Performance

Takstar's HD5500 feels great once you get it out of the box. The build quality is solid, and the details are stylish but rugged, perfect for everyday use. At $74.50, these headphones sit in perhaps the most competitive price range of all. Compared to the Sennheiser PX-200 IIs, the Takstar HD5500s sound quite a bit more closed because the HD5500s are circumaural rather than supra-aural, as the PX-200 IIs. The Takstar's bass edges ahead in terms of amount and precision. The only let down is that its bass isn't as even as that of the PX-200 IIs. Getting a good fit with the HD5500s is much easier, though, since they do not need to mesh with your ear lobe's folds.

The HD5500's feature a sound stage with quite a broad presentation for a set of closed-back headphones. They do not create the same sense of air between instruments and are relatively sparkleless in treble, though. They are very easy to listen to since their sibilance is minimal, and the midrange behaves well and is linear enough not to be annoying.

Driving the HD5500s seems to be a relatively simple task. They sound great out of our old and trusty Samsung Galaxy S3. They do scale a bit with better amplification. Moving up from the phone to the JDSLabs C5D lead to noticeable improvements, especially in terms of bass control. The HD5500's drivers aren't demanding, which is a good thing since such headphones rarely get a powerful source.

Treble performance is alright, but nothing spectacular, and here, the PX-200 IIs are slightly better. Midrange detail is too close to call between the two - the HD5500's midrange is a little more mellow, but the amount of detail seems to be the same. In a noisey environment, I would definitely prefer the closed-back circumaural HD5500s simply because they block out a couple decibels, which allows you to focus on what is playing. That and the fact that they are much less dependent upon how well the cups are positioned over the ears makes them a better headphone for on-the-go use.