RockStar2005
Headphoneus Supremus
I compared these 2 headphones over this past week by listening to Hi-Res rock music (soft & hard) and taking note of how those tracks sounded on both headphones. Here is how everything turned out for me:
Looks/Design: So I picked up the beautiful Blue Lola (in black) off the Sweetwater website (awesome seller!) after hearing so much praise about it. (My assigned Sales Engineer's name is Mike Godlove. Great guy!) Usually I buy from Amazon, but since Amazon was out of stock and charging tax anyway on this item, and Sweetwater wasn't, I went with them (they too offer free shipping). The Lola arrived in a very nice box with accessories (a 3m audio cable, and a 1.2m audio cable with in-line remote) and a sweet thick "soft case" with magnet locks. The Lola is said to be made of metal, and it shows. It's a very well-built TOUGH set of headphones. Very adjustable, even more so than other headphones. They have a real "old school with a new twist" appearance about them which I really like. Very unique. Their design is said by Blue to be inspired by the suspension system used in Formula One racecars. I love the look of my AKG K553 Pro headphones too, which is important, but I can't deny that Blue wins here at least for creativity, though I can't say for sure which design I like best.
I love the look and design of the Lola, and appreciate that they offer a DETACHABLE cable, which is something I wish AKG would've done on the K553. Doing so would allow me to replace it with a 1.2m/4' cable instead of being stuck with the 3m/10' cable, which I have to tie up to keep tidy. Maybe on the K554 AKG will finally wise up? (They released the K551, which DID feature a detachable cable ((though it had an in-line remote......... mehh lol **UPDATE: I NO LONGER BELIEVE IN-LINE REMOTES INTRODUCE MILD DISTORTION TO THE SOUND**)), so I don't know why they reverted to a fixed cable on the K553?! Bad move.)
Comfort: I found that even though the Lola is heavier and seemingly bigger than my K553, it was still pretty comfortable once you got it on into place, which for me took a few seconds, where with the K553 it just goes on right away. I find my K553 to be slightly more comfortable over all, but that may be in part b/c I've had them for a couple months now and they're more broken in. The Lola does offer a bit more padding on the bottom side of the headband than the K553 though. (The K553 has SLIGHTLY less padding there than the former K550. For some that's been an issue, but for me it's fine. Still, I don't know why AKG did that?) **UPDATE: A friend of mine who just got these suggested slightly pushing/squeezing the ear cups onto your ears once you have these on, which gives them a more snug fit (in a good way). I definitely they were even more comfortable after doing that........at least equal to the K553, but probably more so since the K553 barely has any headband padding.**
Sound Quality: After 3 separate listening sessions vs. my current AKG K553 Pro headphones, I've decided that as GREAT as the Blue Lola headphones are that I'm going to return them and just keep my K553s. The Lola proved to be a FANTASTIC pair of headphones, and I would recommend them to anyone (especially for their great price!), but for me, they focused more on the bottom end (bass & drums) and not enough treble as my K553s do. On acoustic guitar tracks, for example, the guitars just had more "shine" to them on the K553 than what I was hearing from the Lola. This was my main reason for deciding to stick with my AKG headphones. Unlike other headphones I've had that were more bass-enhanced and therefore would sometimes muddy up the mids and treble, the Lola does an INCREDIBLE job of isolating and keeping the bass in its place, as well as being very clear. The lack of "shine" had nothing to do with the emphasis on bass and everything to do with how they were EQ'd by Blue. **UPDATE: I think with the right custom EQ, the Lola COULD in fact have the same great highs the K55X series does.** UPDATE 12/10/2017: A friend of mine got these and I took a crack at EQ'ing the treble end, and after doing so, I DID feel they revealed a little bit more detail than before. So I think I like them more now than when I wrote this review! lol It's possible they now match the K553 in the treble region, but I'd have to compare both to be sure.**
For anyone though who loves like rap/hip-hop/EDM/dance music or just bass in general, the Lola is probably better than any other headphone I've tried out because it isolates its somewhat enhanced bass sound even better than my K553 does WHEN I activate "Bass Boost" on my Oppo HA-2 amp/DAC on the K553. But it's especially better at those genres of music than the more expensive headphones I've previously owned which were NOT only "somewhat" bass-enhanced, just bass-enhanced. Like the K553, the Lola has 50mm speaker drivers, not the usual 40mm (i.e. Beats, Sony, B&W, etc.), so from the Lola you get to enjoy a more "spacious" soundstage, like my K553 too (also 50mm) (of course, there's more to achieving a bigger soundstage than just having bigger speaker drivers). Those 40mm ones might've had more "shine" on the high end though, but they definitely again did not have the soundstage the Lola or K553 have, and their bass sound did again to some extent muddy up the mids and treble. Either way, my AKG K553 won out (for me)!
