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
Hi everyone, The first production of the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee headphones has arrived at the warehouse, and the headphones are now being prepared for shipment. This shipment includes all HD 58X drop participants, which includes members who joined from December 20187 - April 2018. We estimate that the headphones will start shipping early next week. Throughout the production process, we sent various samples to reviewers and we received positive results, as well as some constructive feedback on the sound. Some reviewers mentioned that there was too much energy in the upper mids, and not enough bass extension. We decided to take advantage of the timeline we had, and made changes to the unit as it was being produced. A process like this typically takes years, and we were able to work with Sennheiser to make these changes in just a couple of months. Ultimately, these areas of the sound were improved without any other changes to the headphones. Production is now complete and we’re excited to release the new frequency response graph:
Also, got notice of shipping on mine as well - has anyone's actually shipped though? FedEx only says the label was created for mine. They weren't actually shipped. Looks like they're coming out of NJ though, so if they ship Monday, they'll likely get to me Tuesday which would mean getting them before we leave on Wednesday for ten days! Gonna be close!
EDIT: Yep. The tracking works in either FedEx or USPS, so looks like the postal service will be delivering it, not FedEx. Cheers.
Edit: And remember, if FedEx doesn’t have the package they can’t give an estimated arrival!
"It has been brought to our attention that some of the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee Headphones shipped out with higher serial numbers than intended (over 501). If you are receiving this email, theres a chance you are receiving a higher serial number than expected. We apologize for this mix up and would like to help get this corrected.
If you would like to ensure that you receive headphones with a low serial number, we ask that you check your serial number on the outside of the box so that the unit can be returned before it is opened. "
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE for customer who joined during the very first drop back in late December 2017. I understand there is option for me to exchange for a replacement that has a serial number lower than 500 if I received a set with serial number by more than 501. But this is so troublesome as I am using forwarding service for my unit. I based in Singapore and could only checked once the headset delivered by the forwarding company.
What if I received a unit with serial number by more than 501? Would Massdrop pay for the shipping service to ship the item from Singapore back to USA? Would Massdrop directly send me the unit with rectified serial number to my address in Singapore?
I hope my issue will be addressed. Thank you.
Nothing like a bit more waiting while people who ordered months later get to enjoy their headphones first.
I am affected and it has been shipped. I would hope Massdrop can take the extra miles to solve this issue to all affected customers as much as possible. Even compensate customers for all the time and trouble to get it right.
It was a promise by Massdrop that those who purchased during the first drop will get a serial number below 501 (for the first 500 buyers). It adds to the "exclusiveness" for those early supporters. Haha.
Like a mean woman leaning over for a kiss she's not gonna give.
Printing out FedEx labels on Wednesday and letting them sit on someone's desk till next week. Lol
Yay Smart Post.
I heard the 650-style padding is supposed to be more comfortable (something about distributing the weight equally), but I just can't get used to my 6XX. Feels like being strongly hugged all over - around the ears and on top of my head. Never had this experience with any other headphones.
Meanwhile, my transaction info is still pending. You’re right about the kinda felt like a kick in the nuts feeling.
But when you make someone wait for six months, and then have other clients receive their product before those original clients do, it's very bad business. By just about any stretch of the imagination.
I wouldn't do it to my clients, and I'm a little bit disappointed that these guys would do it to theirs. I have been touting Massdrop all over the place for the past year, but this gives me pause for sure.
If I wanted to be treated like dirt, I'd sign up for Ebay again, or go work for Amazon. But as a consumer, I don't need it.
Would it have killed the bottom line to wait another week? I guess technically we are at the end of the quarter. Which tells you exactly what you are worth as a Massdrop client. Whatever makes the revenue tick upward. Just numbers. Just another company like THAT.
I think the fine irony here, is that fewer products will actually make their required pre-purchase numbers if Massdrop continues this sort of CX.
Suddenly you have a chicken-and-egg problem where no one wants to commit to a product that's going to come out in 6 months when they know they can get it in two or three days once the drop makes. That then reduces the possibility that the drop will actually make. This is actually a large business problem in the long run.
So then, if Massdrop doesn't offer partnered products that are somewhat custom-built, how do they differ from any other retailer online? It's a question worth asking.
Is it the end of the world that I am going to receive my product after those ordering it tomorrow? Absolutely not. However, on the principle of things, it definitely has rubbed me the wrong way. And quite a bit too.
How do they sound though, do they sound like $150 headphones or $500 headphones?
Edit: here is the original vs the new because they recently changed the page to reflect the new headband. NEW ONE
*Maybe at least get a $10 referral credit or something since by joining we are in a way, referring.
People who are saying this is a rebranded 660 are kidding themselves.
The money shots MD took, look different!
Happy listening my friend!
*Though I still wonder why Media Mail ships faster than what ever Fedex hybrid they use.
“The HD58X Jubilee is an excellent entry level headphone. When looking for an excellent and realsitic sound reproduction the HD58X should definitely be on your list. With some easy to perform modifications it can sound as good as the much more expensive HD660S for a fraction of the price with a sound quality punching far above its price.“
What else are people expecting for $150? 600 clones? 660 clones?
and btw
"The HD58X Jubilee is an excellent entry level headphone. When looking for an excellent and realsitic sound reproduction the HD58X should definitely be on your list"
those sentences were used on 600 and 650 be4. so don't ask ur customer "what u expecting from $150" now ! ask them be4 they paid !
