AOwpr

I have really bad headphones, (5.1 surround sound, enough said). I don't have a sound card, but I'll be buying one--probably won't get an amp, though.

Anyway, I'm really interested in the HD555's... just recently online gaming has started to work for dorms in my school again, so my priorities from last time I was looking for headphones has changed (and also Amazon canceled my Denon D1000 order because they were discontinued... ). I listen to a lot of music, varies drastically, from techno and rock to jazz and classical. While I really like that they're open-backed (better for gaming and orchestral music), I sometimes study with my door open and the nearest person sits about 16-20 feet away on the other side of the hallway (door open too). I usually listen with pretty low volume, so would that be okay? Also, if I want to play a game or something, will closing the door be enough to prevent noise pollution?

Should also note that next year I might have a roommate... and if it's who I think it is, he has really loud 5.1 Logitech speakers. Oh well, can't do anything about that one, but what about normal conversation in the hallway or whatnot? Would the HD555's be okay to block them out?

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The_Rocker

The HD555's are open back so you will be able to hear loud noises through them when you havn't got much sound going on.

Have you considered a pair of closed back headphones such as the Audio Technica A700's?

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AOwpr

Yeah, but I read closed back isn't as good for music and gaming?

Oh and also, I'm not sure what soundcard to get... lower the price the better. Any recommendations?

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DUNC4N

HD555's are about the best value in decent sound imho. I'm no audiophile but they have been working wonderfully for gaming for me for a couple years. (tried a few other pairs before these).

I wouldn't worry about disturbing others because of the open-back, or being disturbed by others either.

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AOwpr

Alright, thanks. Posting on Head-Fi for sound card advice and hopefully I'll have a review up soon.

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alex98uk

I actually went from the HD555's to some Sony MDR-XB700's which are excellent and noise cancelling. I use them on the train and can't here nowt but the music! Also, the bass is great and earpads comfortable

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aaronman

Umm, generally open cans are known to have a wider sound stage than most closed cans but that's not always the case. Some closed headphones are great for gaming and vice versa, it all depends on the model. My JVC RX900s are closed but seem to have a wider sound stage than my Grado SR60s.

That being said, if you want phones for gaming, I would consider another headphone. The HD555 is good but even the closed A700 would actually be better for gaming. However, the open AD700 is a superb gaming headphone and is fairly versatile - I would go with that.

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