory includes accessories of it's own.

 

[JohnnyOps]

This thread is long since dead, but I just acquired these for the second time (had them and sold them a few years ago before the removable cable became standard and before my sojourn into Grado's). I did not recall how impressive they are, especially for the price, $99. I switched out the stock pads for the Brainwavz XL sheepskin and found that the comfort for long listening sessions was improved with little or no change to the sound signature. The Brainwavz pads are a bit thicker but this does not seem to have a dramatic impact on the sound. The fit is perfect. Anyone still an admirer of this headphone? Vastly under rated in my opinion.

i love this phone. It’s part of my bedside rig- a RopieeeXL -> Fulla Schiit / SMSL M500 -> AKG K553 Pro / Sennheiser HD598Cs depending on mood. Adore for long non-critical sessions, and built like a tank.

 

[zombywoof]

@B9Scrambler
@JohnnyOps

Thanks for the replies...these are great headphones and I highly recommend the Brainwavz sheepskin pads. Very comfortable and in my opinion extremely well made. Have either of you tried velour or microsuede pads on the K553?

 

[Mad Max]

I still have my K553 1st gen, and with the modifications I've made, it is a magnifying lens into bass.
Too bad about the abyssmal soundstaging, second-worst I've heard after MDR-V700DJ.

 

[Themilkman46290]

I am looking into these, basically I am trying to find the best Soundstage in closed back with a neutral tuning are these that great still? Been looking at these, the centrance cerene
Also lookin into hd150 / hd250
I have read a lot of reviews, seems like every headphone in the world's is awesome with good Soundstage.
I understand 99% of reviews are mainly marketing garbage, even reviews that say they are not paid, tend to give good reviews in order to get good stuff for free.

Tired of being let down by crappy unrealistic reviewers that never seem to actually criticize or mention the negatives much, they rarely use or even really understand frequency response graphs.

I have owned a lot of cans.
M50x- boomy bass, artificial sharp highs
Sony mdr 7506 - fairly neutral, weird peak in the treble
K702 - good but not closed back
But I keep seeing the k55x line pop up as far as best Soundstage over and over

But at $260 it's hard to waste it on another crappy pair, like the $250 wasted on the m50x, or the $150 wasted on the mdr 7506, so I was hoping someone on here might help me understand, are these still best closed back, neutral, headphones with widest Soundstage in 2021? Specially around $200
I know focal are great but not made to last, same as yamaha, had a pair of pro300 but they broke withing 6 months.... Seems like the audio industry has decided to go the ipod/iPhone route, heavy use of planned obsolescence, extreme price hikes do to extreme amount of marketing and apple's brilliant sales tactic (mark everything up 30%higher then the competition because uneducated consumers beleive high price=quality)
So I would prefer something with a strong build and I have read that these akg k55x line has a robust build
It's also why I took interest in the hd150 (the German tank)
German maestro also look good, but can't find much reviews, the ones I have found, are the same as all other crappy reviews. There great, that's all I understand......
So, are these still the best Soundstage in a closed back pair for under $250??