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-review-measurements.867972/
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/massdrop-hd58x-revised-review-and-measurements.6530/
If these give me a similar sound to the hd650 with tighter bass ill be happy, i have pretty realistic expectations for these anyway.
If the resolution is significantly worse then I'll be disappointed.
Personally, I am more interested in use-case with DAPs, so the better drive-ablility and the lack of the so-called 'veil' with low powered gear is appreciated. I never expected it to perform as well as 650s, but the current buzz seems to be favorable. Better than I expected.
“The HD58X Jubilee is an excellent entry level headphone. When looking for an excellent and realistic sound reproduction the HD58X should definitely be on your list" THIS is one of the reasons I think they will be not much better than the 598's, which isn't necessarily a bad thing I guess, especially for the price.
Oh well, you can't hit a home run every time you come up to bat. Just sucks that some of you guys fell for it, but at least not that many looking at the numbers sold. I knew something didn't seem right...apparently so did thousands more.
Also have you read any good reviews on this 58x yet? I have only read 2 that were lukewarm.
EDIT Just found the SR's they are open and they cost $175 https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-SR-Open-Back/dp/B06WRMZZ45/ref=dp_ob_title_ce The closed pair is $150
Let me begin by saying that these are NOT audiophile headphones. Anyone who buys these expecting extreme detail and resolution will be disappointed. the reason I said these are not audiophile headphones is because they lack frequency separation. The bass leaks into the mids and mids leak into highs. Some might say this makes them sound “muddy”, whereas I describe the sound as relaxed. It’s pleasant to listen to and for someone who hasn’t heard HiFi headphones, it will be amazing. However, for me, it was a bit distracting particularly in classical music. For instance, in a piano concerto, during a cadenza, I expect to hear the bassists, cellist, and drums in the low end; brass and woodwinds in the mids; violas and violins in the highs, and piano throughout these ranges.
And he continues:
With these, the bass frequencies heavily bleed into the mids so it sounds like a loud smear of frequencies. This isn’t a deal breaker for me because I have the Philips X2s, which is one of the best at instrument separation, but if someone is looking for a single all-around headphone, this is not the one.
Oh and 1 more just for good measure: It is the sound clarity that really disappoints, though. To be sure, these are the least expensive headphones that I own, but going from these to a $200 pair of AKGs on the same song yields a remarkable improvement in sound clarity, and a soundstage that is bigger. These are not remotely audiophile headphones.
BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!! Anyways, enjoy your new headphones.....
The 58X is a great entry point for people new to this hobby to start understanding what "better" sound is. If you really thought they'd be more than that then that's on you. I personally bought them to see if they fix what I don't like about my 6XX as I'm ready to sell them. If they indeed have the bass response I'm looking for and aren't as laid back, then for $150 I'll be happy.
In regard to the frequency response, it's only a guideline. Headphones can have near-identical response charts and still sound different in real life. If anything, CSD, distortion, 30/300hz square wave, etc. give us more to go on about a headphone than frequency response alone. But, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how it sounds to our ears.
After seeing the distortions (sans the odd spike) and CSD, I am more excited about these than I was prior. From everything I have read so far, these seem to be what I really wanted out of the 6XX but with poorer overall detail retrieval comparatively. That, I am OK with. After getting the Elex, I never reach for the 6XX at all. The Elex is just superior in every regard (to me). I really find no reason to even use my 6XX any longer. So, may as well sell it off to someone that can appreciate it more than I can at this point.
Ok, so here is why the 58X are still special to me, and why I will be keeping mine. On my high-end Pioneer receiver (SC-65) the 6xx performance is better but, once I go mobile, the 58X truly shines. I keep it simple, iPhone X driven by Dragonfly Black. Since the 58X is only 150ohms, you get great sound quality: warm, bass, neutral, volume output. They are more enjoyable than my 6xx when it comes to mobile, since the 6XX needs more power to gain it's benefits. Again this is my preference; I'm sure if you have portable equipment that are powerful enough to drivethe 6XX than 6XX is the way to go.
**Here is something I found interesting. Using my portable setup, the Jubilee 58X outshines my HE4XX (30ohms). Although the HE4XX sound signature is very different (love the spacious sound), the 58X volume output was higher. The sound was also more clear over my HE4XX and there is more detail.
PS: I didn’t like my K712. What are you gonna do about it? Crucify me?
“How would you compare 58X and 4XX for a desktop setup/use-case?” Using Dragonfly Red, USB to USB-C on a MacBook Pro with iTunes -Right off the bat, both sets are brighter unlike on my iPhone. I find the iPhone more enjoyable to listen to -58X sounds more full, most likely due to heavier bass -4XX is has a more spacious sound -Here it gets weird. 4XX is 30ohms vs 58X 150ohms; 4XX I can max out in volume, but on the 58X, 80% is loud. **If I had to choose which cans to go with, it would easily be the 58X over the HE4XX; especially if bass is important.
@samelight100 “hey with the Dragonfly Black, any hissing with low imp IEMs? i hearded ppl said it will hiss, how bad is it?” Using Dragonfly Red, USB to USB-C on a MacBook Pro with iTunes, using Shure SE535 -There is a hiss using DFB v1.5 if volume is all the way up playing no music. **I think this is a non-issue. You won’t be putting the volume all the way up, since its extremely dangerous, and it hurts my ear if high. Volume I have set to 40%-50% and it’s loud. -Using DFR, there is no hiss at volume high while not playing music.
