[TheGiantHogweed]

Ever since having the MKIII K550s, it's making me dislike the fixed cable of all my other headphones, especially my original K550s. I'm thinking of buying this soon:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEUTRIK-...045677&hash=item547b6e4e22:g:KkUAAOSwi7xd8l81

Neutrik make very good connectors and have made several custom length 3.5mm cables with their rean series plugs. I used to own the K702s but didn't like them because of their cheap build and poor reliability, but i miss their XLR connector. I now have the Beyerdynamic DT880 premium as my desktop headphones, but have a spare 3.5mm to XLR cable that I never use now.

As my original K550s are well out of warrenty now, I think I will buy this connector and fix it in place.

Looking inside the MKIII K550s below, It does actually look quite simple to put this sort of connector in place. I do wonder why it looks like they had some messy fingers when wiring these up though!

These are the original K550s. Looks like it is simply this cable grip holding the cable in place. I think that carefully drilling a hole that is just about big enough for the XLR connector will do the job if it has a nut to tighten it. Then it can be sealed with hot melt glue. I just hope there will be enough room to solder it to the wires.

Has anyone done this before to these headphones?

 

[SSandDigital]

I would do is cut the cable so only about an inch is left outside of the cup and solder a 3.5mm female jack to it. Make it easy on yourself.

Also I don't care about attached cables, dunno why people make a big deal of it. Among my headphones with detachable, I never detach the cable... so makes zero difference to me.

I can see from perspective of cables breaking, but I know how to solder so it's not a problem for me.

 

[ADUHF]

Ever since having the MKIII K550s, it's making me dislike the fixed cable of all my other headphones, especially my original K550s. I'm thinking of buying this soon:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEUTRIK-...045677&hash=item547b6e4e22:g:KkUAAOSwi7xd8l81

Neutrik make very good connectors and have made several custom length 3.5mm cables with their rean series plugs. I used to own the K702s but didn't like them because of their cheap build and poor reliability, but i miss their XLR connector. I now have the Beyerdynamic DT880 premium as my desktop headphones, but have a spare 3.5mm to XLR cable that I never use now.

As my original K550s are well out of warrenty now, I think I will buy this connector and fix it in place.

Looking inside the MKIII K550s below, It does actually look quite simple to put this sort of connector in place. I do wonder why it looks like they had some messy fingers when wiring these up though!

These are the original K550s. Looks like it is simply this cable grip holding the cable in place. I think that carefully drilling a hole that is just about big enough for the XLR connector will do the job if it has a nut to tighten it. Then it can be sealed with hot melt glue. I just hope there will be enough room to solder it to the wires.

Has anyone done this before to these headphones?

It's a bit like hitching a nice new speed boat to an old volks. So not sure I see the point. Looks like you've got more than one though, and if you don't mind potentially bricking one...

My K553's also have a fixed cable. And so far I've been having more issues with the wires leading into the cups from the headbands, than the cable leading in from the plug. There is no swivel lock on the cups on my K553 (or it broke at some point), so the wires leading from the headband to the cups can easily get twisted up inside of the little rotating arms that attach the cups to the headbands. There are panels that can be removed on the inside of those two arms on the K553 that are held in place with two tiny screws. And they are a little difficult to get off and screwed back on just right. (I needed to see what was goin on inside those panels though. So had to remove em.)

The solder on my drivers were not that great to begin with, and I'm sure that the twisting of the wires was making it even worse. At one point they simply just broke off the drivers during some of my tinkering, and I had to resolder them back on as best I could.

I have messed around with the pads and some of the other innards on the HPs, but haven't attempted anything like what you're trying. My soldering skills probably wouldn't be up to it.

Since the wiring is so poor in these to begin with, my inclination is to suggest simply leaving them alone, and to count your blessings that they still work. Because your cable fix could potentially end up causing other issues down the road. If you are pretty handy with wiring and soldering though, then it may not be such a big deal to fix them if they break again. And it could be sort of a fun experiment. I wouldn't expect a huge improvement in SQ though.

