[prismflash]

Quote:

Which do you think is better, the ath ws55 or the ath xs5?

I can't speak for XS5, but since i do have WS55 i can speak for. 
 
At first, it seems like it had a lot of sibilants when i turn up the music too high. This was caused by the headphone drivers being well made that it doesn't need volume up too high to get the full textured audio sound. Compare your old headphones with these babies at same volume level on your IPOD or computer. These headphones sound a little more closer radius than the M50 (but not by much), because of the way it was designed. I'm listening to a judas priest concert. I feel like i was there. It is an amazing headphone. Highs will sound rough or punchy (treble clefs hurts your ear if it's on too loud), however after a while, it evens out. Although i love this headphone, but it's really picky about music quality. If the quality sucks, then these headphones will tell you that they'll not like it by giving pain in your ear drums.

 

[Azathoth]

 
Quote:

Which do you think is better, the ath ws55 or the ath xs5?

While I've not heard the WS55 yet, the XS5 (I auditioned them recently at a local store) is nothing special IMO. The XS5 sounded too hollow to my ears, and the top part of the headband hurt the top of my head. Although I think if you had a full head of hair this wouldn't be an issue (I keep a shaved head).
 
I quite liked the WS55's bigger brother the WS70 though, having heard them a previous local meets. If the WS55's have less bass than those while having more midrange presence/clarity as other posters have indicated here, they'd be great!
 

 

[stefanolandesca]

Maybe because the xs5 you auditioned is not yet burned in? I also auditioned them i liked them for portability and aesthetic looks. The headband is fine for me and the cups just fit right. But my concern is the ws55 is much cheaper than the xs5, and heard they are both bass centric cans. The only thing im hestitant to buy cans from malls is because i would never know the true sound of the cans because all are not fully burned in. I have to guess. 
 
Quote:

 


While I've not heard the WS55 yet, the XS5 (I auditioned them recently at a local store) is nothing special IMO. The XS5 sounded too hollow to my ears, and the top part of the headband hurt the top of my head. Although I think if you had a full head of hair this wouldn't be an issue (I keep a shaved head).
 
I quite liked the WS55's bigger brother the WS70 though, having heard them a previous local meets. If the WS55's have less bass than those while having more midrange presence/clarity as other posters have indicated here, they'd be great!
 

 

 

[derycksan]

Been itching for a new pair of portables to replace my Technics RP-DJ1200 (still great, but bass extension is lacking).  Looking for something that sounds more like my Ultrasone Pro 550's, would SJ55's be more up my alley?

 

[stefanolandesca]

Quote:

Been itching for a new pair of portables to replace my Technics RP-DJ1200 (still great, but bass extension is lacking).  Looking for something that sounds more like my Ultrasone Pro 550's, would SJ55's be more up my alley?

The SJ series have the same sound sig bro. They have recessed mids and sometimes tend to have overpowering highs. They have a V shaped sound which is good for EDM/Dubstep/House/Techno/RnB. Not much for rock/metal. The highs tend to drown details. 

 

[derycksan]

Thanks, sounds what I'm looking for.  Technics are pretty balanced and good for almost everything I listen too but sometimes I just miss the rumble when listening to electornica.
 
Quote:

The SJ series have the same sound sig bro. They have recessed mids and sometimes tend to have overpowering highs. They have a V shaped sound which is good for EDM/Dubstep/House/Techno/RnB. Not much for rock/metal. The highs tend to drown details. 

 

 

[geezlouise]

My pair just came in today and here are my initial impressions.
On the first song I played I immediately noticed the bass.I was not let down by the thread's impressions and the dual air chamber solid bass printed over the package. I actually found them to be REALLY comfortable.I'm gonna let them break in..hopefully the mids gets more defined.

 

[stefanolandesca]

Quote:

Thanks, sounds what I'm looking for.  Technics are pretty balanced and good for almost everything I listen too but sometimes I just miss the rumble when listening to electornica.
 


