[natrixx]

   
Haha...probably some of the best $90 you will spend in audio.  Great price.

Yeah, here in Russia AKGs are usually much cheaper than in EU or US I believe, but still $90 is a steal
 

For portable use, I agree that the cable is way too long. I find it to be the perfect length for home use though. When I use them on the move, I need one pocket for my player and another for the remaining 2 metres of cable! I do wish that the cable was detachable so that you then could buy one the right length for what you need.
In the picture in your post, your headphones look very wet. I once was using them outside when it started to rain and I was not sure if it would damage them or not. They have now got damp a few times and they seem to be fine.

They got wet in the rain yesterday, not for the first time and work just fine. Well, they survived through the last winter, and I'm still wondering how I managed to survive that cold hell myself, so 550s are pretty tough
That 3m cable I am probably going to shorten and/or mod to detachable as soon as warranty ends, but still not sure. For now using two pockets too

 

[AngryGoldfish]

The 3m long cable was a must for me. I personally would not wear the 550's out and about. Despite being very attractive, they're just too big. Mostly, though, it's the incredibly weak clamping force that means they'll constantly be shifting and changing the sound as I'm walking. I've tried using them around the house with my Cowon and it's just pointless. Ha! I have to be completely motionless for these cans to function properly.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I would be interested to know if anybody else has had any problems with the drivers. About 3 months ago, the left driver started distorting badly whenever there was any heavy bass and it just sounded terrible. This was only about 2 or 3 months after I bought them. I took them back to my local store that I bought them from and they got sent back to AKG. The left driver got replaced as well as the whole cable. That took just over a week and sorted the problem out. Very good service.
 
I don't really know what could have been the reason for that. I do use the Fiio E11 on bass boost 2 with them a lot of the time but surely that can't be too much bass for them to handle.
I have had them for quite a while since I sent them back now and they are still working fine.

 

[ratinox]

I would be interested to know if anybody else has had any problems with the drivers.

Not I.

Since they replaced the cable it's possible that there was a short circuit or bad contact causing problems.

 

[sludgeogre]

I love this headphone, but I have a massive head. I wear these on notch number 6 on both sides and wear a size 9 hat. I haven't had to do any of the mods I've seen and I get a perfect seal every time. If I wear the headphones for more than 10 minutes, I can feel them suctioning to my ears when I take them off. I can feel air being squeezed into my ear if I touch the headphones when I'm wearing them, that is how good the seal is, so I guess the key to these headphones is a massive Eastern European cranium.
 
That being said, I can't believe the value you get here for a 130 dollar pair refurbished. The soundstage is insanely wide and full feeling for a closed headphone. I love the detail and neutrality they have, with just enough bass slam to make me happy. I keep reading recommendations to not listen to these with fast music, but I listen to death metal with them all the time (Origin, Opeth, Abysmal Dawn, At The Gates, Meshuggah, etc...) and I'm pretty happy with them. I can detect a little bit of sloppiness on them at times, especially with Meshuggah, but I would attribute this more to qualities of closed-back design in general. I only wish I could hear how Sennheiser HD-25 1-II cans handle the same songs, as I hear those are much faster headphones for the music, but I couldn't pass up the AKGs with such an awesome price.
 
If you have a big head and love music, you have to buy these headphones.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

  I love this headphone, but I have a massive head. I wear these on notch number 6 on both sides and wear a size 9 hat. I haven't had to do any of the mods I've seen and I get a perfect seal every time. If I wear the headphones for more than 10 minutes, I can feel them suctioning to my ears when I take them off. I can feel air being squeezed into my ear if I touch the headphones when I'm wearing them, that is how good the seal is, so I guess the key to these headphones is a massive Eastern European cranium.
 