FYI, the round rubber dampers that sit in the middle of the cups behind the driver can be removed on my K553. So you might be able to take those out to make some more space to get at the wires. Just be sure you put them back in the same way... if they do indeed come out on the K550.

I did not remember that AKG made a version of the K55x with a detachable cable before the latest iteration of the K553 btw.

I'm in the process of trying to create my own replacement pads now, because the originals wore out along time ago. Just finished creating the templates for the fabric... If they look nice when done, I'll post a few pics. The original pads are not that well constructed, and fell apart rather quickly with heavy use.

 

[ADUHF]

One of the nicer features of these headphones (as opposed to the wiring) is their pretty good extension in the bass and treble. That, plus the fact that they're closed back makes them pretty easy to EQ, for better tonal balance. I would not use my K553 without it. Because they are pretty harsh-sounding in some spots in the upper midrange and treble without it.

I tried a couple different EQ solutions, including a DBX graphic EQ, which was quite cumbersome and difficult to work with. And compact mixers (my current solution). A software EQ isn't really an option since my sources are various and mostly analog. Otherwise I probably would have tried that as well.

I've also been tempted to give this little device from Schiit a try, but don't really have the bread for it...

https://www.schiit.com/products/loki

Also thought about using an amp or receiver with some built-in EQ functions.

 

[ADUHF]

I would do is cut the cable so only about an inch is left outside of the cup and solder a 3.5mm female jack to it. Make it easy on yourself.

Maybe not a bad thought.

 

[rwpritchett]

3.5mm jack fixed all my cable woes on my gen 1 K550.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I would do is cut the cable so only about an inch is left outside of the cup and solder a 3.5mm female jack to it. Make it easy on yourself.

Also I don't care about attached cables, dunno why people make a big deal of it. Among my headphones with detachable, I never detach the cable... so makes zero difference to me.

I can see from perspective of cables breaking, but I know how to solder so it's not a problem for me.

I think Mini XLR will be easier than a 3.5mm socket as they are larger. The reason why i like detachable cables. When I'm at my desk, I'd have the cable plugged into my headphone amplifier on my right, then neatly placed around the back of my desk so it is out the way and just have a short bit of cable going from the left of my desk to the left driver. My chair is on wheels and i hate having a 3m cable dangling both because of the weight and risk of running over it. Then for portable use, I simply disconnect the cable and use a shorter one so the one on my desk can always remain neatly in place. Another big reason why i like XLR over 3.5mm is that it has a lock and it just won't disconnect unless you press the button. I myself don't like the idea of headphones with 3.5mm connectors as there is no way of locking it and it probably will often be the case that the weight of just the cable will yank it out the socket if being used as portable headphones.

My K702s which I no longer have had a mini XLR too and I used them at my desk with a 3m mini xlr cable, then another cable for elsewhere. Yes, it did mean having two cables, but that really helped. Ever since getting my DT880s, the fixed cable is what annoys me most. With them, I have ended up having a 3.5mm extension permanently around my desk so i can easily plug them in and remove them while not having the cable in the way.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

3.5mm jack fixed all my cable woes on my gen 1 K550.

I think it is partly because i'veworked with full size XLR cables, but as I say in my post above, although you can very easily get cheap 3.5mm cables, I don't like headphones that don't lock the cable in place. Since getting the MKIII K550 and having owned the K702 for some time, I find MINI XLR is my favorite connector on headphones now. I ended up buying both a 1m and 3m version of this cable.

The 3m one was for my K702s which I obviously don't use any more. The only time I use this cable is when i want a longer one for my K550s (as it is a slight improvement to the original one). Otherwise, I'm always using my 1m version of this cable with my K550s on the go. Just not now due to the lock down!
If I modify my original K550s this is the sort of connector I would want as I obviously have two of these cables at the lengths i need.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

It's a bit like hitching a nice new speed boat to an old volks. So not sure I see the point. Looks like you've got more than one though, and if you don't mind potentially bricking one...

My K553's also have a fixed cable. And so far I've been having more issues with the wires leading into the cups from the headbands, than the cable leading in from the plug. There is no swivel lock on the cups on my K553 (or it broke at some point), so the wires leading from the headband to the cups can easily get twisted up inside of the little rotating arms that attach the cups to the headbands. There are panels that can be removed on the inside of those two arms on the K553 that are held in place with two tiny screws. And they are a little difficult to get off and screwed back on just right. (I needed to see what was goin on inside those panels though. So had to remove em.)

The solder on my drivers were not that great to begin with, and I'm sure that the twisting of the wires was making it even worse. At one point they simply just broke off the drivers during some of my tinkering, and I had to resolder them back on as best I could.

I have messed around with the pads and some of the other innards on the HPs, but haven't attempted anything like what you're trying. My soldering skills probably wouldn't be up to it.

Since the wiring is so poor in these to begin with, my inclination is to suggest simply leaving them alone, and to count your blessings that they still work. Because your cable fix could potentially end up causing other issues down the road. If you are pretty handy with wiring and soldering though, then it may not be such a big deal to fix them if they break again. And it could be sort of a fun experiment. I wouldn't expect a huge improvement in SQ though.

FYI, the round rubber dampers that sit in the middle of the cups behind the driver can be removed on my K553. So you might be able to take those out to make some more space to get at the wires. Just be sure you put them back in the same way... if they do indeed come out on the K550.

I did not remember that AKG made a version of the K55x with a detachable cable before the latest iteration of the K553 btw.

I'm in the process of trying to create my own replacement pads now, because the originals wore out along time ago. Just finished creating the templates for the fabric... If they look nice when done, I'll post a few pics. The original pads are not that well constructed, and fell apart rather quickly with heavy use.

I've done a lot of soldering before. I didn't think the way the wiring is done in both my K550s is poor exactly, it just lacked a bit of solder and they are pretty thin and delicate wires. But it makes far more sense soldering the wires onto a flat surface rather than what the K702s had. From what I remember, the headband in them, one or both had a wire in that went to the right driver. The solder points were thin, solid posts that the solder would barely stick to. No wonder one channel cut out which is why i had to open them up. In the end that is why i returned them. Really poor quality control. The K550s are built far better.

When I experimented with my original K550s, the green wire for the right driver did come loose when i opened it up, but it is actually very easy to put back in place. The wires don't seem to need stripping. They have this strange coating on them that soaks in the solder but doesn't short them when they touch further up. Makes it easy to fix.

Those dampers I was aware could be removed. I think I remember someone saying that bass increases if they are removed, so for the past 6 months or so, both of mine have been without them, but I've now put them back in and i can't say i can tell any difference.



I find the original pads do last quite some time if you are very careful with them and clean them often. I also tried these pads:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/custome...=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07FT8RFMT

This is my review of them but you can get to the product description as well. They were pretty expensive and they solve a problem on my old K550s, but as I explain in my review, in my case and for other people too, they do make the sound worse. You need to be careful with the type of ear pads you use with these.

One of the nicer features of these headphones (as opposed to the wiring) is their pretty good extension in the bass and treble. That, plus the fact that they're closed back makes them pretty easy to EQ, for better tonal balance. I would not use my K553 without it. Because they are pretty harsh-sounding in some spots in the upper midrange and treble without it.

I tried a couple different EQ solutions, including a DBX graphic EQ, which was quite cumbersome and difficult to work with. And compact mixers (my current solution). A software EQ isn't really an option since my sources are various and mostly analog. Otherwise I probably would have tried that as well.

I've also been tempted to give this little device from Schiit a try, but don't really have the bread for it...

https://www.schiit.com/products/loki

Also thought about using an amp or receiver with some built-in EQ functions.

