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
The upper mids seem filled out regardless of the difference in bass. Which is something I very much appreciate.
I went ahead and joined the drop for the Elex, but I'm still thinking about getting the Z1R also. Some of the headphones I have now are LCD-XC, LCD-2, HE560, HD6XX, and HD800. To me the Sony sounded closest to the LCD-XC, but smoother and more detailed and more refined. From what I've been reading, it sounds like the Elex might be more like the HD6XX or HE560? I guess I'll find out when I get them!
The objectivist in me says the Z1R is a beautifully built, supremely comfortable, yet flawed sounding headphone. The music lover in my sometimes enjoys listening to it anyway. I say give it a try if you ever have a chance. The used price has dropped substantially so there are good deals to be had.
Any thoughts on how the Clear compares head-to-head?
My point of reference is coming from HiFiMan 400i. Wonderful headphone, but since I'm using my phone as a source (granted, it's the excellent ZTE Axon 7), am I going to benefit dramatically going from the 400i to something like this?
In other words, does a purchase like this also necessitate the purchase of a headphone amp to truly enjoy the benefits of this headphone?
Long Answer? Having just gone in and tested the Elear, Clear and Utopia at a shop for about 90 minutes off Tidal (can't remember the DAC/Amp model but they were selling it for 3.5k), then off my own source (Fiio X7/AM2), then off Spotify hi def into a Chord Mojo I can say there's a pretty noticeable difference when it comes to what you're getting out of the headphone.
Let me first say that nothing in this set of combos was bad. In fact, the only real mistake I made was testing the Utopia first, because the Clear's are great, but they aren't Utopias. I know that sounds really dumb, but if I hadn't heard the Utopias, I wouldn't have known that was a register cans like these could have hit. The ability of Focal's lineup to resolve details in the music was something else. The best way I have to express that detail was with the Clear/Elear, I heard a really high quality recording of a guitar strum. I could hear every note clearly. When I put on the Utopias, it sounded like someone was playing the instrument next to me, with all the definition that comes when I pick a string on my guitar.
I think others have expounded on it as well, but I would say the real answer is, garbage in, decent garbage out. Awesomeness in, awesomeness out. Do I think you need to drop $500 on a DAC/Amp for this? Probably not. I'd be surprised if you couldn't get away with a SDAC/O2 or a Schiit Stack. Many people think the ZTE Axon 7 sounds better than sub 200 desktop components... So maybe you're ok as long as your sources are good enough quality.
I have a number of headphone amps - Schiit Mjolnir, OPPO HA-1, Auralic Taurus MKII, Beyerdynamic A2, and Musical Fidelity M1 HPA. I don't have any separate DACs, I use the DAC in my OPPO blu-ray players, or my pre-pros or integrated amps.
Thanks for the detailed review.. What specific tube amp/s did you use if I may ask? I prefer tube amps with output transformers though. So output impedance would still be relatively high compared to most SS, even if lower than OTL tube amp types. Thanks!
PS - there are new portable Daps like the upcoming Hiby R6. It has an output Z of 10 Ohms. It would be interesting how they match up.
I have the massdrop Dark Voice that I rolled JAN Tungsol tubes into. How do you think this will pair with the Elex.?
If you don't mind my asking -- why did you NOT do reviews on the two Focal headphones you didn't like and only write a review on the one that you did like?
An honest reviewer wouldn't withhold a review just because the product has issues.
I don't have all the cool "audiophile" words to describe the difference between the two amps, but I would say that the Taurus has more detail, slightly less grain (maybe none), and more power. It is the best headphone amp I have, but it is not so good that it completely outclasses any of the others I own or makes me not to want to listen to the others.
I actually have the HPAP, which I think was supposed to be an upgrade of the HPA, or at least it was its successor. I've only listened to the HPAP, not the HPA, so I don't know how much difference there is between the two Musical Fidelity amps. The HPAP has two RCA inputs, while I believe the HPA has one. The ability to switch between two sources was one of the things that attracted me to the HPAP originally.
The Taurus is "better" sounding (to me) than the HPAP, but it's not a significant upgrade and certainly not night and day. The HPAP has plenty of power as well and is a really nice sounding amp. If it was the only amp I had, I'd be happy with it.
The Taurus is nice because it has both XLR and RCA inputs and has a balanced out. The Taurus retails for more than twice as much as the HPAP, and you are not going to get twice the performance. If I had to try to quantify the difference, I'd say the Taurus sounds maybe 5-10% better than the HPAP. With the HPAP you're already at the place where you start to see the law of diminishing returns kick in quickly.
I think you'll find some really good reviews of both units.
I hope that helps.