Sennheiser 555 VS 595
Jun 17, 2004 at 1:07 PM Post #16 of 32
Having heard neither, take this with a grain of salt. Headroom has finished, presumably, all of their new frequency measurements. This is the comparison chart for the 555 vs 595:

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCom...are+Headphones

They should sound fairly similiar with the 595 having slightly more dampening to control dips and peaks. Figured it was worth mentioning since the mic head is free from placebo effects. Should also mention that the graphs for impedance and distortion are nearly exact as well.
 
Jun 17, 2004 at 1:50 PM Post #17 of 32
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Wow that just proves my point: the 555s are an incredible deal. They can be had in the US for a little over 100 dollars.
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Jun 17, 2004 at 3:18 PM Post #18 of 32
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bantai
Fellow HD595 users, did you notice an abnormal vibration in the right earcup at low frequencies?


Nope.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bantai
I am somewhat dissapointed with them, but maybe mine are a bit defective...? They sound a bit muddy here, even though I tried several sources (m-audio fw audiophile, yamaha ax-492 and others) and besides thatit seems like the center is just a tiny bit left from the center - as if drums are more punchier at the left.


Wow, sorry you're disappointed with them. You're going to have a hard time of it here if 595s don't please you! I haven't noticed any of this. Mine are anything but muddy. They're even tighter than my HD-650s in the bass, though they don't go as deep.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bantai
I hope it's not my negative imagination..


Hi, by the way.
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Me too. And welcome to head-fi!
 
Jun 17, 2004 at 3:21 PM Post #19 of 32
I seem to be constantly changing my mind on this issue.

So if the 555's and 595's are so similar, it might make more sense to go for the 555's for home use, and spend the money I've saved on a pair of Senn's HD 497's for my personal stereo.

By the way, the Head Room site is a great little resource, with loads of useful tips and info. I noticed they feature the BitHead portable amp and wondered if anyone has had any experience with one. Is is as good as I've heard?
 
Jun 17, 2004 at 4:02 PM Post #20 of 32
Bah, running sines all day through the cans to find the source of the distortion/resonance on the right cup I finally got fed up with it.

So I unplugged them from my desktop to use them on my laptop, and later I reran the test on my desktop again... guess what, it's gone.
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Perhaps they're finally broken in after all those sines!
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Well I don't really believe that, perhaps it was the plug or something.
 
Jun 17, 2004 at 4:31 PM Post #21 of 32
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hier
By the way, the Head Room site is a great little resource, with loads of useful tips and info. I noticed they feature the BitHead portable amp and wondered if anyone has had any experience with one. Is is as good as I've heard?


the Bithead is a external USB sound solution from Headroom. It is a very nice little soundcard which does Stereo but no fancy creative crap. I like it...my laptop sound card is absolute crap. The Bithead is a awesome addition to my laptop rig.

It is not, however, a real portable amplifier. That job is done by the Airhead. However it CAN be used as a portable amplifier.

Cheers!
 
Jun 17, 2004 at 11:24 PM Post #22 of 32
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hier
By the way, the Head Room site is a great little resource, with loads of useful tips and info. I noticed they feature the BitHead portable amp and wondered if anyone has had any experience with one. Is is as good as I've heard?


I can wholeheartly reccomand the Total Airhead 4743 burr brown version , I found it musical and bass deep and tight , not fatiguing at all ( it's a no brainer of a portable , you get it and you keep it and enjoy )
 
Jun 17, 2004 at 11:46 PM Post #23 of 32
Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari
the Bithead is a external USB sound solution from Headroom. It is a very nice little soundcard which does Stereo but no fancy creative crap. I like it...my laptop sound card is absolute crap. The Bithead is a awesome addition to my laptop rig.

It is not, however, a real portable amplifier. That job is done by the Airhead. However it CAN be used as a portable amplifier.

Cheers!


Exactly what feautures are missing to make it a lesser portable amp than the Total Airhead. It has battery power, it has crossfeed, it has volume control, and if I plug my headphones in I get good sound, and this is coming from someone who had a Porta Corda II.
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Jun 18, 2004 at 12:19 AM Post #24 of 32
Quote:

Originally Posted by plainsong
Exactly what feautures are missing to make it a lesser portable amp than the Total Airhead. It has battery power, it has crossfeed, it has volume control, and if I plug my headphones in I get good sound, and this is coming from someone who had a Porta Corda II.
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headroom say the bithead ( given it is based on the 4743 burr brown ) has a less clean sound then a 4743 TA
 
Jun 18, 2004 at 1:54 PM Post #25 of 32
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hier
The only other thing that is now holding me back, is the question of whether or not a portable stereo will be able to power the 595's. I recently read some comments that the HD 600's were near impossible to drive from a personal system, and I was wondering if the 595's would suffer from the same problem.


Be assured the 595 is much easier to drive than the 600. In fact the 595 is one of the most efficient headphones I've owned, and I've owned dozens including the 600.

The frequency graphs for 595 and 555 are indeed remarkable similar, but the salient point is the very smooth response of both phones up to 3khz. This shows the class of this design, and would indeed seem to indicate that the 555 are a real bargain. However I'd be wary of judging purely on the basis of frequency response; there are too many other factors. And even if the difference IS minimal, will not those who opt for the cheaper option always be
wondering: should I not have spent those few extra bucks? It seemed important to save the money, but now I just keep thinking, "Hell is that treble a bit schreechy? Maybe I should have got the 595 after all." Be warned; it'll happen. If we weren't subject to those sorts of doubts we wouldn't be habitually reading these posts.
 
Jun 18, 2004 at 2:22 PM Post #26 of 32
I haven't heard the 595's but I tried to buy some and they were too difficult to get so I now have the 555's. It seems to me that with audio gear you end up spending a lot more for a small amount of difference, so if that small amount of difference is important to you then it is worth spending the extra money, but only you can decide if that is important to you. I'm happy with my 555's and I don't think it's worth spending on the 595's, but I'm only saying that because I think I may eventually get the 650's.
 
Jun 18, 2004 at 2:39 PM Post #27 of 32
I have to admit that I'm just the sort of person to lose sleep wondering whether I should have gone for a more expensive option.

The 595's arn't really that much more expensive, so I think I will be ordering a pair in the near future.

I'll let everyone know what I think when I get my hands on them.
 
Jun 18, 2004 at 3:37 PM Post #28 of 32
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Whoo hoo I'll be ordering in the next week now... BTW the 555s are 110, the 595s are 190. Pretty significant difference. I notice the 555s are out of stock at all the best places...
 
Jun 18, 2004 at 3:45 PM Post #29 of 32
The stock issue must be a US problem. I'm based in the UK and all the retailers I've contacted don't seem to think there will be a problem with availability.

As for the cost in the Uk the difference is the equivalent to around $100, which isn't really that much when it comes to investing in hi-fi equipment.
 
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