Sennheiser HD-555 Audiophile Headphones
See it at Amazon.com for $89.50Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Audophile's report on this MASTER piece !
I'm just amazed by these headhpones !
These babies are definetly the "best-for-money" deal you get from Sennheiser today. I'm an absoloute audiophile and I've tried loads of other headphones ( I currently own the 212-Pro, 280-Pro, couple of Sony's ( 600, 700 ) and Pioneer ) ... so I know what I'm talking about when I say these babies ROCK !!
Of course they're open so it MAY bother some people which have people around them which need privacy so if you're dealing with that, go with the 280-Pro CLOSED cannons...
The best thing with the HD-555 in my opinion is when you listen to ACOUSTIC music ( e.g. the new Sevendust Acoustic CD, Godsmack's EP, Incubus live on MTV etc ... ) you really get the feeling you're ON THE SPOT listening experience. These babies lack only one thing and that's handling really heavy music ( e.g. Pantera, Soulfly, Sepultura etc ... ) - But they manage ok, so don't worry.
I highly recommend these soft cannons, they're extremely confortable and you can ware them for days without even noticing.
(5 out of 5)FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS!!!!!
After reading the other reviews here, and exploring my options with other products, I got these babies.
OH MY GOD!!!
I plugged them into a Panasonic SL-SV573J PORTABLE CD ( Crappy product that has NO VOLUME POWER AT ALL ) and put in an opera CD that was remastered from a 1962 live broadcast from Salzburg (MONO no Less) Ok it was DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHONE...but MY GOD! I never expected what came out of these babies.
I am listening now to that Opera with Leontyne Price. I have had the thrill to be on stage with her at at MET ( OK, I was an extra body, but I did get close enough to hear her Beautiful, Powerful voice)
These 555 Puppies bring back all the realism to the live performance I remembered then.
So what about a STUDIO RECORDING?
FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS...these babies are going to blow you away.
I Plugged them into my new SONY D-NE 10 with "Josh Groban" on board and I was unable to make a fist for 2 hours. It left me LIMP!! and USLESS!
WORTH EVERY PENNY...I would not take time to type lies..
TRUST ME... BUY THESE!!!
(5 out of 5)But of course, it's Sennheiser!
For anyone new to audiophile headphones, you may be surprised to learn that Sennheiser is THE name in the audiophile headphone business, and have been for some time now.
In case evidence would help you:
1)Ask the pros - HD600s are popular in serious studio recording, where sound quality is all-important.
2)More expensive is not necessarily better - other companies use their names or unnecessary and expensive materials to bump up the price....
3)Sennheiser is interested in "true sound", and, accordingly, puts into their products the right materials and excellent acoustical engineering. Everything in the 555s is for sound quality and comfort and durability. (Some headphones use wooden shells, fancy materials, and other such gimmicky things...that's just plain stupidity if you consider the sound, but it gets buyers that don't know audiophile headphones.)
4)Open vs closed - sound is vibrations. The air needs to vibrate if you want good sound. Closed headphones may help cut out noise in some situations, but it will dampen the sound in all situations. (Sennheiser's audiophile line are all open.)
5)Look at the stats! - the stats alone are better than most...the 555s are, essentially, standard for audiophile headphones...595s, 600s, and 650s are better, but other brands have a tough time matching even some of the lower ones, such as the 515s.
6)Noise cancelling vs pure quality - I have tried Bose noise cancelling headphones, which attempt to advertise good quality, but in fact, the noise-cancelling mechanism calls for the "closed" type and, furthermore, functions by running a sort of noise-dampening frequency, which, sadly but inevitably, dampens the sound (and puts pressure on your ears). Nice feature for noisy situations. However, audiophiles typically seek out a quiet place to listen. (Although in my experience, 555s sound so much better I prefer not having noise-cancelling over lesser quality.)
7)Great entry level - as above, these are the standard within Sennheiser's line of audiophile headphones. Even so, if you are just moving up to this quality level, you would be surprised how clear the music is, how suddenly you can hear the details you have been missing...in comparison, ordinary headphones or other companies' headphones simply sound trashy - the pitches may be there and the general sound is there, but no tones, no flavor, no character, no spirit. You'll be surprised how much you have been missing.
8)Sound reflection - just as Bose uses sound reflection in its speaker systems, Sennheiser uses such technology to create a more real experience...thus, they work great for movies too. Instead of having half the orchestra on one ear and the other half on the other, it will seem more like you are actually in a concert hall. (Although, at this price level it still won't be perfect...still, it will be better than the vast majority.)
9)Sennheiser is legendary - Do you know what the world's best headphones are called? Try Sennheiser Orpheus. They were a limited edition, only 300 were made, and are reportedly absolutely surreal. (The Orpheus, being so rare, is not very available...the best price I have seen is $12,000, and that is IF they are for sale.) The 555s follow in grand footsteps.
Now, a few points of advice if you get serious with audiophile headphones and get 555s or better:
1)To use them to their fullest, try to use them through good hardware... (iPods and mp3 players are pretty good, but if you want to go all out you could get amps, etc.)
2)Healthy volume is 70 decibels or less (about 70% of the max volume on 555s)...and, sound quality is generally better if you don't force them all the way up. (Finding a quiet environment helps.)
3)enjoy
(5 out of 5)The best choice for the money
This phone is the cheaper version of the Sennheiser 595s which are some of the best phones you can buy(at least under the 500 mark). The are remarkably similar to the 595s both quality wise and sonic signature. The 595s have slightly cleaner treble and bass but for a good bit more money.
THe 555s have slightly warm and foward sound with a natural soundstage, with excellent detail... though not quite as good as the high end level phones. They are efficient phones, in that they can be driven by sources without an amplifier. A lot of people don't know that phones have to burn in to reach the sound to which they were intended. So give em a good 100 hours of burn in at least before making conclusions.
For this price though, these phones blow away everything in it's class. I'm coming from the HD 497s and and if you thought those were impressive you have to try these...these are in a different class altogether. The 497s sound like garbage compared to these bad boys. Plus they are very very comforable. If your coming from those crappy basshead sony phones...I dare say you'll think your ears are decieving you... they are that good.
555s>500 dollar speakers...that simple. Highly recommended.
(5 out of 5)Great For Classical Music Too
This is an excellent pair of headphones for those (few) of us who like classical music. I've used these headphones with a player that has no bass/treble controls, and found that the headphone sound is well balanced throughout the spectrum. The bass does not boom, something that you don't want in classical music. It is there, but balanced as it should be.
I've noted that when playing something like Haydn's Cello Concerto, the solo instrument hits you right in the middle of your head -which is where it shoud be -, and the orchestra surrounds it from far left to right.
Other reviewers have mentioned that the open format of these headphones results in large sound leakage into the air around you. I've found that the leakage is quite small, and not noticeable a couple feet away. Then again I don't crank the sound up to 100 decibels.
As for the complaint about the plug, I've had no problems in this regard. It fits snugly into phone jack, and seems well made.
My only very trivial complaint is that I sometimes use these on my portable DVD player while lying in bed, in which case the very long cord is a bit of a nuisance. My personal preference would have been a short cord plus a detachable cord extension.
These headphones are great for just about any kind of music.