Sennheiser HD555 Headphones for $75 shipped

[modestninja]

A little while ago, I compared HD555 (without the sound stage mod) with some Audio Technica AD700s and I found the AD700s to be better for gaming (my primary use for these headphones) and more comfortable.

I'd recommend anyone looking at headphones in this price range to check them out.

 

[NguyenAdam]

If your getting gaming headphones get a gaming headset. Sennheiser PC350.

 

[hans030390]

A little while ago, I compared HD555 (without the sound stage mod) with some Audio Technica AD700s and I found the AD700s to be better for gaming (my primary use for these headphones) and more comfortable.

I'd recommend anyone looking at headphones in this price range to check them out.

Yeah, many people recommend the AD700 over the HD555s for gaming. However, I do believe many consider the HD555s are better all-rounders than the AD700s. Some people also think the AD700s have an abnormally large soundstage, to the point where it's not as accurate as the HD555s. I've not heard the AD700s, so I can't say for sure!

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I don't know if break-in is real or not, but I figure it can't hurt. *shrug*

 

[Macgyversite]

The whole notion of long term breakin is a fantasy created by subjectivevist audio mystics who write for consumer magazines. Nobody with any real technical education believes that kind of drivel, and I have a real technical education. My view however is tolerant compared to what some of the engineers I've talked to from Sennheiser have to say, German being such a fine language to express derision in.

Now you have gone over the deep end.

This isn't Stereophile magazine. It is not subjective like this cable works with this pre-amp and my speaker cable is superior to yours. This is PROVEN and has Real data to back it up. No golden Ear claims.

Let me ask you this.

Can you Sing your best w/o warming up?

Can you run the fastest without warming up and stretching?

A speaker needs to stretch before it comes to the values that the designer has given it. The Spider, surround, voice coil, ferro fluid, etc need to flex over time/distibute evenly to gain max extension (xmax) as well as all the other MEASURABLE speaker values. Also the newness / stiffness creates RESISTANCE which influences tones that the speaker produces and make the speaker use more power before it fully breaks in. Again. Measurable.

 

[bommy261]

Now you have gone over the deep end.

This isn't Stereophile magazine. It is not subjective like this cable works with this pre-amp and my speaker cable is superior to yours. This is PROVEN and has Real data to back it up. No golden Ear claims.

Let me ask you this.

Can you Sing your best w/o warming up?

Can you run the fastest without warming up and stretching?

A speaker needs to stretch before it comes to the values that the designer has given it. The Spider, surround, voice coil, ferro fluid, etc need to flex over time/distibute evenly to gain max extension (xmax) as well as all the other MEASURABLE speaker values. Also the newness / stiffness creates RESISTANCE which influences tones that the speaker produces and make the speaker use more power before it fully breaks in. Again. Measurable.

true story

 

[brianmanahan]

IBTL due to interweb drama.

 

[mikeford]

Warm up does occur, but its a matter of seconds, not days, hours, or even minutes.

The inventor of Ferro Fluid was a friend of one of my professors, and I have talked with him a bit about the nature of his product. He might get a good laugh from your claims.

 

[jodhas]

On headphones and "in-ear" headphones, the warm-up "stretching" is virtually non-existent.

However, say 15" and up, there is a small stretch time. But as Mikeford states, the stretching takes matter of seconds. It has a lot more to do with the fact that the drivers need those few seconds get used to the humidity, external pressure, etc...

But all in all, this discussion is rendered moot by the fact that we're talking about the HD 555.

If you guys are hearing "noticeable" differences before and after the so called "warm-up" period, there is a word for that. Its called "the Placebo Effect"

 

[Thump553]

I can understand the potential value of breakin on speakers, but when I read multiple posts/reviews on audiophile sites talking about breakin for electronics or interconnects, I have to grin.

I always breakin in new speakers (play very softly varied music/tones for 24+hrs) before cranking them, based on the stretching analogy & figure it can't hurt.

 

[ICXRa]

http://www.gr-research.com/burnin.htm

Danny Richie has a good write up on the subject. Obviously, this is one of those heavily debated areas...like expensive cables etc. My personal view is that it is real but it is also a relatively small change in the whole realm of things.

 

[Macgyversite]

Speakers once broken in don't need to "Warm" up any more. I was using the examples to lighten up the post and maybe get some people to get it.