Also, thanks for the reply. But, DFR cannot be called a desktop amp. It has a max output of 2 Vrms. I wouldn't call anything below 5Vrms as desktop amp. The reason I was asking for desktop amp is that at least 5Vrms is needed to make up for the difference in efficiencies and to let you compare two headphones properly.
But, the use case with a portable/USB powered DAC/Amp is a valid scenario and from your opinion, it seems 58X are much better suited for that.
HE4XX - 35 Ohm @ 93 dB SPL/mW require much more power and current
HD 58X - 150 ohm @ 104 dB SPL/V - Requires more voltage
1. A lot of dynamic headphones have highly varying impedance values where even if they are rated at 300 ohms, at lower frequencies, it will reach near 600 ohms. This means that at voltage levels where the higher frequencies reach listening levels, the lower frequencies are still at lower levels, leading to the sound being perceived as lean (unsatisfactory lows) or harsh (too much highs wrt. other frequencies). So, when you calculate if an amp has enough juice to drive your headphones at the required level, you should also take those impedance peaks into consideration. Planars are generally immune to this as the impedance are fixed.
2. Human hearing is most sensitive at about 1kHz and at higher frequencies above this, the hearing is much more sensitive than at lower frequencies below this. So people used to more bass feel that the sound is lean at normal listening levels with neutral headphones and tend to bump up the volume. I haven't phrased this well enough, but I hope you get the idea.
So, in general, due to certain reasons, people feel that the power is low even though the volume is adequate. These are the only reasons I can attribute to the myth of 'volume is not the same as power'.
Because of the lower measured sensitivity (88.25 db/mW) and higher measured impedance (49 ohms), it is harder to drive in every sense than even HD650s.
Edit: Still an O2 should be able to push it to 115 dB. Good for a 7 year old budget design.
About the impedance curve, I was talking about the driver itself, not the cable. Manufacturers tend to use the lowest impedance for their specifications.
Now, not for you but for those who don't know about this aspect of headphone behavior the following link might help. It is the measurements of HD650 from InnerFidelity. https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD650.pdf
and for the impedance, im talking about the driver too, u got most of the resistance from the wires of the coil, i don't think manufacturers adv with the lowest impedance for their specifications, coz the numbers could go very very low on this.
About the Impedance, here I am not talking about pure resistance, but 'Impedance' values which makes an impact when you use an alternating signal (such as audio signal or sine waves). The connecting cable's contribution to impedance is negligibly small. If you are looking just at resistance, yes, the numbers could go very very low. I made the comment that manufacturers use the lowest impedance value after looking at some of the headphone measurements available at InnerFidelity. I haven't looked at all manufacturers, only the ones that I am interested in. Mostly Sennheisers and Beyers.
PS: You don't get anything with Dragonfly. So...
It has a slight spike in the treble around 10khz but music never becomes fatiguing or painful and i think it also fixes any veil that the roll off in mids might cause. vocals are a little further back but overall i didn't find this a problem due to the clearer sound and much better imaging of the Aeons this was using them without any of the included filters. people with better amps may still favor the hd650 due to its seemly limitless scaling, but I'd rather not sink $2000 into an amp to get the best out of the hd650.
obviously nothing is perfect and there are things that hd650 do "better" (better being subjective). for starters the 650 soundstage is a little wider which doesn't really matter much to me as i never cared for overly wide sound stages anyway, they just push things to far away and make me want to increase the volume, the hd650 mids are more neutral which some might like better, but because of the veil the hd650 has a slightly fuzzy sound to it in my opinion, while the aeons could be called zingy in the treble, some may find the hd650 smoother, but overall i found them pretty equal it really depends on the song. while the hd650s do have a slight veil, I'd say the Aeons just have a slight softness to the upper mids they don't sound veiled at all to me.
The Aeons have a very lush character but more energy than hd650s which make them more fun to listen to without being fatiguing at all, but one plus side is they don't directly replace the hd650 in all categories as they are still one of best headphones for a laid back relaxed sound. only real negative i can really give the aeons is the pads do seal around your ears, but its not noticeable to me or not like the LCD2 classics were.
if you get a chance do check them out, if you've already heard them please post your opinions on them. I still want to try the he edition x and he-1000. but until i can try them without dropping the money first i wont buy them i've made to many blind purchases with disappointing results these are pretty much end game for me.
While I love my HD 800, and the large driver has surprisingly visceral impact because you can feel it moving the hairs on the outside of your ear (which is cool), it is lighter in bass quantity than the HD 650 and HD 660 S. I have a preproduction HD 58X, sadly haven’t heard the subbass tuned HD 58X Jubilee, but the HD 660 S almost perfectly straddles the middle ground between the HD 650 and HD 800. Again, I love my HD 800, it has higher fidelity and feels more like a live performance, I use it all the time, but for your tastes I imagine you’d prefer the HD 660 S. Graphs seem to show the HD 58X has even less sub bass roll off than the HD 660 S, but most music (even power metal) doesn’t reach that low – I’ve even seen dubstep that has its drops based more on midbass and mids rather than the unusual sub bass range.
They compare fair, not an obvious winner between the two IMO, but for practical reasons I’d pick the Aeon Closed over the Aeon open, simply because they’re one of the best closed headphones at that price. And if you have the Closed Aeon, then the HD 660 S by contrast is a better companion for the sake of variety...
