[RayleighSilvers]

lol wasn't really a proper review. I agree with what he said though. It's not vibrating bass like you would get from other headphones. The only words that could describe them are "Solid Bass". AT could not have come up with a more fitting name.
 
While we are on the topic of youtube videos check this one out. Official AT vid as well.
 

 

[Prakhar]

Sick dance moves but doesnt the gain level seem like a bit too much?

 

[WakiDabeast]

Quote:

 
How is the bass on the HDJ500 compared with the HDJ2000?
 
I like the bass on the 2000s, but I find the overall sound quality comparable with the Denon DJ HP700, a can that costs about 1/3 of the price. If Pioneer would drop the pricetag on the HDJ2000, I'm sure it'll sell well - bass extension is pretty good, impact is plentiful, and its durable and pretty as heck.

oh? whatt0o I dropper the possibility of purchasing a pair of HDJ2000's because I thought the bass would be slow and smooth kind of like the AIAIAI TMA-1 or the Phiaton MS400s 0o?? Do they actually have heavy and punchy impacT?

 

[Malevolent]

Quote:

oh? whatt0o I dropper the possibility of purchasing a pair of HDJ2000's because I thought the bass would be slow and smooth kind of like the AIAIAI TMA-1 or the Phiaton MS400s 0o?? Do they actually have heavy and punchy impacT?

 
They aren't as punchy as the TMA-1 or any of the other bass monsters. They have good clarity and detail with the bass, and delivers good bass extension. It doesn't sound heavy or bloated at all. In fact, they hardly shook my head, even when paired with a ZO2.3.
 
If you have heard the Denon DJ HP700, it's something similar to that. Another favorable comparison is the XB1000.

 

[danny93]

So I keep reading that the WS55 are very painful to wear even for a half hour!...are there any people that think these are comfy?

 

[Malevolent]

Quote:

So I keep reading that the WS55 are very painful to wear even for a half hour!...are there any people that think these are comfy?

 
I used to think it was okay, but I've been finding it quite uncomfortable to use of late. The only people that might find them comfy are those with small ears, as the cans might encircle them better. For most of us, our ears are constantly being squished by these so-called over-ear cans. :/

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

So I keep reading that the WS55 are very painful to wear even for a half hour!...are there any people that think these are comfy?

I stretched mine overnight a couple of times, like Dsnuts described in an earlier post.....that made them much more tolerable. Are they super comfortable, no....but I can wear them long enough to watch a movie, for example. I suspect different pads could help a lot, but I don't know what ones might fit.

 

[RayleighSilvers]

Quote:

 
I used to think it was okay, but I've been finding it quite uncomfortable to use of late. The only people that might find them comfy are those with small ears, as the cans might encircle them better. For most of us, our ears are constantly being squished by these so-called over-ear cans. :/

I can answer that question as I probably have the smallest ears on head-fi. They are kind of semi circumaural for me. The back part goes around my ear while the front rest on my ear. They start feeling uncomfortable at around 15 minutes and after 30 I have to take them off. I've stretched them between books and it's helped a little bit but seriously we shouldn't even have to be discussing this issue. All manufacturers and AT especially should take comfort as their priority. I mean it's not rocket science.
 
If the headphone is circumaural then make sure neither the drivers nor pads are touching the ears and get rid of the vice grip. If they are supraaural, then for sure get rid of the vice grip, use as much padding as possible on the pads, allow the headphones to rest around the neck properly etc...

 

[RayleighSilvers]

Quote:

 
I used to think it was okay, but I've been finding it quite uncomfortable to use of late. The only people that might find them comfy are those with small ears, as the cans might encircle them better. For most of us, our ears are constantly being squished by these so-called over-ear cans. :/

I can answer that question as I probably have the smallest ears on head-fi. They are kind of semi circumaural for me. The back part goes around my ear while the front rest on my ear. They start feeling uncomfortable at around 15 minutes and after 30 I have to take them off. I've stretched them between books and it's helped a little bit but seriously we shouldn't even have to be discussing this issue. All manufacturers and AT especially should take comfort as their priority. I mean it's not rocket science.
 
If the headphone is circumaural then make sure neither the drivers nor pads are touching the ears and get rid of the vice grip. If they are supraaural, then for sure get rid of the vice grip, use as much padding as possible on the pads, allow the headphones to rest around the neck properly etc...

 

[Malevolent]

Quote:

I can answer that question as I probably have the smallest ears on head-fi. They are kind of semi circumaural for me. The back part goes around my ear while the front rest on my ear. They start feeling uncomfortable at around 15 minutes and after 30 I have to take them off. I've stretched them between books and it's helped a little bit but seriously we shouldn't even have to be discussing this issue. All manufacturers and AT especially should take comfort as their priority. I mean it's not rocket science.
 