 

If you want exceptional bass you should go for the Pioneer hdj500 just like what the OP says. They really deliver that rich club bass. But portability wise, you can go for ws55, or in your preference, sj55.
 

 

[stefanolandesca]

Quote:

My pair just came in today and here are my initial impressions.
On the first song I played I immediately noticed the bass.I was not let down by the thread's impressions and the dual air chamber solid bass printed over the package. I actually found them to be REALLY comfortable.I'm gonna let them break in..hopefully the mids gets more defined.

looking forward for your more detailed impressions bro 

 

[WaLaoEh]

I am thinking of getting the WS55, but am unsure of how it compares to HD429/439/449,can anyone help me?
 
I have the 419, i feel that it is pretty good and has nothing bad about it, but I feel bored of using it..
 

 

[stefanolandesca]

Quote:

I am thinking of getting the WS55, but am unsure of how it compares to HD429/439/449,can anyone help me?
 
I have the 419, i feel that it is pretty good and has nothing bad about it, but I feel bored of using it..
 

what are your music genres? hows your gr07 btw?

 

[geezlouise]

All right,so after almost a week of listening to my WS55,here are my thoughts on it.
 
BUILD:8
Very well done by AT.When I took them out of the box they felt sturdy,sturdier than my CAL!s,and the overall build is really solid.I absolutely love the look of these,so simple and sleek.One thing that could have been a bit better,but this is not too bad,is that the headband does not have any...''clicks'' to tell you at which level the headband is.That's just my personal preference though cause I prefer to know that both sides are 100% equal.It's not so bad though.Overall the build is quite nice.
 
COMFORT:8
Hmm..now this one is a bit tricky.When I first got them and put them on they were really comfortable,nice plushy pads sitting on the ears.It really changed my opinion about on ears because I didn't think an on ear could be this comfortable....until the first hour or so...They really clamp and when I took them off I kind of felt relieved.However,this just gets better over time.Spread them over books overnight while letting them play;making them more comfortable and burning the drivers in!After the book spread they became much more comfortable.In comparison to my old CAL!s these are a bit less comfy..although comfort was one of the CAL!s strongest points.It's kind of weird though because they almost feel like around ears;but they sit on your ears.If AT just made the earpads a bit bigger to be an around ear,these would be perfect.I kind of use these as my main headphones so even at home I use them a lot,like 5 hours or more and I do kind of have to take them off for a bit to let my ears rest after that.But if you're using them as portables say for maybe...2 hours on the go(commuting or on a break)then these should be okay.If you're thinking you're gonna be getting bose like comfort;then you're probably not going to want to get this pair.I wanted super comfort but the fun sound of these just made me toughen up and accept it...now speaking of sound.....
 
SOUND:9
Now..I'm not that good at describing sound, so bare with me on this one.I'm comparing the headphones to my CAL!s,which broke and that really made me a sad panda,so that means I can only go by memory and can't really make a side by side comparison.The CAL!s were bright and light,the bass was smooth but never really stood out at you.The WS55,let me tell you the bass on these oh my.It really is like the OP stated,on songs that are not so bass heavy,the bass is always present and there;but on songs that are bass centric.Oh my.You will hear how low the bass goes.After my burn in,mids and highs started to come forward.What you get in these pair of headphones is always present bass;while still hearing all the vocals and other instruments that are in the song.These headphones really bring a smile to my face whenever I hear a nice track that has nice vocals and good bass.I might be a bit biased about these headphones because since my CAL!s broke I've been using the Coby cv185(these are GREAT budget headphones by the way)for about a month;so I might just be over praising it.Still,if you like electronic music,hip hop,rap or just love bass but are like me,who started exploring other music genres as well,you will not be disappointed by these headphones.
 
 
 
TL;DR
+Good solid build,sleek design(unless you're looking for attention)
+Bass is omnipresent,does not drown out mids and highs
-Comfort might not be the best for everyone
 
 

 

[Dsnuts]

Hey nice review. You hear them as I do. I am glad these WS55s are finally getting some recognition around here..These beat the tard out of the Cals to be honest. I own both and I can never say I would take my cals over these. Those have flabby bass on bass light tunes they sound ok but on bassy tunes they are anemic at best. These have it where it counts for me..

