Hello Head-Fi

It's been a while since I've participated here since I more or less found my end game and now I only have the urge to change my music player.

Today I'll be writing about the AKG K551 headphones.

In simple terms, these are superb headphones for all around use.

To sumarize my points early in case you want to skip the more in depth detail:

The good is that it's well balanced, it sounds natural, the pads are comfortable and offer good overall isolation. I find the soundstage superb for a closed set of headphones.

The bad is that for portable headphones, these are huge. The cable is not removable (not a deal breaker for me but with my experience with the Beyerdynamic T5p it's definitely preferred to have a removable cable). The sub-bass is rolled off (but still present). The packaging is lousy and they don't include any accessories, just a cardboard box with the headphones on a platic tray.

Overall, these are my top pick for headphones under $300 and make a great entry level pair that will last for years (I heard some bad things about the pads getting worn out quickly though).

So let's start with the aesthetics.

These are single entry design using a plastic / metal combination for a very sleek set of headphones. The cable feeding into the right side is very discreet.

I have the white version and find that overall it looks like a very clean design. The only "issue" is that there are markers on the headband to measure the extension which is a bit unnecessary in my opinion. The headband padding is very low profile but sufficient enough for most people to keep a fairly thin headband that will basically just look like a metal band stretching across both ears.

The rougher plastic with metal accents gives the headphones a good aesthetic contrast.

Besides the extremely large cups they're aesthetically pleasing. (If I look to the left / right I can see the cups protruding from the sides of my head)

9/10

Moving onto build quality, they feel sturdy for sure. The headband has many notches for more precise control over the sizing and this is extremely appreciated by someone such as myself who has a head that's very sensitive to pressure (if there's too much weight resting on the top of my head it becomes extremely uncomfortable). The headband extension locks well so you won't find it sliding around while wearing it once set properly.

The cable is very resistant to microphonics which is a nice plus. Unfortunately the jack is really fat and a straight jack. I would prefer having something detachable or something closer to what Sennheiser uses on the momentums where the jack is adjustable. Since this model comes with the inline mic I feel like detachable cables really should have been included since I find the mic just a nuisance given that I use the headphones with my AK120.

As I mentioned earlier, I've read some complaints about the pads getting worn quickly. Pads getting worn is something that just has to be accepted. It happens even on the HD800 with their super engineered microfiber pads. I haven't owned them long enough to be able to comment on this.

The headphones seem to be resilient against dirt other things which is nice. Headphones like the Fostex TH900 are magnets for finger prints (though completely different finish and material).

I used to carry the AKG K551 in a case (I got the Deloop case from kickstarter which is a really nice headphone case but that's a different topic) but decided that I can just fold them up and throw them in my bag. I'm not particularly rough with my stuff (well, I actually am) but I make sure to consider the limits of what I'm using.

These are sturdy enough that I feel safe putting them in my bag without a case with a bunch of other things but always put them at the top as to not have them crushed.

Build quality is a solid 8.5/10 with the main points being lost for the cable (well, really all the points lost there are for the cable). Though do consider that the headphones were $150 new and having a removable cable would have likely driven the price up.

Presentation of the headphones.

These came in an underwhelming box on a plastic tray. I expected to open these up and find a bunch of goodies hidden underneath the plastic tray such as even a simple soft carrying bag to protect from dust and dirt during transportation or the standard 3.5 to 6.3mm adapter.
No such thing existed in this box. I can say with certainty that this is not the same box that Schrodinger used in his experiments. There are no accessories and you should not expect any.


Though at least the box had a plastic window so you can see them before buying them (if you're buying in store).

This was no where near as underwhelming as when I received the Beyerdynamic T5p which I long regard as my worst purchase in this hobby with the only redeeming factor being that I learned not to trust the price when trying to determine quality.

Presentation for the AKG is 5/10. (This includes the lack of accessories)

Now onto the main dish, the sound quality.

My only piece right now for testing is the AK120 (first version) with firmware 1.4 and no EQ.

The AK120 is noticably unbalanced with emphasis on the midbass.

My preference is for something balanced and natural. I prefer having headphones that will present everything as naturally as possible so I can sit back and listen to the whole piece or pick out specific parts / areas / instruments.

I listen to a lot of soundtrack music/ jrock / some classical and pop/rock.

