Headphone Thread.

[PadawanGeek]

Set up my Oppo HA-1 this morning, but haven't configured it to play DSD on Foobar2k yet, but will do so later. I'm now listening to 320kbps MP3 rips of Enya and loving the sound on my just reaquired HD800. The spectrum display is quite a distraction, I find myself staring at it once in a while, but me likey das bling bling.....

[cmadrid]

My headphones plug in to the back of my pc

I was going to get a schiit stack for my birthday but our car radiator decided it wanted to explode at the top


edit: Well.. it didn't really explode, just started leaking anti freeze all over the engine

[PadawanGeek]

Something of an extravagance, decided to get an ALO SXC 24 Fitear cable for my Parterre. While auditioning it, I swear I could hear some positive differences between it and the stock cable....

[cmadrid]

That was the tears of your wallet you were hearing

[PadawanGeek]

That was the tears of your wallet you were hearing

LOL! Quite possible, I do admit that!  But at the very least, the cable looks damn good!

[cmadrid]

It does!  I'm not sure I would be able to hear a difference, but I haven't gotten to use any really high end setups myself.

[PadawanGeek]

It does!  I'm not sure I would be able to hear a difference, but I haven't gotten to use any really high end setups myself.

I was trying out some portable headamps and man, you can hear some subtle differences among them. Tried out a few and decided on the JDS Labs C5.

With it, I hope to simply NOT be interested in anymore portable stuff purchases.....the C5 has a bass boost function and Yowzah! The bass is pretty darn overwhelming......and quite fatiguing. With it off though, it sounds a tad warm to me, with decent soundstage and clarity, sounds pretty euphonic to me.

[ttzhou]

^ that is a fine portable amp, JDS is a great company founded on solid engineering. I rock the C5D as I have a crappy Moto G as my DAP

[Carcharocles]

Sony MDR-7506 with Beyer Dynamic velour earpads. Probably not the best headphones in existence, but for 80 dollars, who's complaining?

[tjcaustin]

Sony MDR-7506 with Beyer Dynamic velour earpads. Probably not the best headphones in existence, but for 80 dollars, who's complaining?

They're also good headphones if you like how they fit, so why worry.

[cmadrid]

I'm working on selling my mom my FiiO E11k portable amp.. Too much of a pain in the ass to hook it up to my phone to listen at the gym, I never use it.

[GL1TCH3D]

I'm working on selling my mom my FiiO E11k portable amp.. Too much of a pain in the ass to hook it up to my phone to listen at the gym, I never use it.

that's why I moved to DAPs. Less hassle with interconnects and only 1 device instead of 2-3

[ttzhou]

I'm working on selling my mom my FiiO E11k portable amp.. Too much of a pain in the ass to hook it up to my phone to listen at the gym, I never use it.

Honestly, I'd just get a beater pair of IEMs for the gym... IMO any IEM that is worth external amplification is not worth the risk of sweating all over it.

[cmadrid]

I'm working on selling my mom my FiiO E11k portable amp.. Too much of a pain in the ass to hook it up to my phone to listen at the gym, I never use it.

Honestly, I'd just get a beater pair of IEMs for the gym... IMO any IEM that is worth external amplification is not worth the risk of sweating all over it.

I have a $50 pair of iems I use.. I probably won't ever get anything more expensive than that anyway, considering how low on the list portable music is for me.  Our son takes up most of our spare funds as it is lol

[ttzhou]

Our son takes up most of our spare funds as it is lol

He's a lucky boy then! 

[cmadrid]

Our son takes up most of our spare funds as it is lol

He's a lucky boy then! 

We do our best.. keeps me out of the high end stuff I don't really need market tho

[GL1TCH3D]

Our son takes up most of our spare funds as it is lol

He's a lucky boy then! 

We do our best.. keeps me out of the high end stuff I don't really need market tho

Not always a bad thing. The more you delve into the high end the more you feel you're missing without it

[cmadrid]

Yeah, I think I'm happy with my Philips Fidelio X2s.. I still want to try them with a Schiit stack, but they are pretty good straight from the pc too

[ttzhou]

Yeah, I think I'm happy with my Philips Fidelio X2s.. I still want to try them with a Schiit stack, but they are pretty good straight from the pc too

if you don't get emi from your motherboard or wherever you play your music from, you could just get an amp. amps are far more important than dacs when it comes to sound, but even then, the differences are not very substantial. other's may feel differently. the biggest difference is the headphones.