By the way, I think the easiest way people end up listening to HD 650 on super amps (that cost lots of $$$$) is that they have a collection of headphones, and they buy an amp that brings out the best of all of them. You could say I got my Sennheiser HDV 820 for my HD 800, but of course my HD 650 has never sounded better than when on the same amp. Doesn’t hurt that I can have several headphones plugged into the HDV at once, making them all sound great and making for easy compare and contrast (and sharing, which happens when I have a buddy over for games and movies without disturbing my wife working from home). That said, some people really just find a headphone that is dialed in to just the tuning they want, and then try to make it the best they can by buying better gear around it.
It's weird. As technically advanced as some of these headphones are, it's hard to find a good set that does justice to the vocals of Etta James, Nina Simone, Jill Scott, Dinah Washington, etc. Or, theyiss out in the attack of a blues guitarist putting his soul into the strings (Keb Mo playing on the steel guitar is a great example).
While I enjoyed the looks and comfort of the Aeon, it was just boring to me. But, I feel the same way about the Andromeda too. I was pretty let down by it considering how hyped it is. I've been borrowing the Vega from a friend and it is arguably on of the best IEMs I've ever heard. It's truly unique, musical, and engaging while having great bass texture and resolution. When you compare the Andro to the Vega, I was able.to see how bright and shimmery it was but also how lean it sounded. The soundstage was great but for me, that's not the prime characteristic I look for in a headphone anymore.
I got to briefly sample the Campfire Cascade and that was more up my alley. The unit was already burned-in and was fun yet resolving. For a closed back can it's soundstage was larger than one would expect. Guess it goes to show how different all of our ears and tastes are.
I thinking either the amp pairing was bad or the ear pads didnt seal properly, did you try with the filters as well
Funny how hearing works you found these bright and the elex really good yet i found the elex bright and these very good
basically a hd650 but with slight less upper mids, a bit more lower treble and a rounder cleaner bass but not overpowering, elex had to much 6khz for me which made some metal recordings to bright
Again im very sensitive to upper mids the presence range between 3k and 7k so because these sound more relaxed in those areas its more pleasent.
But again you could try them and get a different opinion just as jaydun did.
Read tylls review his and mine are pretty much the same except he says they are rougher or grainer than hd650 which i disagree on plus they are on his wall of fame
Now I have not done any side by side comparisons yet, but for $150 the 58x are really good just like 6xx for $200.
Anyway, I had a few days to listen to the HD 660 S and a couple other headphones, including a pristine old Orpheus and the new Orpheus. Astonishing experiences, definitely the best headphones I’d heard, but I also gave a fair bit of time to headphones I could actually afford, like the HD 660 S. Among that lineup, the HD 660 S took a dabble of the immediacy, agility, and sparkling treble of the HD 800 S, while also having a bit more lower mids and midbass like the HD 650. I think it addressed almost all the wishlist for improvements to the HD 650 that I’ve heard people say, and it was cool to see that Sennheiser developed that even though the HD 650 was selling fine, and even though they must have been pushing boundaries of closed headphone design with the HD 820 at the same time. It was a really fun headphone. I got to hear it again at CanJam NYC.
Fortunately, I got to hear it before reading Tyll’s review, because I had to scratch my head a bit when reading that one. I like Tyll, wish to shake his hand and thank him someday, but his last reviews seemed too tizzy sensitive. Really, listening back to back with the HD 650, HD 800 S, and then HD 660 S, it really feels like it lands smack dab in the middle.
The Edition X's are worth a listen and could be considered as a step up from the 650's, but the 650's on a proper tube amp is seductive and equally enjoyable! I love what the Edition X's can do and they do it extremely well but the 650's on tubes has me switching between the two headphones quite a bit.
I will add, I've got a few amp's (SS & Tube), and nothing I have can push the 650's better than the Darkvoice. The Edition X's sounds brilliant out of the Graham Slee and doesn't sound under powered at all. I was lucky to get the Edition X on a very good deal, if the Edition X's sound anything like the He1k then color me impressed and then there is the Susvara....holy cow!
I call it a 'bloom' rather than a 'veil' sound that most people hear on the 650's. I find on the Darkvoice the bloom is less but perhaps this is what gives the 650's it's 'euphoric' nature with tubes imho.
I will tell you, I personally feel the mid section on both are excellent, but sometimes I'm just in love with the 650's mid's as they definitely stand out more than the Edition X's, that's not to say the Edition X's mids are bad, far from it but not as high-lighted as the Senn's. The Edition X's treble is just effortless though, you get such sweet and sparkling high's but stay comfortable and never harsh like the 650's, I swear Hifiman tuned these headphones like they were on tubes! I was listening to some 'Drumstep' music today and I was going back and forth with the two headphone's, 650's done well but Edition just has the 'little' bit more control and so it should, it cost more than the 650's!
I personally love these two setup's, the 650's and Edition X are splendid headphones. I could rock out to both quite easily, which I do alot. (LOL)
In short, the Edition X's sound clearer, image better and has a similar sound stage to the 650's but taller and a tad more deeper. If you can get a chance to demo one or even try the new Ananda, which I believe is a new edition related the Edition X/V2 line, you won't regret it!
P.s 650's on a Darkvoice though....just sex! :D
Hope this helps!
