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
My first listen was beyond anticlimactic, though; it was disappointing to the nth degree. I used comply tips and the bass was overwhelming and unpleasant. “Boomy”, sloppy, omnipresent, overriding bass. Just an overall horrible experience. On top of that, it was uncomfortable. A “too sealed” sensation I’ve gotten from certain silicone tips was there, and I didn’t make it through one song before my ears started to hurt… not the eardrums, the canals. Not pleasant. First impressions make lasting impressions, so the saying goes. It was going to take a lot to get over this one.
I said nothing to my wife. If I just dropped 250 bucks on IEMs (inexpensive by Noble standards, I know, but pricy to me) and hinted that I was anything less than ecstatic, these would be the first and last “nice” IEMs for me.
Thankfully, it’s gotten progressively better with each tweak I’ve tried. I put on the double-flanged silicone tips that came with the X – I liked those – or, at least, liked those more. They felt good, and the sound was – in many ways – amazing. I heard details in my music that I’d not heard before. Almost like certain frequencies – mostly on the high end – were being produced that my other IEMs just couldn’t do. I suspect that was a combination of superior innards along with the silicone tips.
These silicone tips, though, completely lacked a low end presentation. Just a hollowed out impression of bass with neither a growling vigor or any tight punch. Ersatz bass. I am not a basshead, but am not looking for something “overly detailed” – I want nice detail with equally nice bass.
I tried a set of cheap comply knock-offs. Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. A good seal, but not unpleasant. Good detail, but not too much. Good bass, but not too much - both punchy and roaring while staying clean. Let me tell you: big sigh of relief. I really wanted to like the X. And I really didn’t want to have to try to sell them! Turns out I do like them and am optimistic I’ll come to love them. They won’t be going up for sale.
It’s still not perfect. I use Jet audio player with bongiovi acoustics plugin on an ipad combined with a fiio amp. The bongiovi plugin has like 75 or 100 different headphone/IEM profiles; one may sound fantastic with one particular song, but confusingly “meh” on another song. I’ll continue to root through the profiles until I’ve identified the most solid, consistent performer.
Long story, short: if you aren't immediately happy with the sound of the X, don't give up! There is great sound in there - it just takes some tweaking to find what works.