Z Review - AKG K553pro (Mmmmidrange Cans)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- K553 on Amazon [amzn.to/2fi1nYg]
Sound Demo : • Video
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>tenkeyless mechanical keyboard
>portrait monitor displaying anime girls
>riced out desktop
>audiophile enthusiast with mountains of gear
He's.... from /g/ isn't he?
I am know there. But do not partake in the chans.. I cannot be so irresponsible with my time.
What is a riced out desktop?
For anyone wondering, Alpha pads fit and they make them sooooooo comfortable
I don't even care about the headphone, I just like hearing Zeos talk, always entertaining.
Mine have been traveling around in a backpack back and forth from work for almost three years now without a problem, so yes, the build quality is spectacular. Spot-on review as usual!
Awesome videos as always! I stopped watching regularly for a while so I could binge watch later over Christmas break. May the binging begin.
Just to clear the air on the differences between the K550 and K553 from someone who has owned and used both as daily work headphones -
The 553 is an update from the 550. AKG received numerous complaints about the way the 550 fit and how weak the bottom end was (the consensus being that poor fitment caused a lack of seal that bled out too much of the sound). I was one of the people who bent the headband and stuffed the earpads on the 550 to make it sound good. And it did sound good! But it became discontinued, thus driving up the price on Amazon.
When the 553 came out it was advertised as an update, with modifications to the earpads and overall fit, plus adjustments to the sound signature. In my opinion, the 550 with modded earpads and headband was more comfortable than the stock 553. Since then I bought the Brainwavz velour/pleather pads, which are ultra comfortable and fit my head better. But because they are thicker, the eardrum is farther away from the driver, making the low end slightly weaker. However I think it gives them a wider soundstage feeling, more like the 550 had originally.
This is how Zeos finds out how many people are checking his reddit
Yes.
"What about the fken mid range lady"
dead.
to be honest
everytime i saw your new vid uploaded i always expected some good shits at your desktop background
and i never dissapointed
I finally gave up my 2.5 years old m40x after it broke twice. Initially the left hinge broke eight months back and I fixed it with instant glue. Now that the right hinge also gave away, I got fed up with it. So much for the audio technica build quality. Finally, I decided to order the AKG 553 (sold here as K550 Mk2) for 100 euros, hoping that it will have a similar sound signature of the m40x and a better build quality. I don’t know much about audio stuff, this being my second purchase. I bought these pair of headphones in an impulse on seeing the price. I hope I like them 🙂
How did you like them?
my audio techs broke in no time too. my hd500s still work. i dont bought these but regrettably the xlr sucks.
The K550 were my first 'expensive' headphones I got in 2016 and got into higher end sound. I am glad to see that my complains match yours. I feel that they have great separation of instruments on a higher volume especially but they are just unable to push some low end.
I also produce some electronic tunes for fun and I always need to adjust the low end on the EQ while wearing these because on every other speaker I playback the bass is too much. Need to keep it in mind during mixing/mastering all the time.
I will do better research next time. (Also the pad on the head has gave in but I imagine for 4-5 years of use, it's normal for them to start fall apart).
Sounds like maybe they improved the midrange from the last K550 I had. The design has always had problems with the transient response in the upper mids, not sure if they ever fully fixed it. Also, the bass does dig deep it's just not...powerful
I own a few AKG's. The 'digs deep but not powerful' comment is spot-on for most of them. They seem to provide an OK balance in most of their cans, but they are certainly not bass-heavy that is for sure, at least from what I have heard.
For me, overall the K712 has the most natural sounding bass of all of the AKG's I have tried. This includes the K701 that I tired briefly some time ago (I don't own one).
More reviews and discussions of the K712 should be done. The K712 comes off as under-rated and under-discussed even if it is excellent. Is that a hint to anyone? I don't know.
I may try the 553 at some point. Judging by Zeos review they sound quite interesting.
All the best to you and Zeos.
i'd rather a headphone that does frequencies down to the low 30s than one that rolls off at 50hz and boosts mid-bass
For Zeos the L and R are for Light and Reft
I have the 550's and like them just fine. I don't have a positioning problem either but maybe that is because of my big noggin.
that background is l-lewd
The rubbery coating will come off. Replacement pads will be necessary eventually. Getting a new set even though they arent even close to my favorite pair of cans. I use them in when on voice coms ingame sometimes. I dont enjoy them for music at all. Trying Brainwavz XLs. Will see if they fit in a few days.
let us know how they go thanks
HM5s fit with a fair bit of stretching (but nowhere near enough to rip). XLs should also fit fine, it just might be a bit of a waste.
