[mail4u]

I agree with 95% of the review and would like to add my impressions after listening them:

1) To my ears there's a bit of a frequency elevation in the 3k - 4k region which gives a hardness. Most noticeable with the piano. I believe quite a bit of the perceived clarity is due to this rise.

2) The headband has no padding - just plastic. Can be annoying if the band doesn't sit right on your head. Need to put some foam pads on it. The kind bicycle helmets have would do.

All in all comfort is quite good. Better than the Grado SR 60 and the Labtec 835. Actually prefer wearing them to the Koss KCS 35.

3) Because the bass and treble are prominent the midrange is distant but clear. However, this is not a bad thing with these phones. It gives a spaciousness with vocals seeming to be in the distance on some CDs. Instrument placements are clear and distinct. The spatial separation is quiting appealing. Although, it probably doesn't represent anywhere near the reality of the recording which the engineers intended.

4) Compared to the Koss KCS 35s I would say the 35s are more accurate and balanced in frequency response. The Phillips have a bigger soundstage but have a lower treble rise which may make them fatiguing over long periods of time.

The Phillips midrange by itself is exceptional. If you watch TV or listening to radio with phones these have a clarity with speech that will be immediately noticable and appreciated.

Not the end all and be all of headphones but it's unique sound characteristics will be very appealing to some. Wouldn't give a blanket recommendation as I would for the Koss KCS 35s but would definitely say they should be auditioned.

 

[wab]

I just got a pair of these. Out of the box they already sound pretty good. Better than any other cans I know in this pricerange (Euro 20). They are pretty ugly tho.. I removed the blue devil-horns and they look much better already.

 

[jpelg]

[size=xx-small]I'm not so sure if they are closed headphones. I think hear sounds coming out of the little vents on the side.

The HP550 are closed. I also got tricked by the grills, but they serve only decoration purpose, i.e. I couldn't find any more sound leaking through them compared to the rest of the shells.

I know what Blr says, but I'm not really sure if these are fully closed, because I swear I can hear music coming out of those vents. They leak a ton of sound, not as much as the sr60s, but more than normal sealed phones I think. [/size]

Well, upon returning my Senn 497 to CC today, I decided I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if I left without getting the Philips 550's. As I mentioned before, I really needed a pair of closed phones when I opted for the open 497's the other day.

Although I could not audition them in the store, I promptly removed them from their packaging while sitting in my car in the CC parking lot. A quick hookup to my MD revealed what appear to be decent sounding phones. My big dissappointment came when I heard a whole lotta sound coming out of the those grills! Remembering the comments from this forum regarding this very fact, I inspected the phones more closely. Up close you can see holes in a plastic assembly underneath, and slightly offset from the outer shell and grill. That outer grill is not just cosmetic. Lotsa sound coming out folks.

The main reason I bought them was for their closed-design isolation, both in and out. And since the sound (albeit non-burned-in), while decent, did not overwhelm compared to my SportaPros, I returned them immediately.

Afterward, I ventured into a Strawberries record store nearby. They had a tastey looking pair of Labtec 840's with comfy velour-like pads for $19.99 which also included an over-the-ear style phone as well ("special edition" was on the packaging). Looked like a bargain. I vaguely remembered their mention here in hi-fi, and since their packaging was airtight, and non-returnable, I decided to come home and do a little research first.

Now where is MacDEF's review...

 

[violeta88]

Glad you returned them. Team CHEAP Sennheiser doesn't need a mean-hearted, snobbish, bigoted, person theat makes fun of people with OCD anyways.

 

[jpelg]

The Batman says:

"Can't we all just get along?"

 

[violeta88]

I'll take that as an apology. I'm sorry too. You should like the Philips 550's. I used to own a pair and I liked them also.

 

[Leland]

Quick question(s) on comfort:

-How are the HP550s to wear with glasses? [I find Sennheiser HD545s uncomfortable, as a reference]

-How are they to wear for long periods while working at a computer or desk?

-Are they light?

-How do they compare on these questions to Koss KSC-35/50/55? How about other headphones in price range (available at Amazon, preferably as I have a gc)?

I'd appreciate any replies.

 

[Hamsterball_Z]

I had the HP550s briefly, I returned them because the "cupped" sound drove me up the wall. It was like being in an echo chamber. My Sennheiser HD280s are also closed phones and they don't have any of that characteristic. If you look at this thread you'll see that most of the positive comments are about the European version which supposedly does not have the echo. If you still want to try them here are the answers to your questions to the best of my memory.

- They were fine with glasses, they didn't seem overly tight like other phones I've tried.

- Other than sweaty ears, which is pretty common with pleather pad phones, they were reasonably comfortable. They are also pretty light for their size.

- I would take the Koss over the HP550s, in fact I use the Radio Shack version of the KTX-Pro at work. Personally, in that price range I'd probably try the Sennheiser 202.

 

[cam94z28]

Does anyone know if these use the same drivers as the Maxell HP550? The phones look vastly different, but the specs are IDENTICAL in every way. They are also about the same price.

40mm drivers
102db sensitivity
10-28khz Frequency Response

I guess I"ll be trying the maxel HP550's since they look A LOT better and apparently have the same drivers.

 

[Mdraluck23]

So.... I was nine years old when this thread started. I just found a pair in my garage. I'm quite impressed! Great cheap pair. Just all around solid performance. I don't recognize the names/models of most headphones here, seeing as I didn't even have anything to listen to when this thread was around, but I would compare them to a less bassy PortaPro. Just a little more balanced. Maybe not quite as much detail in the high end.

 

[Mdraluck23]

Seriously, mighty impressed. Does anyone know where to get a new pair of pads that may fit?