Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?
Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...
Apr 23, 2024
. But these are made by different people in different facilities, so who knows what's actually going on until someone with too much time overanalyzes the cups. All we know is that the different headphone variants measure and sound different, so if you have the ear for it you may indeed have a preference. Whether it's directly because of the cups or not is unknown and really shouldn't matter, but it's the only difference that Massdrop/Fostex are willing to admit to, which is why everyone is raising such a big stink about the wood. If you don't want another needlessly expensive and subjective hobby, I would avoid thinking about the differences and just enjoy the music these headphones make.
On a related note appearance, as is sound, is totally subjective, but I found the Ebony the least attractive of the three. I saw little to no wood grain, it just looked like a black shiny cup. Finally weight doesn't seem to bother me at all in headphones, so i didn't have any problems with the Ebony and it didn't seem heavy to me.
I think the Purpleheart and Ebony are mainly for aesthetics. If anything they would take away from the sound of the Mahogany, but to me I love the look of purpleheart and it's only slightly more dense than Mahogany.
I don't deny that there may be a difference between Mahogany, Ebony, and Purpleheart. But 1. I think in terms of sound quality, it would go Mahogany>Purpleheart>Ebony since mahogany is the most acoustically resonant wood out of the 3, and ebony is the least. 2. I don't believe anyone do a blind test between the 3 with much better than 33% accuracy. I'm no stranger to blind sound tests, as a guitarist I've done tons of light strings vs heavy, mahogany guitar vs rosewood, tube amp vs solid state, and even in these situations where the differences would be much more pronounced, it is still difficult to truly tell the difference in a blind test.
Also, you make an interesting point that they could just be using a cheap laminate of the wood and not solid mahogany/purpleheart/ebony. Even there was 0 difference between the 3 besides a paint job, you would still have tons of people claiming to hear a difference. That's why I don't take these kinds of people too seriously.
Also you indicate that because b is not used then b = bad or irrelevant. Maybe b is not used because same stiffness can be achieved much easier with other materials. Maybe absolute stiffness isn't even desired when it comes to headphone cups.
Please listen to "A Magical Journey through the Land of Reasoning Errors" https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4297
- "The difference between purpleheart and ebony are just aesthetics. Even if you replaced it with plastic it's not going to change the sound." - "That's why I don't see how the earcups on a pair of headphones can make any real difference." - "I do think there is some slight variations within all headphones , so maybe you really did hear a difference between the 2, but I don't believe it has anything to do with the wood."
We can forego any discussions on blind tests, everyone knows they are problematic. But the bottom line is that I, and others, have done A/B testing on the Purpleheart and Ebony ( I spent a half hour). And there is absolutely a difference between the two, and it is not that subtle.
Perhaps you should follow you own advice you gave to another person: "How can he say he likes Ebony best when they haven't shipped yet?" and wait until you hear then before you comment on their sound and their differences.
I feel the reason people attack you and down vote you is due to the incorrect information. Just because you play guitar for years and so and so. Yeah I've been following... Wood has different properties and does different things. That's why it's universal. A lot of people were trying to correct you and help, but you ignored their advice and facts. Wood is used for a reason and that's due to its musical properties, qualities and cost. There are magnesium, plastic, carbon, resin and other driver housings, but wood has tonal properties and they're distinct. Look at Audio Technica's lineup. They have the same drivers, but in different enclosures. Wood, open back, and closed. All sound different.
I wasn't being stubborn. I respected the opinion of people who actually made an intelligent argument such as the guy who linked the Fostex TH900 manufacturing video. But most the of the responses were your typical audiophile circle jerk such as "I listened to all 3 at the last audiophile meetup and I'm confident I could do a blind test".
So page 1 Jude has had all versions of these at hand, moedawg nails it, SuperBestAudioFriends and Massdrop all advertise that each version sounds different. Maybe that guy who said they'd be able to blind test all 3 and be correct was right.
Also, are you really making the argument based on advertising? Like I said, you guys are suckers for marketing.
I'm just so dumbfounded that you'll fight this and the community with your whole heart in its entirety. What's surprising is that there's actual data - graphs and you'd sit here saying the housing doesn't affect the frequency response. I'd like to argue, but just thinking how it's easier to claim driver changes over wood changes would be your excuse. Jude said he felt like the drivers were tuned because the wood obviously made that much a difference.
