Sennheiser HD 550 review

You can’t make a mistake with a pair of Sennheiser headphones. They are powerful in all the right places and lightweight enough to feel comfortable for a long time, which makes them sitting to games for many hours. Sennheiser HD 550 does not differ, what explains why they are also the first set of headphones that Sennheiser leads directly to players outside the company’s long -term composition.

The up-to-date HD 550 has all the products of the Sennheiser headset. For years I have been using an older HD 650 on my game platform, and HD 550 feels quite familiar. It’s a good thing; It has artificial ear pads that feel the same on the ear and they are attached to mainly an open metal ear mesh to get a full impression from an open defender.

If you are up-to-date in the world of high-quality headphones, Open-Back refers to the open rear part of Earcup, usually with a metal mesh, as is the case, offer a wide and airy sound scene. This will cause a more natural sound than an alternative, closed defender. Closed headphones have their advantages. They are naturally running in noise insulation and suffer from a smaller sound leak, which makes them better in boisterous environments or removal from home, but they are not as favorable for long -term basic top -ups as an open defender.

As a pair of wired, open headphones with impedance from half to height, HD 550 will not be great to go outside. You can drive easily with a compact amplifier, but your next steam headphones are not. They are mainly directed to a stationary crowd, and sitting at the desk is a place where you will get the game best of them.

For a 1.8-meter cable and a 3.5 mm lift, you don’t have to worry about compatibility with a wide range of devices. It’s okay on the back of a game computer or with a front panel (although I always recommend a direct rear connection). This cable ends in one connection on the headphone set, connecting the closing socket, which is one of the key distinguishing features with HD 650 with a connection on both ear. HD 650 also contains a longer 3-meter cable.

A dedicated amplifier is better to push these headphones. In this case, an attached adapter from 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm is useful. I connected HD 550 to my stack Schiit Magni and Modi for testing, but you don’t have to bother with all this if you don’t want to spend extra cash. You can do much less and get similar results. I used those connected directly to my motherboard and are noisy enough to play.

I pushed them close For uncomfortable volume through my motherboard, but it was not possible to go higher. I am a bit careful when it comes to listening to high levels and it was almost bearable. Basically, if you really like to turn up the sound, you’ll probably need an amplifier. Otherwise you are probably good.

HD 550 sounds great. Look at the frequency reaction charts provided by Sennheiser, and you can see a miniature extension of the lower bass frequencies compared to HD 599 and this is noticeable even compared to HD 650. However, this is still a Sennheiser headphone set, so you should not expect that the striking bass will sneer your bones. This is a subtle change for a slightly larger impact at a low level, but sufficiently noticeable when changing between HD 550 and HD 650.

Although noticeable is also a slightly more outline the reaction of the high tones to HD 550. When listening to everything I need through the state of Maribou, it is only subtle, but in a more lively round speaker by Anaïs, makes it a bit more uncomfortable listening. This may be more a compliment, how basic it is to listen to the HD 650. It may be related to the openness of Earcup on HD 550, which is slightly reduced by a layer of foam and a smaller mesh compared to the larger, without foam HD 650. Although with different controllers (38 mm vs 42 mm), it is challenging to put it on only one thing.

This is not harmful to playing HD 550 games. It is quite addictive into something like Hunt: Showdown. Shoot a powerful rifle, and the sound crosses the Hubbub of the world cooked by zombies, much more on HD 550 compared to HD 650. HD 550 is great for this kind of game.

This is quite a specific picture, but more broadly, HD 550 sounds fantastic. The average grade is absolutely the highest class, which you throw at it, and this also does not seem particularly missing in the reaction of the bass.

For comfort and it is not a surprise that this lightweight headphone set does not disappear at you for a long time. Sennheiser has it on 237 grams, just like measual measuring, Sennheiser-I this airy frame means that the plush lining does not have to do a lot to remain comfortable. However, it is quite luxurious, with these artificial ear pads and a headband dressed on the skin.

The pillow for the head is the only place where this headset slightly loses with HD 650 in my books, which fits my head better to narrow, but it can only be me. However, the HD 550 weight prevents it from becoming a bigger problem. They are still very comfortable.

For prices, and HD 550 is quite inexpensive according to audiophile standards at the address USD 300/£ 250/300 €. This is a lot compared to one of the best headphone headphone sets, and the lack of a microphone may be breaking for some, but we talk about the pairs of headphones and you can pick them up for many reasons because of a regular tariff. The main one is sound quality and comfort.

But Sennheiser has competition in this space. There is a Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro, about which our Andy, a professional audio buff in his previous life, really delighted in her review. These are with a microphone for USD 330/€ 300. Then there are Audeze Maxwell, which are equipped with flat magnetic drivers, and I do not want to overlook those for listening to music and playing games – they are great for both with an excellent bass reaction.

And then there is a drop + epos PC38X, which I analyzed a few years ago, also from the Sennheiser stable. Epos, now non -existent, was Sennheiser Gaming a long time ago, Nierest. All this is very complicated, and now even headphones, such as HD 550, are actually made under a license by a company called Sonova. In any case, PC38X is equipped with a microphone and really impressive neutral drivers for much less cash, originally around USD 135, although because they leave, they seem to be less widely available and cost more. They can soon be completely out of run.

But the biggest competition for Sennheiser HD 550? Well, with high -quality headphones is that oldies are still great. They don’t really go out of fashion. HD 550 costs $ 300, HD 560s USD 200HD 650 to USD 476HD 6xx costs $ 179, and HD 600 is USD 355. Among the plot, it is challenging to ignore the very talented and very similar HD 560 for 100 USD less.

This is more challenging for HD 550 in Great Britain. HD 650 are simply £ 229. Yes, it is actually lower than HD 550, and I reach for HD 650 more often. Even worse, HD 560s are only stunning £ 99. This is an absurdly low price per pair Very Similar headphones and not for the first time these headphones sat so low. Although you will find different opinions about whether HD 560s is outlined, this audiophile itching for everyone, it is challenging to ignore this price reduction.

The price is really the only point for gluing HD 550. A versatile impressive pair of headphones that are expert in listening to music and games, challenging almost completely by the price of launch, which is not completely justified on the current market. At least, it seems that Sennheiser has nailed the formula of its average offer with this set. With a good enough discount I absolutely chose the HD 550 pair.