Although I don't think these headphones have much in the way of impact to the bass, what is different to others is that the bass just doesn't roll off in the same way. It seems just as loud even when it gets really deep below 50hz. I find the thin midrange and the harsh (slightly artificial) treble the biggest problem on these. But at the same time, this makes them sound very impressive given they are closed. And allows you to hear that extra detail that many closed headphones usually lack. My main use with these headphones is on the bus with my FiiO X3. That has quite a warm sound to it already. It has bass and treble hardware based EQ which is at 100hz and 16,000hz - or +10db so you have a lot of options. It also has software EQ and has 62 - 250 - 1k - 4k - 16k adjustments. Goes from +6 to -6 but i don't think it is in db as I would say maxed out it only adds around 3 or 4.

The annoying thing is that it is the type of software EQ that reduces the volume when enabled. But I guess this is to prevent distortion by digitally amplifying certain frequencies. I think when you adjust 62hz for example, it must reduce all the other frequencies rather than increas this. Strange but I guess it makes sense. Because it sounds a little odd, I find that with the K550s when on the bus, I have it on +6 on 62hz as that is where you loose a lot of the bass because of vibrations from the bus. Then to make up for the other frequencies, i seem to find it sounds better to have 16k at +4 and even 4k up a little. I don't think it is the most accurate EQ, but it helps. I find the hardware based one i mentioned much more reliable and I often have the bass turned up quite a bit on that too. It is surprising how much the engine and road vibration removes the bass from these when traveling.

When at home, I just listen to the K550s with my FiiO A3 and that has a bass boost that is well controlled and peaks at around 75hz but clearly mostly boosts it around 50 and 100hz. I still find however it makes the deeper midrange a little more warm. But there is still that problem with the treble that I notice more when using these at home. I don't know of any software program for Ubuntu that allows EQ. But I would much rather have an amplifier that does this.

 

[ADUHF]

Those dampers I was aware could be removed. I think I remember someone saying that bass increases if they are removed, so for the past 6 months or so, both of mine have been without them, but I've now put them back in and i can't say i can tell any difference.

Think I may have tried it once, and the bass sounded looser. Not sure though. So I may have just imagined it.

I find the original pads do last quite some time if you are very careful with them and clean them often. I also tried these pads:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/custome...=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07FT8RFMT

This is my review of them but you can get to the product description as well. They were pretty expensive and they solve a problem on my old K550s, but as I explain in my review, in my case and for other people too, they do make the sound worse. You need to be careful with the type of ear pads you use with these.

Thanks for this.

Although I don't think these headphones have much in the way of impact to the bass, what is different to others is that the bass just doesn't roll off in the same way. It seems just as loud even when it gets really deep below 50hz. I find the thin midrange and the harsh (slightly artificial) treble the biggest problem on these. But at the same time, this makes them sound very impressive given they are closed. And allows you to hear that extra detail that many closed headphones usually lack. My main use with these headphones is on the bus with my FiiO X3. That has quite a warm sound to it already. It has bass and treble hardware based EQ which is at 100hz and 16,000hz - or +10db so you have a lot of options. It also has software EQ and has 62 - 250 - 1k - 4k - 16k adjustments. Goes from +6 to -6 but i don't think it is in db as I would say maxed out it only adds around 3 or 4.

The annoying thing is that it is the type of software EQ that reduces the volume when enabled. But I guess this is to prevent distortion by digitally amplifying certain frequencies. I think when you adjust 62hz for example, it must reduce all the other frequencies rather than increas this. Strange but I guess it makes sense. Because it sounds a little odd, I find that with the K550s when on the bus, I have it on +6 on 62hz as that is where you loose a lot of the bass because of vibrations from the bus. Then to make up for the other frequencies, i seem to find it sounds better to have 16k at +4 and even 4k up a little. I don't think it is the most accurate EQ, but it helps. I find the hardware based one i mentioned much more reliable and I often have the bass turned up quite a bit on that too. It is surprising how much the engine and road vibration removes the bass from these when traveling.

