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Electrostats' burn-in?

post #1 of 54
3/20/09 at 1:23am
Thread Starter 
For some months I notice a fundamental change in my O2mk2 sound signature. Very smooth and laid back in the beginning within two months they have transformed completely into hyperdetailed and somewhat crisp sounding headphone. It's speed, timbre and focus are unbelievable but the excessive detail in the high mids and a sharp peak in the highs (at about 10kHz maybe) make most of the recordings to sound "nervous", unnatural and "metal". Every ticking and hissing sound humps above and pins my attention.
Some people may like such sound signature but I find the overall sound not at all lifelike...
Very disappointing change...
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post #2 of 54
3/20/09 at 1:55am
I can't see how it would take so long for a diaphragm that is many, many times thinner than a human hair to burn in, assuming it even happens at all (I doubt it). There's nothing that is attached to it that could burn in either.
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post #3 of 54
3/20/09 at 4:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek View Post
I can't see how it would take so long for a diaphragm that is many, many times thinner than a human hair to burn in, assuming it even happens at all (I doubt it). There's nothing that is attached to it that could burn in either.
My Omegas have more than 500 hours...
If not burn-in then what? They've been tested for problems (along with my 727II) and everything is OK.
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post #4 of 54
3/20/09 at 4:31am
It may have always sounded like that, but then changes in your own perception and simple experience made its inherent problems more obvious. I had the same experience with my HD650s. When I first received them, I found them to be very neutral with no obvious peaks in their response. However, over time certain recordings began to show some anomalies, and my studies revealed to me that there were, in fact, high frequency peaks in the response caused by the headphones' acoustic load on the ear.

They only seemed neutral at first based on comparison to other headphones I had previously heard, such as the ER4s and SR-60s. It is highly doubtful that the actual frequency response of your Omegas actually changed.
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post #5 of 54
3/20/09 at 4:50am
I agree there is a peak about 8-10 kHz. I rather like the way it provides so much detail. On the down side it brings up tape noise in my older recordings./

As regards the general sound, you may want to look into the tweaking thread for these phones.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f113/t...estion-381975/

I started out with the earpads set differently from most other users, i.e. with the circular section behind the ears and quite liked the sound from day one. However I did follow up and performed the Spritzer spring modification, basically just a flatening of the spring which makes it more like the Mk1.

As best I can tell the 007 Mk1 and Mk2 are the same phones with a slightly different earpad and a fully sealed vs partially sealed cup. Spritzer thinks the diaphragms may be tensioned differently but that is speculation. You can alter the sound of these phones quite q bit by the above noted mods, and even rotating the pads and the spring so I would say have a go at it.

Of course you may also be picking up some residual nasty in your system. I found that Silclear contact paste and the PS Audio Noise Harvester go a long way to making these and other stats sound sweeter.
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post #6 of 54
3/20/09 at 5:14am
Instead of going to all of that trouble, you could just EQ the problem spots out.
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post #7 of 54
3/20/09 at 1:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek View Post
It may have always sounded like that, but then changes in your own perception and simple experience made its inherent problems more obvious.
I think you're on to something.
My find was that the SR-007 (I have the BL) improved by burn-in the first 1-200 hours, after which they have sounded the same to my ears.
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post #8 of 54
3/20/09 at 1:55pm
Thread Starter 
So do you believe in electrostats burn-in?

Now I do. But I definitely don't like the new superagressive sound of my Omegas...

Quote:
Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek View Post
It may have always sounded like that, but then changes in your own perception and simple experience made its inherent problems more obvious.
It's definitely not that!

PP: I'm listening to very familiar Nu Jazz Anthology CDs just now. And all my attention is on some ticks and hiss that I've never noticed before...
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post #9 of 54
3/20/09 at 2:01pm
Did you make any changes in the setup at all ? Even something as simple as moving the setup to different outlet(s) ?
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post #10 of 54
3/20/09 at 2:06pm
I have had the exact same experience! Almost to the letter! They were super detailed to start with now they are even more so, they pick out everything.
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post #11 of 54
3/20/09 at 2:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by brat View Post
So do you believe in electrostats burn-in?

Now I do. But I definitely don't like the new superagressive sound of my Omegas...

PP: Now I'm listening to Nu Jazz Anthology CDs... all my attention is on some ticks and hiss...
I just don't see how it could happen, though. I can sort of understand it with dynamic transducers. The diaphragm is relatively thick, and is attached to the surround on one and the spider on the other. These moving, mechanical parts may undergo some sort of change over time.

An electrostatic headphone, on the other hand, is only a flat sheet of PET film, probably only 1 or 2 micrometers thick at best, (because it is so insubstantial, if there is any burn-in at all, I'm guessing it would happen almost instantly) which is driven indirectly by the stators on either side of it. The stators are made of metal and do not move or have moving parts attached to them.

I just can't see where the burn-in would occur. Maybe it is you who burnt-in?
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post #12 of 54
3/20/09 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mark_h View Post
I have had the exact same experience! Almost to the letter! They were super detailed to start with now they are even more so, they pick out everything.
I would call it a high frequencies hump, not detailization...
I've sent all my Stax system for evaluation - everything has been OK so... we don't talk for a technical problem. And definitely not for a mind break-in.
And obviously I'm not alone in my observations
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post #13 of 54
3/20/09 at 2:28pm
I think you are just describing their sound. I mean stats have a somewhat unnatural sound to my ears in the ways that you described.
They resolve very well, are very detailed and fast, but they it's definitely a unique sound.

I don't think anything is wrong, you are probably just now noticing some of the characteristics.
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post #14 of 54
3/20/09 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by robm321 View Post
I think you are just describing their sound. I mean stats have a somewhat unnatural sound to my ears in the ways that you described. while resolving very well, being very detailed and fast. But it's definatley a unique sound.

I don't think anything is wrong, you are probably just now noticing some of the characteristics.
Yes. And I'm a little dissapointed. I've expected the ultimate and most natural sound.
I'm waiting for Omega 3
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post #15 of 54
3/20/09 at 2:52pm
Plug in any new devices into your homes power system recently?
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