Let me put my 2 cents in here: I've had these for about 2 years now just after they came out. The bass improves but it takes time (9 months) for the drivers to fully relax (200-300hrs). For whatever reason, these are my goto everyday headphones. I have the Beyerdynamic T5p second generation which I love, but these things are built like a tank and only cost me like $120 on Massdrop.com. These are just a nice listen. They don't fatigue me. They are very pleasant. They are just resolving enough to make me NOT want for anything else. They aren't spectacular in any specific quality --AND YET I keep coming back to them for everything I listen to. So, I guess what I'm saying is what is spectacular about these headphones is the fact that they do nothing wrong; they are just fabulous everyday headphones that at times hint at greatness. This is a staple headphone. I could be happy for the rest of my life with these cans--even missing the extreme resolution or low end thump of some top flight cans. And the stock non-removable wire: Well at least it's not unruly, stiff, and unmanageable like the Beyers are. The cables are soft and pliable which makes them easy to deal with; they don't tangle; they coil beautifully when you're putting them away. AKG did it right here with the 553Pro headphones. Bravo.
Thanks for the review Zeos!
The only problem is I just picked up momentum 2s for 208$. I considered the AKG 551s for example but for the extra price bump I absolutely feel like it's worth. I was so close to buying 551/553 for portable but then I saw momentum 2 and for the price comparison it's a no brainer for me. Sure I could do MSR7 etc, but momentum 2s for 208$..
i just finished with ws1100is which is like msr7 and they had too much treble and broke already.
Grab yourself an extra piece of felt (i use the one with akg k240s or beyerdynamic pads) and some brainwavz hm5 pads. The felt will reduce the over the top treble. Then the k553s become perfect.
"what about the [f'ing] midrange, lady?" -- Classic!
I had these. With a proper seal, they are balanced to the point of being a little boring. They're almost TOO flat. They extend insanely deep and punch really hard. But the low end should have been a lot more boosted in order to sound "right". I measured them, and they're actually veeeery flat all the way down. Since we hear sub bass lower, that's a bad thing. It sounds a bit thin in the lows. But you hear it there still, very clearly.
These are hard to seal because of the pads. Wanna change pads? Surprisingly enough, that's not hard to do! The way the pads are attached, there's a very deep lip, and there's an edge to twist them onto. Very easy. But here's the catch: these are JUST like the MK3's in that ANY distance added to the driver kills ALL low end entirely. So fuck that. I've tried HM5 pads AND ZMF lambskins. None worked at all.
The pads that come with it are non-sealed, so if you take them off you can open them up and take te foam rings out, replace them with stiffer foam of the same size, and just wrap them back around. Very clever!
The crinkling sound isn't the pads btw. It's the drivers!
I know I'm two years late, but if I had to give advice, if you're gonna buy K55Xs.
1) Brainwaz HM5s. The stock pads are annoying and not that comfortable, but the HM5s are notice.
2) Detachable cable mod. The cable has a tendency to break; not an issue if you can just swap it.
Just bought a used pair that were pre cable modded for $80 and I have an extra pair of brainwaves hybrids laying around, probably try them but most likely won’t keep them on because i used sonarworks reference correction and changing the pads fucks it up
Well I'll be fucked, AKG put a detachable cable on the Mk. IIIs.
All I know is they sound amazing. The bass is flat which is accurate not overdone like most crappy headphones. The bass extension is amazing!
Great review. Will have to keep my eye on massdrop for these.
TheMrFishnDucks they're on massdrop right now by the way
Lol when you described the way the fit your head I was like, YES finally!! I don't like most headphones because you can't adjust them perfectly to your head. Oh well guess that's why there is something for everyone.
There are the older K550 MKIIIs and the new AKG K553 MKIIs which have detachable cables, and can sometimes be found new or used for $150, but usually $200. It pays to look around though. If you just want a cheapy stubborn and plasticy cable that works, look at the NewFantasia AKG cables for $10-15 on Amazon, but if you want something that's flexible and thick fabric and quality, check out the Periapt Pro cable for AKG. Periapt Pro cables are like $50-$55, but are so worth it.
well its detachable but its locked in. sortve defeats the purpose.
Since you've mentioned the clamping force with the large ear pads is already quite good, maybe adding a Sennheiser HD600 replacement headband padding would add extra comfort/stability issue in the long run.
