[hybrid35]

I know there are many many of M50 vs HD5X5 threads, but I want the strengths of both so I'm in quite a pickle. One thing, I'm pretty addicted to soundstage and musical seperation ever since I got my first IEM's (the now extinct Cyclone PR1 Pro's). I won't lie, I like bass when the song needs it, and I like mids all the time.
 
This is why it's so hard for me to pick one of them. I have seen these two threads to improve on their weaknesses.
M50 with more soundstage: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/542218/ath-m50-open-mod
HD555 to HD595 and more bass response/extension/impact: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/433691/my-sennheiser-hd-555-mods-more-of-the-silk-purse-project
 
How would the modded phones compare to each other? Or better yet, is there a headphone that takes care of both weaknesses?
I wouldn't mind open since I already have IEM's if I want isolation. I listen to hip hop (old and new underground and some mainstream), rock (RHCP, Rage, Offspring, Ratatat), k/j-pop, techno, chillout, dubstep/dnb, ambient, jazz, occasional classical (love getting lost in the music!), anything with a piano in it, well too many genres to list but I don't listen to complete yelling, punjabi, and slavic music. I have most in 320kbps, then 192kbps, some in FLAC but no 128kbps's. Using foobar with convolver Urei 1178 impulse. Ceiling is about $120, I don't want to spend more as I know I'll get lost into the spiral of high-end equipment. And I have a cheap DAC Destroyer just so I can plug some things into my computer (my usual source other than FuzeV2), but it also gives a very slight warm impression on my Cyclones.
 
Am I a lost cause or is this just every audiophiles dilemma?
 
Edit: Will also be watching occasional movies and very rare gaming, but I could always switch in IEM's for gaming.

 

[hybrid35]

Is my question too ridiculous or does no one know? I guess it might not be mutually exclusive either.

 

[tdockweiler]

I had both of those headphones at the very same time. Both have so many differences and I doubt you would be happy with either one even when modded. If I had to choose one it would probably be the M50. My M50 sounded good, but I had a like/hate thing with my pair. I did do the mod on the M50, but it didn't improve them enough for me. The HD-555 is definitely more more comfortable and has more forward mids, but it's a hard headphone to like. I wasn't a fan of it despite owning it forever. On mine I did the foam mod. BTW the only thing that kept me from loving the M50 was that it's vocals felt very slightly too distant. I just prefer more forward mids and a little less bass. My pair had very bloated bass, but perhaps the white boxed version has better bass.
 
I really can't help much. I ended up moving on from the M50 and HD-555 and ended up with the Shure SRH-840. That would do the trick for you, but it's probably past your price range. You can often find them for $130, but they're quite large and uncomfortable. Soundstage isn't very good, but still better than the M50 from what I remember.
 
After trying at least six more headphones I ended up with the Koss Pro DJ 100 ($80). It's one of the most overlooked headphones on here. It deserves more attention. I think it would be perfect, but no headphone will be great for all genres. It's got slightly forward mids and is maybe a step under bass heavy to me. The sound somehow still ends up being well balanced. It's closed but it's soundstage is very good. For me it really perfect for Jpop, bands like Pearl Jam and Radiohead and especially female vocals. So far I think it has the best vocal quality out of anything I've tried that's closed under $200. My suggestion is to get a pair for $80 and try it out. It sounds best with an amp, but it should be OK with your DAC and computer. I think this is what keeps it from being more popular. I use mine with the Sony MDR-V6 pads and I prefer it to that headphone and even the SRH-840, M50 and SRH-440. To me it sounds like my HD-650 a bit, but with a smaller soundstage obviously. Very few under $200 headphones have impressed me, but the HD-598 is another favorite. Have you considered the HD-558? You can get it for fairly cheap if you call JR.com I think. I got my 598 for only $170 and the 558 should be much cheaper.
 
The Dj100 is quite good for gaming too, but may have a tad too much bass for competitive online play. Imaging is good and the level of detail is actually higher than most other headphones in it's price range, even the MDR-V6. I did a comparison of this a few weeks ago between the DJ100, MDR-7506 and all my headphones.
 