[cmadrid]

Yeah, I think I'm happy with my Philips Fidelio X2s.. I still want to try them with a Schiit stack, but they are pretty good straight from the pc too

if you don't get emi from your motherboard or wherever you play your music from, you could just get an amp. amps are far more important than dacs when it comes to sound, but even then, the differences are not very substantial. other's may feel differently. the biggest difference is the headphones.

This is why getting an amp (and a DAC eventually) keeps getting pushed down the road.. something else always comes up to spend money on that is more important.  At this point I think I'm even going to replace my computer chair first

[lakiozoon]

Yeah, I think I'm happy with my Philips Fidelio X2s.. I still want to try them with a Schiit stack, but they are pretty good straight from the pc too

if you don't get emi from your motherboard or wherever you play your music from, you could just get an amp. amps are far more important than dacs when it comes to sound, but even then, the differences are not very substantial. other's may feel differently. the biggest difference is the headphones.

This is why getting an amp (and a DAC eventually) keeps getting pushed down the road.. something else always comes up to spend money on that is more important.  At this point I think I'm even going to replace my computer chair first

IMHO, getting a DAC is a waste of money. Onboard DAC-s are good enough that you won't hear a difference. I have Matrix M-Stage stack (with separate Matrix DAC) and although it's a nifty gadget, I don't find it improves the sound quality. I can switch between cheapo soundcard DAC (Asus Xonar DG) and my Matrix DAC on the fly by changing inputs 1/2 on my Matrix M-Stage headphone amp and still can't notice any change in sound, although i am switching inputs during the playback. That is the best way to tell if there is any difference because you don't involve any sound memory (providing you set both inputs to exact same volume level).

My advice is to stick with your chair upgrade

[Binge]

Yeah, I think I'm happy with my Philips Fidelio X2s.. I still want to try them with a Schiit stack, but they are pretty good straight from the pc too

if you don't get emi from your motherboard or wherever you play your music from, you could just get an amp. amps are far more important than dacs when it comes to sound, but even then, the differences are not very substantial. other's may feel differently. the biggest difference is the headphones.

This is why getting an amp (and a DAC eventually) keeps getting pushed down the road.. something else always comes up to spend money on that is more important.  At this point I think I'm even going to replace my computer chair first

IMHO, getting a DAC is a waste of money. Onboard DAC-s are good enough that you won't hear a difference. I have Matrix M-Stage stack (with separate Matrix DAC) and although it's a nifty gadget, I don't find it improves the sound quality. I can switch between cheapo soundcard DAC (Asus Xonar DG) and my Matrix DAC on the fly by changing inputs 1/2 on my Matrix M-Stage headphone amp and still can't notice any change in sound, although i am switching inputs during the playback. That is the best way to tell if there is any difference because you don't involve any sound memory (providing you set both inputs to exact same volume level).

My advice is to stick with your chair upgrade

Depends entirely on the onboard unit in question.  I've run across some with horrid noise issues.

[cmadrid]

Fortunately I haven't had any issues with my onboard sound.. but I think an amp at least would be nice

[Binge]

Fortunately I haven't had any issues with my onboard sound.. but I think an amp at least would be nice

Depends if the load on your audio-out is causing additional THD.

I made a simple dac/amp for spamray which he enjoys.  The trick is having the right amp for your cans.

[GL1TCH3D]

Yeah, I think I'm happy with my Philips Fidelio X2s.. I still want to try them with a Schiit stack, but they are pretty good straight from the pc too

if you don't get emi from your motherboard or wherever you play your music from, you could just get an amp. amps are far more important than dacs when it comes to sound, but even then, the differences are not very substantial. other's may feel differently. the biggest difference is the headphones.

