Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 1924 conversations about:
blackeskimo
5
Oct 19, 2016
bookmark_border
How are these compared to AKG K553? I'm investing in headphones for the first time and need a detailed comparison between the two.
Thank you!
Mynny
81
Oct 19, 2016
bookmark_border
blackeskimoThese are very different.
HE350
- wide soundstage (sound is further from you and all around you) - lot of details even in faster track - very bright and even fatiguing in trebble heavy tracks, - not much bass in general, but clearly bassier of two. - not very comfortable with stock pads for bigger heads and they kind of sound worse with hifiman´s focus pads (but become super comfy) - short detachable cable - will outperform K553 in: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Modest Mouse, rock/metal tracks, games.
AKG K553 - fine soundstage for closed headphones, but tiny compared with HE350 (not far from better IEMs) - they have superb mids and trebble, not much bass (but it is not bad in terms of quality) - in slower tracks with guitar/piano you will be amazed. 11/10 sound quality - in faster and heavier tracks they start to feel lazy and shallow sounding. Even the soundstage feels smaller in faster tracks - very comfortable on big heads...with small ears :) earpads are shallow, your ear will likely be touching the cover. I hated it. But you can stuff pads with a few cottonballs, it really helps. - long fixed cable - closed, no sound leaks
In the end, it really depends on type of music you listen to. I would not really know which one to pick, because I listen to wide variety of tracks. Since these are both huge indoor headphones, consider buying some IEMs for outdoor and relaxing tracks (I recommend Optoma Nuforce NE800, 80$ massdrops, amazing sound similar to AKG K553, a bit fragileconstruction) and HE350 for orchestral tracks :)
HE350
- wide soundstage (sound is further from you and all around you) - lot of details even in faster track - very bright and even fatiguing in trebble heavy tracks, - not much bass in general, but clearly bassier of two. - not very comfortable with stock pads for bigger heads and they kind of sound worse with hifiman´s focus pads (but become super comfy) - short detachable cable - will outperform K553 in: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Modest Mouse, rock/metal tracks, games.
AKG K553 - fine soundstage for closed headphones, but tiny compared with HE350 (not far from better IEMs) - they have superb mids and trebble, not much bass (but it is not bad in terms of quality) - in slower tracks with guitar/piano you will be amazed. 11/10 sound quality - in faster and heavier tracks they start to feel lazy and shallow sounding. Even the soundstage feels smaller in faster tracks - very comfortable on big heads...with small ears :) earpads are shallow, your ear will likely be touching the cover. I hated it. But you can stuff pads with a few cottonballs, it really helps. - long fixed cable - closed, no sound leaks
In the end, it really depends on type of music you listen to. I would not really know which one to pick, because I listen to wide variety of tracks. Since these are both huge indoor headphones, consider buying some IEMs for outdoor and relaxing tracks (I recommend Optoma Nuforce NE800, 80$ massdrops, amazing sound similar to AKG K553, a bit fragileconstruction) and HE350 for orchestral tracks :)
blackeskimo
5
Oct 20, 2016
bookmark_border
blackeskimoand if you had to compare these two with the K7XX and ATH m50x, which would you reccommend? I also listen to a wide variety of music, mostly rap/hip-hop, rock. Some pop, orchestral tracks.
JBailey
6
Oct 20, 2016
bookmark_border
blackeskimoI have the k7xx, he350 and m50s and I can tell you my m50 are accumulating dust. The k7xx have more bass than the he350 but if you ask me the he350 do not lack bass like a lot of people say, they also have more soundstage than the k7xx. As a reference for you I listen to a lot of rock and edm but I think the k7xx would shine more with rap/hip-hop thanks to the extra bass. I also think that he350 would be better for symphonies due to being brighter and having more soundstage like mynny said. That doesn't mean the k7xx wont do a good job outside bass heavy genres, they are pretty good headphones, they're also double the price but way comfier tho.
You may take this with a grain of salt since this is just my opinion.
Related Products
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop