Sennheiser HD555 Professional Headphones with Sound Channeling (Old Model)

for a quick list of comparison pros and cons, go to the bottom of this review. these things are snug like really nice earmuffs would be. sound leakage can get kind of intense but in a college architecture studio that's the last thing on the list of importance. i bought these as used headphones [the seller owned them for a little over a year i think] so i don't know how they sound new, but apparently it's already broken in and i don't see how it can get any better anyway [esp when the 595 mod is applied]. to be honest though if you're listening to music with heavy beats, i compared these to my numark red wave headphones, which have been compared to the beats in some reviews, and i compared both of those to the beats myself as well. sennheiser is best for people with a large variety of music, it's the most well-rounded pair. numarks are great for those who like fuller sound, it's fuller but not as crisp as the sennheisers. listening to music like j.cole or kanyeezeeee, numarks beat the sennheisers. and the beats have a refined base as we all know and it's pretty crisp too, so it's the best of both worlds, but simply not as elegant as the sennheisers, in my opinion. and i prefer the sound quality of sennheiser in general. and none are as comfy as these. i feel like i could sleep in them, but i'm not going to try...cuz i wouldn't hurt them like that. speaking of hurt, they did come with two tiny hairline cracks. i'd looked up before i received the order how to fix this since i knew they would be there when i got it. i just put some super glue on it, and i didn't do this trick but i think that if the crack gets a little wider it's worth a shot to take the corner of a piece of paper or some other really thin object and use it to get some super glue in there and then push it together as hard as you can so that the crack closes up at least a little and let it dry. the cracks in mine were minimal so i just put it on the surface and rubbed it upward toward the edge to get the excess off and hopefully stick it in the crack a little. they feel smooth where i glued it, unlike before, and i'm feeling pretty confident about it but i guess we'll see. i also learned about plastic adhesives that are apparently really nice so if it really breaks apart like some people claim, i'll have a few tricks up my sleeve before giving up. i mean honestly, the numarks have a fully metal head band so it's super durable. i have no fears about being hard on those babies. beats are known to break but i think the studio ones, which i have, are more durable than the solo's so i'm not super concerned but you never know. there are some youtube videos on how to put cracked beats back together using a regular headband from any store near you, so i'm set with that too. the sennheisers are my biggest priority to prevent breakage because i don't know any officially proven quick fixes for it. sennheiser hd 555 pros: most comfortable most diverse music playing ability kindly priced looks pretty good on because it stays close to your head all over cons: hairline cracks freak me out a little leaks sound pretty badly large unremovable jack, i had to buy a converter that had some cable to it so that it wouldn't become a 4 inch jack on my ipod/laptop. doesn't come with a case, doesn't fold. idk how to transport this safely. i can't even find a case to buy seperately. numark red wave pros: most durable really full sound removable jack pretty comparable to beats for just 60 bucks, not as good but damn close. that price. it's just a really good buy in general for that price. leather case, but it just barely fits in there with the cable included cons: kinda squeezes my head and gives a small headache after a while circular ear cup does not go around my ear in a spacial way like the sennheisers and beats do kind of muddied sound compared to the beats and senns stylish, but personally feels kind of chunky stylistically speaking when i wear it on my head. leaks just a bit beats studio pros: most fashionable, for those who care about that really nice base without losing the crisp mids and highs almost as comfortable as the dream cloud like sennheisers removable jack noise cancelling no leakage as far as i know really nice case cons: rumored to break realll randomly [not personal con though, i guess. just something that you'll stress over] finger prints easily really expensive, i got mine used from a friend for cheap [still paid more than i did for the other two headphones] but i wouldn't have paid full price for these. i still can't decide if the price comes with the name for for the quality. that's no good if i can't tell. so i think i've exhausted my thoughts. i hope this comparison helps, i tried to buy 3 pretty different headphones that have all had great reviews at different price ranges, just to see what's the best, but as you can see they all have their ups and downs. just follow your heart with this one guys, it will take you to where you need to be.

First, the HD555 is basically an HD595: search "hd555 hd595 mod" on google.) The only real difference is the "surround reflector" foam inside the cups (which is easily removed requiring nothing more than a steady hand and a standard philips-head screwdriver. The only real difference is the build quality of the frame itself (which doesn't matter if you take good care of it. You can also further improve them by removing the inner plastic grill (search "hd555 soundstage mod" on google. I really probably don't have to say it, but this does of course void the warranty. It's worth it (especially at this price! I've also gone a bit further and cut the cable shorter and put a 3.5mm TRS jack on the end since I don't really have any equipment that uses a 6.3mm jack (and even if I did, a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter is far less awkward than a 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter! I'm also planning to recable them eventually with hopefully positive results since the stock cable isn't all that special and is longer to one side than the other. Overall the sound is quite good for these. Amazing for their price -- especially if you catch them on sale. But then given that they are so close to the HD595s even without modifications they can be considered to be a bit above their pricerange really. The sound may not be perfectly neutral but for me at least it strikes a nicer balance between true neutral and a more enjoyable sound than many. The bass in particular is less extreme than many may be used to but I find it to be very accurate (no muddiness here!) with a good feel to it. On songs with a deep bass guitar, you can clearly hear each individual note without any running together caused by the headphones. Among more "natural" instruments like the cello, there's absolutely no problem whatsoever here, just clean accurate sound with plenty of depth. These definitely aren't for "bass heads" in the normal use of the term -- though ironically one of the reasons I love these is because I do really like bass but prefer a more accurate and neutral bass rather than muddy overblown thumping. Anyone who prefers the thumping will probably hate these, so should probably stay away. These probably excel at the mids or lower mid ranges though. To my ears, vocals in particular sound a lot better on these compared to many others -- at least, with those artists who truly have good voices (and not just a lot of studio post-processing...) These headphones are also ridiculously efficient. Weighing in at 50 ohms, they can be driven by most portable devices anyway, but they seem to be even more efficient than usual regardless of their impedance. As a matter of fact, both my DS and PSP are able to drive them with plenty of volume and bass -- the PSP in particular has been notoriously bad on everything else I've tried (even my considerably lower impedance but less efficient Denons) so I find it impressive how efficient these things are. Weak iPods and cheap MP3 players should have no troubles getting clear high quality sound out of these (at least to the best of the abilities of the DAC and OPAMPs themselves of course. Normally anything at all audiophile level really needs an external amp, but with even most embedded devices you can get away without one quite surprisingly well. Considering their excellent sound even without modifications and the fact that they can be modified in the span of some five minutes to be equivalent of a product that's more than twice their cost (and for those brave enough to utterly void their warranty they can become better still,) I'd call these some excellent headphones. It doesn't hurt that they can work with most people's electronics without even needing an amp. Overall it's pretty hard to beat the value of the HD555. This product is officially discontinued, but it's not so much due to lack of quality as the fact that Sennheiser has something new to take its place in this market range. The HD558 is better in some ways for some people, but the sound is quite different and I personally feel that one can't replace the other -- especially given how much more the HD558 costs compared to the HD555. BTW, don't forget that, like all higher end headphones, they need to be burned in. Out of the box they sound pretty bad. From what people are saying, 40 hours is probably the safest minimum before they start to even out and the sound stops changing as extremely, however I've even found one person saying that the sound still can change after as much as 300 hours. I'm still not quite to 300 hours, but I'm well past 100 (probably close to 200 now) and they already sound excellent.

