TheGiantHogweed
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2013
- Posts
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i put the stock(original) pads back on almost right away. the k553 are way too bright (for me, for my taste or ear canal maybe , not anyone elses). . i just got a pair of akg M220 delivered today. from the last massdrop.
i like the M220/k240 a lot better, love them. . the instruments sound real in them ,. ive been around instruments my whole life,
Well they are semi open headphones so a comparison is a little unfair. The K550s and K553s are very similar and are same of the most open and spacious sounding closed back headphones you can get for the price. I am trying to work out how you have both stock and after market pads? Did where you bought them from sell them with both? I'm a bit mixed up as to how you have both pairs. Did you get them second hand? If so, you can't really believe this is how they will sound. It is also incredibly hard to find genuine pads for these headphones. A hifi retailer in the UK told me one place but this is only for the UK. But I managed to get a brand new genuine pair no different to what came with my K550s some time ago. This probably won't be useful to you but may be to others. http://www.carradiorepairs.co.uk/ It seems that they specialise in having spare parts and accessories for major audio brands, including AKG.
But it may still be the case that you are not keen on them. I don't really agree with what Dealux has said. These headphones do have a peak in the higher treble which can sound harsh to some. And while they do have very deep bass, they don't have a huge amount of impact. But the earpads make a massive difference to this. Even the way you position them on your head. The midrange also has a small issue. It lacks weight to it and sounds rather thin at times. But AKG have done a very good job at getting these to sound much more like an open backed headphone than closed. Most closed headphones have a lot more bass than these and often end up having less treble, sometimes resulting in a boomy and muddy sound. It is all about preference, but the K550s and K553s are really good for closed back headphones.