This is why getting an amp (and a DAC eventually) keeps getting pushed down the road.. something else always comes up to spend money on that is more important.  At this point I think I'm even going to replace my computer chair first

IMHO, getting a DAC is a waste of money. Onboard DAC-s are good enough that you won't hear a difference. I have Matrix M-Stage stack (with separate Matrix DAC) and although it's a nifty gadget, I don't find it improves the sound quality. I can switch between cheapo soundcard DAC (Asus Xonar DG) and my Matrix DAC on the fly by changing inputs 1/2 on my Matrix M-Stage headphone amp and still can't notice any change in sound, although i am switching inputs during the playback. That is the best way to tell if there is any difference because you don't involve any sound memory (providing you set both inputs to exact same volume level).

My advice is to stick with your chair upgrade

As far as my experience more a good DAC changes the sound as much as a good amp. Different DAC chips have different sound signatures.

You'll often hear Wolfson DACs sound more natural. Etc.

Onboard DACs are really cheap and there's a lot of electrical noise. I've always found even a cheaper Fiio external DAC to be superior and in some cases help more than a lower end amp.

The biggest change in sound will come from the headphones though.

[lakiozoon]

Fortunately I haven't had any issues with my onboard sound.. but I think an amp at least would be nice

Depending which headphones you use, you may need an amp. With low impendance cans tho, IMHO, the amp won't make much difference.
Some amps can also be pre-amps for a nice monitor setup, so the routing feature can be useful.

[ttzhou]

As far as my experience more a good DAC changes the sound as much as a good amp. Different DAC chips have different sound signatures.

You'll often hear Wolfson DACs sound more natural. Etc.

Onboard DACs are really cheap and there's a lot of electrical noise. I've always found even a cheaper Fiio external DAC to be superior and in some cases help more than a lower end amp.

The biggest change in sound will come from the headphones though.

I'm not really sold on the DAC making different sound on level with amps. Amps can enforce actual changes to frequency response depending on the output impedance and the impedance curve of the headphones. Innerfidelity is currently (has?) conducted DAC blind testing and I don't think the results are conclusive enough to go one way or the other.

As for onboard DACs being cheap, I've not found any EMI from any modern, decently priced mobo that I've heard. Yes, if you get EMI, for sure, get an external DAC, but if you don't, I personally cannot see there being a large enough difference to justify the price.

[GL1TCH3D]

As far as my experience more a good DAC changes the sound as much as a good amp. Different DAC chips have different sound signatures.

You'll often hear Wolfson DACs sound more natural. Etc.

Onboard DACs are really cheap and there's a lot of electrical noise. I've always found even a cheaper Fiio external DAC to be superior and in some cases help more than a lower end amp.

The biggest change in sound will come from the headphones though.

I'm not really sold on the DAC making different sound on level with amps. Amps can enforce actual changes to frequency response depending on the output impedance and the impedance curve of the headphones. Innerfidelity is currently (has?) conducted DAC blind testing and I don't think the results are conclusive enough to go one way or the other.

As for onboard DACs being cheap, I've not found any EMI from any modern, decently priced mobo that I've heard. Yes, if you get EMI, for sure, get an external DAC, but if you don't, I personally cannot see there being a large enough difference to justify the price.

My experience (so take this with a grain of salt) is that cheap DACs sound thin and electronic. Now the thinness could also be influenced by the lack of a real amp too. But I haven't heard a DAC in the sub $300 range that I enjoyed

The parasound DACs sounded great on a budget at around the 200-300 range depending on where you find them but they're incredibly rare and limiting in options

[Binge]

As far as my experience more a good DAC changes the sound as much as a good amp. Different DAC chips have different sound signatures.

You'll often hear Wolfson DACs sound more natural. Etc.

Onboard DACs are really cheap and there's a lot of electrical noise. I've always found even a cheaper Fiio external DAC to be superior and in some cases help more than a lower end amp.

The biggest change in sound will come from the headphones though.

I'm not really sold on the DAC making different sound on level with amps. Amps can enforce actual changes to frequency response depending on the output impedance and the impedance curve of the headphones. Innerfidelity is currently (has?) conducted DAC blind testing and I don't think the results are conclusive enough to go one way or the other.