Almost everything that can be said about these headphones, has been said, so I'll keep this mostly to physical pros and cons Pros: The most accurate sound you can get for 100 dollars. Not up to par with my Beyerdynamic DT880's, but at one third the cost, you are getting atleast 3/4th's the sound (if that makes sense) so they are an excellent bargain. These are easily the best headphones you can buy at 100 dollars. The velour ear cups mean that the pressure applied to your head is very minimal, and these are indeed the second most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, next to the DT880's (I've had Grado's, AKG's, other Sennheisers etc) and the inclusion of a velour (I believe) head cushion means that the top of your head won't hurt even after hours of use. These cans are also very easy to drive from a PC soundcard, and even on my integrated sound card, they'll go to ear splitting volumes if I am so inclined. I bought these specifically because my beyer's can't be driven by my computer, and I got sick of having to move my headphone amp between devices (Between Ipod, computer, etc). The Bad: An all plastic frame makes me think that one good drop might be the end of these headphones. The ear pieces are attached to a swivel joint (for comfort, which does help) but the joint is plastic as well, so it's not hard to imagine it popping off. I may just be worrying too much though, because I have a pair of all purpose koss headphones that are entirely plastic, and they've lasted atleast 10 years (though they sound terrible in comparison) I said these were the second most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, and while that is true, there is one caveat; Even though they are comfortable, my ears are too large for the space provided (the velour sits around the ear, with your ear inside) so my ear presses against the outside of the ear pad. Not a huge deal, and not nearly as severe as with other headphones, but still an issue if you have big ears. The biggest complaint I have is probably how much sound leaks in and out. I realize that these are open headphones, but even at low volumes, everything you are playing is easily heard by anyone in the same room (so these aren't good for dorm rooms, planes, trains, etc). I was expecting that, but I wasn't quite expecting how much sound is let in. My DT880's are also open, but they don't let nearly as much sound in or out as these Sennheiser cans. The sound of my computer fan is easily heard through the headphones if I don't up the volume a little louder than would otherwise be necessary (meaning others will hear it even more). There is also a lack of bass with these cans. Others have said it is balanced, but I would almost go so far as to say it's a little bit diffused. Using equalization though, this problem is quickly fixed (if you see it as a problem). One last con; These headphones come with a large (1/8th inch I believe) plug, with a very rigid 1/4th adaptor (the plug on your computer, compared to the plug on your stereo). This doesn't seem like a huge deal, but this type of adaptor is very prone to snapping and damaging your headphone cord. I'd suggest spending an extra 5 or so dollars and getting a flexible adaptor. As with all headphones in the quasi-audiophile range (audiophiles will tell you that these cans aren't neutral enough to be audiophile quality. They are close enough at 100 dollars though) you first need to evaluate your own hearing before you spend any amount of money. I have friends that can't tell the difference between my 300 dollar Beyerdynamic headphones, and my old 30 dollar Koss headphones. If you don't have really sensitive ears, you are better off buying the cheaper Sennheisers and saving yourself some money (the 202's, the 212's, etc). I'd suggest going to a local audio store and trying these headphones side by side with a much cheaper pair, and seeing if you truly can tell the difference between the two (and then coming back to buy from Amazon, of course). Also, if you don't buy a whole lot of CD's, and most of your music is compressed MP3's you bought off the net, or songs from youtube/myspace/whatever, these headphones won't help you and they may actually make that type of music sound worse because they will expose flaws in the recording that you wouldn't have been able to hear otherwise. In conclusion, these are the best headphones you can buy at 100 dollars, and unless you need complete isolation (if you do, I suggest the HD-280's for the same price), or you really love bass, or you have really big ears, these headphones are exactly what you are looking for. UPDATE 03/10/10: After two years of use, I've got a few additions to make. The headband has developed a crack at both ear cups. I baby my equipment, so it's definitely a design flaw and not misuse on my part. I've noticed that this has happened to others as well, and it really is a shame. It doesn't degrade the sound quality, but I fear that the cracks may expand and eventually cause the earcups to come free from the headband (essentially making the headphones useless). As far as sound quality goes, now that these are burned in (I'd say I'm somewhere comfortably between 500 and 1000 hours on the phones) they sound much better than they did when I first received them. I modified them (when I passed the warranty date) to increase their bass response, and they are now basically converted into HD595's. They sound great, although they are still obviously no match for the HD600's or HD650's, which are 3-4x the price (much much more when you consider that you'll need an expensive amp to drive them). I'd still recommend these headphones despite the cracking issue, and for 100 dollars, I don't think that you can find a better set of (open) cans.