What is new is the crispness of the treble, and faster recovery (less bloom). Some bloom is desirable for a macro sense of one note flowing into the next, and I’ve read others say it helps create a more inky black background free of noise, but the HD 660 S sounds like a nice blend of the HD 650 and higher fidelity. Some may say the Pace, Rythmn, and Timing is better on the HD 660 S (even though the music plays back at the exact same speed/rate as the HD 650), and I think this decreased bloom is what creates that perception. I didn’t find the HD 660 S fatiguing on it’s own at all, though it does less to color or smooth the sound (especially of unpleasant high compression songs).
@KioshiI’m sorry, I thought I already replied to your flattering comment – I must’ve forgotten to hit submit! Urgh! Well, I definitely want to thank you for saying you would be interested in my opinion, maybe one day I will be able to compare them side by side... Since people won’t be able to get the prototype though, it would be more helpful for me to focus on comparing and contrasting to the HD 650. Have I made the youth comparison before? The prototype HD 58X Jubilee was like a young performer, capable and eager to immediately impress with it’s best qualities. Mids and treble had more energy than the bass, but it still had a fairly balanced presentation compared to several V-shaped headphones I can think of. Meanwhile, the HD 650 was more like a mature musician... maybe it had already found and embraced it’s style instead of being a chameleon, but it’s somewhat sultry sound can really draw in the listener deep into the music and hold their interest there, like some kind of siren song. I do like both, more than I thought I would. Straight out of my iPad, I prefer playing PUBG Mobile with the HD 58X Jubilee. The soundstage is a bit bigger and imaging a bit crisper, it does a great job with PUBG’s built in virtual surround and saves a bit of battery.
The HD 660 S is not deeply V-shaped... more gentle, like a U-shape close to the Harmon target curve. I could describe the HD 650 this way too... though the HD 650 is old enough that one could ask if the headphone or the Harmon Target came first ;)
If you just want more bass, try playing with an EQ. DSPs and EQ technology is way better than it used to be. If you want tighter bass... the HD 660 S has less bloom, as I mentioned before. That tighter control is widespread through the HD 660 S’ frequencies, and the graphs show that it doesn’t have steep, high amplitude treble peaks. The more tinnitus a person has, the more sensitive their ears will be to pain from treble... we’ll all have some hearing loss eventually, but at 30 and 31 years old I wasn’t feeling fatigued from listening to the HD 660 S. Sure, 128 kbps MP3’s and Sirius Radio still sound shallow and a bit grating, but the HD 660 S still wasn’t an analytical headphone that shoves any flaw in my face or leaves me bored from dullness. I was actually really happy with the HD 660 S, but remember that’s just one man’s opinion.
now the sundara according to graphs is about as bright as the hd600 which i don't mind as even i find the hd650 a little dark at times, often find myself turning the hd650 up to try and get more clarity brightness, to which i receive more bass and warmth. apparently these need a lot of burn though. i will let you know how i go, I still recommend trying the aeon flow opens though.
Hard for me to decide which of these headphones are better because sometimes a track that sounds fine on the 650's might sound terrible on the HEX's. It really comes down to how the song/album is recorded and produced, some albums are horribly put together or perhaps more suited to say, speakers!
Both headphones have the mid-range chops to reproduce a well recorded metal album. The 650's will gloss over the details just a tad, where the power of Planar HEX will break down the song and reanimate it to almost a 1:1 likeness, worts and all!
I know, I know....this ain't helping ya! :D Good luck!
I'm not very knowledgeable with metal but hope you find something that perfectly captures your tunes.
Despite disliking eqing headphones i actually boosted 4-9khz of my 650s by 5db and reduced 2khz by 3db and 250hz by 1.5db, to quite pleasing results. But its obvious these drivers dont handle the upper midrange that well hence why sennheiser probably subdued it a bit. I did this to simulate the sundara's frequency response, but ive probably increased their upper mids beyond the sundara. I cant disable the eq now without it they sound dull as shit.
keep telling yourself that special snowflake. Makes you feel good right?
“I'll enjoy my WAY better K712 Pro's.” That’s your opinion and that’s cool! Now don’t shove it on our throat.
PS: K712 Pro sucks. So happy I sold them! 😝
edit, also the sound is very realistic, it doesn't sound overly warm like the hd650 not does it sound extremely close like the hd600/650 does.
one other thing ill add, with h650 everything has the same soundstage, aka close, and basically the same imaging, while these seems to have a wider or narrow soundstage based on song and placement of instruments is really unique.
Ahh a Headfi-er. That explains it. 😝 And yes you are the only one in the whole world who bought them. You are a special snowflake after all.
”Enjoy your next gen...”
Different strokes for different folks dude. And yes I enjoy them as much as my HD800. So uhh is it safe to agree that we all have OUR own subjective bias to things? You don’t own the 58X right? So what are you doing here? Trying to “enlighten” us by shoving your subjective views to us? LOL!
This is a subjective hobby and we all have our OWN preferences. That is my entire point.
I love your last sentence btw. ”Your headphones sucks! Mine is better!” LOL. Grow up. 😂
Your tireless ignorance and petulance is getting pretty old at this point.
I already called FeDex and USPS and they tell me that everything is fine and it should have arrived, but the package isn't showing up as lost or anything, yet it never arrived.
This is my first Drop and I'm having reservations about buying again, I have not gotten any support from any of the Massdrop staff, its been weeks since it "Shipped" on Jan 22 and I get that Smart Post is slow but it was supposed to arrive already, this is just silly MD.
The issue is you're posting an opinion to something you DO NOT OWN OR HEAR! It's like me saying the K712 Pro is the worst headphones I bought without actually trying them. Oh wait, I actually did at one point in my life and they sucked! At least my opinion is VALID!
