[SoulSyde]

i honestly found them really lacking in bass and soundstage...

A wide soundstage is hard to accomplish in a closed design, so you have to understand that they won't perform best in that category. Regarding their lack of bass I concur but it's very similar to the traditional AKG house sound. For me the experience you mentioned was not a surprise. Their comfort, excellent vocal reproduction, style, build quality, isolation, good instrument separation will be reason enough for me to keep them in my collection.

 

[GirgleMirt]

Seems like the AKGs do have less bass than the M50, but their roll-off isn't as steep as the M50 so with a decent fit you should notice their deeper bass; better bass extension:
 

To know if you're getting a good seal, just try pressing on them with your hands and see if you hear a difference.  To me, the K550 is already sitting on the warmer side of the spectrum.  Their bass is already boosted/emphasized, but not to the point where it becomes distracting or annoying, still sounds fairly neutral, but does sit on the bassy-side of sound.  I for one do not find the bass lacking at all.  I could see that being said about the Q701, who's bass is really neutral or on the very slightly lean side, but the K550?!
 
I also have Beyers 990 Premiums 600 ohms, which I think are highly regarded in the bass department, and I don't find the K550 'lacking'.  Either in quality or quantity.  To say that the K550s are lacking in bass quantity would be like saying that a five foot six 200lbs/90kg girl is too thin, because you're used to date five foot six 300lbs/130kg girl    
 
Objectivity should be important in audio.  If you like really emphasized bass, it should be stated as so to qualify your other comments.  To go back to headphones and girl analogy, I can't really listen to the 990s un-equalized on most music...  Their coloration is a bit too much (mostly the way they distort voices and make voices sound really off sometimes...).  For me, they're like a girl with good love handles...  Not really my thing and it can be quite distracting...  The EQ sends her on a 6 month diet & training routine, where she loses the excessive fat and you know, gets in a decent shape    In terms of bass, the Q701s are like a very very fit athletic girl, really lean and low body fat.  K550s are a bit more lazy and do not work out as much, but still in very good shape, very nice!
 
I guess headphones are like butts...  Some would say http://web-images.chacha.com/images/Gallery/3381/8-steps-to-a-sexy-butt-1574859494-oct-2-2012-1-600x436.jpg this girl has no butt!!!  Crazy...!  Well compared to url=http://avoiceintothevoid.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/big-butt1.jpg this maybe...     But then state your hum...  Your love of marine mammal wildlife when stating that the 1st has no butt! 
 
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that stating that the K550's bass is lacking makes little sense when their bass is already emphasized.  If you like even more bass, it's not that the K550s lack bass, it's that you like a massive amount of bass!   For me, more bass to the K550s would be a big turnoff as that would turn them into way too much bass territory...  They're already on the warm side of things.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I really don't think I would want much more bass than the K550s have. Is seems like so much bass to me because I had the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s and these simply have a huge amount if I compare them. On some types of music when I listen to the K550s, I do boost the bass a little on my Fiio headphone amp. I still am very impressed with the AD700s because even though they were a lot cheaper, they do have a better soundstage and seperation of the instruments and I just assume that is because they are open-back.
 
I just can't quite understand this problem that so many people seem to be having with the fit of these headphones. I notice no difference at all with the bass when I press the headphones against my ears. They seel find for me and there is very little sound leakage indeed. At least comparing them to my AD700s.

 

[metaldood]

Which case for the 550s? 

 

[groves69]

How do the K550s sound when it comes to movie watching?
 
I am 90% sold on these but want to know if they are worth it if used for movies 75% of the time.

 

[SoulSyde]

  How do the K550s sound when it comes to movie watching?
 
I am 90% sold on these but want to know if they are worth it if used for movies 75% of the time.

 
I've watched a few shows with them and they're great.  They're by far the most comfortable cans I have ever tried.  The descent soundstage and excellent isolation makes them a good candidate for TV/Movie watching.  I think you'd like them.

 

[groves69]

   
I've watched a few shows with them and they're great.  They're by far the most comfortable cans I have ever tried.  The descent soundstage and excellent isolation makes them a good candidate for TV/Movie watching.  I think you'd like them.

Sweet! That was my main concern...now to buy them! 206$ taxes inc. (free shipping!) In Canada that seems like a bargain! lol

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

Well, now I am getting used to these K550s and I have had them for almost a week. I have been so impressed with the amount of impact I feel with these have when I am watching films while still having the other details in the sound. The bass just seems so powerful compared to what I am used to. I will for sure now still keep my AD700s because as soon as I listened to them today, I thought, wow, these are still sound really good, just lack a huge amount of bass!. Because they are open, the soundstage still seems to be quite a lot more transparent and open than the K550s, especially with wind instruments and acoustic music.
 
I am very pleased that I bought the K550s but I still will use my AD700s quite often if I am after a bit more detail. It will just depend on what mood I am in for what ones I choose to listen to. If I don't want anybody to hear what I am listening to and I want much more bass, I will be very happy to use these K550s.
Even though they are a little on the big side, I think I may use them on public transport sometimes with an MP3 player and my FiiO E11.
The MP3 player is the iaudio X5L. It is quite old now but is very solid and well made and sounds great. I will use the line out and connect it with the Fiio L2 cable and connect it to my E11. Then will have a nice amount of volume that goes plenty loud enough.
Even when I have listened to music quite loud, I have asked people if they can hear what I am listening to and they can only just hear it (and this is in a quiet place).
 