I've had these headphones for almost 5 years and they still sound amazing. What led to me purchasing these headphones was the fateful day my roommate at the time had enough of me borrowing his HD 201's. He actually bought me a pair of Sony headphones so he could have the Sennheiser back! I had never heard of Sennheiser before, but those little headphones made me fall in love. A few years later, I moved out and came across a Black Friday special where these HD 555's were on sale for half price. I couldn't resist! Now even though everything worked out in the end, I do wish I had done a bit more research because these were completely different than any other pair I'd ever owned. These were the first open headphones I'd ever used. In fact, I didn't even know that they were open or what that even meant until about a year ago. It won't block outside sound, so when I lived in off-campus housing or apartments with bad soundproofing, I had to deal with interruptions (that mostly confused me, like "I don't remember a sample of barking dogs in that song..."). In return, however, the sound field is very wide and expansive. You feel like you're inside the music rather than the music being inside you. The sound quality itself is spectacular. These phones bring out subtleties in my music that I never heard before! Acoustic instruments (especially guitars) sound as clear as if they are being played in the room with me. The drum sound is perfect.. The bass is very clear but not overwhelming. I might even say that the bass is a bit lacking, but it doesn't really hinder the listening experience. Trebles and mids are where these phones excel. Bright, vibrant, textured, and not the least bit tinny. The biggest thing that stands out with these phones compared to others I've owned is that this pair makes everything sound good. I had some pairs that were great with heavier rock music or metal but were garbage with acoustic, softer, or ambient stuff. I listen to a huge variety of music from 60's psychedelic pop to death metal and everything sounds great! The construction doesn't look that impressive aside from the earpieces, but it is sturdy and well-made. I've dropped this pair dozens of times with no issues. There are little cracks on the side of the arms that connect to the earpieces from me putting them down on hard surfaces for a couple of years, but those are just cosmetic. This pair is very comfortable and not once did I have any head or ear pain or even any hot/sweaty ears. As far as cons go, there aren't many. I do find the cable to be unwieldy at nearly 10 feet long since I use them almost exclusively for listening to music on my laptop. The biggest thing that irks me is that the cable ends in a stereo (1/4") plug with this giant 3.5mm adapter. The connector is then about 2" long and looks silly plugged into a phone or MP3 player. The stereo plug and huge adapter have also bent/warped the headphone jacks on two laptops I've had to the point where I have to jiggle the connector and run the cord under the computer to hold a good place so I can get sound. My original 3.5mm adapter actually broke a few months ago, but withstanding 4+ years of unnatural abuse is still pretty good. If you know what you're getting and how to deal with it, these are incredible phones and well worth every penny. I'm upgrading to the newer model of these, the HD 558's mostly for the slightly enhanced sound (from what I've read) and the detachable cable so I can have a much more manageable length and not have to deal with that stereo plug. This will be my dedicated headphones for my digital piano as well as a backup pair.

The Good: Absolutely amazing sound quality that outweighs all problems, extremely comfortable The Bad: Typical drawbacks of open headphones, not very portable, messes up your hair I got these headphones while looking to upgrade from some much cheaper folding ones. My neighbor had a pair of them, and after trying them out I ordered my own a day later. So far, I've been nothing but amazed by them. Before these I was used to listening on my $10 headphones; they absolutely blew me away and showed me what I was missing in my music. Obviously the main selling point of the HD-555s is sound quality. These phones are at or near audiophile quality and reproduce any kind of music excellently. They don't have tons of bass like some headphones, but being used to much cheaper headphones it was plenty for me. The first time I tried them I was blown away by how amazing my music suddenly sounded; the quality is definitely worth the price. They also apparently use special technology to provide excellent directional sound, which lets them basically act like wearable surround sound, good for gaming. It sounds like whatever you're listening to is coming from all around your ears, not just on top of them. The other big plus is comfort. I wish I could wear these all the time and never take them off; it's easy to forget they're even on your head. The ear pads fit on your head perfectly (assuming you don't have huge ears) and there's an extra pad on the headband, so it's basically like wearing a pillow. They don't clamp on your head uncomfortably or get hot, either; it's no problem at all wearing them for hours at a time. The open design means that when not playing music, you can hear everything around you while wearing them. One purely superficial note: at least for me, they leave indentations in your hair where the pads are. The open design of these headphones, responsible for the amazing sound quality, could also be a drawback for some. For those unfamiliar with headphone terminology, open headphones mean that sound gets in and sound gets out. They block approximately zero sound, so if there's a lot of background noise it will interfere with your listening. Additionally people around you will be able to (faintly) hear what you're listening to even at normal listening volume, so depending on your music tastes you may want to stick with listening alone. I can usually listen on them around others without a problem, but be aware of the limitations of open headphones. The cord is quite long (3 meters or so), so you can sit pretty far from the audio source, perfect for movies or video games. It terminates in a 1/4" (big) plug and comes with an adapter to the standard 1/8" size. This means that the plug is rather big and cumbersome, though, which can be inconvenient for listening on an iPod. Before these headphones I didn't concern myself much with music quality, since on my $10 phones I couldn't hear the difference anyway. I don't own many CDs at all, but after getting the HD-555s I went and bought some of my favorite albums on CD so I could re-rip them at 256 kbps. Most of my music is 128 kbps, and these headphones aren't quite nice enough to make them sound awful by comparison. How you'll use these phones is very important if you're thinking of buying them. They're ideal for home listening, movie-watching, or gaming, especially by yourself. If you'll be using headphones with background noise, other people around (who don't share your music tastes), or a portable device, you might want to consider some closed headphones instead (such as Sennheiser's 200 line). For their intended purpose, though, these headphones are absolutely worth the cost and a great buy for anyone that enjoys music.