That being said, I can't believe the value you get here for a 130 dollar pair refurbished. The soundstage is insanely wide and full feeling for a closed headphone. I love the detail and neutrality they have, with just enough bass slam to make me happy. I keep reading recommendations to not listen to these with fast music, but I listen to death metal with them all the time (Origin, Opeth, Abysmal Dawn, At The Gates, Meshuggah, etc...) and I'm pretty happy with them. I can detect a little bit of sloppiness on them at times, especially with Meshuggah, but I would attribute this more to qualities of closed-back design in general. I only wish I could hear how Sennheiser HD-25 1-II cans handle the same songs, as I hear those are much faster headphones for the music, but I couldn't pass up the AKGs with such an awesome price.
 
If you have a big head and love music, you have to buy these headphones.

I must have a huge head then! I have to have to wear these on number 8 on both sides for them to be comfortable and to sound right. I have just tried them on 6 now and my ears are too close to the bottom of the ear cup. When I have them on 8, that is just right for me.

 

[natrixx]

  I love this headphone, but I have a massive head. I wear these on notch number 6 on both sides and wear a size 9 hat. I haven't had to do any of the mods I've seen and I get a perfect seal every time. If I wear the headphones for more than 10 minutes, I can feel them suctioning to my ears when I take them off. I can feel air being squeezed into my ear if I touch the headphones when I'm wearing them, that is how good the seal is, so I guess the key to these headphones is a massive Eastern European cranium.

Same here, lol. I even had some problems with PX200-II due to my head size

 

[sludgeogre]

  Same here, lol. I even had some problems with PX200-II due to my head size

Good to know there are other pumpkin heads out there with huge-head woes. I'll be sure to put those on my "your head is too damn big, don't buy this" list. Ha! It's better than having a shrunken head that nothing will seal to!

 

[sludgeogre]

 
I must have a huge head then! I have to have to wear these on number 8 on both sides for them to be comfortable and to sound right. I have just tried them on 6 now and my ears are too close to the bottom of the ear cup. When I have them on 8, that is just right for me.

They fit my ear better on 8, but I lose the seal sometimes because it slides off of the back of my neck, so I wear them on 6 and slightly forward. The back of my ear still rests slightly on the pad, but it doesn't bother me and it sounds perfect. If I'm sitting at my office desk, I'll bump them up to 7 sometimes, but I mainly wear these on my hour long commute.

 

[CyDe29]

I've got a questions about a getting a DAC for these headphones. I have the k551, and so it has a microphone, and I'm wondering if the microphone would still work with a DAC. Are there any that can do that?

 

[AsianBatman]

I've got a questions about a getting a DAC for these headphones. I have the k551, and so it has a microphone, and I'm wondering if the microphone would still work with a DAC. Are there any that can do that?

 
No, not that I know of. The in-line mic is usually meant to be use in conjunction with a phone. I haven't seen or read about any DACs that will allow you to use your mic. 

 

[rwpritchett]

A splitter might work for you. Something like this:



Then you can run the green speaker end to the DAC, and run the pink mic end to whatever source you have.

Not guaranteed to work though.

 

[bonfirehay]

  I cant post pics yet, anyone wanna post my setup for me?
 
http://distilleryimage8.ak.instagram.com/b533f710c0dc11e382b90002c9e149a8_8.jpg

What a frankenstein 

 

[Maxvla]

Heard these at the Austin 2013 meet and enjoyed them, kept being interested and found a good deal recently so I picked up a pair to go with my HD800, HD600, and UERMs. They sound great for the money. A few flaws, but I knew that going in. I'd be happy to comment on any pairings of gear I have if anyone is interested, though at this moment many of my electronics are on loan to other head-fiers, and I have 3 additional upper tier amps coming within the next month or two.

edit: Went back a few pages and noticed people talking about headband slider numbers. I always thought I had a average or slightly large head, but these K550 are comfy at 2-3 on each side. The mention of a setting of 8 blew my mind! Maybe my head isn't so big after all.

 

[LesT73]

Another happy akg k550 owner here. Sound great through my Lehmann Linear amp.