First I must say the soundstage is superb for a closed back. I saw this as someone who's owned a lot of TOTL headphones in the past. I know that source and amp make a difference and maybe this specific pairing works really well (the AK120 is truly a nice unit) but I must say this is very pleasing as both an audiophile and a gamer. The width is very impressive and has good depth to back it up as well. Imaging is very well done for these headphones. The only thing lacking in this area is the resolution though I find it far superior to the other headphones in the closed back genre of this price point. The resolution isn't the greatest and can sometimes lead to a bit of a thick sound (which in turn makes it sound less delicate) but this is not prominent at all. (I only noticed because I've owned HD800s and Stax 007s). This is speaking from a highly critical stand point and looking at headphones at the $150 price point.

As for the balance of the headphones, keep in mind that I do have to mentally adjust a bit when rating this because the AK120 has a midbass emphasis, but overall I find the headphones very well balanced with a roll off on the bass. This roll off is very noticeable on the subbass and has caused me confusion on a couple of occassions. Switching from the Nobles to the K551 (or from what I remember of the TH900) I anticipate the bass guitar or something else kicking in at a certain point and feel like I missed something. The subbass is present but rolled off.

The AK120 does a wonderful job of keeping my headphones sounding smooth. One thing that I heavily disliked about the AKG Q701 is that they sounded very electronic with the O2 (which is a very transparent amp). The K551 has no such issues with the AK120 feeding it. I find the sound very natural and accurate enough for critical listening sessions. It presents a good balance between the two.

The treble might have a bit of a recess in the higher ranges that was noticeable when listening to my test song, Apparition by Vanilla Mood (in flac CD rip of course). The violin in the climax of the piece was a little recessed compared to what I'm used to but it really could just have been the balance being more natural that it doesn't stand out as much as headphones like the HD800 where the treble is more emphasized than the mids and bass. (or at least has more peaks). I don't feel any sibilance from these headphones.

The bass is tight but definitely not any kind of bass head level pair of headphones. I hope that my emphasis on these being a balanced pair of headphones has made this clear already. The bass is present with some impact but it's not booming, ear shattering or any of that. I find the bass very appropriate for listening to my music which comprises of cellos, bass guitars, pianos and more. I'll just mention it again that I find the subbass rolled off a bit.

The mids are full. Not buttery smooth (I don't think anything really ever reached the buttery smooth mids of the SE535 in my mind) but smooth and natural. I used to cringe or feel off when listening to vocals (of which my collection comprises mostly of females) on some of my past headphones because they sounded distant or weak with respect to the rest of the song. I have no complaints about the mids.

The delicacy of these headphones is one of the two main factors in my mind for what's lacking. While they're amazing headphones for the price they still lack that finesse that I've heard on a lot of the TOTL headphones (this however doesn't include the T1, T5p and roxannes which I feel didn't have any finesse).

Overall I rate the sound at 9.5/10 for my preferences and this is in respect to a lot of the higher end headphones that I've tried. Keep in mind sound is subjective and it's always recommended to try headphones first.


Now the dessert / conclusion.

To summarize, these headphones have amazing value. Packing in a decently portable design, good build quality and aesthetics mixed with the best sound I've had from headphones at this price point, they make for headphones that I will readily recommend to anybody looking to get into hifi at this price point. The sound quality issues I mentioned won't really be that apparent to most people anyway.
The cons are that there's a distinct lack of accessories with these.

Overall I give these headphones a 9.5/10 for the price. I would definitely recommend these to others.

At the moment, I have the original pair of roxannes with the left (what I noted as defective) earpiece replaced. Upon reopening them and listening, I heard very obvious channel imbalance. With the left earpiece being stronger, more clear and with a bit better balance. The right earpiece is from an original early set. The following review is based mostly on the original pair I owned which may not be representative of the quality of the product you would be receiving now.

EDIT:
Why did I give this 1/2 a star? Simply because the experience with these has been absolutely awful.
I found out after talking to a few audiophiles about my pair that the left earpiece may be broken in some way. Basically the mids were muffled and sounded off. Very noticeable if you paid attention to it/ know what to listen for. Otherwise it would just sound like something is off overall. This coming in after all the cosmetic defects and delays is REALLY disappointing. I send emails with no response. I call and get connected to Andy who listens to me and tells me he'll send me a pair first thing Monday morning (Monday being May 19th) and that he would quality check it himself. Well here I am updating this on June 12th with no further response and no replacement after confirming by email that he would send me a replacement on May 19th. This has been an overall awful experience dealing with JH for a $1300 pair of earbuds.


I'd like to start by reminding everyone these are my current impressions and can change depending on certain factors.