DISCLAIMER: Based on comments from other users, I've added this disclaimer to inform readers that this review is targeted at people who want to buy this pair for HOME THEATER use and who would be sitting 8ft-10ft away from their TV. If you're planning to purchase these headphones to listen to music, I don't think you'll benefit from reading this review. REVIEW The HD555 is touted by Sennheiser as a pair of surround headphones for home cinema and musical use. Unfortunately, the 10 ft cord forces you to sit a maximum of 8 feet away from your TV. In this day and age of home cinemas, that's just simply not enough. In case you're wondering where the other 2 feet went in the 10 ft cord, they're needed to cover the distance from your receiver to the floor and from the floor to your head. I'm sure none of you want the cable to be suspended in mid-air and your loved ones tripping over them. Personally, I sit 9 ft away and the cord was too short and I was aware of that when I bought it. This product has been around for at least 4 years and a lot has changed in the home cinema. High Definition TV and gaming has become much more common in the past couple of years and the size of the TVs have increased from 36-inch CRTs to 70-inch+ projectors. Sennheiser has not updated this product in its lifespan at all. In reading many posts on websites, I noticed that many folks would have preferred a 5ft attached cord which would reduce the cord clutter and make the heaphones more portable along with a 10ft extension cord. Here's where the headphones lost 2 stars. When I realized that the cord was too short, I contacted Sennheiser to learn if I could purchase an extension cord. Well, apparently, Sennheiser's market research shows that there are very few people out there sitting on a couch more than 8ft away so they simply don't bother making extension cords. At first, I thought the rep was joking but as it turned out he was quite serious. You'd imagine being one of the largest headphone manufacturer, they would make an extension cord to accommodate their customers even if that if that item is not a profit maker. The lack of an extension cord also makes the headphones more vulnerable since a stretched cord is probably one of the leading cause of broken headphones - for the nonbelievers, please hold your cord in the air and then step on it and you'll see what I mean. The rep offered some links to popular headphone sites where I could do my own research on an extension cord that would retain the acoustic signature of the Sennheiser. After doing the research, I found that Grado offers a 15 ft extension cord which I purchased for an extra $40 plus S&H. This pushed the price of this pair to the $150 territory (if I include my research time closer to HD600+). I own 3 other pairs of headphones (PXC-250, PC166, MX400) and I love their products. However, when a company fails to listen to the feedback from its customers and to provide all the necessary accessories for its products, I feel that it doesn't deserve our business and our loyalty. Auf wieder sehen, Herr Sennheiser! UPDATE 9-13-2008 I appreciate the comments even if most of you disagree with me. I stand by the review and I added a disclaimer to let folks know that it's aimed at usage for home theater purposes in large rooms. UPDATE 11-19-2020 As you all know, Sennheiser agreed with me and eventually modified their products offering an extension cord for many of their cans. That's the best way for a company to admit their mistake and yes, I've purchased several headphones from them. Thank you for the wonderful comments and you're most welcome for the review and my complaints to Sennheiser.

I have owned a pair of Sennheiser HD-280 PRO headphones for just about 4 years now, they still work flawlessly and still sound phenomenal. I have used them pretty much every day for the past 4 years with between 3-7 hours of use per night, to say the least I have used my HD 280's a LOT. And have grown accustomed to the excellent audiophile quality they gave me for my gaming, movies and making music on my Korg keyboard workstation. Aside from the ear pads wearing out (which I just replaced) they are just as they were the day I bought them. I was going to buy another pair, but I figured I would try something different, and that is when I came across the HD555's. Everywhere around the net praises these headphones for having excellent sound quality for their price, and when you do a simple mod, you can essentially turn the HD555's into HD595's. So with all the glowing reviews and possibility of having sound quality of the 595's for about half the price, I was sold on these headphones. My expectations for these was this, to have the same crystal clear and crisp audiophile sound my HD280's have, except with the added bonus of better imaging and better soundstaging, since the HD555's are open while the HD280's are closed. However what I experienced when I first put these on was a bit disappointing. I listened to several songs with both my HD555's and my HD280's, making side-by-side comparisons of them. Right off the bat I noticed my 280's were significantly cleaner sounding and less 'muddy', however the 555's beat the 280's in terms of imaging and soundstaging. With the 280's the sound is right on top of you, directly in your head, while the 555's are more open sounding with a broader range of sound from left to right. At this point I figured I might as well do the mod to get better sound quality. After successfully doing the mod, I tried them again the same songs. This definitely helped them out, the lows sounded cleaner, the mids were not as overpowering and the highs were a tad bit better. However there was still a indirect 'boxy' midrange sound to them, which was coloring the sound. After testing on music I decided to try them out with a movie to see how peoples vocals sounded when they talked, which is typically the hardest thing for speakers to replicate accurately, the human voice. Right away it is very obvious that human voices do not sound accurate, the 555's color the sound so voices sound boxed in with way too much midrange and not enough highs, even a woman's voice had 'bass' to it, which was not right at all. And when I switch back to my 280's the voices sound perfectly natural as if the people are standing right next to me with crisp highs which blend perfectly with the mids and lows. Whereas listening to somebody speak through he 555's is like listening to somebody speak through a speaker with a blanket in front of it. Not very good. Plus when people talk they sound almost 'distant'. I was able to get the midrange to be less overpowering with some EQing on my Onkyo receiver, but doing this also messes up the EQ for my main speakers when I am not using the headphones. Which is not convenient at all. However, aside from the over-barring midrange and lack of highs, the lows are quite good. They are just about equal if not better than my 280's, they are clean, punchy, responsive can drop very low and you can feel the headphones moving during heavy bass scenes in a movie or music. All negatives aside, the imaging and soundstage of the 555's is superb. Absolutely blows away my 280's, and this is where the 555's really shine. Sound effects can be heard with precise detail and really sound like they are coming from all directions. You can easily locate a precise sound when you hear something to the left or right, it's almost as if the sound is coming from the room you are in. Weirdly enough the sounds coming from specific