" I don't have to buy them to know and understand what they sound like, as I've read many reviews now "
You're basing your OPINION on SUBJECTIVE reviews. And you also dismiss others who say it's very close to HD650. Nice cherry picking buddy! Pathetic.
and well because i need help i went and bought the audio quest nighthawk carbon (semi open) headphones which is the updated version of their non carbon headphones, will post results when i hear them.
side note, Although i have yet to find my ideal sounding headphones, all this testing and returning/comparing of headphones is quite exciting.
EDIT 2: The package arrived today Jul 17, apparently what they told me was a mistake and they didn't know where the package was, I'll be posting my thoughts later, massdrop also responded and offered their apologies and a refund or replacement service which was super nice, Thank you MD and I think I can now recommend you guys to friends and fam.
I already did Twice 2 days ago and haven't heard from them since.
This is getting really frustrating, between FeDex not knowing where my package is and asking me what's in my package over the phone for some reason, they told me I have to wait 2 days to even get a response on where my package is, with no estimated delivery time, on top the normal Delay for production this shit happened and I'm worried my package may have been "lost".
Now Massdrop not responding to my messages at all, I think i'm not going to be doing business with Massdrop from now on if I don't get a response, I hope nobody else has had their order lost cause this shit sucks.
I'm assuming you meant nighthawks by that, and yeah im interested the build quality looks really impressive, and yeah they were on sale for me, where as normally they'd be like $1000 where i live, i got them for $700 and yeah looking on inner-fidelity they have sub-bass for days, better than audeze lcd2.
and about the audeze im not sure which pair you were referring too but i tried the lcd2-classics and overall found the sound to have great extension but it was still flat like most planars but the overall sound was cold with a slightly recessed treble and a spike at 6k giving vocals some (sometimes to much) crispness, guitars sounded pretty empty and lifeless on them.
overall the sound quality and resolution was great but i had comfort issues due to the oversized ear cups, that and the pads make a noticeable seal around your ears to the point where my ears would pop causing me hearing issues and i would even hear this like crinkling tin sound every time i put them on or took them off.
overall if it wasn't for the comfort/sealing issue i probably would of kept them.
And yeah, people keep telling me to try the LCD2/C LCDX as it fits my preferred taste pretty well. I haven't had a lot of ear time with Audeze so that's one manufacturer I'd like to hear more of their lineup.
I probably would have my hearing checked if I were 50. Our hearing deteriorate as we age and that's a fact. No point owning all that gear if your hearing sucks.
I listen to many genre's so I'm hoping for an all-rounder that has a dark smooth signature, people have varying opinions on what frequency response is best for what genre, often recommending a v shaped headphone for metal which i think is strange as for me metal needs a really good midrange.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MrSpeakersAeonFlowOpenonenotchwhitefilter.pdf
midbass hump then a long dip to 6khz which is at -15db, then a large spike at 9-10khz which is louder than all frequencies above 1khz, giving these headphones a rather dark character and not a warm character at all really.
because to me Warm = slightly boosted low mids and slightly recessed upper mids Dark = slightly boosted mid bass to low mids and a stronger recess to the upper mids
where the nighthawk https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioQuestNightHawk2015.pdf looks pretty similar it has much better extension, a seemingly more gradual dip to 6khz and not as sharp a peak at 8-10khz, top that off with seemly perfect 30hz square wave and less than 1% distortion from 20hz to 6khz. it appears to be better build headphone.
on a side note. idk what it is but for me planar magnetic headphones always seem disconnected from the music every planar i've tried thus far has a sonic weirdness to it that doesn't translate into graphs or waves its must have something to do with the way planars do soundstage and imaging it just sounds off.
EDIT 2: The package arrived today Jul 17, apparently what they told me was a mistake and they didn't know where the package was, I'll be posting my thoughts later, massdrop also responded and offered their apologies and a refund or replacement service which was super nice, Thank you MD and I think I can now recommend you guys to friends and fam.
I don't have to pay for customs or have to do anything as I get my packages through USPS after Fedex Smartpost delievers it to USPS and then to my Address.
However they have lost my packages before so its not a stretch to assume that the package has been "misplaced" since when I called Fedex they didn't know where my package was and they told me they would investigate and tell me in around 2 days which is weird enough.
Then they start asking me what's in the package which I have never been asked before, so this has been a very strange experience for me at least.
audio quest nighthawk have a unique sound that takes a while to get used to but surprisingly it has a nasty spike around 5k that makes vocals quite sibilant on certain tracks.
there is a 5k and 8k spike which i agree with as i also hear, usually with vocals, the S sounds and T sounds are quite sharp and painful at times.
Shipping was slow, about 3 weeks to Brisbane. When the package arrives in Australia, it’s handed over to Aus Post. DHL Global are slow, but I get why Massdrop uses that service given the very reasonable $15 shipping.
I don't see where all the K712 hate comes from. There are MANY videos comparing them to HD 800's and how close they really are is amazing. The only other AKG's (that I have heard) that came close are the Q701 (Quincy Jones), being that they had way better bass than the regular 701, almost as good as the 712, but not quite. Even the 812's which are $1200 are not as good as the 712's, to my hearing.
Old fools can’t get over it. LOL.
You already formed your opinion weeks before buying it so, not surprised if you will hate it. And that’s cool because I don’t really care. 😂
You really don’t get it. Just because you liked it does not mean that everyone will like it too.
