[Red Haze]

Hey everyone, I recently bought a new set of HD 555's for use with my iPod Classic, but I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of bass. I've purchased this Cmoy (link below) off eBay in the hope it will take some of the treble out and replace it with more bass, how much of a difference should I expect? Thanks in advance.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110548732927&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_1074

 

[Anaksulnamun]

Aha, the old cunning issue of full-sized cans vs portable

HD555 lacking bass, of course, just because you ipod's op-amp doesn't have enough power to drive it (32ohm vs 50hms)
I dont know this cmoy, but ...for my advice, go for a Govibe Martini (~99$), you will be please (and you can use that headamp for a long time)
I'm satisfy with them now, HD555 + Govibe Martiny, good bass, nice and stunning mid + treble...
Go for the Govibe Martiny
(BTW, ya should consider a LOD (line - out - dock) cable

 

[donunus]

My 555s were also very bright and bassless when I first bought them then they change quite a bit with burn in. They are the cans that change the most with burn in among every headphone I have ever had.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

My 555s were also very bright and bassless when I first bought them then they change quite a bit with burn in. They are the cans that change the most with burn in among every headphone I have ever had.

Interesting. Do you recall how many hours you had to run them in?

 

[Red Haze]

Quote:

Aha, the old cunning issue of full-sized cans vs portable

" class="bbcode_smiley" height="" src="http://files.head-fi.org/images/smilies//biggrin.gif" title="

" width="" />
HD555 lacking bass, of course, just because you ipod's op-amp doesn't have enough power to drive it (32ohm vs 50hms)
I dont know this cmoy, but ...for my advice, go for a Govibe Martini (~99$), you will be please (and you can use that headamp for a long time)
I'm satisfy with them now, HD555 + Govibe Martiny, good bass, nice and stunning mid + treble...
Go for the Govibe Martiny
(BTW, ya should consider a LOD (line - out - dock) cable

Yeah thanks for the feedback mate, I understand my iPod not having enough power to drive the 555's (I use a Logitech Z-2300 sound system which powers them to their full potential), and I bought a FiiO L1 to override the iPod's built in amp. As for the burn-in I've run them for about 50 hours and I can't pick up any changes in the sound. I personally don't believe burn-in effects headphones but I'll be able to say for sure once I've clocked up 200+ hours, these are my first mid/higher range headphones I've owned

 
Would anyone else be able to give me an idea on the quality of the Cmoy I've bought? I was told over in the amp forum it was of good quality but I'd like to confirm that so I don't have to worry about buying another amp.

 

[vicktnguyen]

You can also try a little mod done by skikarl for your hd555
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQ8PzBrHXE
 
I did that to my friend's hd555 and the bass does improve, sound stage also opens up a bit too

, very easy to do mod.

 

[eric0531]

I have HD595s (similar sound signature to the 555) and I can't stand them straight out of my iPod Classic.  With my BSG CMOY they sound much, much better.  Having said that, they are *not* bassy phones.

 

[donunus]

a hundred hours or so make them roughly 90% of what they are at 1000 hours

. Out of the box, I thought my 555s were broken. The highs sounded like it was going through some kind of reverb effect. They were totally echoey sounding and suuuper bright. waaaay brighter than sr60s using bowls.

 

[LordZip]

 
Quote:

a hundred hours or so make them roughly 90% of what they are at 1000 hours

" class="bbcode_smiley" height="1" src="http://files.head-fi.org/images/smilies//biggrin.gif" title="

" width="1" />. Out of the box, I thought my 555s were broken. The highs sounded like it was going through some kind of reverb effect. They were totally echoey sounding and suuuper bright. waaaay brighter than sr60s using bowls.

What are you talking about man? I always give the high frequencies a serious boost with an equalizer when using the HD555. I don't think they are bright at all.

 

[donunus]

yup they are a little dull when burned in, everyone knows that. But then again some hd555s might be closer to the burned in sound right out of the box. I guess it depends on the batch or maybe if you got the Ireland made one vs the Chinese Made one. I'm not sure but the one I got turned from the brightest headphones in the planet to a very smooth sound after some burn in.

 

[LiquidExtreme12]

I recently sold my pair of Sennheiser HD 555's because I didn't enjoy using them anymore. After I bought my Sennheiser IE 8's, I got used to their incredible soundstage, and powerful bass. The Sennheiser HD 555's didn't satisfy anymore, because they sounded so different compared to my Sennheiser IE 8's.
 
I recently placed an order for a set of Sennheiser HD 650's, in the hope that they sound much better than both my old Sennheiser HD 555's and Sennheiser IE 8's. In terms of your issue, I advise that you buy a good Headphone Amplifier to use with your headphones. Personally, I'd recommend the Pro-Ject Head Box MKII. Good luck!

 

[minorityzune]

To get bass out of HD555, you need at least 200-300 hours burn in, according to my experience. Mine changed so much and so suddenly at around 300 hours.
IMO, HD555 is not bass-light, it is just not over-bassed. It is balanced. The quantity of bass is well controlled and the quality is very good indeed to my ears.

 

[LiquidExtreme12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by minorityzune /img/forum/go_quote.gif

To get bass out of HD555, you need at least 200-300 hours burn in, according to my experience. Mine changed so much and so suddenly at around 300 hours.
IMO, HD555 is not bass-light, it is just not over-bassed. It is balanced. The quantity of bass is well controlled and the quality is very good indeed to my ears.

In terms of bass, the HD 555 is decent, but not fantastic. I still suggest that a good Headphone Amplifier is the way to go!
 

 

[minorityzune]

Quote:

In terms of bass, the HD 555 is decent, but not fantastic. I still suggest that a good Headphone Amplifier is the way to go!
 

Sure, a good AMP is always helpful.

Talking about fantastic bass, I will look for such a thing in a HD600/HD650 rather than HD555. One thing keeps me wondering is what kind of bass that HD600/HD650 offers. 

 

[LiquidExtreme12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by minorityzune /img/forum/go_quote.gif




Sure, a good AMP is always helpful.

Talking about fantastic bass, I will look for such a thing in a HD600/HD650 rather than HD555. One thing keeps me wondering is what kind of bass that HD600/HD650 offers. 

I recently ordered a pair of HD 650's as I have previously mentioned in this thread. I will post a full written review once I have listened to them for a good few hours. In terms of bass however, they are supposed to be incredible, which is quite surprising considering that they are open-backed headphones.