directions sound cleaner than those which are imaged in the center of the soundstage, it's the strangest effect. Cause anything which is centered in the soundstage has the over-barring boxy midrange and lack of highs, but as soon as it reaches out from the center of the stage, you can hear it as it is supposed to be heard Nevertheless, I plan on keeping these headphones cause they are still decent phones for the price, but I am disappointed in the overall performance of them. I am hoping that perhaps once I break them in they will start to sound better and better, as maybe this is why my 280's sound so good because I have broken them in over the past 4 years with thousands of hours of music, movies and gaming into them. So here is a simple pro/con of the 555's. Pros: - Amazing soundstage and imaging quality - Solid, responsive and clean lows - The comfort of these is mind bogglingly good - Can be modded into 595's - Cord is plenty long (although I would have preferred the 'coiled' style cord like the 280's have) - Seems like they are built to last Cons: - Midrange is too powerful and inaccurately colors the sound, which makes certain sounds seem 'boxed in' and unrealistic - Highs need a boost - Some sounds are too distant, and when mixed with boxy mids and weak highs it invariably creates a 'blanket' effect (muffled) - Mixed with the above negatives, too much EQ adjustments are needed to make these phones sound realistic. If you have a stand alone audio system just for headphones this may be acceptable, but mixed with headphones and regular speakers can present various problems (IE constant adjustments when going from headphones to speakers) - Cord is not coiled, which can often result in knots and tangles and tends to get in the way where a coiled cord would not I will update this review if breaking in my phones helps reduce the boxy midrange and strengthen the highs. EDIT: Just so I am clear, when I say the midrange is overpowering, I am referring the the lower midrange, basically the spectrum which intersects between the lowrange and midrange. In fact the upper midrange of these headphones is very weak, it is the lower midrange that is over-barring, which colors the sound. The lack of upper midrange is what keeps these from being as clear and precise as the 280's. Also take note that these are pretty weak as far as Db sensitivity is concerned. With my 280's I can hold a typical 42 volume level on my Onkyo which is normally a perfect volume for me when I am wearing my headphones, however with the 555's I have to crank up my receiver to 50 just to get the same SPL as I do with my 280's at volume 42. It may not seem like much, but 42 to 50 is a pretty large jump, may be almost 2x's as much compared to 42. UPDATE 4/23/11 - Ok, after spending some more time listening to the 555's with my games and movies plus doing some more comparison tests with my 280's, I think I have a better idea why these don't sound exactly the way I would like them to and why they do not sound quite as good as the 280's in certain areas. Lower mids and upper lows - The 555's are very strong in the upper low frequency and lower mid range freqs, which is why they tend to add a lot of unnecessary 'bass' to peoples voices in movies and games, it's kind of like turning the crossover way up on a subwoofer in a home theater system (past 150Hz), it will pick up and amplify things like people speaking in a movie, which offsets the balance and blend between the main speakers and sub. I believe this is what the 555's are doing, they have such strong upper lows and lower mids that it tends to overpower the upper mids and lower highs. The remedy for this is to turn down the bass on the receiver/amp, however turning down the bass to compensate for the over-barring upper lows and lower mids also means less overall bass. HD280 comparison - The 280's actually have a far superior lower bass range (I would say 60Hz and below). So when I have my 280s on when I see an explosion in a movie or reach a heavy bass part in a song, it will really dish out that low bass to make more of a impact. The 555's are lacking in the lower bass range, and the impact that I can feel with my 280's is much less prominent and dynamic with the 555's. Upper highs - After doing some more comparisons, I believe the 555's actually have a brighter top end than the 280's, there is definitely more 'sparkle' in the upper highs than with the 280's. However the 280's have an almost flawless blend between the upper highs, lower highs, upper mids and lower mids, so while there is less sparkle in the top end on the 280's, the overall clarity makes up for that. And is something the 555's cannot do. So basically this is what I have noticed with the 555's: Upper Highs - Excellent Lower Highs - Above Average Upper Mids - Lacking Lower Mids - Strong Upper Lows - Very strong Lower Lows - Lacking And the 280's Upper Highs - Above Average Lower Highs - Excellent Upper Mids - Excellent Lower Mids - Above Average Upper Lows - Above Average Lower lows - Excellent Now keep in mind this is just the overall clarity of the sound, far as a open soundstage is concerned, the 555's take the cake. Not quite as open as I originally hoped they would be, but they are much more 'wide' sounding than my 280's are. My 280's have a in-your-face condensed type of sound which makes them powerful with a lot of impact. Whereas the 555's are more mellow and warm, the different instruments and sounds seem further apart and more distant. I suppose you could say it is easier on the ears. Just to further illustrate the amazing open nature of the sound from the 555's, I was playing Portal 2 last night and there was certain ambient sound effects going on in the background. Well there was this one sound that actually scared me a bit, cause it sounded like it came from outside my apartment (my window was open). I actually had to take off my headphones to see if something was going on outside, cause it was a very strange sound. After resuming the game the sound occurred again several minuets later and it still took me by surprise, as it REALLY sounded like it came from outside. To be honest I am still not sure if it came from outside or if it was actually from the game, although based on the properties of the sound it would have made sense if it came from the game. To say the least it was an amazing 3D sound effect, something I have NEVER experienced with my 280's. Anyway, once I burn these in more I will update if necessary. UPDATE 5/23/11 - Alright, it's been about a month since I purchased these headphones and I can conclude a few things. I will keep this short, these headphones excel with music, and video games. But they are lacking with movies and TV shows. If I want to listen to a song, the HD555's are the first thing I grab. If I am playing a video game on my PlayStation 3, the HD555's are what I use. But when it comes to movies and TV shows, I choose the HD280's over the HD555's in a heartbeat. Why? Mainly because the HD555's are wonderful when it comes to sound effects (video games) and music. They are probably the most comfortable and easy listening headphones I have ever heard when it comes to music, and they have amazing spacial surround-sound effects in video games. But they are HORRIBLE when it comes to movie and TV show dialog. Voices sound boxy, have far too much mid-bass and dialog sounds way too distant for my liking. Overall if you plan to get the HD555's, they are great for music and video games, but are lackluster in movies and TV shows.