I know it’s kind of a left-field suggestion now, since there are Cavalli designs on Massdrop (with off the shelf wall-warts instead of the better purpose-designed power supplies, but they had to cut costs somewhere to bring the price to Massdrop levels), but all the Cavalli designs are special, high performers, and a bit more unique than the average suggestions made for Schiits and giggles. It would be a great sounding investment with your HD 58X Jubilee, able to change the tuning by tube rolling so you don’t get bored, while also being great for your next headphone and potentially being endgame for less than flagship prices. I would still be using my Liquid Carbon now, if the opportunity to borrow the HDV 820 long term hadn’t fallen into my lap and turned out to be even better than expected (but normally a magnitude higher of a price).
I’ve never owned an Audio-GD product, but like you I’ve read the heaps of praise for their products for the price. The NFB-11.28 is often recommended, and a more recent design, the R2R11, is owned by two of my friends and they won’t shut up about it 😄. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-gd-nfb-11-28-vs-r2r-11.858093/
K712 are very comfortable and I like that it's less 'in your face' sound signature.
EDIT: I've spent a lot of time with the Crack + Speedball combo recently and I think it can benefit some of the fostex cans (TH-X00 Ebony is what I'm using) as well as the HD58X. There is a detectable loosening of the lower bass on some tracks (esp those with many bass sounds overlapped), but the sound is fast and the driver feels very much under control. These effects give me the perception that detail retrieval is stronger, parts of background noise are more defined, harmonics are clear, etc. More time to spend and comparisons to make, but it seems like this design is more than a one trick pony.
My higher end headphone journey went Audio Technica AD 700 (sold), AKG Q701 (sold), K712 (sold), K612 (had all three AKGs briefly), HD 700 (sold), many many headphone auditions and a couple review demos, Oppo PM3 (sold), HD 800, and lately I’ve been gathering more of a collection instead of selling headphones and keeping a look out for the one headphone to rule them all. One thing that all the above headphones have in common: they’re all amazing performers for gaming and binaural sound.
I still have my AKG K612, and I’ve lost track of how many years I’ve had it now (I had the other two AKGs for three years each, with some overlap to where I had all three at one point). In fact, I just used it this morning to play PUBG Mobile, because it was handy and I wanted to try it out with Dekoni Fenestrated Pads (adds a little more sparkle and less absorption of sound overall). The AKG excels in having a large soundstage, good extension at both ends of the frequency response curve, and a light, airy presentation overall.
The Sennheiser HD 650 is warmer and meatier to the AKG’s airiness, not as expansive of a soundstage but still nuanced and layered. Wine vs Whiskey, both very good but with different strengths. I prefer the HD 650’s mids, and overall like them better for music and movies. The AKGs still are no slouch for gaming, buuuuut... the HD 800 is a much smoother, more “expertly aged” whiskey, with the same strengths but Moreso and more refined. I could see someone’s budget liking the K712 more, but the HD 800 is on another level. Another fly in the K712 ointment: the PC37X also is great for gaming, perhaps better because of the cartioid mic, easier to drive and thus more versatile, perhaps the soundstage isn’t as wide but the trade-offs are more than acceptable for the lower price. All of the Sennheiser’s are also more comfortable for me: the oval earcups don’t show up in my peripheral vision (the HD 800 does a tiny bit) and don’t get as tangled in my sideburns, while the headbands don’t create sore hotspots on my beginning-to-bald head. The leather and pleather suspension straps of the AKGs self-adjust to the shape of your head, but they do create a hotspot right at the peak where most of the (light) weight rests, so I bought a baby seatbelt cover which softens the feel and distributes the weight a bit.
I still keep the AKGs because I’m attached to them, and I like to go back to them and remember, but they hardly get any head-time between the PC37X and the HD 800. They’re great for emphasizing soundstage. Meanwhile, the HD 650 are IMO a natural transition for people used to the warmth of speakers.
I thought I would have that in the LCD XC's, and yes, they are on another level. They just kill me with the weight, and after an hour or so, I can't take them anymore. I use my K712 more.
Maybe I will trade them for either a cpl nice pair of headphones, or maybe someone would trade the HD800. I don't think they cost as much as the LCD's, iirc. Or maybe someone wants to trade a nice DAC or AMP for them.
What’s the open equivalent of the XC in Audeze’s lineup?
I don't know about brand, but it seems like there's a big difference between the best and the worst, for audio applications anyway. This makes sense to me because low end transformers are going to be designed so they're just good enough to make it work, not to deliver clean power.
@Mohannad13 , it kind of depends on what you mean by smoothness. If brittle and easy to distort were the opposite of smoothness, then *for me* I found something like the DT 880 to be smooth. Smooth, however the treble was very loud once I got the midrange volume where I liked it, so after about 30 minutes of listening my ears were ringing and felt sore. If you mean that smooth is also comfortable to listen for a long time, I find that the HD 650 is very clean and great to listen to if you have hours and hours of audio in mind when driven by a good amp, and when plugged into a setup that can be edgy, underamped noticeable distortion, or low res, I find the HD 650 smooths out those edges and still has a very musical presentation. Plugging my HD 650 into my iPad Pro‘s headphone jack isn’t exactly the last word in a high-end experience, but it’s still pleasant. However, when underamped it can seem like the driver is “slower” to recover and the sound seems slightly constricted (to say it sounds muffled like a sheet of wool is between the sound and your ears is an exaggeration, but it does sound less dynamic and “transparent” to a live experience).
