Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
As lo-fi headphones, sound stage is basically non-existent (and along with it, so is imaging). Dynamics and speed are average. Resolution is upper lo-fi, and just a step below mid-fi headphones like the HD600. Micro-details are absent. Treble extension is decent. Bass is...hold on. I just got this Ragnarok, let me check what a 400VA 100,000 uF amp can do with the K553....okay, definitely better in terms of bass production than I remember them out of my other amps, but a 36 lbs amp can't transform these headphones. Bass is fairly articulate and tight, and puts out good energy, but it just won't extend that low -- and I'm talking about them plugged into a giant amplifier being fed by 4.6v balanced outputs from a large dual power-supply DAC. Your phone will drive these, but it WILL sound anemic in comparison -- please have expectations set correctly. I will say, one of my reference tracks (A Shanty in Old Shanty Town - Cephas and Wiggins) it does a good job with the kick-drum (deep, dark thumps) that is basically indistinguishable from my TH-900. Like ALL headphones, they benefit from a dedicated amp and high quality DAC -- if you are stuck with a certain budget, and need to make room for a good amp and DAC, I will admit that these aren't that bad, especially if you consider their portability.
Compared to headphones designed for pure musically enjoyment, they may sound a bit lean, but applying EQ will do wonders to improve their enjoyment factor.
I stand by my observation that the K553's clarity is unmatched by any sub-$200 closed-back headphone. Its extra-wide sound-stage and sense of space (for a closed-back), allow it to punch above its weight. I did admit that they lack mid-range presence and center imaging, but EQ-ing can help remedy this.
The K553's may be relatively inexpensive for headphone enthusiasts (or audiophiles), but their cost does not automatically make them "low-end". I've heard low-end headphones, and the K553's are in another league.
In terms of clarity, they are decently transparent, but that virtue is ruined by the metallic, empty tonality. EQ is a requirement, but I couldn't find one setting I could live with. I have a hard time characterizing the sound stage as wide -- you must be relying heavily on tube amping.
For full disclosure, I'm don't own a pair of K553's now, but I have heard them. I currently own the K551's, which are largely the same headphone - just with a different cable and differently-tuned driver.
It is very important that attention is paid to the position of the seal relative to the cups. The K553 has full swivel cups which can be maneuvered/tilted full circle relative to one's head. Frequencies are enhanced/diminished based on their positioning, so experiment.
In addition, it is important to pull down and in before positioning the cups (think up a notch or two (smaller) on the headband from what is initially comfortable). This not only serves to create a better seal with the K553's highly pliable foam, but reduces distraction by the minimalist headband. Hope this helps.
I suppose I'm only talking to those who haven't heard high end audio before but who desire better sound; the K553 is as far away from high end (hi-fi) as that Corolla is from the Ferrari in the arena of sports cars.
In my opinion the K553 Pro is pretty neutral with okay bass but it can't touch the open back sound of the SHP-9500. Now I know why Z on Youtube raves about the SHP-9500. The sound reproduction of open back headphones can't be touched by the K553 Pro. The sound on the K553 Pro just doesn't sound convincing especially with guitar picking. The open back headphones just do such a good job on replicating believable sound such as guitar picking. The K553 Pro makes the guitar picking sounds much flatter and less lively. Open backs will always have superior sonic quality over closed backs. I own both 681 EVO and HD668B, while they are good value for the money the SHP-9500 just blows them out of the water and I would agree the K553 Pro is a step above the touted Superlux headphones. The THX-00 purplehearts have a while to go and I can't wait to hear them so I ended up buying the T50RP MK3 over the HE-350 drop. They arrive Friday and I can't wait to hear them.
If I had to do it again I don't think I would buy the K553 Pro if I desired better sound. I would put that $120 into something better like the T50RP MK3 (even though I haven't heard it yet, pretty sure Z is onto something). I miss my Grado SR60 after one ear cup fell off the headband. Grado is onto something with open back headphones, if anyone hasn't heard a Grado yet I'd recommend picking one up. RIP SR60.
If anyone is wondering what guitar picking I'm talking about in a song:
The SHP-9500 is just way better than the K553 Pro. The guitar picking is just so damn good sounding on the SHP-9500 that I can't stop listening to the track. The K553 Pro is just so flat and less live than the SHP-9500. Even the vocals are better sounding on the SHP-9500. I'm sure some people will complain about the bitrate etc... it's recorded in but it still sounds way better on the SHP-9500 regardless of that. I use the K553 Pro every once in a while when I game but that's about it. For music I use SHP-9500 mostly for now.
Unfortunately, hi-fi headphone listening is just expensive because you need the amp and DAC to support them. So a LCD-2 system that I would call truly hi-fi might cost $2,000 in total, and that's pretty cheap. My system is currently up to around 4k and climbing.
But if open cans won't fly for you, these AKG K553s are an okay pick at this price. They seal out noise pretty well and have a decent soundstage for closed cans.