Even though these headphones have been out for seven years, I feel it's time to write in-depth about their technical performance and give a few examples of how that plays out into the music realm. EXTERIOR DESIGN: These are large open headphones that let sound in with only a slight attenuation in the high frequencies and virtually no attenuation in midrange or low frequencies. The grilles on these are quite large and fairly substantial (for headphones) back waves from the drivers will emanate out of them. And it's not the tinny trebly sound from small open headphones like the PX100 that others in the room can hear; but the mids and highs in songs can easily be discerned. At higher volumes, it's similar to the volume level a laptop can put out. If these characteristics do not fit your listening environment, then these particular headphones are not for you. I've had them for nearly nine months and have used them every day. The comfort is great and the velour earpads never feel itchy either. The contact pressure of the HD555 is hardly noticeable and I can wear them for a few hours without discomfort. I would not advise expanding them too much outward as this may cause the cracks at the upper arm. Mine have no cracks on them since I expand them only slightly wider than my head when taking them on and off. I don't want to take any chances flexing these like what can be done to the headbands of the HD202 and its variants. EXTERIOR UPDATE 4/26/11: About a couple of months ago, I was shocked to see a hairline crack on the headband's lower plastic right arm that is currently just past the second 'N'. The crack actually starts at the narrow top part next to the black groove. The left side is fine. It seems like the plastic used there is too stiff and rigid, barely having any kind of flex or torsional resistance. Apparently, Sennheiser is quietly changing this material in the new HD598 to be more durable starting this spring. ACOUSTICS: The baffle is angled at 45 degrees from the front with respect to the earpads. This is the angle that sound waves arrive at the outer ear from room speakers positioned at 60 degrees to the listener (the equilateral triangle setup). Thus when listening to the HD555s, I perceive the sound occurring outside my head not just in width, but also depth. The depth extension is like being in the sweet spot of a high-quality speaker set at near-field distance! The listening experience is pleasantly natural with spacious, airy highs and mids. Crossfeed isn't really needed on these cans, since the angled sound waves strike the outer ear before entering the inner ear creating a slight time delay, which is how we perceive spatial sound. The HD800 also has an angled baffle. But the superior wave produced by the new 56mm ring driver coupled with larger earpads and housings will obviously produce an even bigger sound field than the 555. It's worth noting that the HD555 and 595 use the same drivers (part #5218**). A clue can also be seen in that both have a max SPL of 112dB, while the 515 uses an inferior sounding driver and is rated at 108dB. The 555 and 595 also have the same inner grilles (large circular holes with a fine mesh on the other side) and outer grilles. The new 558 now has a honeycomb inner grille and a fine fabric covering the outer grille with the Sennheiser logo riveted to it. This cloth may slightly attenuate the treble, making the lows and mids seem more apparent. Perhaps that's why the box for the 558 states "outstanding bass and vocal projection" and the 598 states "natural spatial sound experience." The 598 retains the outer grille from the 555/595 and now has a frame/bracing type of design for its inner grille. I carefully did the foam mod about a month after I bought the 555s. The biggest difference came in a fuller midrange and improved imaging/soundstage where I heard sound pieces occurring in new locations in the sound space where they weren't before. The stage also got wider and more realistic, and was easily noticed when an audience cheered and clapped after a performance. This make sense since the foam pads previously blocked much of the back waves from exiting the grilles, giving a somewhat closed sound. The treble got a little cleaner and the bass tightened as well. SOUND QUALITY: These headphones have a remarkably smooth frequency response, running nearly flat (in terms of acoustic perception of loudness) from about 60Hz all the way to about 12kHz! I did half-octave sine wave testing by ear and the -3dB point is at 60Hz compared to 90Hz where then the volume level remains the same all the way to about 2kHz where there is just the slightest dip; then there's a slight rise only around the 3 to 4kHz region (could be my ears are more sensitive at these frequencies, but it's never noticed during music playback) and back to being level all the way to 12kHz. After 12kHz, the response starts to slowly drop until the auditory limit of 20kHz is reached. The HD555 lacks a bit in the deeper bass extension (30 to 45Hz is another 3dB lower than 60Hz) compared to the HD650 and HD800. The frequency response chart for the HD598 at Headroom is spot on with my experience and confirms that bass and low mids should be at about a +3 or +4dB plateau and start to drop around 500Hz until 1kHz (at 0dB) is approached. In other words, from 90Hz to almost 2kHz, I can't hear a difference in volume, and so the response is very smooth and accurate! We start to hear things louder than their actual measured levels in the upper mid/lower treble 2-4kHz region so the response should be reduced a few decibels. These headphones take into account the Fletcher-Munson effect and really do have a nice signature. With a frequency response this smooth, I can enjoy music at higher