Upgrade from Sennheiser HD555

Nick1881

Nick1881

Nick1881

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Joined
4 Feb 2007
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Location
Nuneaton, UK
Had my 555's for a while now, did the mod that was floating around too.

Mainly use them for COD and a bit of music or other casual listening, always been pretty happy with the detail from them but today I was looking at other cans and thought I wouldnt mind a change.

I find the Senns sound a bit bright and lacking punch, I want to keep the detail but add some warmth.

Spotted the Sony XB700, these look like a real beast and from reviews they might be what I'm after, anyone got any experience? I have had Sony IEMs in the past and really liked the sound.

Or would I be better off spending more and getting something else? Always fancied some Grado's or Beyerdynamic but not sure if these would provide the bass I'm after.

Thanks
 
Firstly, what's your budget?

Personally I'd look to audition the Sony XB700 first before purchasing, as they have a very coloured sound, as in exaggerated bass and treble but recessed mids. While this may sound great with certain types of music, if you're coming from the Sennheisers, it may sound a little lacking in certain areas, especially with vocals and music that has lots going on in the midrange (e.g. rock, jazz, classical).

Personally, I'd look at something like the Beyerdynamic DT990 or the higher end Sennheisers like the HD650/600, but again, you really need to state a budget to get any useful replies.
 
What about HD600's or 650's? They are meant to deliver alittle more bass and it should be well controlled.

I've seen some pretty bad reviews of the Sony extra bass line of headphones as it seems they tend to flood the whole sound stage with massive muddy bass. It might give you the 'punch' you want but it pretty much ruins the sound quality. IMO of course.

As for Grado's, they are amazing headphones. I use a set myself for home listening and i love them, but if you feel your HD555's are bright then you'll likely not like 'Grado sound' as it does tend to be on the brighter side.

The Beyers could be a good option too though, they come highly rated plus you have the open of closed/semi open/open depending on your needs too.
 
Going to confuse you even more m8

You need to find a shop that let you try them on theres 2 I know of but I am sure you will find them if you do a little search.

You need to try to some from AKG, Denon & Audio Technica these can offer decent bass but your budget might sway to how much bass you get.

It's a bit hard to judge with the bass on headphones m8 depending on what music you listen too, I'm finding it hard myself at the moment to find new headphones and I listen to old school electro/hip hop music ...I dont want too much bass but I want some.

I tried a few different Sennheisers and they sounded flat didn't really touch me, though my last set of headphones did cost me £240. I also tried the BOSE Lightweight On-ear Headphones which sounded ok but they were still lacking what I wanted. I tried some AKG which were too bass heavy something you might like. The DENON AH-D510 also sounded really nice these were the only Denon they had in the shop cos I wanted to listen to the Denon AH-D2000 which suppose to be nice but are pricey.


But deffo try and find somewhere who sell Audio Technica and give them a listen to you might like them.
 
I think a budget headphone amp might not go amiss here as that could provide the extra bit you are looking for more so than simply changing to a £120 ish headphone.The problem with the above is that some headphones can sound rubbish or not all that great if not amped through a headphone amp so if the place you can demo headphones are just running them through a standard output it could be very misleading.
I don't believe let us say you went for beyer dt770/dt990 that it would be a huge step up from the 555's without a headphone amp.

A headphone amp could be the missing link you need before upgrading.
 
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I haven't listened to a pair of HD555 but I do own a pair of DT990 Pro, the 250 ohm version. Yes they sound better with an amp but even my phone can drive them to a decent level. They are an amazing pair of cans and I couldn't recommend them more highly.
 
The 555's are plugged into my xonar, used to have them plugged into a hifi amp, they probably were a bit better then.

How much would a decent headphone amp be? My initial budget was about £60. I could always get new cans for my birthday if the amp didn't fulfil my needs on my 555's.
 
Don't get an amp for the 555s. They are easy to drive and won't miraculously sound warmer/punchier with an amp.

A new headphone will deliver better results even if underpowered. You can always get the amp later.

Denon D2000 is worth saving up for and doesn't need a beastly amp.
 
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Up to you but I still say a budget amp like a cmoy or fii0 e7/e11/e9 would be a good purchase especially the e11 it's only £40 and what I love about it is that it uses a changable mobile phone style rechargable battery.

No it wont turn the hd555 in to world beaters but it will add a nice kick get yourself over to headfi forums and do some research there's plenty of people running hd555 through amps.

I am just worried you could swap from hd555 to say £120-£140 ish headphones and be a bit underwhelmed by the upgrade.
 
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It just seems like he has more of an issue with the overall sonic signature/tonal balance of the HD555 and an amp won't alter that as much as getting a headphone that fits his preferences.

I used to have the HD595 and now have the HD598 and I think the improvement these particular cans get from amping is subtle at best.

EDIT: ^^That's probably the best solution. Test them with an amp and decide yourself if the improvement is worth it.
 
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