AKG K550 vs Bose QuietComfort 25

These headphones have a really flat sound to them. The bass is not overbearing yet does make its presence felt in the music. The mids and highs also share the same character of accuracy and neutrality, with some users reporting that the highs are boosted by just a very tiny bit. This makes the headphones a great option if you want to mix music using a closed back pair of headphones.

These headphones are built really well. When holding them, you can tell that you have a premium product in your hands. The build features a mix of high quality plastics and metal. These headphones also have a hefty feel to them which certainly reinforces the impression that this is a premium product.

These headphones are very comfortable to wear. The comfort is achieve through the use of high quality synthetic leather on the ear pads and headband which make the headphones' contact points with your body feel nice and smooth. The ear pads also feature memory foam material which provides a lot of cushioning.

Many people prefer these headphones to giants in the market like the Sehneiser HD 600, HD 650, HD800, Beyerdynamic P70, or even the T1.

Being closed back headphones, the AKG K550 are able to effectively keep the sound from leaking out. This makes the headphone great for use in quiet environments.

They have a spatial representation unheard of before in closed back headphones.

These headphones extend the sound reproduction to frequencies lower than most.

The traveling case is small and provides room for spare batteries and other components. This makes it pretty portable, for those that can't or don't want to leave their headphones at work.

These headphones use a triple-A battery to power noise canceling. Should it run out of charge, it can easily be replaced.

With the feature switched on, you can really zone in on the music. Noise canceling is very effective at blocking out ambient noise, especially the lower frequencies. On a flight for example, engine noise is drastically reduced, as well as most of the sound from the conversations in your vicinity.

The QC25 feels comfortable even after wearing it for several hours. The pads go over the ear and feel soft, as the ample cushioning is covered with supple and high quality synthetic leather. Aside from the usual headband padding, it also has an inner Alcantara lining that feels really nice on the skin.

You have a number of options as to how you want to use these headphones' active noise canceling feature. You can either have the feature on or off while you are listening to music, or have noise canceling on without audio. This is a nifty feature if you just want to enjoy some peace and quiet when in a noisy place.

These headphones will not tire your head or neck out, even if you wear them for quite some time. These are pretty light at around 196 grams.

Sub-bass is a bit laid back, but the overall low-end production is punchy and with good extension. Mids are clear and forward so vocals, guitars and keys sound good with these. The upper treble is boosted, which results in good detail, but can also give harshness to the sound.
Overall, this is a really fun set of cans to listen to, especially if you just want to have a fun music listening experience.