[sludgeogre]

  How are these headphones for metal? I will be buying my first 'good' set of headphones, and I really like these. Currently I own Monster Diesel Vektrs, which are very muddy and bassy. They sound OK, but on some songs the mids and highs are completely drowned out by the lows. I have heard the K550 is bright, but will someone like me really notice it that much over the increase in general sound quality? Some bands I listen to include Tool, Bolt Thrower, Electric Wizard, Cryptopsy, Suffocation, Opeth, and Mastodon.

I listen to metal on my K550s every day, especially Opeth and Suffocation, two of my very favorite bands. I love death metal through them, but they lack smoothness and fullness for doom/sludge like Electric Wizard, but really not much, just some heavier slam/rumble.
 
I'm listening to Vinum Sabbathi on them right now and the only thing I can say that I miss is a little bit thicker bass for that full sludge effect, but what is there is presented very cleanly and articulately. The album Black Masses does sound a lot more thin than I would like, with the kick drum almost not noticeable on these headphones. Turn on Blood Oath by Suffocation, though, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. The kick drum sounds full and snappy as all hell, and the separation of Terrance and Guy's guitars is completely clear, which is awesome considering how closely tuned they are. I don't find myself missing a single thing on this entire album, it sounds perfect. Anything by Opeth sounds pretty close to perfect, for me. I think that the lack of bass slam helps keep the mids clear and separated, instead of muffled, just like how your previous headphones can make metal sound flubby.
 
In reference to their brightness, the only time I find this sort of brightness bothersome is on fast, clean guitar tracks. Sometimes I feel like the distortion on them is way higher than the natural recording, but I really can't tell if it is the way the track is recorded sometimes. I think this is more due to the closed back design than anything. I actually prefer brightness for death metal, but it doesn't go well with some bands (Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, pretty much any old school death metal). The only thing you're going to be missing is very heavy bass slam, but for the bands that you listed, I think the K550s are excellent.
 
Keep in mind that both of the headphones that I own (other pair is Grado SR325is) are very bright. I plan on getting a darker headphone for my long doom/sludge metal listening sessions, because both of these pairs really do lack a smooth, velvety bass that sludge metal really needs.
 
Lastly, if you can get these refurbished off of the Harmon Kardon site for only 130 bucks, you have to. It's a total steal at that price.

 

[urbshas]

  I listen to metal on my K550s every day, especially Opeth and Suffocation, two of my very favorite bands. I love death metal through them, but they lack smoothness and fullness for doom/sludge like Electric Wizard, but really not much, just some heavier slam/rumble.
 
I'm listening to Vinum Sabbathi on them right now and the only thing I can say that I miss is a little bit thicker bass for that full sludge effect, but what is there is presented very cleanly and articulately. The album Black Masses does sound a lot more thin than I would like, with the kick drum almost not noticeable on these headphones. Turn on Blood Oath by Suffocation, though, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. The kick drum sounds full and snappy as all hell, and the separation of Terrance and Guy's guitars is completely clear, which is awesome considering how closely tuned they are. I don't find myself missing a single thing on this entire album, it sounds perfect. Anything by Opeth sounds pretty close to perfect, for me. I think that the lack of bass slam helps keep the mids clear and separated, instead of muffled, just like how your previous headphones can make metal sound flubby.
 
In reference to their brightness, the only time I find this sort of brightness bothersome is on fast, clean guitar tracks. Sometimes I feel like the distortion on them is way higher than the natural recording, but I really can't tell if it is the way the track is recorded sometimes. I think this is more due to the closed back design than anything. I actually prefer brightness for death metal, but it doesn't go well with some bands (Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, pretty much any old school death metal). The only thing you're going to be missing is very heavy bass slam, but for the bands that you listed, I think the K550s are excellent.
 
Keep in mind that both of the headphones that I own (other pair is Grado SR325is) are very bright. I plan on getting a darker headphone for my long doom/sludge metal listening sessions, because both of these pairs really do lack a smooth, velvety bass that sludge metal really needs.
 
Lastly, if you can get these refurbished off of the Harmon Kardon site for only 130 bucks, you have to. It's a total steal at that price.

Awesome. This is really helpful. I love what you said about Opeth, but the notes about Electric Wizard kind of worries me. I want to be able to really hear the deep bass but don't want it to overpower anything else. For reference, I also own the Soundmagic E10 which I love for metal, but I am not sure what kind of characteristics they hold.
 
The only problem with me ordering these is I can't listen to them before I order, as I am in Canada and there are no stores near me that carry them. My other option was the M50 because they are slightly bassy and would help feel that real buzz/heavy distortion sound that bands like EW and Bolt Thrower have. I'm not entirely sure what I like in a headphone as of yet, but I have listened to the HD558 (are they considered 'bright'?), which I absolutely loved but I wanted a closed can. I can also have the opportunity to test out the M50s and possibly the SRH840s. 
Here, the K550s go for $250, M50s for $190, SRH-840s for $210.

 

[sludgeogre]

  Awesome. This is really helpful. I love what you said about Opeth, but the notes about Electric Wizard kind of worries me. I want to be able to really hear the deep bass but don't want it to overpower anything else. For reference, I also own the Soundmagic E10 which I love for metal, but I am not sure what kind of characteristics they hold.
 
