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
TL;DR - I have zero regrets on this purchase and can wholeheartedly recommend these without hesitation!
System-wise, I’m running the TH-X00 out of a Schiit Asgard 2 / Bifrost Multibit stack, which seems to match up really well.
These are the first closed-back cans I've heard that I really like enough that I'd choose to listen to them even if I had open-back cans available. What I haven't liked about the other closed cans I've had in the past is that overall they just sounded less natural compared to open cans, and the ear cup seals were too isolating for me. Other closed models I've had always suffered from some combination of boomy bass, harsh / overly bright highs (I guess to try to compensate for the boominess?), and a claustrophobic "echo chamber" type of isolation, which to my ears felt like a very mild version of the sensation of being in a pressurized diving suit. (Obviously, that's an over-dramatic description....but the point is, my ears are very sensitive to air pressure and I don't like a really tight seal that makes me feel closed in. This is one reason why I also can't use In-Ear-Monitors either.)
By contrast, the TH-X00s have none of these problems in my experience so far. As many others have mentioned, the control and refinement of the bass response really is something unique. It's difficult to explain, but somehow the low end is very deep and powerful without dominating the rest of the frequency band and muddying/obscuring the mids and highs. The bass here is like a star player who seamlessly melts into the background and makes the rest of the team better. I think this is part of the secret that makes the imaging and realism of the TH-X00 better than many other closed-back cans; the well-controlled sub bass helps reproduce subtle spatial cues in the music instead of just reminding you that it's bouncing off the backs of the earcup enclosures.
On that note, I'd say the one thing the TH-X00s really seem to excel at is reproducing that concert "feel" in well-recorded live music. I've actually never really been much of a fan of "live" versions of my favorite artists, but these cans are starting to win me over. One example of a track that’s a great demo of the TH-X00’s dynamic range is this version of John Grant’s “Queen of Denmark” live with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The are intimate, quiet parts, as well as a few explosive crescendos where the entire orchestra kicks in, along with wailing guitars, percussion, and Grant’s powerful voice, and the TH-X00s reproduce everything cleanly with great “front row” emotional impact. (Of course, I am listening to the lossless CD version, not the YouTube one…)
While I was expecting the TH-X00s to deliver on bass impact and explosiveness, one thing that really surprised me was how well they also do with more subtle music like jazz with female vocals. One of my favorite example tracks in that genre so far is Holly Cole’s beautiful cover of Tom Waits’ “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”.
And finally, as many others have mentioned, it came as no surprise that the TH-X00 absolutely excel with electronic music. There are a lot of headphones I haven’t heard, but I can’t imagine you could do much better than these cans of the electronic genre. A favorite recent album so far is James Blake’s “The Colour in Anything”.
Another great album for the TH-X00s strengths is “Pool” by Porches:
https://porchesmusic.bandcamp.com/track/shaver I also thought I’d throw out my recommendation for a case solution that works for me. I ended up going with this soft-sided camcorder bag from B&H Photo. It’s only about $20 and fits the TH-X00s perfectly with room to store some small portable players / DACs as well if you’ve got them. I arranged the velcro dividers inside to make a compartment to neatly coil up the ridiculously long cord and keep the plug tucked away when in storage so it doesn’t bang up the mahogany finish.
http://bhpho.to/24qFFoL
http://bhpho.to/24qFFoL
In case it's not working, it's the Ruggard Onyx 45 from B&H Photo (www.bhphotovideo.com). I think it's their house brand because I haven't seen it for sale anywhere else. Interior dimensions are: 7.5" x 9.5" x 6.0" (19.0 x 24.0 x 15.2 cm)