[gilsont]

I agree with him, the K550 pads are crap IMO they also are prone to ripping easy, I have had about 3 pairs rip and some of my other friends have had a few rip. They are not padded enough and not right for the headphone IMO

That's interesting because I also had 3 pairs.
K551, then K550, then my current K550.
 
None of them suffer from the rip.
 
Just shows how one takes care of one's headphones can result in different results.
 
For the not padded enough... how can they be padded more?
When I put them on, they just melt into my face, it's so comfortable. And I never touch the earcup because of the sufficient padding. 
I can't imagine how any more padding would make this headphone better. Please do describe though I am curious...

 

[Whippler]

it's simple, his ears stick out more than yours.

 

[gilsont]

it's simple, his ears stick out more than yours.

If his ears stick out, more padding isn't going to help. He would be better off getting a headphone that has larger ear space inside the cup.

 

[GirgleMirt]

Those who have trouble with ripped pads should file their horns For the pads themelves, I also think material choice was for practical reasons; isolation, cost, etc. Velour might not have work, leather $, etc. thst said, I think they work quite well. Comfort is quite good, gets hot after a while but besides that, imho, definitely good. Try Grados, Q701, Sonys, etc. To say the K550 pads are very bad, one must never have tried a very bad pair of pads...

 

[gilsont]

I just thought i post this as I just answered someone's question regarding the Q701 versus the K550. I just thought I share my response here for future reference.
 
I did make a youtube video on this, please take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4HmSmxPF_g
 
However for more in-depth answer to the versus question, here was my answer:
 
For what sounds better?
I think it really depends on what you consider "better" on sound quality because they are very different headphones.
 
If you like your sound quality to be more relaxing, laid back, while providing a excellent presentation of depth and sub-bass, the K550 will fit your bill.
However, if you like your sound quality to be more analytical and detailed with a wider soundstage, the Q701 will be the one I go for.
If you like a combination of those two, i suggest looking at the HD800.
 
Which would I personally choose?
Personally, on one day I would prefer the K550 and on another I prefer the Q701. It really depends on my mood lol.
So it depends on my mood which headphone I will choose to listen to. That's why I have both!
 
Do take note though the K550 have fitting issues with some people's heads, while the Q701's fit is universal.
 
Please do take a look at the video for a more in-depth comparison. But feel free to drop me more questions.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

Well, after reading up a lot about these K550s, I have ended up buying them. I have given them over 30 hours now of break in time now and I can tell the difference. Compared with the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s I had before these have a very similar soundstage but a huge amount more weight to the bass which was just what I wanted. I would still say that my AD700s still have a little more top end sparkle and transparency in the treble than the K550s. The K550s do such a good job of blocking outside noise and dont leak anything like as much as my AD700s.
I find that the ear cups fit me fine and I have no problems with them at all. The one thing that will take a little time for me to get used to is the padding at the top of them. It is very thin and my head starts hurting a little after a while. I will eventually get used to it I think. It must be because I am used to the comfortable 3D wing support things of Audio Technica's ATH-A range.
 
I am very impressed with these headphones. They feel very very solidly built and feel like they will last for ages!

 

[gilsont]

  Well, after reading up a lot about these K550s, I have ended up buying them. I have given them over 30 hours now of break in time now and I can tell the difference. Compared with the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s I had before these have a very similar soundstage but a huge amount more weight to the bass which was just what I wanted. I would still say that my AD700s still have a little more top end sparkle and transparency than the K550s. The K550s do such a good job of blocking outside noise and dont leak anything like as much as my AD700s.
I find that the ear cups fit me fine and I have no problems with that at all. The one thing that will take a little time for me to get used to is the padding at the top of them. It is very thin and my head starts hurting a little after a while. I will eventually get used to it I think. It must be because I am used to the comfortable 3D wing support things of Audio Technica's ATH-A range.
 
I am very impressed with these headphones. They feel very very solidly built and feel like they will last for ages!

You make the ATH-AD700 sound like Q701 lol

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I think they will have very similar sound because they are both open back cans. From what I have read and I expect this too, the Q701s have a little more bass to them but even though there is a big price difference, I don't belive that there will be a huge amount of difference in sound quality between the two.

 

[gilsont]

Interesting. Which would you say to have tighter bass? And which would have a wider soundstage?
 
One last thing... how's the instrument separation on the ATH-AD700 compared to Q701?
 
Thanks.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I thought I said that I only read about the Q701. I don't own them. I just think they should be quite similar. I think the AD700s may have sharper treble because I dont think there are many headphones around with more treble than the AD700s. I really am starting to think that my AD700s do have a better soundstange then the K550s (even though they were a lot cheaper) and also have better instrument seperation. All the treble is bright on the AD700s and it sounds more natural and relaxing somehow. The K550s I would say have a certain point where the treble is bight and clear and other points where it is not so. but overall, I am more impressed with the K550s.
I really wouldn't expect the bass on the AD700s to be more tight or powerfull than on the Q701s because the bass is so so lacking on them! I use both my pairs of headphones now on the Fiio E11 headphone amplifier with the bass boost which did a good job of giving more punch and power to the AD700s. They don't lack the depth of the bass, it is just that you really don't feel it at all unless you boost it.
Also if you want to know more about the AD700s, they also lack the lower mids. They sound very thin at times. Again, the bass boost 2 setting on the Fiio E11 does actually make the lower mids sound more powerful and it gives them more weight.

 

[SoulSyde]

 
I am very impressed with these headphones. They feel very very solidly built and feel like they will last for ages!

 
Agree,  I got mine a few days ago and I'm very happy with them.  
 

 
 
Although I've never owned them they sound a lot like the K701s but in a closed design.  They're arguably the most comfortable headphones every made.  The only thing two that have come close comfort-wise are my AD900s or the HD 600s I used to own.  
 
Enjoy yours!

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

The AD900s are exactly the same style as my AD700s so they should be as comfortable as eachother. I find my AD700s quite a lot more comfortabe at the moment than the K550s.
 
What Fiio amp is in your picture?

 

[metaldood]

I received mine today. I have been listening to them for few hours now. Noticeably less bass than ATH M50 imo. Although far more comfortable than M50s. I will try the rubber band mod soon as I need little more bass.  I am running them through Modi/Magni/FLAC/Foobar.

 

[gambiit08]

i honestly found them really lacking in bass and soundstage...

 

[mfcam]

  i honestly found them really lacking in bass and soundstage...

compared to which headphone?

Soundstage on these headphones is VERY good for a closed back headphone, even better then some open headphones (hd 555 for example)


I would say you have a seal problem, very common