These headphones really don't sound like they are closed.
Very happy with these cans.
I just hope I get used to the pressure of the thin padding on the headband pressing against my head. That still starts to hurt a little after wearing them for an hour or two.

 

[groves69]

I just made my first set of cans the K550...205$ (taxes and ship incl)

Looking forward to lush sounds and uninterrupted audio bliss.

I know nothing about sound textures and types but will surely enjoy these as an ice breaker into the audiophile world.

 

[dxanex]

I just made my first set of cans the K550...205$ (taxes and ship incl)

Looking forward to lush sounds and uninterrupted audio bliss.

I know nothing about sound textures and types but will surely enjoy these as an ice breaker into the audiophile world.

Congrats, the K550 is definitely an awesome starter headphone. I owned them for a long time and loved my time with them. Huge bang-for-the-buck headphones. Eventually you'll get a case of upgraditus and want to try more and different headphones. Plus there's a whole other world of amps...enjoy! Sorry about your wallet!

 

 

[metaldood]

Does anyone use an extra headband with the 550s?

 

[gilsont]

   
Agree,  I got mine a few days ago and I'm very happy with them.  
 

 
 
Although I've never owned them they sound a lot like the K701s but in a closed design.  They're arguably the most comfortable headphones every made.  The only thing two that have come close comfort-wise are my AD900s or the HD 600s I used to own.  
 
Enjoy yours!

That's a beautiful picture! Wow...

 

[SoulSyde]

That's a beautiful picture! Wow...

Thanks!

 

[SirG]

This is my third review. My opinion has changed each time, now I feel I am beginning to really know these phones.
 
I am very satisfied with my purchase. When I put in a request for an overall balanced closed headphones with a slight warmth.. these are exactly that, and for the price I would be very surprised for another closed phone do better in that regard.
 
The fit is crucial. The most important thing with these is to adjust how they sit and fit. When your not happy with the sound, 9 times out of 10 it will fix it. I bent my headband for a tighter fit and put a felt ring in each can. I will put one more in at some point because the left side driver still touches my ear lightly. When I press them to my ears the bass sounds better, but that is the same for all phones..
 
It's hard to describe the sound because they just seem so balanced, that is the largest takeaway for me. Tight bass, clear, open sound. Every range and instrument seems to be equally represented.
 
I've lately noticed how nice woody instruments sound, such as saxophones and other reeded instruments. They sound very real and just so pleasantly woody.
 
When I did the freq response test, the volume drops in an even and controlled decline from 60hz down past 40hz, which is the lowest I can hear them. I can't hear 30hz. However, when I turned up the volume at 40-60hz, it sounded like the ground was shaking, as if a train was going by far away or like the building was trembling. That was really damn cool and the first time I've experienced anything like that from any soundsystem. 
 
Compared to my now broken Q-jays, they lack a very little bit of wooshing airyness, but they don't lack clarity and they overall have a much more balanced and neutral, and a much better overall sound, including actually having sub bass. And come on 60mm drivers compared to minuscule dual armature IEM's, of course there will be a little less air. The Q-jays were also much more expensive so not really comparable. That is the only negative thing I can say about these, and it doesn't bother me at all. In fact I still continue to notice new instruments and sounds in old albums that I've listened to hundreds of times before, because they are very clear and resolve nicely, and that is always a great feeling.
 
I listened to my friends I believe SR-80's, and those had much warmer mid bass and I have to say they were very satisfying to listen to because of that. But they lacked a lot of clarity, seemed muffled compared to the K550s, and lacked sub bass. I feel like I could achieve the same sound by EQing the K550s, but I wouldn't mind having a pair of SR-80s as a fun headphone. With the k550s I wanted balance and I got it and love it. Everything sounds good, nothing is distracting or annoying about their sound to me. I am a bass lover, but not at the expense of other frequencies.
 
I listened to them a lot through my blackberry playing pandora. I noticed some loud piercing treble sounds occasionally only in certain tracks, and lack of bass or sub bass. When I plugged them into my macbook pro, I had none of those issues. No piercing treble, no lack of bass.
 
I read in a dedicated source thread that the macbook pro has a good enough sound card that it would be hard to notice any shortcomings from it from anyone but a seasoned audiophile, which I am not quite yet. I will buy some portable source gear when I sit down and do some research, hopefully for less than or around the price of these phones.
 
I can't thank enough whoever recommended these to me when I asked for overall balanced sound with slight warmth. I listen to these every day and bring them everywhere. My ear is slowly getting better and I understand music more all the time and it's so enjoyable. They seal out most outside noise and let me relax and get into my music wherever I am.
 
Most recently I've been listening to an old funk session band and I am learning a lot about bass guitar riffs, and I can hear all of the full range of the bass guitar with no problem or any EQing. I love it.

 

[SirG]

 Does anyone use an extra headband with the 550s?

 
I have a few times, tied a headband around the k550's to get a richer and better sounding bass. I have been always thinking about some way to modify them to get a tighter clamp. Bending the headband helped but they could use more. I think that maybe a C shaped piece of wood glued to the band, or a bent metal rod could work. But they are so beautiful and I don't want to ruin them, and I would have to put extra padding in the ears if I did that. And the extra pressure really only makes the bass sound a little better, it's not a huge deal but I would appreciate it if I could do it.