After a whole long mess and some back and forth and other dealings I've ended up with a repaired pair of Roxannes UF. These are VERY different from the original pair I had in terms of sound and design. The new ones are larger, more bulbous, have much better treble response / clarity to my ears and are just superior in my opinion. I assume the previous ones may have just been a quick dash to get them out the doors considering the delays they were facing.


Date received:
March 27th, 2014
Last updated:
Aug 7th, 2014

So let's start this.
The source gear I'm using:
Fiio X5
Nexus 5
Sansa clip zip

Music I listen to:
A bit of Jrock
Various instrumentals
Various types of soundtracks
Very little pop / electronic

Most of what I listen to is lossless with certain exceptions. However, I would not use those exceptions for reviewing purposes.

No, these are not high end audiophile DAPs. I understand that. If you wish to stop right here and ignore the rest of my impressions that's up to you.

What I want from headphones are something balanced/neutral. I used to be more of a treble head but lately I'm finding myself wanting a present bass-line that I can tune in on if wanted while still having my mids and treble. I don't care as much about soundstaging, this is a secondary aspect to my ears. Spaciousness is something I do appreciate though. I like some sweetness to my headphones. I dislike the more dry/electronic headphones like the HD700, Beyer T1, AKG K701. If those are headphones you enjoy then I don't think my review will be overly applicable to your situation. My outer ears are fairly small. I guess in this case head size doesn't matter.

Table of contents
1. Comfort
2. Build Quality
3. Sound


1. Comfort
I have small ears so often find myself using the small or medium eartips for most IEMs
I don't know if the shape of my ears is just abnormal (I've never had molds done) but these don't fit that well.
I've tried quite a fair amount of tips from the Sony silicone tips to complies to the stock tips and more. The ONLY tips that give me a good seal with comfort are these black double flange tips my friend gave me. Everything else has either been uncomfortable or didn't seal. Even then the newer JH Roxanne UF are very large and have trouble fitting in my smaller ears. But it's more than manageable with these tips.


2. Build quality
The earpieces themselves feel very sturdy. I wouldn't worry about them at all. I do however wish there maybe was a locking mechanism for the eartips to stay in place because on several occasions I've had eartips slide off while I'm taking the Roxannes out of my ears leaving me carefully grabbing at the little bit of the eartip protruding.
I like the cable. Hopefully the new cable I received won't be as bad as the first one. Currently the cable seems fine but the first cable I had had the tendency to unravel itself.
The proprietary connectors feel quite secure.
I always feel like the box for the bass tuning is the weakest link but it's fairly out of the way and should fit in your pocket without a problem.

3. Sound
Probably the most important yet most biased section

I've been keeping the bass adjustments fairly high, despite me saying I prefer neutral, because it seems the double flange tips severely reduce bass.

To my ears:

I had these for a few months before I sold it because they became unbearable to use.
I tried the bowl pads and that helped with comfort but the sound became a nightmare for an audiophile so I will refrain from discussing that here.

Build quality:
Very solid headphones. The cable is nice and thick so I'm not scared of it breaking.
The solid metal earcups are a nice touch but are also a downside.
The headband is nice.

Design:
Cups are beautiful and shiny but paint comes off easily on the lettering.
The cups are too heavy.
I'm not a fan of the earcup swivel design but it works.

Comfort:
Horrendous.
Terrible.
0/10
The earcups are far too heavy for on ears and it ends up pressing a lot on your ears. The stiff pads and the grill of the drivers end up scratching and pressing even more with no cushioning.
Putting them on for an hour was torture for me.

Sound:
Now, you'd expect it to have amazing sound quality considering the downside of comfort right?
While the sound is good, it's not a natural sound.
It's very aggressive and emphasizes various frequencies. It's very energetic.

Bass:
Quite punchy if the song calls for it. The bass is not overwhelming in any way.

Mids:
Very forward and aggressive in an "in your face" sort of way. Not very smooth.

Treble:
Very harsh and bright headphones. Would probably be very fatiguing for people. I've never felt fatigue from any headphones so the bright treble isn't a turnoff for me.

Soundstage: very limited when compared to the AKG Q701 in the same price range.
Seperation: Again, not as good compared to the AKG Q701.

Overall:
If you can handle the comfort, maybe flat pads from the lower models? But from experimenting, it changes the sound a lot.
The sound signature is very much colored to make rock and similar genres energetic and aggressive but to me, this isn't exactly a great thing since I listen to classical and other genres as well.

I owned these for a couple months before upgrading to the HD800.
While using them, I used them with the ODAC+O2 combo as well as the Fiio e17.

