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Redbaaron
231
Dec 11, 2017
If anyone is on the fence because they think the finish looks cheap, maybe these photos will help. Even after hearing people say they were nice, I was still pleasantly surprised. They're about twice as heavy as the HE350 and they feel far more finished.
One previous commenter thought the finish on the metal had been scraped off, when in reality it is just textured and shiny, catching a bright highlight (see second photo).

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Redbaaron
231
Dec 11, 2017
RedbaaronBy the way, they do catch dust. By the way, yes, that is a banana stand. There's always money in a banana stand.
RobDiesel
1
Dec 12, 2017
RedbaaronThanks for the idea. Budget minded alternative ftw.
Volly
328
Dec 12, 2017
RedbaaronThe look beautiful!
How do they sound to you?
Redbaaron
231
Dec 13, 2017
VollyTo me, they sound fantastic. I could go on about my own subjective experience, but can summarize by saying I wholeheartedly agree with those who talk about the great imaging and soundstage. Zero buyer's remorse.
In a perfect world, I'd use an equalizer (like maybe the Schiit Loki) to bring down the mid-bass a touch and bump up the mids & table a hair. But I'm used to listening to the AKG K553, which is a much different animal. Maybe I'll try the suede ZMF headphone pads to get that effect.
A_Typical_Drop
9
Dec 14, 2017
RedbaaronYou might check the backs of the drivers, quite a few people including some personal friends of mine that have bought them found scraps of sticky paper across the magnets. Easy to remove but it made mine sound a little muted until it was removed
Redbaaron
231
Dec 14, 2017
A_Typical_DropThanks for the heads up. How does one safely go about opening up the back?
A_Typical_Drop
9
Dec 14, 2017
RedbaaronPersonally I used my thumbnail to wedge between the inner and outer ring to get a tab loose then it came out with ease. The tabs are in the upper left, upper right, lower left and right corners.
Redbaaron
231
Dec 14, 2017
A_Typical_DropWow, you weren't joking...
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Redbaaron
231
Dec 14, 2017
RedbaaronAt least the sticker stuff was easy to remove. Pro tip: Don't use a metal object to scrape with, because that's a lot of magnetic power. Almost made a really bad mistake.
Thanks for the heads up, @A_Typical_Drop!
WhiteVaille
33
Dec 14, 2017
RedbaaronPosting my own cans for reference. Also, for what it's worth, my serial # is 0999.
Left:
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Right:
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Redbaaron
231
Dec 14, 2017
WhiteVailleDid you have to clean the sticker paper off of them?
WhiteVaille
33
Dec 14, 2017
RedbaaronNegative. This is the first time I've taken off the rear grill.
Redbaaron
231
Dec 14, 2017
WhiteVailleNice. They look good. My SN is #3624.
WhiteVaille
33
Dec 14, 2017
RedbaaronLooks like your serial might be 3524? Maybe it's an 'issue' with later production unit? Most notable difference that I've seen is that yours has clear internal wiring while mine has black.
Redbaaron
231
Dec 14, 2017
WhiteVailleNice catch. Yeah it must be from the second production run. Wonder if any others with low serial numbers have the sticker paper issue?
Sadih
50
Dec 14, 2017
RedbaaronI don’t, mine is 33XX. No problems at all, in fact.
Vishmaw
88
Dec 15, 2017
RedbaaronMine is 31xx and does not have that issue. It is perfect as far as I can tell.
Garbongo
1
Dec 15, 2017
Redbaaroni understand eq'ing, but i don't like it, it feels like cheating. but pads i think are cool to mess with, making acoustical changes instead of digital.
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 15, 2017
WhiteVailleHaven't heard a single issue in these that had the black leads instead of clear insulation. Mine are the older black ones, and issue free as well. Definitely seems to be a later batch of terrible QC.
Redbaaron
231
Dec 15, 2017
ProfessorPatI'm not sure the sticker paper really made any difference, but they should have realized how picky and anal the headphone community is. Of course the backs will come off even if it's completely unnecessary to do so!
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 15, 2017
RedbaaronIf it didn't make a difference, that's great.
