..Moving on from AKG550.Advice/opinions appreciated

[tom2b]

Good afternoon everybody.

I have had the AKG550 for a year now, but feel that these are not giving me what I am really looking for .

I admire the soundstage and the clarity of the sound, but overall I feel these are a litle too 'clinical' (even with the EQ bass turned up to full)

In essence, if I could find a set of headphones that add more warmth and yes, more Bass, then that would be my perfect pair.

I mostly listen to my music via CD's(bought,or downloaded from Itunes~ eg no streaming/lossless etc, just'standard') at medium volumes via my Marantz M-CR603.

What I most listen to is 70's reggae in its various guises, so to me it is important that I get good pronounced basslines. The AKG for me doesnt bring this out enough.

Obviously there are reviews on the site, and the option to test headphones at my local Audio T store, but it would be difficult not to succumb to 'expectation bias', so the advice/opinions of the inhouse experts is much appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Audiofilo]

Chambers by RZA Premium. RRP £250 but can be had for a bargain £50 or so on eBay. Great bass.

 

[dalethorn]

Good afternoon everybody. I have had the AKG550 for a year now, but feel that these are not giving me what I am really looking for. I admire the soundstage and the clarity of the sound, but overall I feel these are a litle too 'clinical' (even with the EQ bass turned up to full). In essence, if I could find a set of headphones that add more warmth and yes, more Bass, then that would be my perfect pair. I mostly listen to my music via CD's(bought,or downloaded from Itunes~ eg no streaming/lossless etc, just'standard') at medium volumes via my Marantz M-CR603. What I most listen to is 70's reggae in its various guises, so to me it is important that I get good pronounced basslines. The AKG for me doesnt bring this out enough. Obviously there are reviews on the site, and the option to test headphones at my local Audio T store, but it would be difficult not to succumb to 'expectation bias', so the advice/opinions of the inhouse experts is much appreciated. Thank you

The description you've given is a kind of holy grail in mid-priced headphones. Of the last 80 or so I've reviewed, very few have been good enough out of the box (and after burn-in) to recommend as-is without equalization. Some of those are: B&W P7, B&O H6, Sennheiser HD380 Pro, Thinksound ON1, and the Yamaha MT220.

The P7 is a very lively sound with a fairly strong bass and treble, the H6 is a little more neutral in bass but still fairly warm (but has a mild emphasis in the upper mids), the HD380 and ON1 are a little darker sounding, and the MT220 more like the H6 but without the mids coloration.

 

[tom2b]

Dale,

Thank you for your input !

 

[JoelSim]

AIAIAI TMA-1 range. Superb deep yet crisp bass and certainly not too clinical. I have some myself and have listened to lots of headphones.