volume for longer periods without any peaks promoting ear fatigue. The bass quality is great. It has tight impact, is fast, punchy, and devoid of boominess. Perhaps this lack of boom in the bass prompts some owners to perceive the bass as weak. But boomy bass, thick-sounding muddy mids, and grainy highs indicate a good deal of diaphragm distortion is happening. And distortion makes music sound louder than it's supposed to be. These headphones synergize wonderfully with the Xonar Essense STX on the high-gain setting. Superb dynamics, transients, detail, a deep & wide soundstage, and precise imaging are revealed with this combo. Please don't think that since these are 50 ohms, they sound fine without an amp. An amp is mandatory for unleashing its true capabilities. I plugged them into my other computer that has a Xonar DX and was shocked at the downgrade. They became dark-sounding (since the highs were veiled) with absolutely no micro/macro dynamics, resulting in flat and boring music. The soundstage was unconvincing and overall volume was quite low. The burn-in period is very long. The proper way to run these in is with pink noise (I use the extra-high gain only for that) and sine wave sweeps at very high volume (around 100dB). They can be downloaded at audiocheck.net. Out of the box they sounded thin and bright with a sizzle at the top-end, as the pink noise test confirmed. But they'll settle in and pink noise will then sound warmer, fuller and balanced. The driver is somewhat limited in its excursion ability when it hasn't had many hours of exercise. UPDATE: I've also had success with playing a 1kHz sine wave at near max levels stated in the specs. Download a .wav file or use a tone generator. I played it only for a few minutes for a few days with maxed-out player, Windows control panel, and sound card's amp gain settings. Do not do this while wearing the headphones as 1kHz at that high an SPL becomes intolerable after only a few seconds!!! Afterwards I noticed a fuller and smoother overall sound in the mids and highs with a little more detail brought forward along with better imaging. To extract the most low-frequency performance, I used a 1 Hz sine wave so the driver can do the most excursion (plus it's cool to see the dome going back and forth). When a low frequency signal from about 60Hz and below is too much to handle, you'll hear a low pop/tick sound the same rate as the frequency it's playing. A lower midrange frequency of 250Hz instead puts out very noticeable harmonic distortion when the volume is too high I use that sound as a sort of "redline" indicator to not go much louder in the bass. This rather alarming low popping/ticking sound does not mean the drivers are getting damaged, though certainly too high may cause damage! Mine exhibit no abnormalities like buzzing or rattling. MUSIC PERFORMANCE: The HD555s handle various genres very well with clean sound and smooth frequency response. With this type of quality I can also easily critique how well albums were mastered. For example, Rammstein's first studio album, Herzeleid, has the best sound quality out of all their subsequent albums (figures, since it came out in 1995). This metal album has actually has great dynamics with drum attacks, clear cymbals, and fine articulation of the riffs. Crank it up on "Asche Zu Asche" and these cans display a lively and energetic performance of the epic riffs right in front of me with clear and dynamic slaps of the sticks hitting the drums. Bass guitar, prominent in "Du Riechst So Gut" and "Laichzeit" is nicely textured and controlled with no boominess in the upper bass and mid-bass. Sehnsucht had its clarity and dynamics reduced a bit, and I consider it to be the minimum of acceptable quality for this genre. Unfortunately, all their post-millennium albums, particularly their latest one, are victims of the loudness wars-- a thick and heavy overall sound with muddy riffs, indistinct cymbals, no dynamics. But find some well recorded metal music, and you'll have a head-banging, foot-stamping good time with these phones. The HD555s outstandingly render Daft Punk's "Voyager"-- great resolution and tight bassline. And at 2:40 when the bass comes in again with the harp, they immerse me in a full-bodied mid-range ambience from the front and sides. The timing of the quick and deep bass in "Too Long" at the 5:08 mark is cohesive with the mid and high frequencies, with the tearing/ripping sound effects playing about a foot in front of me. Finally, these cans shine with live recordings. A fine example is Yanni's Live at the Acropolis. The dynamic fanfare in "Santorini" is simply theatrical, and the huge crescendo of the horns and cymbal crash at 1:19 swallows me up like a big wave. There is excellent separation of the orchestral parts, and the finale that starts at 5:00 becomes a pure emotional event. The piano performance in "Until the Last Moment" is intimate and buttery smooth, with the string arrangements extended out to the desk in front of me. Violin performance is wonderfully expressive in "Within Attraction", showcasing excellent reverberation width inside the theater and very impressive transient response during the dueling violins section. That all being said, the HD555 is a superb partner for a wide variety of genres and allows you to rediscover your music collection.

耳にはすっぽりとフィットし、とてもキレイなサウンドで満足しています。

Davvero soddisfatto dall'acquisto, ottime cuffie, e con una semplice modifica è possibile trasformarle nelle HD 595, su google si trovano vari articoli che spiegano come fare questa modifica e perchè sono in realtà delle 595.

L'utente può' scoprire nuovi suoni ed una stereofonia difficilmente ascoltabile altrimenti! Prodotto eccellente!!! Un "must" per chi ama la musica.

