Sennheiser
Discover the details you’ve been missing.
HD 550 Audiophile Headphones
Meet the HD 550, your gateway to audiophile sound at an accessible price. Ultra-light yet built to last, these headphones deliver all-day comfort and Sennheiser-grade durability with a new headband and metal mesh earcup covers. The sound is expansive and detailed, with a
frequency range from 6 Hz to 39.5 kHz. Thanks to angled drivers and an open-back design, you’ll feel like you’re right in the action—whether it’s your favorite band or an adrenaline pumping video game. For anyone craving more immersion, the HD 550 brings clarity and depth you've been missing. Goosebumps included.
Tech Specs
- Headphone Type: Wired Over-Ear
- Connection Type: 3.5mm plug (unbalanced)
- Impedance: 150Ω
- Driver Diameter: 38mm
- THD: <0.2% (1 kHz / 90 dB SPL)
- Sound Pressure Level: 106.7 dB (1 kHz / 1 Vrms)
- Frequency Response: 6Hz - 39.5KHz
- Acoustic Principle: Open-back
- Ear Cushion Material: Synthetic velour
What's in the box
- HD 550 headphones
- 1.8-meter cable with 3.5 mm straight plug
- 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm screw-on adapter
- Drawstring bag
- Documentations
HD 550
Your media is keeping secrets. No, not an encoded bitcoin key or Banksy’s real name — sonic secrets: the faint inhale of a singer, a fretboard squeak, whispered background vocals buried deep in the mix, faraway footsteps in an online game. The HD 550 headphones are your cheat code to hear them all — in brilliant detail and lifelike presence. And you don’t need a roomful of expensive equipment to access the experience.
Features
Here are the reasons why?
- Nice and light (237 g) for long sessions
- Comfy low clamping force for your head and ears
- Your gateway to a new world of detailed, audiophile sound
A new world of detail and precision
Hear details you’d never noticed before. Feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. That’s what the HD 550 sound gives you in a light, comfy, accessible package.
Many mainstream audio products produce "bathtub" sound, boosting bass and treble while weakening vocals and causing resonant frequencies. The HD 550 delivers balanced audio with clear instrument separation, deep subbass, and extended treble. Its superior soundstage creates a 3D experience, precisely placing sounds in recordings, games, and soundtracks.
What acoustic sorcery is this?
Getting a headphone design just right is a balancing act. It helps if you’ve been on this tightrope before.
The HD 550 delivers pure analog sound without electronic processing, ensuring flawless acoustics. Using a 150-ohm transducer in the HD 500 chassis, made in Ireland for top quality, it features angled transducers for a 3D soundstage. Acoustically transparent dust covers, carefully chosen ear cushions, and strategic foam provide smooth treble and controlled bass, creating a neutral, open, and never-harsh sound ideal for daily use.
So light and comfortable they practically disappear
Has there been a contest for “most performance per gram”? If so, the HD 550 probably won. At just 237 g, they’re about as unobtrusive as possible.
The HD 550, shaped by user feedback, prioritizes lightness, comfort, and great sound. It features a revised headband with synthetic leather and soft foam, reduced clamping force, and plush velour earpads for a stable, unobtrusive fit, ideal for long sessions of work, gaming, or listening without discomfort or need for charging.
But will they outlast my favorite band?
Depends who your favorite band is! Mick Jagger may very well be immortal, we can’t know for sure (Mick doesn't consult us on these things unfortunately). What we do know: people are still using Sennheiser headphones produced in the 1960s.
The HD 550's durability comes from German engineering and quality materials, like steel covers, built for daily use or long-term collecting. Replacement parts like earpads are available now and in the future, and all HD 500 range accessories are compatible.
Frequency response curve
Describing the HD 550 sound
Solid and satisfying bass
HD 550’s bass is punchy and well embedded down to very low frequencies. Not as warm as HD 599, but a better balance to the treble range.
Balanced midrange
The very neutral midrange makes voices and instruments shine and is free from unwanted coloring.
Precise and airy treble
The treble of HD 550 is wide-range, free from narrow-band resonances and strong in the highest octave for a particularly airy reproduction.
More Information
What you need to know
The HD 550 features which characteristics?
- Exceptionally transparent sound
- Lifelike depth and realism from open-back ear cups
- Wide soundstage
- Extended low-end reach
The HD 550 has a lightweight design of ... ?
At just 267g, the HD 550's lightweight design ensures comfort for extended listening.
The HD 550 features an impedance of?
The HD 550 has an efficient 150 Ω (Ohm) impedance for use with virtually any audio source.
The HD 550 has a detachable cable?
Yes, The HD 550 has a detachable 1.8-meter cable with a 3.5 mm plug.
The HD 550 includes a screw-on adapter that is terminated in what size plug?
The screw-on 6.35 mm adapter connects you to headphone amplifiers, audio interfaces, and most hi-fi sources.
The HD 550 features open-back earcups?
Yes, The HD 550 features open-back earcups which facilitate the natural expansion of sound waves.
The HD 550 features reduced clamping force for optimal fit and comfort?
Yes, The HD 550 features reduced clamping force for optimal fit and comfort.
The HD 550 has an extended low-end response that gets down to ___ Hz?
Superior detail retrieval and extended low-end reach (down to 6 Hz) create clear bass performance.
What type of earpads do the HD 550 feature?
The luxuriously soft velour earpads rest around the ear for long-term comfort.
© Sonova Consumer Hearing GmbH