If the headphone is circumaural then make sure neither the drivers nor pads are touching the ears and get rid of the vice grip. If they are supraaural, then for sure get rid of the vice grip, use as much padding as possible on the pads, allow the headphones to rest around the neck properly etc...

 
Exactly. How this passed QC is beyond me. All 3 of my AT cans (PRO700MK2, M50 and WS55) are rather uncomfortable to use. I don't know why AT chose to make the WS55 a semi-circumaural. They should have either gone with full-size, or truly portable a la HD25-1 type cans.

 

[Dyjon54]

Quote:

So I keep reading that the WS55 are very painful to wear even for a half hour!...are there any people that think these are comfy?

No Issues for me and I have a rather big head and ears. I suggest try them. There is a mode already posted to get rid of clamp force if it bothers you that much.

 

[lowfreq]

here are my ws55's with senn hd25 earpads. required quite alot of stretching to get them on there but in the end they fit alright.
I'm no audiophile so can't comment much on the sound difference but bass seems a little more pronounced. probably not quite as good due to the smaller ear opening. Isolation seems unchanged but comfort is better
 

 

 

[dailysmoker]

The opening is just a little smaller when i look at mine,so the difference should be minimal and they look cool

 

[umbrecensor]

Just popping in to say I picked up a pair of WS55's today for $61 new, and gotta say, I'm loving em. Saw the price and couldn't hold back. The bass is just as has been described by several others previously. Deep, punchy, powerful, but only when it's there. It's presence is not prominent at all on bass-light tracks which is pretty impressive and something I like. Vocals are airy and nice, though there is one slight catch which won't affect most people. I'm one of those that listens to music quieter than I need, especially late at night, and vocals seem majorly recessed at low volumes. Nonetheless, at a normal louder volume it sounds great so I won't imagine this to be a problem for anyone. I find the instrument separation to be great, better than my fullsize A700. All around, much superior to my PortaPros which was previously my portable headphone of choice. Comfort has never been an issue for me as I've never found any headphone that uncomfortable, and the same holds true here.
 
It's a great headphone, looks nice, sounds great, but it won't be replacing any of the headphones I currently still use. When I'm on the go, I will probably use it interchangeably with my in ears Soundmagic PL50 just depending on my mood. My PortaPros will remain to be used for the exact reason of being open back and not isolating at all for when I want to be able to hear people talk and listen to music simultaneously. I still think the A700 sounds great and is better for orchestral music, but its a subjective preference. I said I never found any headphone to be truly uncomfortable, but that doesn't stop the A700 from being more comfortable. I will probably use the WS55 interchangeably with the A700 for home use as well. I'm not the biggest audiophile nor with the deepest pockets so all of my gear is quite modest, but the WS55 makes a nice addition to my collection and at the moment I would say sits at the top of it.

 

[reemixx]

Just picked up the WS55 for use on my portable gear while commuting, out and about, etc. I paid about AU$90 shipped and plan to use them directly out of an iPhone and iPod, unamped. I'm super satisfied with them for their sound quality vs size and price. The bass is really tight and punchy, and doesn't drown out the other frequencies at all. I expected them to be a little bit muddy, especially because of the powerful bass (which extends lower than I expected it to, to my surprise), but they're really not muddy at all. They're very clear and the tonal separation is very good for headphones of this type, which makes them fantastic for lots of different genres of music.
 
The construction is decent for their price, nothing mind blowing but certainly adequate, a little bit plastic-y, but nice and light for portable use. Their look and style is phenomenal. Love the red colour (as other have said, it's a true red and doesn't look pink at all). They look nice and compact while being worn, and the cable is a good length, quite thick, and tangle-free. I'm usually fussy when it comes to on-ear headphones but haven't had any major comfort issues with these that couldn't be fixed with a bit of adjustment. They have a fair amount of clamp, but I've definitely experienced much worse, and it's something that will improve with wear and use.
 
The only real negative I have for the WS55 is that they have that slight boxy sound that most closed headphones share, that you can notice mostly on vocals and airy instruments. It's not really the fault of the headphones though, but rather a result of the type of headphones that they are and is to be expected (keep in mind I mostly use open full-size headphones, so I possibly notice this a bit more than most).
 
Overall, I'm extremely happy with the WS55. I expected them to be good, but they really surprised me with just how good they are. If you're in the market for a closed portable supra-aural headphone, at under $100 these are a bargain and shouldn't be overlooked.