HD555 Upgrade

[AdamThePole]

Well the day has come when I have decided that I need to replace my HD555's. After about 3 years of heavy use, the right ear-cup has started to malfunction and i need to 'hit' the ear-cup to get it to work. I was wondering what people thought would be a sensible upgrade? They will not be used for gaming, only for listening to lossless rips. Ideally my budget wouldn't go over £200 ($300), and I was looking at the HD598's as a suitable replacement (£160 on Amazon.co.uk). Can anyone recommend these headphones, or any other non-sennheiser cans?

[OddballMV]

The 598 would be a good upgrade if you like the Sennheiser sound. Could also give the Sony MA-900 a look, one on the Amazon Marketplace about £178, or the Soundmagic HP100.

[t0wer]

I went to shure srh-840 after my senns. I preferred them for music, over my hd595s. If you can save up I'd recommend a bigger step up to a hifiman he400 or 500

[h264]

You could try a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880s if you can find them under $300. You might have to get the pro version with the coiled cable to make that price point, though. If you're willing to chase the unicorns and hit the $400 price point, there's the Hifiman He-400, and the Sennheiser HD600. Sometimes the HD650 is on sale. I wouldn't spend much more than that, though, unless you already have an amp.

[AdamThePole]

The Beyerdynamic DT880s are a little over budget, but damn they look good. Do you think they're worth the bit extra over the 598's?

[NewKID]

i wouldnt say that the 598 is an upgrade. imo its more of a side-grade.

the dt880 would be great but youd also need an amp and dac thatll cost at least $200.

with ops budget, its gonna be a little tough. you can get nice headphones but youll also need to buy an amp and dac

[AdamThePole]

Yea I suspected the 598 wouldn't really be an upgrade. And yes, although I do have a soundcard, it's a low end Xonar DG. I would be hoping to upgrade to a Xonar Essence STX2, is this a good choice? Would I also need a DAC if I purchased the STX2?

[t0wer]

Don't get the 598s, remove the foam from your 558s instead

[NewKID]

Yea I suspected the 598 wouldn't really be an upgrade. And yes' date=' although I do have a soundcard, it's a low end Xonar DG. I would be hoping to upgrade to a Xonar Essence STX2, is this a good choice? Would I also need a DAC if I purchased the STX2? [/quote']

the STX is a great soundcard. no the DAC is as good as a Burr Brown which is top notch. the amp is decent in the STX but an external (O2 amp or Schiit Magni) would be better, but not entirely necessary. you could pair the STX with an external amp if you wish but its not necessary. if you're willing to spend 200 (not including the STX), id look at the DT990 Pro or AKG K701

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT990-PRO-Headset-250/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363560246&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-701-Headphones-Ear-Hook/dp/B000EBBJ6Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363560284&sr=8-1

[h264]

Yea I suspected the 598 wouldn't really be an upgrade. And yes, although I do have a soundcard, it's a low end Xonar DG. I would be hoping to upgrade to a Xonar Essence STX2, is this a good choice? Would I also need a DAC if I purchased the STX2?

the Xonar DG should be able to handle the DT800 250Ohm version no problem. Hell, the DG should be able to drive all the headphones I mentioned.