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(More customer reviews)Let me say right off the bat that I am very picky about sound when it comes to using my computer for most of my audio visual needs.I have a fast computer with a Soundblaster X-Fi platinum card, and Klipsch ProMedia THX surround sound system - a combination that almost got me evicted on several occassions before getting a home of my own to indulge myself in.
I did a lot of humming and hawing over headphones and ended up getting both the Sennheiser HD 515 and the more upscale 555.I have always been spoiled by the bold yet warm, balanced yet punchy sound that the Klipsch speakers and subwoofer deliver - literally everything sounds great from music to movies to games.It wasn't until I got these headphones that I realized how good Klipsch is at making up for variances in source recording quality.
Everyone says it, so I will echo this here as well - you hear details you never knew existed in just about anything you play.This is not always a good thing, when you notice that some of your favourite songs have some annoying, yet previously-undetected touches in the background that can really spoil things.
Like a lot of people, I mostly listen to MP3s off my hard drive which will never be as good as the originals, but the convenience outweighs the slight loss in quality.From the moment I plugged in these headphones, the difference between inferior rips and great ones was painfully evident.
After the first few tracks, I was pretty disappointed and thought the headphones were just not that great, or perhaps they needed more time to "burn in".But then I put on some of my favourties and WOW what an instant difference!
I put on Sting's "Thousand Years" captured at 256 bitrate and it was like I was right there in the studio.Sade's "No Ordinary Love" and Toni Braxton @ 192 kbps were also amazing .Even at 128 kbps, The Coors' "Dreams" was outstanding.
I tried them plugged into the home theatre receiver with the opening scene from Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.The narration by Galadriel was haunting and powerful, with her voice sounding like it was inside my head.
I haven't plugged these into my pre-amp yet which will give them a lot more juice, and they haven't had a 40+ hour burn-in so I am quite pleased so far.
IMPORTANT - although they are open, very little sound leaks out like some people have complained.I find this a good balance because I have small kids where I use the 555's at home, and cannot shut myself off from everyone else at work where I use the 515's.It completely drowns out my slightly loud case fans but I can still hear loud things around me.Anyone who says that people down the hall can hear them must be cranking these to obscene levels - VERY bad for your long-term hearing, and ironically one of the reasons why it is smart to get pure-sounding headphones in the first place.
Bottom line:The 555's are better and do not colour the music as much as the 515's.This means everything sounds good with the 515s while the 555s can make you change your mind about some of your favourites.Again, this comes back to the quality of the source and not the headphones themselves.Are the 555's worth 2-3x the price of the 515s?Not unless you have the money to burn.The HD 515s are an amazing value for the price - I got mine as fully warranteed B-stock that are in new condition and cost $20 less than list.$40 for a set of cans that sound almost as good as the highly vaunted 555s - a no brainer...
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Product Description:
The HD 515 is a classic headphone and an affordable entry into the audiophile 500 series.It's perfect for listening with virtually any source. It is fitted with Sennheiser's innovative E.A.R. technology, plus special Duofol diaphragms that reduce unwanted resonances to an absolute minimum. Overall listening pleasure is combined with outstanding comfort.
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