As for onboard DACs being cheap, I've not found any EMI from any modern, decently priced mobo that I've heard. Yes, if you get EMI, for sure, get an external DAC, but if you don't, I personally cannot see there being a large enough difference to justify the price.

My experience (so take this with a grain of salt) is that cheap DACs sound thin and electronic. Now the thinness could also be influenced by the lack of a real amp too. But I haven't heard a DAC in the sub $300 range that I enjoyed

The parasound DACs sounded great on a budget at around the 200-300 range depending on where you find them but they're incredibly rare and limiting in options

There's a lot of onboard which is actually engineered with the same or better specs than top quality audiophile gear for theater- it's rare that they have great headphone support, but it really depends on the engineer who designed it.  Rarely do they get the credit they would if they were making something for audiophiles.

[GL1TCH3D]

As far as my experience more a good DAC changes the sound as much as a good amp. Different DAC chips have different sound signatures.

You'll often hear Wolfson DACs sound more natural. Etc.

Onboard DACs are really cheap and there's a lot of electrical noise. I've always found even a cheaper Fiio external DAC to be superior and in some cases help more than a lower end amp.

The biggest change in sound will come from the headphones though.

I'm not really sold on the DAC making different sound on level with amps. Amps can enforce actual changes to frequency response depending on the output impedance and the impedance curve of the headphones. Innerfidelity is currently (has?) conducted DAC blind testing and I don't think the results are conclusive enough to go one way or the other.

As for onboard DACs being cheap, I've not found any EMI from any modern, decently priced mobo that I've heard. Yes, if you get EMI, for sure, get an external DAC, but if you don't, I personally cannot see there being a large enough difference to justify the price.

My experience (so take this with a grain of salt) is that cheap DACs sound thin and electronic. Now the thinness could also be influenced by the lack of a real amp too. But I haven't heard a DAC in the sub $300 range that I enjoyed

The parasound DACs sounded great on a budget at around the 200-300 range depending on where you find them but they're incredibly rare and limiting in options

There's a lot of onboard which is actually engineered with the same or better specs than top quality audiophile gear for theater- it's rare that they have great headphone support, but it really depends on the engineer who designed it.  Rarely do they get the credit they would if they were making something for audiophiles.

Considering the dominant use of headsets for gaming I would think that a good headphone implementation would be worthwhile to a mobo manufacturer.

I'm not into theater much so I can't comment on that.

[ttzhou]

So I tried the bass shaker test on this: http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

and was wondering what they mean by "parasitic buzz/rattle". When I play it on my HD650 at fairly high volume (maybe 85ish dB) the really low bass sounds very rumbly (as in, oscillating, definitely not "smooth"), then the tone gets kind of smooth and clear, with a very slight rumble at the end of the frequency sweep (upper bass/lower mid).

I have no idea if that is normal, or a sign of actual poor excursion factor in the 650s. I think I hear a very faint buzz/whine at the very low frequencies, but not sure if that's something else.

Anyone with a decent pair of cans want to give that a try and see what they hear?

[Draxor]

So I tried the bass shaker test on this: http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

and was wondering what they mean by "parasitic buzz/rattle". When I play it on my HD650 at fairly high volume (maybe 85ish dB) the really low bass sounds very rumbly (as in, oscillating, definitely not "smooth"), then the tone gets kind of smooth and clear, with a very slight rumble at the end of the frequency sweep (upper bass/lower mid).

I have no idea if that is normal, or a sign of actual poor excursion factor in the 650s. I think I hear a very faint buzz/whine at the very low frequencies, but not sure if that's something else.

Anyone with a decent pair of cans want to give that a try and see what they hear?

Checked it with M50x and K701 on an SMSL mini, i guess with rattle they mean if the drivers are mounted a little loosely and by buzz they probably mean distortion/static

[ttzhou]

lol the thing is I'm not sure if I am hearing rattle/buzz or just the nature of the test tone. The low bass sounds kind of like that feel you get under your ass when you rev a motorbike (but smoother/bassier, if that makes sense).

