[kevin1592]

First off I would like to tell you what I will you this for and what I'll you it for. It will be used with an Ipod Nano, unamped, listening to mp3's encoded at 128 and 192 bitrate. I mostly listen to rock and alternative, although my music library is slowly growing softer and into pop. I will be using the headphones mostly at home, although I will need a cheap sealed can for travel. Do you think that the HD-555 are a good choice? If not, then what do you think would be a good choice at the HD-555 price range? If you are giving me other choices, both open and closed headphones will work.

Thank you so much for everything!

 

[kevin1592]

bump

 

[darkninja67]

555s are open first of all. They are a good all arounder can. Look at the ATH-Axxx line from Audio Technica at www.audiocubes.com as well. They are solid cans as well.

 

[boodi]

hd555 is a very nice budget can and allround choice , with no uber evident flaws .

 

[kevin1592]

Would the hd-555's sound be much better if I got a cheap amp, such as a PA2V2, or a Go-Vibe v3? And if it did get much better, could it justify the $60 and $90 price tag? Thanks

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin1592 Would the hd-555's sound be much better if I got a cheap amp, such as a PA2V2, or a Go-Vibe v3? And if it did get much better, could it justify the $60 and $90 price tag? Thanks

It won't sound much better with any amping actually. My $350 Hornet has done little to improve its sound. They work fine straight out of a headphone jack.

 

[boodi]

it's true imo that unless you plug the hd555 into a serious amp with balls , you'll not notice a night and day difference.

 

[mattg3]

I had the hd555 that I found good but boring and yes i did feel as if a veil was present over the highs.I bought a PA2V2 but that didnt help so i sold the hd555 and bought the dt990 and with the PA2V2 amp the sound is really exciting even out of my creative zen with encoding as low as 96.

 

[tfunk408]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattg3 I had the hd555 that I found good but boring and yes i did feel as if a veil was present over the highs.I bought a PA2V2 but that didnt help so i sold the hd555 and bought the dt990 and with the PA2V2 amp the sound is really exciting even out of my creative zen with encoding as low as 96.

I have the hd555 and a pa2v2 also, and i must admit, i wasn't "wow'ed" by the setup. dont know if it's just burn in or what, but I'm using my hd201 a lot more.

edit:
since you're looking for a headphone to use with unamped ipod, I'd just like to add that the only headphones that I find that goes well with an unamped ipod (mini and photo in my case) are the stock earbuds and the koss ksc75. the ipod doesn't even drive my hd201 or shure e2 to satisfaction (low-end dropout), and both of those are easier to drive than the hd555.

 

[kevin1592]

So you guys think I should get the 555's without an amp, and just run them from my ipod? Also, do you think the 555's have enough bass, and are forward enough for the type of music I listen to (rock and alternative)?

 

[SennFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin1592 So you guys think I should get the 555's without an amp, and just run them from my ipod? Also, do you think the 555's have enough bass, and are forward enough for the type of music I listen to (rock and alternative)?

Yes, they're excellent for rock/alt. And yes, they will be fine unamped (50 ohms rating).

 

[photek]

I listen to my 50ohm 555 on an unamp sony pcdp all the time with 5mW output and it sounds fine. Mp3s sound good too

 

[tfunk408]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin1592 So you guys think I should get the 555's without an amp, and just run them from my ipod? Also, do you think the 555's have enough bass, and are forward enough for the type of music I listen to (rock and alternative)?

i wouldn't recommend it. bass is totally nonexistant from an unamped ipod, like anything below 80-100hz isn't even there. the hd555 sounds fine coming out of the headphone-out of my klipsch 2.1, as well as my 'vintage' panasonic pcdp.

like i said earlier, i haven't found that many headphones that sound good right out of an ipod unamped. ksc75 is the most satisfying of the ones i've tried. i just think the hd555 is a waste of money if all you're going to use it for is on your unamped ipod, IMHO. but some of the other posters seem to recommend it, so YMMV.

 

[Gravitas]

I don't think they 555's are all that great for rock/alt music. The bass is a little weak and overall sound has the Senn veil to it....not the greatest cans to rock out with. They're good headphones, don't get me wrong, but they won't blow you away. I enjoy them a lot for laid back listening.

I was just switching between the 555's and my SR60's. SR60's definitely have a more lively, upfront presentation with slightly punchier bass. They're also half the price.

For the price off 555's, you might also consider a used pair of the Beyer DT770's...which I haven't heard yet, but are supposedly good for rock. They're also closed.

You mentioned you wanted a closed pair...keep in mind that the 555's are open (so are the SR60s).

Oh, and I can't hear any significant difference with the 555's unamped out of a nano or with a PA2V2.

 

[tmimp]

I own the HD 555 which I listen to unamped from my computer. I think they're OK for rock music, but you might find the bass impact lacking if you're looking for some really punchy bass. Music that seems to excel on the 555 for me is jazz, classical, or anything that's not really "heavy". I really love 'em for light rock. But I think that the best strength of the 555 is that they're sooo comfortable and non-fatiguing.

One more important thing, if you do decide to buy the 555 make sure that you give them some good burn-in time. I thought they really sucked when I heard them out of the box.