Whether it made a difference or not though, it's not something that should have got through a really simple QC check. The picture that showed up here with the really crooked gimbal mount also had the paper issue, and was one of these newer clear wire versions. It seems like QC flew out the window for whatever batch those are coming out of.
SoundOfSilence
3
Dec 15, 2017
RedbaaronMine serial is 0136, black internal wiring and no sticker paper issue
JamieNZ
41
Dec 15, 2017
RedbaaronMine are serial #0617. I did have paper stuck on my magnets also. I just removed the worst of it with my thumb nail. Since it's only on the magnets I don't believe it has any impact on sound quality. It looks like crap but if I hadn't taken the backs off I would have been none the wiser.
Athtel
305
Dec 15, 2017
Redbaaron#4665 here, black wires and no sticky paper.
ikhan
80
Dec 16, 2017
RedbaaronI have #0593 and it had stickers on both sides and it has the clear wires. Seems like the earlier serials are from a different batch since the later serials don't seem to suffer from this.
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 16, 2017
ikhanSoundOfSilence says theirs is #0136 with no issues. Mine is somewhere in the 1400s with no issues. Plenty of issues in numbers between #0136 and mine, and between mine and Athtel's #4665. No idea where the breaks are, but the wiring seems to change along with it, black wires having no issues, clear wires having stuff stuck in there still.
Athtel
305
Dec 16, 2017
ProfessorPatPerhaps they have two sources (or more) for the cans??
ikhan
80
Dec 16, 2017
ProfessorPatHmm... I guess the wire color is the best indicator for QC.
Redbaaron
231
Dec 16, 2017
AthtelYeah, perhaps two manufacturing facilities. I've seen this with a set of products one of my clients was having manufactured; one facility in China and one in South Africa. The Chinese group tried to match the SA materials, but in the end they were a disaster.
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 16, 2017
AthtelThat's what I'm thinking. It makes zero sense for one place to swap back and forth between two colors of wire insulation. Maybe once, but not this regular flip-flopping throughout the various serial numbers.
Redbaaron
231
Dec 16, 2017
ProfessorPatI heard some people had issues with poorly soldered connections. Wonder if there's a pattern with wire color + paper + poor soldering?
Athtel
305
Dec 16, 2017
RedbaaronI would bet on it.
Redbaaron
231
Dec 16, 2017
AthtelRegardless, I'm still really happy with them, assuming the connections hold!
Athtel
305
Dec 16, 2017
RedbaaronI'm really happy with mine too, though I might think twice about recommending it to someone.
xanaduus
51
Dec 16, 2017
JamieNZ
41
Dec 16, 2017
AthtelI had paper on the magnets and different coloured wiring but there is nothing wrong with the soldering and have no other quality issues. I would say the differences are down to individual assemblers and it appears that some of them took a bit more pride in their work than others.
xanaduus
51
Dec 17, 2017
ikhan0596, no stickers and black wires.
ikhan
80
Dec 17, 2017
xanaduuswtf you are like 3 away from me lol
Skero
1
Dec 17, 2017
ikhanMine are serial no 2402 with clear wires and no sign of stickers. They are great cans but I don't know what to take from this discussion lol regardless this is not normal QC either way
xanaduus
51
Dec 17, 2017
AthtelVery possible. Mine says it came Breinigsville,, PA.
ikhan
80
Dec 17, 2017
SkeroIf they work without any issue then you got a good pair, no need to worry (probably), but mine has poorly done 2.5mm sockets on both cups where the audio pops in and out when you jiggle them, so I contacted MD and got a replacement. Support is great, sound is great, comfort is good, but I can't say the same about QC lol.
sucram65
52
Dec 18, 2017
WhiteVailleNo issues with mine. My s/n: is 3773. I also bought a pair of HE-400i's from Amazon and I think I like the sound of these a bit better. They're also more comfortable.
ikhan
80
Dec 22, 2017
RedbaaronUpdate: My replacement pair is #2887. Black wires and no sound popping upon jiggling the 2.5mm jacks.
xanaduus
51
Dec 23, 2017
sucram65A lot more expensive as are my 400S's that do sound clearer.
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