[Binge]

So I tried the bass shaker test on this: http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

and was wondering what they mean by "parasitic buzz/rattle". When I play it on my HD650 at fairly high volume (maybe 85ish dB) the really low bass sounds very rumbly (as in, oscillating, definitely not "smooth"), then the tone gets kind of smooth and clear, with a very slight rumble at the end of the frequency sweep (upper bass/lower mid).

I have no idea if that is normal, or a sign of actual poor excursion factor in the 650s. I think I hear a very faint buzz/whine at the very low frequencies, but not sure if that's something else.

Anyone with a decent pair of cans want to give that a try and see what they hear?

no rattle on my HE560s and 400i

[godly_music]

The bass test is meant to detect stuff like hair stuck in the driver, which will sound like a white distortion kind of rattle accompanying a certain bass frequency, similar to clipping. I wouldn't worry about the low bass not sounding perfectly smooth. You'll know the rattle when you hear it.

[ttzhou]

So I tried the bass shaker test on this: http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

and was wondering what they mean by "parasitic buzz/rattle". When I play it on my HD650 at fairly high volume (maybe 85ish dB) the really low bass sounds very rumbly (as in, oscillating, definitely not "smooth"), then the tone gets kind of smooth and clear, with a very slight rumble at the end of the frequency sweep (upper bass/lower mid).

I have no idea if that is normal, or a sign of actual poor excursion factor in the 650s. I think I hear a very faint buzz/whine at the very low frequencies, but not sure if that's something else.

Anyone with a decent pair of cans want to give that a try and see what they hear?

no rattle on my HE560s and 400i

Planars have almost no excursion thanks to their design... any results with dynamic cans?

[Draxor]

definitely nature of the test tone, it is 'shaky' in the beginning and end on higher volumes, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be like that

The bass test is meant to detect stuff like hair stuck in the driver, which will sound like a white distortion kind of rattle accompanying a certain bass frequency, similar to clipping. I wouldn't worry about the low bass not sounding perfectly smooth. You'll know the rattle when you hear it.

Dingdingding! Most likely the answer, had some dust or hair on a driver in my old 612 Pros and it made a distinct crackling

[cmadrid]

Didn't get any rattle with my Philips Fidelio x2s either

[ttzhou]

definitely nature of the test tone, it is 'shaky' in the beginning and end on higher volumes, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be like that

The bass test is meant to detect stuff like hair stuck in the driver, which will sound like a white distortion kind of rattle accompanying a certain bass frequency, similar to clipping. I wouldn't worry about the low bass not sounding perfectly smooth. You'll know the rattle when you hear it.

Dingdingding! Most likely the answer, had some dust or hair on a driver in my old 612 Pros and it made a distinct crackling

Thanks for the confirmation. I already took apart the phones and blew off any excess dust before I ran the test.

Now to find a Denon AHD2000 in Canada... :/

[GL1TCH3D]

definitely nature of the test tone, it is 'shaky' in the beginning and end on higher volumes, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be like that

The bass test is meant to detect stuff like hair stuck in the driver, which will sound like a white distortion kind of rattle accompanying a certain bass frequency, similar to clipping. I wouldn't worry about the low bass not sounding perfectly smooth. You'll know the rattle when you hear it.

Dingdingding! Most likely the answer, had some dust or hair on a driver in my old 612 Pros and it made a distinct crackling

Thanks for the confirmation. I already took apart the phones and blew off any excess dust before I ran the test.

Now to find a Denon AHD2000 in Canada... :/

What did you use for dusting the headphones?

If i learned anything from camera maintenance is that human breath is pretty bad and compressed air is even worse (leaves a residue and is pretty strong so you can damage, displace or push things where they shouldn't be)

[ttzhou]

definitely nature of the test tone, it is 'shaky' in the beginning and end on higher volumes, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be like that

The bass test is meant to detect stuff like hair stuck in the driver, which will sound like a white distortion kind of rattle accompanying a certain bass frequency, similar to clipping. I wouldn't worry about the low bass not sounding perfectly smooth. You'll know the rattle when you hear it.

Dingdingding! Most likely the answer, had some dust or hair on a driver in my old 612 Pros and it made a distinct crackling

Thanks for the confirmation. I already took apart the phones and blew off any excess dust before I ran the test.

