Our take on the AKG K 550

by Dave Bar

Closed-back headphones with a wide-open sound

Most headphones with a sealed earcup design let you hear your music better in noisy environments, like at a club or in a busy office. But they can also bottle up the sound, making it feel as though it's coming from inside your head. Not the AKG K 550s. These advanced closed-back headphones deliver the spacious, realistic soundstage of an open-back design, while providing blissful relief from the outside world. And because they're sealed, you can enjoy truly private listening without sound leaking outside to those around you.

Large drivers for outstanding performance

AKG has been making high-quality headphones for music enthusiasts and professionals for over 60 years, and that experience really shows in the K 550s. They use big 50mm drivers, the largest in the AKG headphone lineup, to crank out powerful, crystal-clear sound from your hi-fi system or virtually any portable player. No matter what type of music you listen to, these 'phones will give you sparkling highs, engaging mids, and dynamic bass.

Carefully designed inside and out

The K 550 features a padded adjustable headband and ultra-soft around-the-ear earcups for a comfortable fit. The single-sided oxygen-free copper cable supports a clean signal from the source to your ears, and comes with a convertible headphone plug that works with both mini- and full-sized jacks. And its 2D-Axis earcup design folds flat for easier storage and transportation.

From our review of the AKG K 500 headphones

"The AKG K 550s are a good high-end headphone choice for less-than high-end listening situations. Although slightly warm, I felt I was getting all the musical detail my sound sources were delivering. And they were comfortable enough to wear all through the work day. And that's more than good enough for me!"

— Ralph, Crutchfield Blog and Product Review Editor

See more info on this item

Highlights:

around-the-ear, closed-back design
large cushioned earcups and adjustable headband
large 50mm drivers for a realistic soundstage and powerful sound
2D-Axis fold-flat design for easier storage and transportation
frequency response: 12-28,000 Hz
impedance: 32 ohms
sensitivity: 114 dB
9-foot single-sided cord with stereo mini plug
comes with full-sized 1/4" adapter
weight: 8.3 oz.
warranty: 1 year
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs

General
Fit Style Loading...	Around-the-Ear
Earcup Type Loading...	Closed
Noise-canceling Loading...	No
Bluetooth Loading...	No
Frequency Response Loading...	12-28k Hz
Sensitivity Loading...	114 dB
Impedance Loading...	32 Ohms
Weight Loading...	8.3 ounces
Cord Length Loading...	108"
Airline Adapter Included Loading...	No
iPod Control Loading...	No
Volume Control Loading...	No
Built-in Microphone Loading...	No
Parts Warranty Loading...	1 Year
Labor Warranty Loading...	1 Year

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

Over-the-ear headphones (with attached audio cable terminated by a male 3.5mm connector)
1/4" Adapter (installed)
"Important!" note
"Attention!" booklet
Warranty Card

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features

Reference Series: The AKG K550 over-the-ear headphones combine the advantages of closed-back headphones (no sound leakage for a truly private experience) with the open sound of open-backs (typical speaker sound); making it ideal for both home and street use.

50mm Driver: The 50mm (2'') driver, the biggest driver in the AKG headphone range, delivers a realistic soundstage far beyond what other headphones typically deliver.

Comfortable Fit: With large over-the-ear cups and a new, lightweight adjustable headband design, the K550 offers an amazing, comfortable fit allowing for hours of continuous listening.

Single-Sided Cable: The single-sided, 99.99% oxygen-free cable provides pure sound transmission. The headphone cable is terminated by a straight 3.5mm gold-plated connector.

1/4" Adapter: The AKG over-the-ear headphones come with a 1/4" adapter to plug into your home stereo.

3D-Axis Folding Design: The AKG K550 features a unique 3D-Axis folding mechanism for ease of handling, storing, and transporting.

Product reviews from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

AKG K 550 Headphones

Ralph Graves

2/15/2012

Wear headphones a lot? I do. So when I find a pair that isn't wearing on my noggin, I take note. Like the time I auditioned the AKG K 550 stereo headphones.

Quick impressions from the Lab

Written by Woody Sherman, A/V Writer, on 4/2/2012 5:02:00 PM

Ever since I started working at Crutchfield I've been on the lookout for headphones that met a certain profile.

a) I work in a quiet area, so they can't leak sound. Otherwise I'd inflict my eclectic musical preferences on my co-workers. b) They should be comfortable for long-term listening. And c) they should have an extended, flat frequency response, with a slightly warm tilt.

I don't know how much looking you've done for headphones. Apparently, what I was looking for is a rare item. Sealed headphones are not known for uncolored sound or fantastically even response. But the AKG K550's are an entirely different animal.

I became curious about these gems after reading several strongly favorable reviews online from some respected headphone reviewers whose blogs I read regularly. I snagged myself a pair and checked them out. I haven't had them off much since. It took me about 5 minutes of listening to realize I had to buy a pair.

One word of caution: getting the right seal is important with these headphones. That's not hard to do on my big noggin, but if your head has more demure dimensions than mine, you'll need to work with the nicely designed adjustments on the earcups to make sure that you're surrounding the ears with no gaps to the outside world. Then you'll hear all the remarkable bass, smooth midrange, and nice extended treble you've been looking for. Plus, you'll appreciate the luxurious comfort. I really like these headphones. I'm pretty sure you will too.