When at home, I just listen to the K550s with my FiiO A3 and that has a bass boost that is well controlled and peaks at around 75hz but clearly mostly boosts it around 50 and 100hz. I still find however it makes the deeper midrange a little more warm. But there is still that problem with the treble that I notice more when using these at home. I don't know of any software program for Ubuntu that allows EQ. But I would much rather have an amplifier that does this.

An amp like the FiiO you mention above might be just what I need for my K553's. Sounds like a great solution! Thanks for the above.

I haven't really started looking in earnest for amp or DAC/amp solutions yet. But I wonder if there might be some way to run the digital optical out from Samsung TV into one of those, so I don't have to use the analog output?

Keep us posted on your cable updates.

 

[SSandDigital]

It's just an old rambling post in Reddit, not actual news from a reputable news outlet. AKG is most definitely not dead, even if it may not be quite the same after the acquisition.

AKG is definitely dead. Last time AKG released a listenable headphone was 2012 with the K550. Prior to that was what 2005? K701, all other K7xx series are derivatives of the iconic K701. Since then what has AKG done? Nuthin, it's a brand whose name is being abused by Harmon/Samsung.

And no one cares about high-end AKG for professional use. K872 and K812, does anyone give a **** about these headphones? AKG might as well be dead.

Who would have ever thought of describing AKG headphones as either unlistenable or muddy. Well now we can thanks to Harmon.

 

[ADUHF]

Although I don't think these headphones have much in the way of impact to the bass, what is different to others is that the bass just doesn't roll off in the same way. It seems just as loud even when it gets really deep below 50hz. I find the thin midrange and the harsh (slightly artificial) treble the biggest problem on these. But at the same time, this makes them sound very impressive given they are closed. And allows you to hear that extra detail that many closed headphones usually lack. My main use with these headphones is on the bus with my FiiO X3. That has quite a warm sound to it already. It has bass and treble hardware based EQ which is at 100hz and 16,000hz - or +10db so you have a lot of options. It also has software EQ and has 62 - 250 - 1k - 4k - 16k adjustments. Goes from +6 to -6 but i don't think it is in db as I would say maxed out it only adds around 3 or 4.

The annoying thing is that it is the type of software EQ that reduces the volume when enabled. But I guess this is to prevent distortion by digitally amplifying certain frequencies. I think when you adjust 62hz for example, it must reduce all the other frequencies rather than increas this. Strange but I guess it makes sense. Because it sounds a little odd, I find that with the K550s when on the bus, I have it on +6 on 62hz as that is where you loose a lot of the bass because of vibrations from the bus. Then to make up for the other frequencies, i seem to find it sounds better to have 16k at +4 and even 4k up a little. I don't think it is the most accurate EQ, but it helps. I find the hardware based one i mentioned much more reliable and I often have the bass turned up quite a bit on that too. It is surprising how much the engine and road vibration removes the bass from these when traveling.

When at home, I just listen to the K550s with my FiiO A3 and that has a bass boost that is well controlled and peaks at around 75hz but clearly mostly boosts it around 50 and 100hz. I still find however it makes the deeper midrange a little more warm. But there is still that problem with the treble that I notice more when using these at home. I don't know of any software program for Ubuntu that allows EQ. But I would much rather have an amplifier that does this.

I believe AKG tweaked the sound of the K55X series a couple times between the original and current K553 model, with the removable cable. And I think the original was a little more forward in the mid and upper treble, whereas my K553's (w/fixed cable) seem to have more issues in the upper mid-range. Though still some in the mid treble and possibly upper treble as well. Inner Fidelity plot of K550...

https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK550.pdf

The stock bass response on the K55X model is fairly flat, with a few bumps here and there. But well-extended. So you can definitely do a bit of EQ-ing to tweak it. The response in the bass is highly dependent though on both the seal and distance from your ear to the driver. And these headphones are not known for providing a very consistent seal. There are several reasons forr that. And I'm not sure it's really worth going into here again. I already detailed some of them here, and some possible ways to address the issues...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/impressions-of-akg-k553.776393/

The closer your ear is to the drivers though, the deeper and warmer the headphones will sound. So thicker pads will probably also make them a bit less bassy-sounding.