Now to find a Denon AHD2000 in Canada... :/

What did you use for dusting the headphones?

If i learned anything from camera maintenance is that human breath is pretty bad and compressed air is even worse (leaves a residue and is pretty strong so you can damage, displace or push things where they shouldn't be)

Compressed air. It actually depressed the diaphragm lol but I blew from the opposite side and popped it out. I'm not worried. I don't hear any damage and my perceived "rattle" was from before the clean.

[GL1TCH3D]

definitely nature of the test tone, it is 'shaky' in the beginning and end on higher volumes, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be like that

The bass test is meant to detect stuff like hair stuck in the driver, which will sound like a white distortion kind of rattle accompanying a certain bass frequency, similar to clipping. I wouldn't worry about the low bass not sounding perfectly smooth. You'll know the rattle when you hear it.

Dingdingding! Most likely the answer, had some dust or hair on a driver in my old 612 Pros and it made a distinct crackling

Thanks for the confirmation. I already took apart the phones and blew off any excess dust before I ran the test.

Now to find a Denon AHD2000 in Canada... :/

What did you use for dusting the headphones?

If i learned anything from camera maintenance is that human breath is pretty bad and compressed air is even worse (leaves a residue and is pretty strong so you can damage, displace or push things where they shouldn't be)

Compressed air. It actually depressed the diaphragm lol but I blew from the opposite side and popped it out. I'm not worried. I don't hear any damage and my perceived "rattle" was from before the clean.

Sucks that you have a rattle. Try asking sennheiser about a repair?

They have an office here in Montreal even.


Also on a really ****ty note I seem to be having acute hearing loss in my left ear in the treble range. Hopefully it's either temporary or just some wax...

[ttzhou]

Sucks that you have a rattle. Try asking sennheiser about a repair?

They have an office here in Montreal even.


Also on a really ****ty note I seem to be having acute hearing loss in my left ear in the treble range. Hopefully it's either temporary or just some wax...

I don't think it's a rattle after reading that Draxor also noted the "shaking" - I can't hear any rattle from any normal track, but I heard a "rumble" and some super faint buzz on that one test tone (so could just be my ears and the nature of the test tone being shaky). I'm just not sure what a "rattle" is supposed to sound like, since it's such a generic term.

Sorry to hear about the hearing loss - I notice my right ear also seems to be slightly more sensitive than my left.

[dgneo]

Here's a (quite old) photo of my headphone setup:



Still have the headphones sitting next to me at work, and they sound fantastic.

[GL1TCH3D]

Here's a (quite old) photo of my headphone setup:

Show Image

Still have the headphones sitting next to me at work, and they sound fantastic.

Nice!
I really liked the ESW11LTD

Haven't tried the 10JPN though

How are you likingthe ESW9? I never had much time with it. I felt it was a touch muddy but my friend had been playing around with mods onhis pair so I really have no idea how it sounds stock.

[GL1TCH3D]

Sucks that you have a rattle. Try asking sennheiser about a repair?

They have an office here in Montreal even.


Also on a really ****ty note I seem to be having acute hearing loss in my left ear in the treble range. Hopefully it's either temporary or just some wax...

I don't think it's a rattle after reading that Draxor also noted the "shaking" - I can't hear any rattle from any normal track, but I heard a "rumble" and some super faint buzz on that one test tone (so could just be my ears and the nature of the test tone being shaky). I'm just not sure what a "rattle" is supposed to sound like, since it's such a generic term.

Sorry to hear about the hearing loss - I notice my right ear also seems to be slightly more sensitive than my left.

Rattle is something I attribute more to the housing from the vibrations.

And I've always had some problems with pressure in my inner ear so maybe it's just a bit off right now. Going to clean out my ears tomorrow to check that. I have to schedule an appointment with an audiologist to get earmolds done for the K10 again but if my hearing loss is this bad in my left ear I don't have much motivation to spend more money on audio =/

[dgneo]

Here's a (quite old) photo of my headphone setup:

Show Image

Still have the headphones sitting next to me at work, and they sound fantastic.

