Hi, I'm still new to headphones in that I don't ever have a lot of money to really experiment with them. I want a good pair of headphones under the $150 range (under $99 truly preferred), and prefer Circumaural.

The most important aspect to me is deep, rich bass that doesn't get distorted at upper volumes, while maintaining a nice, crisp high range. My favorite type of music is slow, melodic metal with high pitched driving melodies, with slow, thundering bass in the back.

I've had a lot of problems with headphones in the past, either performing well in the high range or only in the bass range, and really failing to shine in both categories. For example, if any of you like Blue Man Group- most of the melodic instruments used are in the upper range, but all of the rhythm instruments are extremely low. Blue Man Group is a good key to go by for what type of performance I'm looking for in headphones.

Newegg has a deal this month for the Sennheiser HD555s at 99.99. Fair play, or should I be looking for something else? I'm open to suggestions for any make or model.

I should note- I'm not really an audiophile. My hearing actually isn't very good, but I am musically trained. So I do notice dreary sound, but for instance; I can't tell the difference between a well encoded MP3 and FLAC, (though I'd like to think I can tell the difference between a 128 and a V0) -- so supreme ultimate quality isn't really a concern, but of course, who wouldn't like the best for their money? The only thing I am extremely and violently particular about, is that I absolutely loathe and abhor distorted bass tones.



Any help is, of course, very appreciated. Sorry, for, all, the, commas.

I do not know anything about about the HD555's, but have a pair of HD280's that are not dissappointing. The bass is good enough for me and seems to have some very low point at which it seems a large truck is idling just outside at times. They can be had for like $70-$80 at times. The only problem ith them might be the fairly large head clamping force. They are large, unwieldy, and quite goofy looking. I also have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-770's (About $130). Very similar in most ways to the Senns. A little smaller, and a little more bass. Still lots of head clamping force though.

According to headphone.com this model is good. And the price is more good

Thanks for your input, the reviews across several vendors seem to speak favorably for the 555s, but I'm also wary of going by the reviews or opinions of those trying to sell them to me, so if anyone has a similar model (or even this very model), feel free to unload your opinion of them.

Oh, and the promotional code to get the 555s from newegg for $99 is EMC920PORT01 , though to get the discount you will have to have been a newsletter subscriber prior to the mailer being sent (early september). Just in case anyone decided they were interested.

Also check out AKG and Grado before slapping down ducats on the 555s. My pair of 280 Pros are great but I have been looking at picking up the Grado SR60 as a travel pair.

Also, Amazon seems to have the 555s at $99 as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD555-HD-...3092&sr=8-1

Headroom is a good reference site for just the size and style of headphones. They do some great picture work but I half pay attention to their reviews as their goal is selling you the product.


http://www.headphone.com/products/headphon...iser-hd-555.php

What are these going to be used for? Home use? Travel? DAP (Digital Audio Player)? All around?

Going to be used for general purpose.

Enjoying my angsty, young-child rock music so as to not upset the neighbors (from a generic onboard sound card from laptop, PC, etc)

I also use headphones for my TV on occasion, to play games that are sound-critical (Guitar Hero, Resident Evil 4, etc)

Also will more than likely be used in combination with an iAudio6, which I hear has rather good audio quality. (I'm a bit fond of archiving my CDs in flac, so I'm eager to test this rumor out.)


Will probably end up, on more than one occasion, wearing them out and about. You know, to look trendy and stuff. Maybe I'll stand around in a few places, cry a little bit (without blinking or scrunching my face, for drastic effect).

Well, I have a pair, and I'm happy. Not sure how much use this is, as my ears are, I guess, a lot older and worse than yours, and my music's different. Still, I have no reason to question the universally good reviews they get, and I'm not planning to get anything else.

They're full size, you might say, and comfortable but you know they're on. They also come with a 1/4'' jack, with an adaptor down to 3.5 mm, a combination that approaches the size of a small MP3 player. Trivial, sure, but you might as well know.