I own the akg k550 and akg 550 mk2, which is supposedly the european version of the akg 553, and the akg 550 sound better and the ear pads are thicker and feel softer. To me, the 550 mk2 sound like a muffled version of the 550, and the only reason I got the mk2 was because the ear pads of the 550 began to fall apart and I could not find any replacement ear pads for them, not even akg makes replacement pads for these specific headphones, and they are like the fostex t50rp mk3, any ear pads on them changed their sound in some way, less bass, more treble, etc. so I gave up on replacing the ear pads. By the way someone commented that the 550 are made in Austria but mine both say made in china
Dam it looks so pretty
very cool. so they are mid-forward, eh? that's not too bad.
i agree completely on the removable cable comment you made. it should be illegal to make headphones without removable cables.
thanks for the review.
I had these and thought the bass was very good. once you find the right for, for my was moving them forward so the back end of the ear pads where in the back half of my ears, but once you did that the base was just north of neutral and went very deep. I like that deep bass that had done rubble.
yeah people said you need to really seal them around your ears and then the bass would come out.
That was my experience. I'm not talking crazy bass-head bass, but good neutral plus bass with very good extension.
I'd love to see a review of the Beyerdynamic DT250 if you ever get a chance!
7:36 to 7:41 crack me up so hard I made it my Ringtone
Interesting, because the first two things I thought of when I started the sound demo were "slightly bloated bass, just overall sort of bassy" and then "wow those highs are kind of shrill". I'm sure the bass has a *lot* to do with seal though, especially having that large of pads.
Did I missed something or maybe I got a defective pair? I find my pair mid recessed, I've tried it on my phone, FiiO E10K, my friend's O2/ODAC, all the same results.
Eventually I got frustrated and sold my pair, I'm very picky about my mid-range. Other notable good mid range headphone I've tried are Philips L2, Grade SR225e, and TH-X00. I even find T50RP slightly mid recessed in comparison to the above 3 I mentioned.
So everytime I read a review about good mid range on AKG K553 Pro it puzzles me.
Ahh, here I was all ready to ask how your left-right ear switch operation went, if there's any pain and if it's healing nicely, and you just casually switch the headphones to the right orientation mid-video. :)
Z Reviews You should make a video on the AKG K52s, 72s and 92s.
Unitato heck no i bought the k72 shittiest headphone ive ever had. dont buy them
I've been waiting for this review. I'm glad you think they're decent headphones, I got them a bit back, I think they sound great.
Regarding your comment about the low end; I'm getting more invested in my engineering and looking for an upgrade. Currently have a M220 but this AKG 553 your comment about the low end worries me. I'm looking for something that can accurately give me the sounds of the low end for the type of music I work with. Bass heavy reggae and hip hop ; 150hz and below specifically the 80hz and sub bass region. IF you had to present an other option for engineering that had the same beautiful MID RANGE and a better low end what would it be? FOR UNDER $250 or $200 DOLLARS?
THANK YOU; APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK !
Another more...detail oriented review said they have excellent low end, “the best sub bass i’ve heard in a closed back” so...i like zeos but his opinions are really hit and miss
If you're head is "0-shaped" rather than "O-shaped" (i.e. more oval) - you best be sure you can try them and return them because it's very, very hard to get a good deal with them. And that's why I sold mine. That was a shame, because the mid-range really is very good. But no seal = no bass :-(
Those new beats aren't gonna review themselves.
U might be the cool guy to hangout with
Special head 😁🍻 ima get these i have done some amazing 3 d mixes on akg k701 but i need a new pair for outdoor mixing this would do the job and the design is spectacular,thanks Z!!
5:18
so uh, you put them backwards even with the obvious lettering..
yep. Just checking the internet's attention.
i have the k550s and tried the k551 before I bought them and the 550s for me sounded better. Dont know the reason. For me the 550 is uncomfortable because the leather seals too much from the outside, and I start to sweat like a pig.
By the way, the 'custom' adapter is still the same standard as the audio-technica one. so they are interchangeable, just don't look as good
I don’t know if you’ve found a pair of pads that would fit these but I did, go to brainwavz audio and type in XL pads sheepskin, I just put them on mine
I used alpha pads on mine, and they fit perfectly fine.
I just bought a pair of "550's" and I was thinking about BRAINWAVZ sheepskin for them, how did the change effect the bass, mid- range etc. You're feedback will be appreciated.