If you consider the HD-558 and are willing to give up a little bass, it's totally worth it. It's very very good for gaming and movies. I prefer my HD-598 over my HD-650 for movies and games. The soundstage is so much better and I like the forward mids of the HD-598. HD-558 should have similar mids and a large soundstage. To me, they're nothing like the HD-555. Better in nearly every way.
 
BTW another headphone I would almost always suggest to people looking at the HD-555 is the AKG K240 Studio. It's only $90 or so and very comfortable. It's not perfectly neutral and has a slight bass boost. It's even good for gaming too and I definitely prefer it to the HD-555 in every way. The only problem is that it's not the easiest headphone to drive, but should sound good with your DAC. The K240 Studio has some very good mids. If you compare frequency graphs the one for the K240 looks like that of the SRH-840! The K240 is semi-open. Soundstage isn't anything special, but better than most cheaper closed headphones.

 

[hybrid35]

This just opened up an insane amount of choices for me. It looks like the hd558 has gone up a bit in price and that's definitely out of my range, and I'm not willing to get something used from amazon. Now it looks like it's a battle between the dj100 and k240. I'll try to find a place to test them out and i'll see what works best unamped. Or i'll just save up for an amp but that's just hoping for a $30-50 amp and I'm doubting i'll find one good at that price. Thanks for helping out, your taste in movies and music overlaps mine a bit. I watch canto movies too, infernal affairs is kind of what got me to love sound.

 

[xbr50]

I owned both the HD555 and M50's. I'll tell you right now, I sold my HD555's for the M50 and never looked back. The HD555 were stupidly comfortable headphones, great sound stage and superb clarity. The only draw back was they lacked bass. Even when plugged into my Harmon Kardon Reciever, they had no punch. Because of the lack of bass, these headphones were tiresome to listen to. I'm no bass head, but it's nice to have a little punch when a song has a bass drum for example. I must say, when plugged into my sound card and I put 9db of bass boost, the HD555 did gain a nice punch, but at the cost of high's.
 
On to the M50, they have a VERY similiar soundstage to the HD555's. But were the M50 gains the advantage is it's low end bass without sacrificing clarity. The M50's have just the right amount of bass at the low end without leaking into the mids. I love how low M50's bass can go (the soundtrack of TRON:Legacy really reflect this in the M50's).
 
Get the M50's, you won't regret it. I regret buying the HD555's, but I do not regret selling them!

 

[Hayang]

I, on the other hand missed a lot about the HD555 after I sold them and got my M50s (which is why I got the HD558 after my M50 broke).  Acoustic music, especially acoustic solo music, small acoustic bands, and jazz, is much more emotional to me on the HD555/8 because of the warmth of the cans in the lower midrange.  Solo piano is no comparison to me; the HD555 owns piano. M50s make pianos sound so cold in comparison with that scooped midrange.  And classical ensembles and orchestras are also no comparison; the soundstage depth and placement of the HD555 is so much better.  Strings sound much more lush with the HD555.  Did someone say the soundstage in the M50 and HD555 are similar? Totally not true.  The HD555 is significantly wider and much more natural.
 
M50 is a closed can however, which has its many advantages.  Its sound works better for rock and thick mixes than the HD555/558.
 
K-Pop and J-Pop work very, very well on both of them.  Hip-hop goes to M50 by a bit.  Other electronic music is good for both, but the HD555's soundstage really makes a lot of well-mastered electronic music a different experience.  The M50 bass makes electronic music more head-bobbable, however.
 
Honestly however nothing is really bad on either headphone.  I loved both while I had them.  If you are new to headphones I don't think you'll be disappointed with either one.
 
I currently own the Fischer Audio FA-003 at $170, and I feel they achieve a great middle ground between these two headphones in terms of sound signature, and do much better in many ways.  Maybe you should try saving up for them?

 

[jerg]

Basically the rough consensus here seems to be that HD555 sounds (very slightly) better than M50 on a lot of bass-free music, while M50 outshines HD555 by a huge margin in music with bass. That and HD555 is more comfortable.
 
Eh I think most people would compromise and go with the M50 because it's better all-around if an 'average scoring' is done.