[Tsujigiri]

Good to know. Even though they do sound thin sometimes now, I'm glad I have them because I like to have a few sound signatures available in my collection to suit what I'm feeling like listening to at a given moment. The comfort of these is what really surprised me, though. I'd say they're more comfortable than the famous Beyers, although they get hot more quickly and the cups are more shallow.

 

[Trunks159]

Good to know. Even though they do sound thin sometimes now, I'm glad I have them because I like to have a few sound signatures available in my collection to suit what I'm feeling like listening to at a given moment. The comfort of these is what really surprised me, though. I'd say they're more comfortable than the famous Beyers, although they get hot more quickly and the cups are more shallow.

These are probably only good with peeps with huge heads. It kind of sucks tha fit is the only thing holding them back.

 

[Juantxo]

Great review, helped me a lot making up my decision while buying headphones. I must say that Im very very happy with the k550, but I agree they are way to wide, and I do have a big head but they still feel a bit loose. 
 
This are my first quality headphones so I cannot compare to others; but I definitely recommend them

 

[vazmuten]

Hi!
I am looking for nice closed cans over ears headphones for home use.
 
I tried AKG K550, but their bass is a little low and also does not fit me - my head is not big enough for them and I also wear glasses.
 
I also tried:

1. Shure SRH940 & 840 but they are heavy and uncomfortable on top of my head - I liked  their sound;
2. Sennheiser HD600, but they are open - I was stunned by the sound;
3. Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO - I did not like their sound;
4. SONY MDR-1R - they are too bass heavy and with colored sound;
5. Sony MDR ZX300, but they are not over ear, the sound was ok.

 
My short list includes “German MAESTRO GMP 8.35 D” and “SoundMagic HP100”. Does any of you tried these or recommend s.th. that sounds like K550 but is more comfortable ?
 
Best regards,
Stefan

 

[Tsujigiri]

I actually do not have a big head and the K550's work for me. You can bend the headband in a little to apply more pressure, but one of the more important things is to make sure you set the angle of the cups correctly to give you the best seal. The mounting is stiff enough that they don't adjust automatically. And glasses will break the seal so that won't work for sure. Can you not wear glasses when using them or switch to contacts instead? Closed headphones are particularly sensitive to the seal.

 

[vazmuten]

Quote:

I actually do not have a big head and the K550's work for me. You can bend the headband in a little to apply more pressure, but one of the more important things is to make sure you set the angle of the cups correctly to give you the best seal. The mounting is stiff enough that they don't adjust automatically. And glasses will break the seal so that won't work for sure. Can you not wear glasses when using them or switch to contacts instead? Closed headphones are particularly sensitive to the seal.

I tried to bend the headband but in this case the pads fall much lower - the headphones weight is put on top of my ears and a space appeares between the headband and the top of my head. Is this normal ?
 
With my current headphones I put the glasses temple arms a little bit higher over the ears and they do not violate the seal at all.

 

[fateicon]

my refurbed that I got a few weeks ago are sounding really good now. There's a lot of bass and body now that I've rockboxed my Sansa Clip Zip as long as I'm using my Ibasso P2 or Fiio E6. I also don't need to crank the volume to the max on both the clip and the amp. I'm not sure exactly why that is. With the original firmware I had to adjust the EQ for every album. With rockbox, I don't have to. I just leave everything as neutral as possible. Occasionally I will turn the volume up from 0db if it's a cd mastered in 1986 or something. I prefer using these with the Clip zip over my Arcam 73 and amps. I'm so glad I didn't let the negative impression I got from listening to them on Best Buy's display stop me from looking into them further.  

 

[RamblinE]

I just picked up a pair of these used and I'm happy with how they sound so far. A little fuller than my K701s but the similarities are still there. 
 
What I'm a little confused/dissappointed over: The fit and finish on these is not as good as I was led to believe reading about them on the internet. Not sure if it's because I bought them used but the right cup has a slightly different range of movement than the left in relation to the gimbles on the side. While not uncomfortable they sit on my ears a little unevenly, again in relation to the gimble. They're also creaky as hell. That really surprised me because the internet describes these as being put together really well. 
 
Either way, glad I bought them, just a little put off. I can see why AKG goes through so much trouble to hide the 'made in China' tag. 

 

[Tsujigiri]

Quote:

I tried to bend the headband but in this case the pads fall much lower - the headphones weight is put on top of my ears and a space appeares between the headband and the top of my head. Is this normal ?
 
With my current headphones I put the glasses temple arms a little bit higher over the ears and they do not violate the seal at all.

Even with the headband adjusted to a lower click?

 

[SursumCorda]

Quote:

Hi!
I am looking for nice closed cans over ears headphones for home use.
 
I tried AKG K550, but their bass is a little low and also does not fit me - my head is not big enough for them and I also wear glasses.
 
I also tried:

1. Shure SRH940 & 840 but they are heavy and uncomfortable on top of my head - I liked  their sound;
2. Sennheiser HD600, but they are open - I was stunned by the sound;
3. Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO - I did not like their sound;
4. SONY MDR-1R - they are too bass heavy and with colored sound;
5. Sony MDR ZX300, but they are not over ear, the sound was ok.

 
My short list includes “German MAESTRO GMP 8.35 D” and “SoundMagic HP100”. Does any of you tried these or recommend s.th. that sounds like K550 but is more comfortable ?
 