Hi. Am I China right now. Have to use a VPN lmao
They are blocking the truth.. Shame.
Just tell them all about the Tienanmen square.
Didn't know where to post this so as good a spot as any I guess, just found out Denon released new headphones AH-D7200 hopefully a review will be in the future =)
I managed to get Brainwavz pads on mine, but man was that hard....
AnonyPoni does it change any in sound ?
Did the bass increase with the new pads and how bout the mid's and treble?
The K553 is cheaper because it was on Massdrop for $120.
check out the k545's they sound the same but have a detachable cable
lol zeos plz review
if you want in ears that have an A shape, the Sound Magic PL50 are AMAZING use Sony Hybrid style tips or similar and you can sleep in them and endup in the shower "oh, shit i have them in" (me a couple times) no other set i have had has that ability..at all..
I went for the K545 instead(detachable cable). They are a bit smaller but i can say for sure that the build quality is exactly the same. I wonder how does the sound compares to these larger K553..
P.S: I think the bass is much more present compared to the K553.. This might be the only difference..
Do you have any recommendations for a low profile case that can hold the k553 while folded flat? Most of the headphone cases on amazon seem way too big.
any cans like the beyerodynamic dt 880 in the 300$ range?
5:16 people with OCD are having a seizure at this moment...
i was triggered at that moment
Askhat Shagirov lol yes I immediately went back to see if he really did that, I don't have ocd
Hahahahahaaaaa.. HAHAHAHAHAAAA
Z Reviews didn't you even feel it, if I put my audio technica m40x (thanks) on my head backwards it's crazy uncomfortable
Thanks, this thing is going to be recommended out the ass on /hpg/ now
Ripahar what’s that?
the 3rd party pads for these mostly use stick on to apply them sadly, i do like the set i bought many many years ago, its a great set for what i spent on massdrop(now just drop)...
I own the 550's...bought them for at work (when I decide to go in :P ) ....and I find them really just...meh. I'm a bit of a treble head, and these leave a lot to be desired. I would almost go as far to say as they are neutral headphones. They are incredibly comfortable and well built, but I feel as though I get little enjoyment from them overall.
I prefer my Hifiman HE-400's (duh), but surprisingly I way prefer my Audio Technica ATH-AD700 a lot better too. Mind you, these are comparing apples to oranges...Open to Closed but...yeah, I played these against M50x's...the M50's destroyed them for what I'm looking for too. As Z said...music should be fun! I do not find these "fun" headphones in the least. Maybe these Pros are far superior?
The k551's look identical to these but have a detachable cable, it'd interesting to see what the difference is in sound between the two
edit: they actually have a silver accent but aside from that they are identical
They do? I have a pair (the white ones), but no detachable cable unless I rip the cable from the cans and break them. The 551s do have buttons and a microphone for mobile use though.
oh shit I made a mistake, my bad, I must have been thinking of the 545's
Ever tried "Allen & Heath Xone XD2-53"?
5:05 “something I need to add to my list, is just to have a pair”
Me chuckles lol
A package came in the mail today... yeah what? Audeze nuts 🥜 haaaaaaaaaaa got “eeeeeeem
I had these and loved the bass. The bass actually extends really well BUT.....you need to know how to use an EQ.
Most people don't these days, or even know what a graphic EQ is. I never listen to anything without using EQ. Since the '80s.
I have the K550s, and after just under 3 years, that pleather very quickly cracked open and started shedding and peeling right off - really disappointing. There are good qualities to the K55X line, like the super-wide soundstage and sheer detail to the sound, but the pleather and the slightly unnatural, slightly harsh sound of them put me off, and never make me want to take off my senn. HD600s nowadays, that's for sure.
say, i already have akg k553 and really love its sound signature especially the soundstage and separation. How does the m40x with hm5 angled pad compare to k553 ? Cause I'm really tempted man. the temptation is real. lol
There are brainwavz XL pads that fit perfectly on these, has anyone tried them? Interested in comfortable headphones
I've been looking for the inverse of the "V" shape. I have "V" shape headphones, I have neutral headphones. I had heard of "W" shape but assume they were just "V" shaped trying to be that but finally some freaking "A" shapes.
I'm interested in Zeo's ZMF opinion(when I start earning money because currently they are just too much for me).
People have described the Sennheiser 650s as "A" shaped to me but I've never been able to demo these and I'm still a student in Australia so I can't just buy and sell stuff as I please.
