[PETEREK]

It wasn't too difficult to do, you just have to be SUPER accurate when drilling the new hole. I haven't connected the cable yet, so I can't vouch for it sounding better or not. They will be using it with a balanced amplifier so I can only assume it would sound better.

 

[x RELIC x]

Ok......... How much?

 

[dxanex]

^Nice work!

 

[isRelative]

I feel a little guilty for wanting a bit more bass slam from these AKG's (trying to stay far, far away from the Beats mantra), but I was wondering if I could expect more once I amped it?  The bass in these headphones is clean, but very much on the leaner side, especially compared to my CIEMs.  I'm currently running the AKG's off of a Zune HD.  I have a Sony ZX1 DAP and a JDS Labs C5 portable amplifier en route to me and wanted to hear from you guys if they sounded considerably better with a better source component and amplification?  Thanks!
 
I also braided the cable hehe.

 

[koalapear]

  I feel a little guilty for wanting a bit more bass slam from these AKG's (trying to stay far, far away from the Beats mantra), but I was wondering if I could expect more once I amped it?  The bass in these headphones is clean, but very much on the leaner side, especially compared to my CIEMs.  I'm currently running the AKG's off of a Zune HD.  I have a Sony ZX1 DAP and a JDS Labs C5 portable amplifier en route to me and wanted to hear from you guys if they sounded considerably better with a better source component and amplification?  Thanks!
 
I also braided the cable hehe.

I've found that the bass does sound slightly more punchy out of my FiiO E10 than my phone. The biggest improvement in the bass for me came from changing to the Alpha Pads thanks to their improved seal.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

  I feel a little guilty for wanting a bit more bass slam from these AKG's (trying to stay far, far away from the Beats mantra), but I was wondering if I could expect more once I amped it?  The bass in these headphones is clean, but very much on the leaner side, especially compared to my CIEMs.  I'm currently running the AKG's off of a Zune HD.  I have a Sony ZX1 DAP and a JDS Labs C5 portable amplifier en route to me and wanted to hear from you guys if they sounded considerably better with a better source component and amplification?  Thanks!
 
I also braided the cable hehe.

Strangely, I think the K550s sound even better through the E11 when the E11 is connected to the E10. So long as the E11 is plugged into something that already sounds clean, the E11 is really good if you are wanting more volume. The best thing about the E11 to me is the fact that it boosts the really low end bass. Nothing else I own boost the bass as nicely as the E11. It could just suit my K550s and ATH-AD700s. The E11 works out better in many ways than the E10, It goes quite a lot louder as well as having a deeper and more powerful bass boost. I think the E10 does sound very good but better without the bass boost most of the time. The E11 seems to make the treble stand out more than the E10 does too. Most noticeable when high gain is on.
 
Something like the E11k or maybe a second hand E11 would be a good choice (so long as you plug them into something that already sounds reasonable). From what I have heard, the E11k sounds like it boosts the really low sub bass. I bet the K550s would sound great with a little bit more weight to that. I think that is what my E11 does already so I don't need to get the new version. I don't really like the style of the E11k anyway but that won't affect the sound in anyway.
 
My E11 never makes the sound quality of anything down and having such good bass boost on it is a bonus. I find it useful a lot of the time. I use it at my desk in the line out of my E10 and I also sometimes use it strapped to the back of my FiiO X3, yet again because the way it boost the bass suits my K550s a little better that the X3's bass boost does. 
 
I even use the E11 though the line out of my Pioneer stereo amplifier as the headphone socket on that doesn't sound as good as the E11, although it is much louder.
 
Sorry, but I think I talk about my E11 too much!

I think it is my favourite FiiO amplifier for the money. Many of FiiO's headphone amplifiers will do a good job of giving you more weight and depth to the bass with the K550s. Most of the time, I just use my FiiO X3 with the K550s with no extra amplifier and just use the built in hardware bass and treble controls to suit my needs. I would use the E11 if it didn't add so much bulk to my X3.
The E10 is only really a desktop amplifier as it has no battery and both the sound and the power goes through the USB cable to the device. Only really useable on a PC or laptop. FiiO do have a lot of different amplifiers if you have a look on their page.
 
http://www.fiio.net/en/products

 

[vaibhavp]

I recently tried fiio x3 and compared it with my audinst hud mini.
 
fiio was quiet warm while audinst was mostly neutral.
 
surprisingly though fiio was more than capable of driving k550, it didnt had iron fisted control over drivers that audinst had, letting you hear more detail.
 
fiio though probably had better layering and depth to soundstage, but cant say for sure as it was a short listen.
 
fiio was like amp version of my sennheisers.

 

[MattRobertson]

Hows the fit compared to the AKG k545? Really did not like the fit of those, literally no way to get a seal for me, especially with glasses.

 

[citraian]

If you didn't get a seal on the K545s these will be even worse...

