Sennheiser HD595 vs HD 550 vs Audio Technica ATH-AD700

I am getting ready to buy one of the three headphones mentioned in the poll. I mainly will use these for listening to Techno/Electronica/Trance and the like in addition to TV shows.

The links and prices are below:

Sennheiser HD 595 £100.73

Sennheiser HD 550 £49.99 + shipping

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 £80 + shipping

 

I should have asked for other suggestions (¬Bose please).

 

+1 for ATH-AD700. I listened to it in Japan and was quite pleased with it. I have ATH-A900 and HD-555 btw. HD-555 is 95% what the HD-595 is.

 

HD555 is 95% of HD595 after burn in.

I heard AD500 and didnt like it... AD700 mite be better but i dont know really

I have HD555 and i love it every second... its **** comfortable and the music is non fatiguing..

u ll always enjoy the music it gives out.


get it and get an good Dedicated amp or DAC for it.

good headphones need a good source and amplification too.

 

I am mostly interested in the low end of the spectrum (as you may have imagined). When you say the 555 is 95% of the 595, where is the last 5% lost? Over the whole range, the low end, the high end, or none of the above?

Also, I am not sure what you mean by burn in other than leaving them on for some extended amount of time. Any pointers here?

 

Time to head on over to www.head-fi.org where you can find extensive comparisons of these and other premium headphones.

My recollection is that neither the HD 555 nor the 595 is known for having a great bottom end, sadly.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Beyerdynamic's DT880's, but these definitely require a good dedicated headphone amp to really sing.

 

I should also mention I will be using these with one of my notebooks...

 

with notebooks u wont enjoy headphones.

i suggest u to get a USB Soundcard atleast.

5% is lost on highs... HD595 has a brighter tone.. .. very un-Sennheiser actually.

@ Escapist.

HD555 needs lot of burn in

 

Usually, with most headphones then most if not all burn-in occurs very quickly(within first 10 hours) some might change a little after that, but not much. I advise against using pink noise for burn-in also, just use music, I personally burn all my headphones in while listening to them, but thats just me.

 

HD555 and HD595 are both way laid back. ATH-AD700 was punchier from what I remember.

 

Its a matter of preference.


u cant buy headphones without listening them.

The OP has mentioned he ll be listening to Bassy music ...

IMO HD555 has a better bass after first 50 hours of Burn in

also to have additional Bass boost u can buy FiiO E3 Amp for $10.

$10! ...even a subway meal costs more than that.

 

Do you have any links for a good (and cheap) amp in the UK? I cant find the Fiio E3 on amazon.co.uk.

 

You can buy it from dealextreme.com Id think they ship to UK. Also Ebay UK has some.

Also HD555 is NOT for bassy music. Not even close. The bass is weak and lacks punch. It is a very laid back headphone. The bass does not go very deep. The ATH-AD700 goes lower than the HD555 probably as low as the HD595. I own the HD555 so I have no reason to bash it if it isnt true and I tried to all sorts of headphones during the summer in Tokyo. To put plainly the AD700 is just a better set than the HD555.

The Fiio amp is well recommended. I have one and use it with my HD555 and it improves the bass a lot. I am sure it will work great on the AD700 also however since the AD700 responds very well to EQ.

p.s. Go to head-fi.org, the AD700 is near universally recommended over the HD555. Id even take it over the HD595.

 

Thanks for the great advise guys. + rep all around.

 

AD700's are pure awesome, not heavy bass since they are open air but the best soundstage imaginable and very good sound balance.

Also they fit so well, I can wear them all day & night and not have pains, infact shortly after placing them on you do not even feel them anymore. So you really just feel like your in the music/game. No "in your head" sound its just "around" you.

I plan to get a pair at some point but currently use the A700's the closed version with more bass.

 

AD700 is much better headphone than HD555 - however, I am not sure if the difference worth 30 pounds. Note that none of these headphones are known for their bass. Unfortunately, for natural, tight bass, you usually have to spend more.

Nevertheless, I agree that AD700 probably is the better choice - it is very comfort, and has incredible spatial representation. However, if you primary listen to classical music, then I'd recommend to go for HD595.

I am using ATH-AD900 myself. However, I got it at the equivalent of 100 pounds, and I don't think it is available at that price over there.

 

Sen 650 came out. You might want to check info on that.

 

nah,... HD650 needs powerful amp...and it coupled with a decent amp will cost $1000+.

so dont go above HD595 unless u plan on spending atleast $300 on a good amp