Would be interested in a mid comparison between Sennheiser 650 and AKG 553 for specifically the mid range.
Sound Demo?
can't you name some other (Mmmmidrange Cans)
I doubt this will be caught in the huge sea of comments you get but, the sound demo got blocked in US due to some SME shizz
I wonder if you gonna do a review for K553 MKII also? It comes with a detachable cable at last...
He put the headphones on wrong? L on right and R on left?
if you notice that you have to forward the video to 8 people or it is bad luck..
I'm looking to get a DAC/AMP for my AKG 553 PRO's & BLUE SADIES, what DAC/AMP do you recommend. At this point i'm looking at IFI ZEN stack
Would love to see a review of the Etymotic ER4XR/ER4SR.
I picked these up on mass drop for $119.00 last summer & your evaluation is spot-on good vid Z !! what type of pads are A good replacement??
The ZMF pads worked well. The Audeze were OK.
Z Reviews What model zmf pads specifically did you use and are they thicker than stock?
That wallpaper. Mmmmm~... xD
These can actually have insanely strong bass.
I plugged these into my Fiio K5 Pro 1.5 watts.
Put on bass Mechanik full volume and handles from the high 20 hertz up with no distortion.
Once the frequency goes below 20 they start to clip at full volume
Very impressive
Try some test tones and see
Do you have a specific earpad recommendation for these?
I was thinking about getting the dekoni pads for the AKG K series, but wasn't sure if they would sound okay
Have you thought about reviewing keyboards?
does anyone know where to get a cable thats coiled right next to the xlr, i am afraid of it getting ripped out!
or xlr and then right away a female 3.5 mm?
god i shouldnt have bought these
Hi Z, I'm new to your channel and I'm considering these headphones for music mostly, would you recommend any other in the same price range or are these the best bang for the buck?
NPersival get these on ebay for $120 with the detachable cable. Steal
Hi! Could you do the Sennheiser HD 598CS? They are on sale and they look very interesting. Thanks for your reviews, it helps a lot!
Just bought a pair of K550 MK2 and the sideways-turning part is stiff but not the up/down.
Would someone explain to me how these sound balanced/way more mid focused than anything I've ever heard but any frequency response graphs I can find say that the K55whatever's are exactly the Sennheiser HD 558 except with less falloff at
Hey Z! These are getting really difficult to find now. Anything similar to this that you would recommend?
Any advice for sticky out ears, got the k271ii and theyre pressing my ears in
I have the same thing with the pads on my shp-9500.
My (spoiler: awful) experience with the K550:
electroneering.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/akg-k550-studio-reference-headphones/
reminds me of the skullcandy mixmaster
The new Fostex TR Series looks pretty interesting. Any chance you're taking a look into those?
I have all three of the TR in 250Ω set to be compared.
I have these and I’m fine with em for the most part. However, the DT 770pro 80 are on Masdrop.com for $156. The problem is I don’t want to have two pair of headphones for producing trap-rap music. So would you recommend just keeping my money in my pocket or grabbing the 770 Pro 80s?
This AKG553 or Srh840 for studio monitoring and mastering
The akg seems to be the way to go from my research, if you do get them, get the akg 550 mk3, basically these but with detachable cable
If you want other headphones with A sound then get Status OB-1/Somic Vienna V2. Are these warm sounding like OB-1 or is the higher midrange also elevated?
Are you going to test the special Ultrasone Performance 820 ? I find it to be just terrible...
In your opinion, what's the best closed-back headphones for about $100 (used or new)?
ATH-M40x
Z Reviews That's what I thought. Thanks!
Do you still recommend this headphone for warm sounding below 200 dollars or any other ?
Hey Zeos I personally didn't get a chance to listen to the AKG K551SLV but it may be the most expensive model of that series now ($180-$200). It sports slightly better cosmetics and has a detachable in-line microphone. Strangely thou some say it has the same sound signature while others said it has improved passive noise cancellation and better highs.
550s made in Austria, 553s made in China with Massdrop
Explains the price discrepancy.
As far as I know the 550s are not made in Austria (mines are not).
can you confirm that?
Thanos Mantafounis My 550 is made in China. Pretty good build quality.
If you look at the chart the extension for bass is actually pretty good (just scroll down the page to find the chart) headphones.reviewed.com/content/akg-k553-pro-headphones-review
i don't buy akg cuz i never understand their produckt range witht the weried nameing and it freaks me out.