Hey guys.
 
I have a pair of 350s and recently opened them up to do the "hero" mod. Thing is, once open, I found that the driver backing was not even there to drill holes in. Not only that, but the PCB I have seen in every other picture of the insides of a 350 is also missing.
 
The PCB has some components on it, and I have no idea what they do, but they obviously do something. I know companies look to reduce the manufacturing cost of their products every way they can, but I can't imagine that Senn would have managed to ahcieve the same effect with simply splicing cables together.
 
And the real kicker is the driver backing. Surely the lack of that will make a serious difference to the sound being produced?
 
Here is a picture of a genuine article, and here is a picture I have taken of the insides of my headset:
 
What do you guys think?

Those certainly don't look like any 350s I've ever seen. I've had mine open and they were exactly like the hero-mod photo as well. Even if yours are significantly newer, I doubt Senn would change the design by that much without raising a stink around here. I'd vote phony-phones.
 
Where did you get them?

Quote:

screwzloos said:

Those certainly don't look like any 350s I've ever seen. I've had mine open and they were exactly like the hero-mod photo as well. Even if yours are significantly newer, I doubt Senn would change the design by that much without raising a stink around here. I'd vote phony-phones.
 
Where did you get them?

Click to expand...

I concur, where did you buy them from? Ebay?
 
 

Here is he question: How did they sound before you discovered this? I mean this doesn't look bad They essentially opened up the back like the hero mod tried to achieve. Also that pcb just looked like it was there to make the wiring neater but I'm sure t increased the cost so this defnitely could have been cost reduction/sound improvement mods from senn.

Quote:

screwzloos said:

Those certainly don't look like any 350s I've ever seen. I've had mine open and they were exactly like the hero-mod photo as well. Even if yours are significantly newer, I doubt Senn would change the design by that much without raising a stink around here. I'd vote phony-phones.
 
Where did you get them?

Click to expand...

     Quote:

kite7 said:

I concur, where did you buy them from? Ebay?
 
 

Click to expand...

eBay indeed. £90 as well, when most pairs go for ~£120. So much for finding a good deal. The seller isn't replying either.
 


Quote:

danthrax said:

Here is he question: How did they sound before you discovered this? I mean this doesn't look bad They essentially opened up the back like the hero mod tried to achieve. Also that pcb just looked like it was there to make the wiring neater but I'm sure t increased the cost so this defnitely could have been cost reduction/sound improvement mods from senn.

Click to expand...

Well, they sounded good, but I wasn't blown away like I expected (bearing in mind I have only ever used ~£15 stero speakers). To be honest, I never bothered with the equalizer of my Xonar, but having done that made a much bigger difference than the headphones did. Dolby Headphone did the job, but the Virtual Barbershop achieves much the same with just crappy earphones. I attributed much of the lack of a massive difference down to them needing to be worn in.
 
Well the difference is the Hero mod allows more air to escape. As it is with these headphones, there is nowhere for the air to escape from, since it isn't even contained! This is the real one that throws it for me, since I could never see Senn changing something so drastic. It must significantly effect the sound, surely?
 
The PCB in the picture I posted does indeed look kind of pointless, but I have seen a friend's pair and there are indeed many components on the PCB, meaning it must do something. Potentially the components are on the other side of the PCB I linked, to protect them from brave modders like many of us! I'll see if I can get a picture. Even if they could remove the PCB and achieve the same effect, which to be fair is a point I have considered, the removal of the driver backing seems like too big an issue. The cost of the plastic must be next to nothing compared to drivers.
 
I have been in contact with Senn, having sent both pictures to them. They say they can't tell from the pictures (which seems daft to me since surely they will know whether they still manufacture the headsets with the backing and PCB or not), and that I need to send it it. £30 + VAT if it is counterfeit, no charge if genuine. TBH, I think that is the wrong way around, so I did mention but didn't get a reply before the end of the day. See what they say tomorrow.
 
They also mentioned, and this has thrown me somewhat, that they have never had an issue with counterfeit headsets before (maybe they mean just this model, who knows). That kinda threw some doubt on the whole situation. But if it really is no charge for a genuine headset, then what do I have to lose I guess?
 
EDIT:
Here's a pic of the PCB and components in my friend's set. Sorry about the lighting, my SGS has no flash and the lighting in my room is poor so I had to shine a small LED torch on it. Still, you can make out the components I am talking about.
 

 
Also, I forgot to mention earlier that the seller in question had a good dozen of these headsets in total. I don't know if that behaviour is more common for counterfeit good sellers or not, rather than doing one offs.