Have fun

Michael

Thanks for your input, Michael. I've used headphones that require adapters before and I'm familiar with the size. While it's inconvenient, it's not a major deterrent.

I haven't really heard anyone come up with anything negative for these, so I might just take the plunge and see how I like them. I suppose I can always return them if they end up being awful.

Thanks everyone for replying with your opinions. I trust HydrogenAudio more than any other source out there.

I ended up paying ~$95 on Amazon for my HD555's last year. I got them based on great online reviews and a couple of personal reviews--sorry to say, I didn't even bother listening to them first or testing anything else out, but...

...I have no regrets. They are fantastic. I can wear them for hours and I'll forget I have them on (like a comfy pair of glasses). I think they sound damn good. One of my friends was in the market for headphones and after trying mine out, he immediately decided to buy them, and he's quite satisfied.

For $100, I'd say go for it. They're a good pair of cans.

I have a HD 600 for 9 years now. The basses are going down right to the stomache Supposed the HD 555 is only 30% weaker in this department, you will still having a ball with this.

i like my bass-heavy HD590s which i could have SWORN i paid $150 for...i can't wear them for more than 3-4 hours, tho

couldn't have ABX'd 192cbr vs CDDA without them, tho ;D

i think i could probably live with 580s now (now that i've settled down and like a flatter sound now). Sennheiser has them in their Pro lineup still, 2-3 generations later). if you can afford an extra $20, i'm seeing some new 580s on eBay for around $170.

i can't speak for 555s but at least they're full sized. i hated any of the "high end consumer" headphones that were smaller than full sized. they just hurt my ears.

I've tried several models and settled to an ancient (20 years old) HD414SL. They turned out to be perfect for the music I like.

Just wanted to say that i have the HD555 model and just absolutely love 'em You really get some value for your money with that model IMHO

I don't have the HD555 but I do have the HD595 and am very happy with them. I can't imagine that the HD555 would be much weaker in anything.

Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to get

Although you don't consider yourself an audiophile, it sounds like you are picky about sound quality. You should really try to find a store where you can listen to them before you buy.

Several years ago, I went shopping for some headphones that were better than my old Koss HV1's. (The high-end is a little weak on these headphones.) Most of the headphones I tried sounded worse, even though the price was 2 or 3 times what I had paid for the HV1's! I decided that the maybe Koss headphones didn't sound so bad, and I didn't buy anything at that time.

When I was in "urgent need" of a pair of "sealed" headphones, I ordered a pair of Sennheiser HD 280's without listening to a pair first. Not too bad, but I think I can hear the some upper-mid resonance, and the bass seems a bit weak. To my ears, the old Koss phones still sound better... Maybe I just prefer the sound of open-air phones...

Recently, I bought a pair of Grado SR-225's and I am quite happy with them.

I own the HD555 and i owned the the HD580. The HD555 are great, but the HD580 were notable better. Overall I can recommend the HD555.

I'm not entirely sure there are any stores within reasonable difference, so I went ahead and ordered the HD555s. Newegg has a 30 day refund/replacement policy for headphones, so I should be able to find out if I like them or not within that time.

Honestly, thanks for the great input. Looking forward to testing them out, and I'll let you all know how they work out

Yowzer, I just got them in today, Newegg has some seriously incredible fast shipping.

They're pretty darn good. I can hear a little bit of a rattle in the seriously low tones if I crank it up SUPER LOUD, but honestly? That may be the bones in my head shaking. It sounds pretty excellent for this price. I started to smile when I was listening to my music and I really can't say I've done that in a long, long time.

I don't regret this. (Well, I regret it in that it was my grocery money, but... you make sacrifices sometimes.)

Look, it's a question of priorities -- can you listen to food?

Glad you like them

Michael

Exactly. My stomach may be hungry but my ears sure aren't, and my stomach gets its turn three times daily. It was time to spend some money on my ears

My thinking exactly--I'd rather go out and buy a CD than eat a fancy meal Enjoy your new headphones.

how do they compare to the PX 100?