**Update: This 2017 review by Headphones.com seem to view the Lola the same way I do regarding the bass and the highs.**
Looks/Design: So I picked up the beautiful Blue Lola (in black) off the Sweetwater website (awesome seller!) after hearing so much praise about it. (My assigned Sales Engineer's name is Mike Godlove. Great guy!) Usually I buy from Amazon, but since Amazon was out of stock and charging tax anyway on this item, and Sweetwater wasn't, I went with them (they too offer free shipping). The Lola arrived in a very nice box with accessories (a 3m audio cable, and a 1.2m audio cable with in-line remote) and a sweet thick "soft case" with magnet locks. The Lola is said to be made of metal, and it shows. It's a very well-built TOUGH set of headphones. Very adjustable, even more so than other headphones. They have a real "old school with a new twist" appearance about them which I really like. Very unique. Their design is said by Blue to be inspired by the suspension system used in Formula One racecars. I love the look of my AKG K553 Pro headphones too, which is important, but I can't deny that Blue wins here at least for creativity, though I can't say for sure which design I like best.
I love the look and design of the Lola, and appreciate that they offer a DETACHABLE cable, which is something I wish AKG would've done on the K553. Doing so would allow me to replace it with a 1.2m/4' cable instead of being stuck with the 3m/10' cable, which I have to tie up to keep tidy. Maybe on the K554 AKG will finally wise up? (They released the K551, which DID feature a detachable cable ((though it had an in-line remote......... mehh lol **UPDATE: I NO LONGER BELIEVE IN-LINE REMOTES INTRODUCE MILD DISTORTION TO THE SOUND**)), so I don't know why they reverted to a fixed cable on the K553?! Bad move.)
Comfort: I found that even though the Lola is heavier and seemingly bigger than my K553, it was still pretty comfortable once you got it on into place, which for me took a few seconds, where with the K553 it just goes on right away. I find my K553 to be slightly more comfortable over all, but that may be in part b/c I've had them for a couple months now and they're more broken in. The Lola does offer a bit more padding on the bottom side of the headband than the K553 though. (The K553 has SLIGHTLY less padding there than the former K550. For some that's been an issue, but for me it's fine. Still, I don't know why AKG did that?) **UPDATE: A friend of mine who just got these suggested slightly pushing/squeezing the ear cups onto your ears once you have these on, which gives them a more snug fit (in a good way). I definitely they were even more comfortable after doing that........at least equal to the K553, but probably more so since the K553 barely has any headband padding.**
Sound Quality: After 3 separate listening sessions vs. my current AKG K553 Pro headphones, I've decided that as GREAT as the Blue Lola headphones are that I'm going to return them and just keep my K553s. The Lola proved to be a FANTASTIC pair of headphones, and I would recommend them to anyone (especially for their great price!), but for me, they focused more on the bottom end (bass & drums) and not enough treble as my K553s do. On acoustic guitar tracks, for example, the guitars just had more "shine" to them on the K553 than what I was hearing from the Lola. This was my main reason for deciding to stick with my AKG headphones. Unlike other headphones I've had that were more bass-enhanced and therefore would sometimes muddy up the mids and treble, the Lola does an INCREDIBLE job of isolating and keeping the bass in its place, as well as being very clear. The lack of "shine" had nothing to do with the emphasis on bass and everything to do with how they were EQ'd by Blue. **UPDATE: I think with the right custom EQ, the Lola COULD in fact have the same great highs the K55X series does.** UPDATE 12/10/2017: A friend of mine got these and I took a crack at EQ'ing the treble end, and after doing so, I DID feel they revealed a little bit more detail than before. So I think I like them more now than when I wrote this review! lol It's possible they now match the K553 in the treble region, but I'd have to compare both to be sure.**
For anyone though who loves like rap/hip-hop/EDM/dance music or just bass in general, the Lola is probably better than any other headphone I've tried out because it isolates its somewhat enhanced bass sound even better than my K553 does WHEN I activate "Bass Boost" on my Oppo HA-2 amp/DAC on the K553. But it's especially better at those genres of music than the more expensive headphones I've previously owned which were NOT only "somewhat" bass-enhanced, just bass-enhanced. Like the K553, the Lola has 50mm speaker drivers, not the usual 40mm (i.e. Beats, Sony, B&W, etc.), so from the Lola you get to enjoy a more "spacious" soundstage, like my K553 too (also 50mm) (of course, there's more to achieving a bigger soundstage than just having bigger speaker drivers). Those 40mm ones might've had more "shine" on the high end though, but they definitely again did not have the soundstage the Lola or K553 have, and their bass sound did again to some extent muddy up the mids and treble. Either way, my AKG K553 won out (for me)!
**Update: This 2017 review by Headphones.com seem to view the Lola the same way I do regarding the bass and the highs.**
AKG K553 Pro:
Blue Lola:
Blue Lola:
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I will be enjoying them whether from my Fiio X5 or my stack of Schiit. I should receive it on Tuesday so I'll keep you updated pal !
