Hot on the heels of its recently-reviewed HD 505 over-ears, Sennheiser has unveiled its latest pair of wired headphones aimed at audiophiles and gamers alike. The new HD 550 seek to balance "revealing performance with effortlessly smooth tuning", blending a wide, spacious sound with a lightweight construction to help listeners delve into their music for hours at a time.
Central to the HD 550 is a custom 38mm transducer which seeks a fast, dynamic performance with a focus on sonic clarity and reduced distortion. The new cans' open-back design features a new acoustic mesh which seeks to protect the transducers, while those same transducers' angled arrangement grants a more expansive soundstage for your music.
The HD 550 boast a more relaxed clamping force compared with their 500-series stablemates in a bid to boost comfort over long listening sessions or epic gaming marathons. Weighing in at 237g, the same weight as the HD 505 cans, the HD 550 feature a textured headband and ventilated metal mesh earcups for increased listener comfort that doesn't compromise overall durability.
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Sennheiser HD 550 on a white countertop
(Image credit: Sennheiser)
The HD 550 also have one eye on the environment. The new headphones are built with a modular design, allowing for easy swapping of cables and earpads should they become worn out or damaged. Sennheiser's latest over-ears come equipped with a 1.8m cable terminating with a stereo 3.5mm jack plug alongside a 6.35mm adapter, making them compatible with a broad range of source devices.
According to Klaus Hanselmann, Sennheiser's Audiophile Product Manager, "Audiophiles looking for featherlight headphones with honest voicing and deep bass extension are in for a treat. While the HD 550’s airy detail is obvious, customers will fall in love with its delightfully polite touch – perfect for listening for hours on end."
The Sennheiser HD 550 will ship in the first week of April, priced at £250 / $300, a small advance on the £230 / $250 test price of their HD 505 cousins.
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