The only problem with me ordering these is I can't listen to them before I order, as I am in Canada and there are no stores near me that carry them. My other option was the M50 because they are slightly bassy and would help feel that real buzz/heavy distortion sound that bands like EW and Bolt Thrower have. I'm not entirely sure what I like in a headphone as of yet, but I have listened to the HD585 (are they considered 'bright'?), which I absolutely loved but I wanted a closed can. I can also have the opportunity to test out the M50s and possibly the SRH840s. 
Here, the K550s go for $250, M50s for $190, SRH-840s for $210.

Glad I could help. If you really want to feel that deep fuzz in a closed back, you'll have to look elsewhere. The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm and 80 Ohm models are rated extremely well for that kind of sound in a closed back design, and they are pretty cheap when ordered used since they stopped producing them in 2011. I haven't heard them, but I hear they are fantastic for sludge. As for the HD585, I haven't heard them, but the Sennheiser house sound is usually pretty dark by most people's standards. 

 

[sludgeogre]

This article is very helpful in a comparison of the sound you are looking for:
 
http://fastnbulbous.com/cans-of-doom/

 

[urbshas]

  This article is very helpful in a comparison of the sound you are looking for:
 
http://fastnbulbous.com/cans-of-doom/

Cool article. Thanks for the help! It appears there really is no 'perfect' headphones that are good for all metal subgenres. I don't know if I can get over how awesome the K550s look though. But if you think the K550s are good for the majority of bands I listed, then maybe I will find somewhere with a good return policy and grab a pair. 

 

[sludgeogre]

Again, very glad I could help, it has taken me a long time to decide on what gear I like and want. You brought up a good point, though, which is the design of the headphone. They are beautiful, extremely comfortable, and built like tanks. I throw these into my backpack every day and they still look brand new after a couple months. They are really comfortable for long listening sessions and they don't make you look totally ridiculous.
 
Now that I'm home and able to listen to them on my Bifrost and Asgard 2, I can say that they really are beautifully detailed and the power of the Asgard 2 helps beef up Electric Wizard quite a bit, even though Black Masses still sounds a bit thin, but I'm getting more convinced that the album is just mixed that way, probably to sound more "vintage." Dopethrone doesn't sound hollow at all. Again, there are some albums that you'll wish sounded a bit fuzzier, but if you get a decent tube amp you can probably help that out quite a bit.

 

[cel4145]

They are beautiful, extremely comfortable, and built like tanks. I throw these into my backpack every day and they still look brand new after a couple months.

That's good to hear. I wondered how they stand up to backpack abuse

 

[sludgeogre]

I bought them after reading cel4145's recommendation and the provided link to the refurbished deal. Haven't looked back since. Thanks again, cel, much appreciated.

 

[cel4145]

I bought them after reading cel4145's recommendation and the provided link to the refurbished deal. Haven't looked back since. Thanks again, cel, much appreciated.

Glad you like them

And thank you. Your previous discussion tonight put me in the mood for some very hard rock and made me turn on Deftones, which I hadn't listened to in a while. K550 sound awesome with them

 

[ratinox]

A thing about K55x is that they respond well to basic tone controls. Assuming the recording is good then simply increasing the bass will give you your slam without everything getting all tub full of mud.

 

[urbshas]

  Again, very glad I could help, it has taken me a long time to decide on what gear I like and want. You brought up a good point, though, which is the design of the headphone. They are beautiful, extremely comfortable, and built like tanks. I throw these into my backpack every day and they still look brand new after a couple months. They are really comfortable for long listening sessions and they don't make you look totally ridiculous.
 
Now that I'm home and able to listen to them on my Bifrost and Asgard 2, I can say that they really are beautifully detailed and the power of the Asgard 2 helps beef up Electric Wizard quite a bit, even though Black Masses still sounds a bit thin, but I'm getting more convinced that the album is just mixed that way, probably to sound more "vintage." Dopethrone doesn't sound hollow at all. Again, there are some albums that you'll wish sounded a bit fuzzier, but if you get a decent tube amp you can probably help that out quite a bit.

Hmm not sure I want an amp at the moment. Maybe I will save up for a really good one. Would you say these overall benefit from an amp? Is it necessary or can I wait a bit?

 

[cel4145]

Hmm not sure I want an amp at the moment. Maybe I will save up for a really good one. Would you say these overall benefit from an amp? Is it necessary or can I wait a bit?

What are using to listen to them right now?

 

[ratinox]

Would you say these overall benefit from an amp?

K55x are easy to drive even from tiny kit like my Clip Zip. You might want an amp if your player's headphone output impedance is excessively high -- but I figure that your money would be better spent on a better player if the output impedance is high enough to be a problem.

 

[urbshas]

K55x are easy to drive even from tiny kit like my Clip Zip. You might want an amp if your player's headphone output impedance is excessively high -- but I figure that your money would be better spent on a better player if the output impedance is high enough to be a problem.

99% of the time I will just be using my Macbook Pro, with occasional iPod, guitar amp, or stereo.

 

[ratinox]

Yeah, you don't need a dedicated headphone amplifier.

You might want to get an impedance adapter for use with the guitar amp and home stereo system but only if the maximum comfortable listening volume is below about 50% on the volume control.