My initial comment was a response to the people who were freaking out that Massdrop released an ebony version when they already had ordered the purpleheart as if they were a totally different headphone. I already said there is undeniably a slight difference in tone based on wood, but those graphs don't prove that it's a difference that is audible to the human ear.
As for the HD800 people, it's crazy that they would spend that much on a headphone but skimp out on what drives them.
If you haven't seen Zeos review of them on YouTube, I think you'd enjoy it. He's different.
The struggles.
The numbers on the spec sheet say that they should sound the same on certain pc sound card A and certain tube amp B unless there is engineering error or spoilt drivers. I should be able to drive it without spending another pair of 800s on amping. You guys are pure maniacs to spend half a HE-1 on wires and dac and amp.
Generally the "friendly discussion" doesn't stop until someone is fed up and suggest some cheap Schiit combo and call it a day. CIEM community is far better in this regard.
Add that to the FACT that these differences have been measured, and you just seem to be willfully ignoring basic evidence.
To put it in terms that may make sense to you, it's like if you take a maple-capped superstrat, you usually pair that with warmer pickups, while a basswood strat will typically be paired with chimier pickups. It's not that the wood didn't make a difference, it's that the designer compensated. Or the designer could decide to go for a really bright, cutting guitar, with a maple fretboard, bright pickups and a brighter body wood. With guitars, the designers are more or less unrestrained int he tone they can seek, because there's not a clear guiding reference point.
With headphones, we are talking about subtle flavorings, that absolutely exist, but are definitely subtle, because there is a standard of seeking some amount of neutrality (unless you're making Beats). And, again, this has all been measured and replicated by multiple non-affiliated people with measuring rigs. ANd if you listen critically enough, you will certainly start picking up on the differences. Since you play guitar, ask any engineer you record with if the speakers or headphones they use to mix and master can make things sound different, Every single one will tell you yes.
I don't care if you don't think cups resonate. They do. Not a ton, but enough to create different tonalities. Some designers aim to totally cut out resonation, some aim for euphonic resonation, some just sort of do it by gut. You brought up the TH900 before, they use a more resonating wood, but they also damp them with dynafil to cut down on midrange resonance.
My guess as you get more used to the differences between the THX00 PH and DT770 is you'll start hearing the differences more clearly, especially that huge spike the DT770 has at 10kHz.
You seriously don't know what you're talking about. I know they all sound different. The fact is, the material used affects the sound. Sounds similar to the THX00s having variants in wood. Hmm.
That is also a good point that headphones are aiming to be more or less neutral, where guitars are creating their own tone. Never thought of that.
But some people have made some good points (fjradon, Aaron) that maybe the point of the wood is to reduce resonance and that more resonance isn't necessarily better. And then some people (KTMD) just make the audiophile community look bad...
I brought up the info for Beyer, just to show that little things can make something into a different product. You attacked me trying to prove I was wrong, and I wasn't. All these other people try to open your eyes and give you clues about what you should look for. Take Fjrabon. Dude is huge on Headfi. Almost every post he's there. Tried giving you cues what to look for. Sure, it may not be your flavor, but don't bash a headphone and belittle it because it sounds like your DT770.
People can hear differences. Subtle or not, some are blessed and can, some can't. My hearing is still okay, so I can. Your posts were deterring people from experiencing something new. You were attacking everyone trying to defend yourself when they were trying to correct you. You even called me out for being an issue to the audiophile community. I'm just trying to help those, like you, and you took that as an assault of yourself. I'm done, this is my last post of this. Enjoy your headphones, or not, they're a great pair and I find mine to be extremely fun to listen to.
Your response was:
"you're just trolling at this point"
That's the kind of response that makes you look like a dick.
Cheers!
Think of it like you're entering this new world, where some people are very versed in the differences between headphones and the subtleties; to us these differences are very obvious, while to you it may not be. It would be like if one of us came over and picked up a Les Paul and a Telecaster and said "oh, they sound the same to me." and It would likely drive you insane and you'd point out what are to you very blatant differences. But to somebody "new to the game" a telecaster and a Les Paul through the same amp on the same settings will sound virtually identical, they would only notice a difference if you used a tube screamer on one and played the other clean.
If you want a big leap forward in sound quality, your money is best spent elsewhere. If you want a precision, hand-crafted statement piece, that's the TH900. I actually prefer my EMU Ebony cup Lawton mod THX00 to the TH900, but I've also put a lot of time and effort into getting them that way.