Nice!
I really liked the ESW11LTD

Haven't tried the 10JPN though

How are you likingthe ESW9? I never had much time with it. I felt it was a touch muddy but my friend had been playing around with mods onhis pair so I really have no idea how it sounds stock.

I love them. So far, they're the only pair of headphones I've held onto for longer than a year (other than my Grado SR80i's, which I traded recently, I've had these about 3 years now). I did Germania's Mod to them (http://www.head-fi.org/t/383257/germania-s-audio-technica-esw9-mod-s) and it improved the bass/soundstage a TON. They're super comfortable to wear as well, which is a huge plus.

[Binge]

Sucks that you have a rattle. Try asking sennheiser about a repair?

They have an office here in Montreal even.


Also on a really ****ty note I seem to be having acute hearing loss in my left ear in the treble range. Hopefully it's either temporary or just some wax...

I don't think it's a rattle after reading that Draxor also noted the "shaking" - I can't hear any rattle from any normal track, but I heard a "rumble" and some super faint buzz on that one test tone (so could just be my ears and the nature of the test tone being shaky). I'm just not sure what a "rattle" is supposed to sound like, since it's such a generic term.

Sorry to hear about the hearing loss - I notice my right ear also seems to be slightly more sensitive than my left.

Rattle is something I attribute more to the housing from the vibrations.

And I've always had some problems with pressure in my inner ear so maybe it's just a bit off right now. Going to clean out my ears tomorrow to check that. I have to schedule an appointment with an audiologist to get earmolds done for the K10 again but if my hearing loss is this bad in my left ear I don't have much motivation to spend more money on audio =/

I am sorry to hear about your hearing.  My wife says I have hearing loss- should probably get that checked officially myself, but I can hear very very soft sounds and always listen to music well below the normal listening threshold.

[GL1TCH3D]

Sucks that you have a rattle. Try asking sennheiser about a repair?

They have an office here in Montreal even.


Also on a really ****ty note I seem to be having acute hearing loss in my left ear in the treble range. Hopefully it's either temporary or just some wax...

I don't think it's a rattle after reading that Draxor also noted the "shaking" - I can't hear any rattle from any normal track, but I heard a "rumble" and some super faint buzz on that one test tone (so could just be my ears and the nature of the test tone being shaky). I'm just not sure what a "rattle" is supposed to sound like, since it's such a generic term.

Sorry to hear about the hearing loss - I notice my right ear also seems to be slightly more sensitive than my left.

Rattle is something I attribute more to the housing from the vibrations.

And I've always had some problems with pressure in my inner ear so maybe it's just a bit off right now. Going to clean out my ears tomorrow to check that. I have to schedule an appointment with an audiologist to get earmolds done for the K10 again but if my hearing loss is this bad in my left ear I don't have much motivation to spend more money on audio =/

I am sorry to hear about your hearing.  My wife says I have hearing loss- should probably get that checked officially myself, but I can hear very very soft sounds and always listen to music well below the normal listening threshold.

I listen well under threshold too.

Since a young age I've had problems with pressure in my ears due to allergies blocking the eustachian (did I spell that right?) tubes.

Hopefully it's temporary. Will update once I clean my ears but it hasn't been that long since my last cleaning.

[GL1TCH3D]

Here's a (quite old) photo of my headphone setup:

Show Image

Still have the headphones sitting next to me at work, and they sound fantastic.

Nice!
I really liked the ESW11LTD

Haven't tried the 10JPN though

How are you likingthe ESW9? I never had much time with it. I felt it was a touch muddy but my friend had been playing around with mods onhis pair so I really have no idea how it sounds stock.

I love them. So far, they're the only pair of headphones I've held onto for longer than a year (other than my Grado SR80i's, which I traded recently, I've had these about 3 years now). I did Germania's Mod to them (http://www.head-fi.org/t/383257/germania-s-audio-technica-esw9-mod-s) and it improved the bass/soundstage a TON. They're super comfortable to wear as well, which is a huge plus.

That sounds good. I think it was the mids that needed improvement IMO

anyway, as long as it sounds good to you that's what matters!