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

All right,so after almost a week of listening to my WS55,here are my thoughts on it.
 
BUILD:8
Very well done by AT.When I took them out of the box they felt sturdy,sturdier than my CAL!s,and the overall build is really solid.I absolutely love the look of these,so simple and sleek.One thing that could have been a bit better,but this is not too bad,is that the headband does not have any...''clicks'' to tell you at which level the headband is.That's just my personal preference though cause I prefer to know that both sides are 100% equal.It's not so bad though.Overall the build is quite nice.
 
COMFORT:8
Hmm..now this one is a bit tricky.When I first got them and put them on they were really comfortable,nice plushy pads sitting on the ears.It really changed my opinion about on ears because I didn't think an on ear could be this comfortable....until the first hour or so...They really clamp and when I took them off I kind of felt relieved.However,this just gets better over time.Spread them over books overnight while letting them play;making them more comfortable and burning the drivers in!After the book spread they became much more comfortable.In comparison to my old CAL!s these are a bit less comfy..although comfort was one of the CAL!s strongest points.It's kind of weird though because they almost feel like around ears;but they sit on your ears.If AT just made the earpads a bit bigger to be an around ear,these would be perfect.I kind of use these as my main headphones so even at home I use them a lot,like 5 hours or more and I do kind of have to take them off for a bit to let my ears rest after that.But if you're using them as portables say for maybe...2 hours on the go(commuting or on a break)then these should be okay.If you're thinking you're gonna be getting bose like comfort;then you're probably not going to want to get this pair.I wanted super comfort but the fun sound of these just made me toughen up and accept it...now speaking of sound.....
 
SOUND:9
Now..I'm not that good at describing sound, so bare with me on this one.I'm comparing the headphones to my CAL!s,which broke and that really made me a sad panda,so that means I can only go by memory and can't really make a side by side comparison.The CAL!s were bright and light,the bass was smooth but never really stood out at you.The WS55,let me tell you the bass on these oh my.It really is like the OP stated,on songs that are not so bass heavy,the bass is always present and there;but on songs that are bass centric.Oh my.You will hear how low the bass goes.After my burn in,mids and highs started to come forward.What you get in these pair of headphones is always present bass;while still hearing all the vocals and other instruments that are in the song.These headphones really bring a smile to my face whenever I hear a nice track that has nice vocals and good bass.I might be a bit biased about these headphones because since my CAL!s broke I've been using the Coby cv185(these are GREAT budget headphones by the way)for about a month;so I might just be over praising it.Still,if you like electronic music,hip hop,rap or just love bass but are like me,who started exploring other music genres as well,you will not be disappointed by these headphones.
 
 
 
TL;DR
+Good solid build,sleek design(unless you're looking for attention)
+Bass is omnipresent,does not drown out mids and highs
-Comfort might not be the best for everyone
 
 

I agree on all counts. The clamp does get to my ears as well...after an hour or so it does start to bother my outer ears, so I just today set them up to stretch. But you're right, the sound is lovely.

 

[Laservampire]

I bought a pair of WS55's for my girlfriend recently and had a chance to check them out with my great sounding old iPod mini.
 
They aren't burned in yet but even now these things are awesome. So much more detail than my old AKG K-66's and the bass is incredible. These are the only headphones I've heard that only reproduce the bass if it's there in the recording. If I'm listening to Muddy Waters there's no goosed up bass but on a modern recording it's full and clear.
 
Even though they're a little clampy, the pads are very comfortable on my ears. I'd love to stretch them out a bit more to fit over my massive head but alas, they're not mine
 
My girlfriend originally wanted a pair of Aerial7 portables which sucked immensely (and felt SUPER fragile) but she fell in love with the red anodized plates on the WS55's as soon as she saw a picture.
 
I'll make an audiophile out of her yet >