There's no doubt these are supposed to be headphones for home use. They're very open, leak sound and are just generally very large.

From reviews, these are really supposed to be the stepping stone to the hd800 since they're meant to be very accurate like the HD800. I can agree with that statement.

Design:
The bumps on the headband are just plain stupid. Otherwise they're designed well, they fit well on my slightly large head.

Comfort:
I have a tender spot on the top of my head that loses circulation if something presses down. When I lose circulation I start having a painful feeling. The bumps on the headband are no exception. They cause that spot on my head to lose circulation. I fixed this by wrapping kleenex around the headband but judging from the k712 having a flat headband and the previous models having a flat headband, the 701 series having bumped headbands is just plain stupid and as far as I know, serves no purpose.

Sound:
Very sterile sound. For me this is a negative.
Sounds flat but with the bass improvement from the k701 to q701, has a fuller sound than the k701. Please note, fuller than k701 doesn't mean it has a full sound.

Bass: weak but present. It's not a smooth and liquid bass, it feels forced. Not punchy

Mids: don't sound natural. Vocals lack emotion. Overall the mids aren't punchy.

Treble: Can be a bit harsh but is revealing and defined. Treble extension is quite good at least.

Soundstage: For a pair in this price range, the soundstage is very good. Very wide and has decent depth.

Seperation: top notch seperation. Each instrument / note is clearly defined.

Overall summary:
A good pair of headphones if you're looking for something very detailed and accurate but lacks emotion and liquidity.
The HD800 was definitely a big upgrade over the q701 but of course is 4x the price.

I paid $175 for a used pair and honestly, it was a great purchase.
I already owned the ESW11LTD but I waslooking for something a bit punchier.
The ESW11LTD I'd say kind of fit that criteria.

Being a portable pair, I used this primarily with my iPhone 4 with EQ "Flat"

Build quality:
Very nice build quality to be completely honest.
The metal and leather brought me back to when I had the P5.
Unfortunately the sennheiser badges on either side of the earcups weren't put in properly and had gaps around them which was a bit disappointing.

Design:
The earcups are very small. Due to my smallish ear I was able to use these as both an over ear and on-ear pair which is odd =/ Considering these were supposed to be meant as over ears, I would have made the cups a little bigger.
Also, as a portable headphone, if you include the case, it gets bulky. In a small messenger bag, I'd have a very hard time fitting the case in.
Would have liked to see maybe a fabric case.

They isolate quite well, but of course, IEMs will do a better job.

Sound:
They sound a bit v-shaped to my ears, focusing more on the bass and treble while the mids are pushed back a little.

Bass:
Bass texture is decent. It's tight, defined and a bit punchy but it doesn't sound super natural.
The extension could also be better. Maybe I'm just spoiled from always having $1000 headphones lying around.

Mids:
Being someone who listens to intimate vocals a lot, this section was a bit disappointing coming from the audio technica esw11ltd and stax sr007mk2.
It felt like the mids were pushed back a bit. Not as a super-v-shaped sig, but noticeable enough. The mids aren't as liquid as other headphones I've used.

Treble:
Treble liquidity is decent. Refined/resolved but again, nothing comparable to totl headphones.
Extension is good in this area.

TBC

I bought these to be my main portable headphones. The form factor makes it a good choice if you're not into earbuds. When folded up, is quite convenient and slides into my bag without a problem. I used these primarily with my iPhone 4 set to EQ "Flat" while going about.

Design:
After my experiences with my T5p I really would have liked to see removable cables but then again, AT never has removable cables for anything =/
As I said before, quite the nice form factor, easily portable.

Comfort:
I found these fit nicely as on-ear. My ears are quite sensitive to on-ears but I very rarely had problems with these even during extended periods of use ~2 hours.

Style:
A lot of people posted that these cups are bland and not very appealing compared to the ESW10JPN.
Honestly, I really like them. They have a sense of class to them. They're quite beautiful when examined up close and don't stand out when looked at from far away, but still eye-catching.

Sound:
Overall the tone is very smooth and natural but laid-back like a pair of LCD2s is laid back.

Bass:
The texture is nice, of course when comparing to a pair of full sized planars it doesn't seem that significant but for a portable, it's quite enjoyable. Though, it lacks punch. During a nice drum solo you'll feel like it lacks a bit of energy and punch.
If you listen to extremely bassy music you won't feel it as much.
Otherwise extension is good, for my purposes anyway.

Mids:
Like most ATs, this is where they excel. The mids are smooth, a bit forward and vocals are stunning.