 

[ADUHF]

AKG is definitely dead. Last time AKG released a listenable headphone was 2012 with the K550. Prior to that was what 2005? K701, all other K7xx series are derivatives of the iconic K701. Since then what has AKG done? Nuthin, it's a brand whose name is being abused by Harmon/Samsung.

And no one cares about high-end AKG for professional use. K872 and K812, does anyone give a **** about these headphones? AKG might as well be dead.

Who would have ever thought of describing AKG headphones as either unlistenable or muddy. Well now we can thanks to Harmon.

Not directed at me. But I think some of the K361/371 users might possibly take some issues with the above. And there may possibly be one or two other models that could have some potential, if Harman and AKG get their act together. AKG has probably seen better days though.

I may be in the minority here, but imho the K55X was never that great a design to begin with. The only reason I bought them (and continue using them) is because they were more comfortable on my ears than the AT M50x and Beats Solo2. Had good extension in both bass and treble. And could be EQ-ed fairly easily to the sound I wanted. The out-of-box sound on them is not that great though imo, and pretty harsh in the upper mid-range. After some EQ-ing though, they do have a more open and pleasing sound to my ears than the M50x, which had a much more wooden or plastic sound.

Nevertheless, I don't generally recommend the K553 to anyone for the reasons stated in the link in my last post.

I think most of us who've owned a pair of these headphones for awhile know where their strengths and weaknesses are though. And how to get the most out of them. Maybe that's true for some of the other AKG models as well.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

AKG is definitely dead. Last time AKG released a listenable headphone was 2012 with the K550. Prior to that was what 2005? K701, all other K7xx series are derivatives of the iconic K701. Since then what has AKG done? Nuthin, it's a brand whose name is being abused by Harmon/Samsung.

And no one cares about high-end AKG for professional use. K872 and K812, does anyone give a **** about these headphones? AKG might as well be dead.

Who would have ever thought of describing AKG headphones as either unlistenable or muddy. Well now we can thanks to Harmon.

AKG don't seem to have gone the wrong direction when they made the K550s, ther than that they seem to have stopped making them now! I think I only got my K550 MKIIIs from a genuine retailer in the UK about 3 years ago. They are built just as good as the original K550s and have the bonus of the mini XLR connector. Admittedly, the cable supplied is a bit thin and flimsy compared to the fixed one of the original K550, but if you buy a decent one, they are effectively better.

K702 wise, I think they are built like a toy. The grill on them has a metal effect but it is all plastic. My first pair popped and creaked so badly on one ear cup that when you moved your head, it sounded like a loud bang in your ear. It was easily loud enough to hear over what you were listening to. From what people had said, comfort wise, the headband had improved as before, i saw many complain about the bumps on it, which are now gone, but so are most other areas of quality other than the sound. Although I loved the fact the cable was detachable so you could have your own choice of length.

Regarding the K550s, I see a lot of people on headfi that seem to think they used to be made in Austria. I have the original K550s, before the K553, K550 MKII and MKIII was available, and they say "Designed in Austria" just above the left ear cup on the inside of the headband. Then and clearly more hidden, behind the right ear cup on the headband between the screws, it says "Made in China".

My new MKIIIs are the same other than that they say "Made in China (P.R.C)".



The main thing that I think is poor about the K550s is how excessively large they are. The driver chamber is only the part you can see sticking out on the back. It is a great deal smaller than on a lot of headphones. They could have saved a great deal size wise if they made the ear cups and pads half the width they are. Even then, they could still keep the same size hole in the center.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

Duplicate post.