Unamped Sennheiser HD555? Prices and Impedance
Jul 15, 2005 at 1:22 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

RockoAPZL1

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I'm getting tired of the Supra-Aural design of my PX200's, It hurts now...literatly

Since I'm considering on buying Sennheiser HD555 as a starter Circumaual headphone, I need to find a place where I can get it cheaper and at the 50ohm load.

Can it be driven by a computer soundcard

I'm not buying an Amplifier...................yet.

PS. I wonder how people will react to the HD555 worn in public?
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Jul 15, 2005 at 2:37 AM Post #3 of 8
I'm not that crazy to wear them in public, but I know someone that Might...
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Jul 15, 2005 at 6:44 AM Post #5 of 8
The HD555 is the "bang for the buck" phone of the moment, not by chance
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It's a safe buy for great sound at its price, and, it's also comfortable. It may be a bit "clampy" at first as the headband needs a little time (spent on your head
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No worries about driving it with a souncard, except that sound quality may be far away from when used with a decent amplifier/source (naturally, depends on the soundcard).
 
Jul 15, 2005 at 7:27 AM Post #6 of 8
When I had my HD555s, I wore them everywhere!
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People say they're big, but I had a hard time with them. They were kind of small and tight and really clamped my head.
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They're a good value for what you pay. An amp has a large effect on the HD555, probably more than any headphone in the price range. As Andrea said, the sound quality will depend largely on your computer soundcard. I wasn't satisfied with how my AV-710 did the HD555s. Not enough oomph I would say. But then, it's all personal opinions.
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Jul 15, 2005 at 7:40 AM Post #7 of 8
I've lately experimented a little with "impedances" and I found that going from "0 ohm" to, say, 200 ohms (amp's output impedance) makes for a warmer and fuller sound with my HD595. Actually I prefer the sound with some "added impedance", as it has more atmosphere/groove along with more warmth/emotion with vocals
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(I don't know how this can affect the sound out of a soundcard, but it may be nice to play a little with series resistors
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Jul 15, 2005 at 8:34 AM Post #8 of 8
Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoboFest
um, they are big, and they are clampy, so if you're looking for comfort, I would look elsewhere.


In all fairness, this is not true for everyone. I find the 595/555s to be the most comfortable full-size cans I've worn.

Quote:

Also since they are big, you might get some alien looks in public


This, on the other hand, I fully agree with.
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Note also that unlike the PX200s, the HD555s are open and both leak and let in a fair amount of sound--this is not ideal for portable use.

They are pretty easy to drive, but they do sound better amped, particularly the bass.

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