Treble:
Treble extension is very good but nothing spectacular and there's no sibilance whatsoever. I had problems with my shure earbuds over sibilance.
There's some sparkle to the treble which is something I look for, it's refined but not to the point of the hd800.

In summary:
These are a nice pair of headphones for portable use.
My friend owned the ED8 and I owned the T5p and Momentum.
The ED8 was V-Shaped and I do not enjoy that.
The T5p was unnatural and very large.
The momentum is quite big and a bit more v-shaped but punchier.
The ESW11LTD is more laid back and has the best form factor for a portable out of all of them.

For portable use, my ranking would be:
ESW11LTD>Momentum>ED8>T5p

Though sound signature is personal preference so, take what you want from this.

EDIT: After trying more TOTL headphones and electrostats, I bumped the rating down.

Preface:
Please keep in mind I'm reviewing them for the purpose they were created. Beyerdynamic targeted them at mobile users who are looking for high end portable cans. I spend 2-3 hours on the go every day and the transit here is very loud so I need something that isolates. I also can't really be using semi-open or open backed cans in the library where I'll be distracting people.

Build Quality:
The build quality is VERY high in my opinion. Everything feels very sturdy. The cups swivel a bit so you can move one side behind your ear if someone is talking to you. The hinges feel very sturdy which was a big concern for me when I bought them but the materials used are very strong.
The padding is fantastic. As long as I put them on correctly (will talk about that more later) they were very comfortable. It's all natural leather (or so I have been told).
I really would have liked for the cables to be removable.
There's one design flaw which I will discuss later on.

Presentation:
Presentation was very poor for a $1300 pair of cans. It came in a small white cardboard box. The headphones themselves were tucked into their felt case which was really disappointing since they originally came in a nice aluminum case.
When I received them I thought they were the wrong model, it just looked so underwhelming when compared to the presentations of headphones like the D7000 and LCD2.

Comfort:
the comfort is superb. the only headphones I've tried that were more comfortable were the HD800. The padding is nice and thick so your ears don't touch the driver/the inside of the cups.
The padding for the headband is very plush and just forms around your skull to perfectly distribute the weight.
Placing them correctly: It took me a while to get these on correctly at first. The pads are very large and you have to place your ears right in the middle so that the top of the pads don't rest on your ears. If they do, you'll probably notice discomfort very quickly. The headband has to be positioned perfectly as to not affect the sound or comfort. Since the drivers are angled, any change in the angle of the headband can affect the sound.

Isolation:
They isolate very well, which is not surprising considering they're marketed at high end portable use.
I use these in public on transit such as buses and trains. They don't isolate as well as the Bowers and Wilkins P5 or the Bose QC 15 but they do a good job for most situations.

Sound:
Even though they're meant for portable use, I find they need to be driven by an amp. This led me to buy the Fiio e17 amp which I find pairs decently well with it. I leave it on low gain with some bass boost and a tad bit of treble boost.
Bass: The bass is VERY weak on these and if you're switching from bassier cans like the D7000 it can be a bit of a shock. There's also a dip in the mid-bass which made me think that they were defective at first since I couldn't hear the opening notes of a particular song.

On the upside, the bass is nice, tight and impactful. Sometimes too tight. Some songs have a very fast bass beat that gets smoothed out with slower cans but with these, you won't get that and sometimes might ruin the song, though, these headphones are not targeted for people who listen to that music anyway. The bass does not bleed into the mids like it did with my Bowers and Wilkins P5 headphones. They respond well to bass EQing with my E17 to give even more punch but they won't match up to basshead cans.

Mids: I found the mids VERY forward and I'm not someone who is mid-centric. I thought these headphones were quite warm.

Treble: The treble is bright which is good for me. Others may not like it as much. It's very crisp and clear with no noticeable graininess as long as your source files are good. These headphones hit all the highs and lows with precision.

Tonality: Something about beyers always sounds a bit off to me, unnatural, regardless of source and amping. This includes the T1, T5p, T90, etc.
----

Problems:
The new carrying case for these is horribly flawed. The case crushes the connection cables to the cups and caused the connection in the left cup to break after a measly 2 months. I don't think this would have happened if they stuck with the aluminum case and it's very disappointing to have to send in a $1300 pair of headphones in for repairs after 2 months. Save yourself the trouble and get a good case that suits your needs without breaking them like the case for the lower models or maybe the Hippo Case L.

EDIT: Apparently Beyer is now offering the aluminum case again with these


Please leave feedback on my review in areas where I can improve! This is my first review so any constructive criticism is welcome