The HD 58X Jubilee sounds more dynamic than the HD 6XX/650 on a wider range of systems, and also has a little bit more “eagerness” in the treble and sub-bass extension. I haven’t heard the production version yet with the extra sub-bass extension, but from impressions and graphs it is easy to surmise that it is a modest increase but a fair bit of fun... you could say the bass is also more “eager.”
Overall, the HD 58X Jubilee is still much more closely related to the HD 650 family than going so far as to have a noticeable volume difference between mids and treble like some V-Shaped or treble-head/Bass-Head targeted headphones. I’ve said before, the HD 58X Jubilee is like a younger sister who is friendly and personable, while the HD 650 is the older sibling who is more modest and yet enchanting, but you can definitely tell they are related. I’m glad to be “friends” with both!
As far as Frank Sinatra goes... my first job 15 years ago, I was a dishwasher at an upscale italian restaurant, and one of my coworkers would play one CD of Frank over and over, all shift long, every day, and it drove me crazy. I tried to tune it out, but with nothing else to entertain me I couldn’t help but notice how short many of his songs were, sometimes turning to scat when it would seem he ran out of lyrics, and as happens when you listen to any one artist for too long I started to feel like all the songs were in the same style. So, for me, the best sounding headphone is whichever one isn’t playing Sinatra ^__^'` But with that bias said, the HD 6XX would soften the impact of brass horns and poor recordings better than the HD 58X Jubilee.
You could also put all your budget for now just into the headphone and a good amp, and get a really nice DAC once you can afford something from iFi or Chord. I’d say any DAC less than $200 is going to be really hard to hear it being better than a premium smartphone, like a Schiit Magni & Modi will only sound a bit better than plugging straight into the iPad, for example. So, I could suggest just putting your budget towards a nice Amp for now, and you can always get a nice DAC later that doesn’t sound like plastic.
A Magni by itself can drive the HD 650 pretty well, though you might want to research which of the three generations sound the best with the HD 650.
An even better sounding, and easily portable option would be the Cavalli Liquid Spark ($99, launches this October). I own and LOVE my Cavalli Liquid Carbon, and I heard the Spark prototype several times at different CanJam events before Cavalli sold the design to Monoprice, and that is going to be one heck of a deal, even ignoring the benefit that the amp is pocket sized. The Spark has really low distortion, some exotic-level design like zero feedback in the gain stage and blah blah blah, but what it means is Cavalli makes stuff that is somehow both clean and precise while also rich and robust.
THX’s new AAA amp designs (some sold here, some other places, worth checking out THX’s website to find out options within your budget) are very very linear, honest, micro-detail revealing amps at surprisingly good prices, like they beat the Objective 2 amp at its own game. There are a LOT of THX AAA configurations, so while the $350 option sold here on Massdrop is worth saving up for, I’m sure their lower priced options would have some of the magic.
You May notice I haven’t recommended a single tube amp yet. I’ve heard some awesome ones, in fact my first desktop amp was a hand-made one for $200 off of Head-Fi, but I mostly use “tube-like” Solid State amplifiers now. Tube amps don’t necessarily sound “thick” or endowed with rich mids, because so much of the sound is changed depending on which tube you use, from which manufacturer and what year. Experimenting can be great, and the tubes burn out slower than you might think (I have hundreds of hours on a Russian “Vokshod” tube that I settled on as being super nice), but they’re still a bit of a hassle. You have to turn them on and wait for the static to clear and the sound to open up as the tube warms up, and you have to keep the tubes shielded from interference from a phone, WiFi router, computer, even vibrations from the garage door or whatever. They also have a higher chance of needing service from Something going bad, compared to a solid state amp. I’ve read of people being really happy with their tube amps from Garage1217, Bottlehead, Woo audio, and Glenn, but I just decided I personally didn’t feel like using tubes anymore after getting a Solid State amp I just really liked.
HD 58X jubilee + Cavalli Spark or Massdrop Liquid Carbon >> HD 6XX + Schiit Magni.
Sounds like you've got all the right elements for success, and the remaining unknowns have to be revealed through trial and error.
@HIFI778 if your transformers are quality enough, the main concern will be the microphonics of the tubes and their sensitivity to EMI from cellphones and routers. I tried a Amperex “Bugle Boy” that was so microphonic that there was a ringing sound that never fully went away, but I have four good Vokshod “Rocket” SSR tubes that have incredible sound, extremely fine grain, and essentially no microphonics issues. You can also put faraday cages around your tubes if they seem to pick up EMI, or something like the quartz vials used to isolate tubes in the Sennheiser HE-1.
Edit: @HIFI778 and @Jackula (like Dracula, but more Jack?), I tried giving you both thumbs up, but it was giving you negative rep instead! Sorry about that.
Mais merci pour la réponse ! (J'ai pas vraiment eu l'occasion de tester toute la série des 600, j'ai essayé le 660S, j'ai beaucoup aimé, mais un peu hors budget haha)
Oui, d'après ce que j'ai lu, ça semble être suffisant pour "alimenter" le casque correctement. J'ai pas de carte son approprié, donc ce sera toujours mieux d'avoir le E10K. Je pense pas trop me tromper pour 30 euros.
Par contre, j'ai une table de mixage, la XENYX QX1002USB, tu penses que je peux en faire quelque chose ? Au cas où haha
Merci en tout cas des conseils et du document !