Ich besitze seit ca. 2 Jahren den Sennheiser HD 202, der zugegebener Maßen in einer anderen Preisliga spielt. Aber der Tragekomfort ist furchtbar. Die Ohrmuscheln sind relativ klein und nach nichtmal einer Stunde halte ich es nicht mehr aus (trotz keiner Ohren). Ganz anders der HD 555, den ich mir vor 3 Wochen gegönnt habe! Hatte ihn vorher beim Elektro-Discounter "anprobiert" und war begeistert. Die großen Muscheln sind mit samtartigem Polster überzogen und sitzen fest, ohne Druck auszuüben. Die einseitige Kabelzuführung trägt ihr übriges zum Komfort bei. Beim HD 202 führen 2 dünne Drähtchen zu den Kunstleder-Muscheln - furchtbar. Die offene Bauweise ist garnicht so schlecht wie ich befürchtet hatte, da ich bisher nur geschlossene Kopfhörer getragen habe. Man setzt ihn auf und hört nachwievor seine Umgebung genauso wie vorher. Das ist erstaml ungewohnt, aber in den meisten Situationen sinnvoll denke ich. Und es ist beileibe nicht so, dass jemand in ein paar Metern Entfernung alles mithören kann was man hört. Wenn man mit normaler Lautstärke hört, dann dringt zwar etwas nach Außen, aber das stört meiner Meinung nach nicht. Ist aber nicht "porn friendly" ;-)) Zu guter letzt der Klang: Ich bin kein Musikfreak der jedes Detail hört und dementsprechend beurteilen kann. Aber dieser Kopfhörer ist das Beste was ich bis dato gehört habe! Super sauberer Klang, leichte gute Bässe, nichts verzerrt, sagenhaft. Ist halt Sennheiser! Pros: + Tragekomfort sagenhaft + Kabelführung einseitig und hochwertig + offene Bauweise -> Umgebung wird wahrgenommen, man kann sich mit Mitmenschen unterhalten + super Klang Contras: - 6,3 mm Klnike am Kabel, Adapter auf 3,5 mm (umgekehrt wäre mir lieber) - offene Bauweise -> Umgebungsgeräusche können stören, im Umkreis ist wahrnehmbar was man gerade hört - Kabel fest am Kopfhörer montiert Also eine klare Kaufempfehlung für alle die nicht zwingend einen geschlossenen Kopfhörer brauchen! Noch ein Wort zum Druck auf die Ohren: frisch ausgepackt sitzt der HD 555 recht stramm; ich habe ihn für ein paar Minuten über ein kleines Kissen "gezogen" um ihn etwas zu dehnen -> danach sitzt er perfekt!

Der Klang des Hd555 zeichnet sich durch eine schöne Räumlichkeit und Neutralität aus. Der Tragekomfort ist eines der Besten, den es auf dem Kopfhörermarkt zu bieten gibt. Zum Klang: Getestet wurde an drei verschiedenen Klangquellen (1. Logitech Z-Cinema, 2. Cowon S9 und Samsung YP-U5 MP3 Player, 3. Yamaha RX-V630 m. Sony DVP NS 78H DVD-Player und an Asus Xonar XD Soundkarte). Zum Test wurden MP3 Dateien mit 320kbs Datenrate, sowie normale Audio-CD's (Morcheeba, The Killers, Anna Ternheim, Wall-E O.S.T.) verwendet. Die Hochtonwiedergabe wirkt recht natürlich und abgerundet. Er lässt in diesem Frequenzbereich auch kein zischeln und keine schärfe zu. Sehr stressfrei und angenehm musiziert er daher vor sich hin. Allerdings fehlt es ihm dort auch etwas an Details und an Brillanz. Zu früh macht der Frequenzgang eine Beuge nach unten. In den Genuss der oberen Höhen stößt man daher vergeblichst. Einen eher warmen Charakter verleiht ihm dieser frühzeitige Abgang. Der Mittenbereich ist die eigentliche Stärke des HD555. Wirken Gesangstimmen sehr schön frei und offen, weisen diese aber leider einen leicht belegten Charakter auf, als würde sich eine weiche Decke über sie stülpen. Der HD555 trennt deutlich die Stimme des Sängers von der Instrumentation, ohne aber dabei deren Klangfarben zu vernachlässigen. Man fühlt sich von seiner räumlichen Musikwiedergabe umgeben und bekommt beim längeren hören nie das Gefühl vom Klang erdrückt zu werden. Der Bassbereich klingt angenehm rund und schön warm, jedoch etwas weich. Ihm fehlt etwas mehr Kontur und Präzision. Gerade im Rock-Genre klingt der Tiefbass doch etwas zu undifferenziert. Sehr tief reicht er allerdings auch nicht. Sein Durchsatz ist sehr pegelfest aber vorsichtig und richtet sich eher an jene Hörer, die sich von Badewannenabstimmungen genervt fühlen. ----------------------------- Bewertungen (max. 10 Punkte): Höhen---------6,5 Mitten--------8 Bass----------6,5 Räumlichkeit--8 Detailtreue---6,5 Dynamik-------6,5 Gesamt---7 von 10 Punkten ------------------------- Tragekomfort: Egal ob man abstehende oder große Ohren hat, sie passen hinein, ohne nach längerem Tragen weh zu tun. Die Verarbeitung ist sehr gut, der Anpressdruck optimal angenehm. Der Hörer besteht aus einem leicht flexiblen Kunststoff, dem es den Nutzer erlaubt ihn auch mal hin und her zu biegen, ohne das er zerbricht. Ins Schwitzen kommt man nur im Sommer. ________________________________________________________________________ Fazit: Wie bei allen anderen Kopfhörern gilt hier -> "Kopfhörer erstmal einige Stunden unter Last mit Musik beschallen. Danach einige Stunden probehören (man muss dem Klang schon seine Chance zur Eingewöhnung geben) und hinterher entscheiden ob man ihn behält, oder ihn lieber wieder an Amazon zurückschickt. Der HD555 klingt vergleichsweise gut für seinen Preis, wenn auch für meinen Geschmack etwas detailarm. Er sitzt sehr angenehm und ist gut verarbeitet. Im übrigen ist der Anschluss an einem Sony, Samsung oder Cowon MP3-Player möglich, ohne das der Klang darunter hörbar leidet (Labor-Messungen ergeben da ja stets was anderes). ---------------------- Bewertungen: Klang---------7/10 Sitz----------8,5/10 Verarbeitung--8/10 ---------------------- Pro + räumliche, verzerrungsfreie und pegelfeste Wiedergabe + sehr gute und luftige Stimmenpräsenz + sehr angenehmes Tragegefühl mit optimalen Anpressdruck + Adapter für kleine Kopfhörer-Buchsen inkl. + sehr langes und stabiles Kabel + Kabel ist einseitig (an der linken Muschel) angebracht + Kabel und Ohrpolster sind austauschbar + gute Verarbeitung Contra - Gesangsstimmen leicht belegt - etwas detailarmer Klang - Musik schallt stark nach außen ab - Kabellänge störend beim Hören mit einem MP3 Player