 

[ironpanda]

Does anyone know the differences in cup sizes between these and the Phillips Uptowns? Want to upgrade from my Uptowns which have a lot of ear room and cup depth but have been reading that these are just too big for some people and just wanted to know the differences

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Does anyone know the differences in cup sizes between these and the Phillips Uptowns? Want to upgrade from my Uptowns which have a lot of ear room and cup depth but have been reading that these are just too big for some people and just wanted to know the differences

k550 are barely enough for big ears. they are too loose, not too big. it is hard to keep them how they should stay.

 

[lawrecedent]

I recently tried fiio x3 and compared it with my audinst hud mini.

fiio was quiet warm while audinst was mostly neutral.

surprisingly though fiio was more than capable of driving k550, it didnt had iron fisted control over drivers that audinst had, letting you hear more detail.

fiio though probably had better layering and depth to soundstage, but cant say for sure as it was a short listen.

fiio was like amp version of my sennheisers.

I find the K550's really easy to drive without amplification but this is to be expected with their 32 ohm impedence. They do improve in terms of sound quality with some good amplification though but they can easily be driven straight out of an ipod or phone.

 

[lawrecedent]

Strangely, I think the K550s sound even better through the E11 when the E11 is connected to the E10. So long as the E11 is plugged into something that already sounds clean, the E11 is really good if you are wanting more volume. The best thing about the E11 to me is the fact that it boosts the really low end bass. Nothing else I own boost the bass as nicely as the E11. It could just suit my K550s and ATH-AD700s. The E11 works out better in many ways than the E10, It goes quite a lot louder as well as having a deeper and more powerful bass boost. I think the E10 does sound very good but better without the bass boost most of the time. The E11 seems to make the treble stand out more than the E10 does too. Most noticeable when high gain is on.

Something like the E11k or maybe a second hand E11 would be a good choice (so long as you plug them into something that already sounds reasonable). From what I have heard, the E11k sounds like it boosts the really low sub bass. I bet the K550s would sound great with a little bit more weight to that. I think that is what my E11 does already so I don't need to get the new version. I don't really like the style of the E11k anyway but that won't affect the sound in anyway.

My E11 never makes the sound quality of anything down and having such good bass boost on it is a bonus. I find it useful a lot of the time. I use it at my desk in the line out of my E10 and I also sometimes use it strapped to the back of my FiiO X3, yet again because the way it boost the bass suits my K550s a little better that the X3's bass boost does. 

I even use the E11 though the line out of my Pioneer stereo amplifier as the headphone socket on that doesn't sound as good as the E11, although it is much louder.

Sorry, but I think I talk about my E11 too much! I think it is my favourite FiiO amplifier for the money. Many of FiiO's headphone amplifiers will do a good job of giving you more weight and depth to the bass with the K550s. Most of the time, I just use my FiiO X3 with the K550s with no extra amplifier and just use the built in hardware bass and treble controls to suit my needs. I would use the E11 if it didn't add so much bulk to my X3.
The E10 is only really a desktop amplifier as it has no battery and both the sound and the power goes through the USB cable to the device. Only really useable on a PC or laptop. FiiO do have a lot of different amplifiers if you have a look on their page.

http://www.fiio.net/en/products

+1 on the e11 with the AKG 550's. I had some really pleasing results with this combo. They paired really well largely due to the 3 stage bass boost which for me elevated the bass to the presence I like on setting 1 or 2. I sold it when I upgraded to the e18 and find this a definited upgrade in SQ with all my other headphones amd iems but don't find the pairing as good with the AKG'S.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

+1 on the e11 with the AKG 550's. I had some really pleasing results with this combo. They paired really well largely due to the 3 stage bass boost which for me elevated the bass to the presence I like on setting 1 or 2. I sold it when I upgraded to the e18 and find this a definited upgrade in SQ with all my other headphones amd iems but don't find the pairing as good with the AKG'S.

Lots of people say the E11 bass is muddy and overpowering. I think it is very good so long as you plug it into something that already sounds pretty good. Also use headphones that don't have a huge amount of bass in the first place. I am sure it could mess up the sound if people used an already bass heavy pair of headphones with the E11's bass boost. I like the way my X3 boost the bass fow when I use my K550s as portable headphones, but when I am at home, the difference with the E11's bass boost is very noticeable. It is cleaner and deeper in my opinion. This suits my K550s well but is even better with my AD700s.

 

[GirgleMirt]

  I feel a little guilty for wanting a bit more bass slam from these AKG's (trying to stay far, far away from the Beats mantra), but I was wondering if I could expect more once I amped it?  The bass in these headphones is clean, but very much on the leaner side, especially compared to my CIEMs.  I'm currently running the AKG's off of a Zune HD.  I have a Sony ZX1 DAP and a JDS Labs C5 portable amplifier en route to me and wanted to hear from you guys if they sounded considerably better with a better source component and amplification?  Thanks!
 
I also braided the cable hehe.

The Aune T1 is also a DAC and can be found for around 120$, I'm running mine with it, and it does add some warmth.  Not glaringly so, they still sound like AKGs, but just listening to them with it, even if the Q701s are said to be more detailed, ss, image, etc., couldn't help to think that the K550's bass is just something a lot of people would prefer.. Anyway, the Aune T1 should definitely be considered!