Best regards,
Stefan

 
I'm not sure if it will be more comfortable for you, but... Try the new Ultimate Ears UE6000.... it's an over ear with noise-canceling for about $200.
With the noise canceling off, it sounds great. Very neutral and clean. Similar to the 550, but cheaper. They are smaller as well, so they are easy to move around with.
 
With the noise-canceling on, they sound muddy, but with 'fun' bass. (IE: messy/impact)
They should have a demo at apples stores, so give it a try. You might be surprised. ^^

 

[Cante Ista]

Quote:

my refurbed that I got a few weeks ago are sounding really good now. There's a lot of bass and body now that I've rockboxed my Sansa Clip Zip as long as I'm using my Ibasso P2 or Fiio E6. I also don't need to crank the volume to the max on both the clip and the amp. I'm not sure exactly why that is. With the original firmware I had to adjust the EQ for every album. With rockbox, I don't have to. I just leave everything as neutral as possible. Occasionally I will turn the volume up from 0db if it's a cd mastered in 1986 or something. I prefer using these with the Clip zip over my Arcam 73 and amps. I'm so glad I didn't let the negative impression I got from listening to them on Best Buy's display stop me from looking into them further.  

I really do not understand the complains about bass with this headphone. I have mine recabled with silver and the bass is just fine. All of you who are complaining about bass , have you considered your source equipment and source material?  Many less expensive headphones artificially push up the bass and/or lower midrange to deal with the sound you get from crappy iTunes downloads. This kind of reminds me of HD800, when in the past people complained about its bass, but over the years the same people who criticized this phone are now posting how wonderful the bass is since they acquired better fitting amplification. I am not trying to start anything, but this criticism of bass runs totally contrary to my experience, so maybe there are other things at play. 
 
Re large ear cups, I could see how it could be annoying if you don't bet the right fit. Actually headphones can sound diff depending on where you place them on your head, so come to think of it that could also be the culprit in the bass complaints. However, mine fit just fine (I have average head) and the large earcups are in part necessary to reproduce the wonderfully large soundstage of this headphone. This in fact was the draw for me -- the large sound stage. I normally listen to HD800 and HE6, but feel like I am missing very little when I put on my K550 when I need to listen to closed cans. Just my 2 cents.

 

[jwang302]

Quote:

I really do not understand the complains about bass with this headphone. I have mine recabled with silver and the bass is just fine. All of you who are complaining about bass , have you considered your source equipment and source material?  Many less expensive headphones artificially push up the bass and/or lower midrange to deal with the sound you get from crappy iTunes downloads. This kind of reminds me of HD800, when in the past people complained about its bass, but over the years the same people who criticized this phone are now posting how wonderful the bass is since they acquired better fitting amplification. I am not trying to start anything, but this criticism of bass runs totally contrary to my experience, so maybe there are other things at play. 
 
Re large ear cups, I could see how it could be annoying if you don't bet the right fit. Actually headphones can sound diff depending on where you place them on your head, so come to think of it that could also be the culprit in the bass complaints. However, mine fit just fine (I have average head) and the large earcups are in part necessary to reproduce the wonderfully large soundstage of this headphone. This in fact was the draw for me -- the large sound stage. I normally listen to HD800 and HE6, but feel like I am missing very little when I put on my K550 when I need to listen to closed cans. Just my 2 cents.

I have similar experience regarding the K550's bass. When running out of the e17/e9k combo, the K550 has more bass comparing to HD600. Even when I am running the HD600 from the Schiit Valhalla, I still feel there is more bass with the e17/e9k and K550 combo. These cans are definitely not bass light to me.

 

[mangler]

I haven't read through this whole thread, so this may have mentioned before, but I have a mod that I find creates a very good seal and increases the bass level, which I personally found lacking. First, I found the headband length that fits best (for me that is 1), and then I just bent the headband where the arm connects to the headband. When I say bent, I mean really bent:
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The headband seems very flexible, strong, and resilient, so this doesn't seem to do any damage (still, do this at your own risk). Plus, the top of the headband is still round and remains very comfortable. 
 
 
I think this is different from the other handband bending mod since I'm not squeezing the cups together. Instead, I'm angling the arms in to create a tighter clamp. Since the ear-cups swivel in and out the cups remain flush against your head after you bend the arms. I don't have a tiny head, but it's still pretty small (my fitted hat size is 7 1/4) and this really works for me. After doing this I can finally hear (and feel!) my K550 get down to 12Hz with songs like Kendrick Lamar's "m.A.A.d. City". Plus, every other positive attribute (soundstage, clarity, resolution, etc...) remains in place. 
 
I was on the fence about keeping these, but this mod, combined with the E17 and its EQ, really makes this headphone a keeper. Of course, I can't end without saying YMMV 

 

[RTTO]

Nor enough burn-in being another culprit for lack of bass.
I was stunned when I listen to it after leaving it in the trunk at -5C overnight. The bass completely disappeared. It reminds me of the thin sound when I listen to it brand new 5 months ago.
 
Throw it in the frig.and you can relive the burn-in process in fast forward mode (15 min)  : )

 

[GOTFrog]

I just got mine, liking them alot. you guys got me scared that they wouldnt fit properly and because of that I was expecting a AD700 sized phone, these things are really small. 
 
What should I do to help the burn in? a can of lighter fluid? (just kidding) But yeah how do you burn in  headphones