New speakers need to have all parts involved gain all their flexablilty. Once this has happened. The speaker is broken in.

Someone post some Credible sources then that can prove that new speakers Don't change sound and power usage over time as they break in.

Ferrofluid is used for cooling/evenly distributing the heat of the drivers coil so it can handle more power. Not all the fluid put in the drivers coil is evenly distributed throughout the coil windings until it is heated up for an extended period of time. This changes the dynamics, power usage, etc of the driver until this happens.

Again all I ask is proof from the naysayers. Breakin is just simple proven mechanical properties of speaker drivers that have been around long before "Golden Ear Crap".

 

[Throckmorton]

I "broke in" my headphones by using them normally. I don't know why you'd do anything else like pump full wattage through and wear out your headphones

 

[videopho]

I can understand the potential value of breakin on speakers, but when I read multiple posts/reviews on audiophile sites talking about breakin for electronics or interconnects, I have to grin.

What is the difference?

 

[MagickMan]

Speakers have moving parts.

 

[konakid7]

I got mine yesterday. They're incredibly comfortable. Sound great, but I only have them hooked up to onboard sound on a laptop, I want to get some sort of amp for them.

 

[rolodomo]

I tried the "595 mod", but the sound was worse IMO. You get more low-end kick, but at the expense of clarity. To me the clarity suffered at all frequency ranges, including low-end.

I tested the HD 555 (and "595") against my well-worn HD 280. The HD 555 and the HD 280 sound different, but I can't really say which one I prefer. The HD 555 thumps better, but the HD 280 sounds tighter. As for the "mod" against the HD 280, the "mod" sounds noticably more muddled and inferior.

I can understand how some would prefer the "mod" sound though. Since it is so easy to perform and reversable, you almost have to give it a try. Still, I'm skeptical the cushion is there only to degrade performance. It looks more like speaker baffling to me and thus something that enhances performance (at the expense of some bass dampening).

Thanks OP for posting the deal, great find.

 

[hans030390]

I tried the "595 mod", but the sound was worse IMO. You get more low-end kick, but at the expense of clarity. To me the clarity suffered at all frequency ranges, including low-end...

To each his own, but I do think it improves the sound. I mean, people have disassembled both the 555s and 595s, taken pictures, and compared the differences. The only difference is, quite literally, the piece of foam stuck in the 555s. There's nothing wrong with preferring a stock 555 sound over a 595, but I do feel that the 595s have a more accurate sound to them. Apparently Sennheiser thinks the same thing!

One thing I noticed is that after doing the foam mod and soundstage mod, the clarity had seemingly decreased. Initially I was disappointed, but after listening to it for a while, I found that the headphones were seemingly more true to the source than they originally were. Some songs were still VERY detailed, while others weren't as much. To me, the treble sounds much more natural now. It's very smooth, and the detail is there. However, I much prefer the sound of a smooth silk tweeter when it comes to larger speakers, so this works for me. Some people prefer a brighter sound, but to me it just sounds unnatural.

 

[Raging_Dork]

After the mod I had to hook them up directly into my xfi card instead of through the speakers or everything would sound washed out. Thought it was weird since they're the same headphones I tried before the mod. Kinda pisses me off since I don't like crawling under my desk to switch to speakers

 

[hans030390]

After the mod I had to hook them up directly into my xfi card instead of through the speakers or everything would sound washed out. Thought it was weird since they're the same headphones I tried before the mod. Kinda pisses me off since I don't like crawling under my desk to switch to speakers

That's very odd. Are you sure you didn't mess something up while doing the mod?

 

[jodhas]

anyone know where i can get replacement cords for these?

 

[alfa147x]

anyone know where i can get replacement cords for these?

Ebay's a good start:
http://compare.ebay.com/like/190377...f68f4df&itemid=190377657366&ff4=263602_304662

 

[alfa147x]

and here

http://shop.sennheiserusa.com/retail2002/ProductDetails.aspx?direct_cat=Parts&direct_prod=510626

 

[Thump553]

Sennheiserusa is very good for parts, reasonably priced and low (actual cost?) shipping. I've had to replace the cords on my HD 600 several times over the years (kids were hard on them).

 

[intogamer]

Anybody missed the deal? I want to sell mine for closed-end ones