I'm not sure of the idea of burn in. Do all headphones typically have a burn in period?
Be a part of the community.
It's free, join today!
Tags
Related Forum Threads
- Noise cancelling, or no noise cancelling? Last post on 9/4/10 at 3:19pm in Headphones (full-size)
- AKG Q701 too analytical ? whats your opinion.. Last post on 5/30/12 at 6:56pm in Headphones (full-size)
- Which noise-isolating headphone ($150-200)? Last post on Yesterday at 4:21 pm in Headphones (full-size)
- AKG or Bose? Last post on 2/16/12 at 3:35pm in Headphones (full-size)
- Looking for my next step--or should I take one? Last post on 1/11/12 at 6:12pm in Headphones (full-size)
Related Articles
-
Grado Modification Overview
Edited on 9/27/11 | Contribute to this Article
-
Headphone Impedance
Edited on 12/9/11 | Contribute to this Article
-
Buying Guide Headphones By Price Range
Edited on 3/24/12 | Contribute to this Article
-
A Hopefully Helpful Headphone Buying Guide For Newbies By Boomana
Edited on 5/7/10 | Contribute to this Article
Recent Reviews
-
Best closed headphones I had heard - very flat response, almost no midrange distortion, very easy to drive (good for portable), good soundstage (definately better than K240), good isolation, but...
-
Overall excellent buds, very good sound quality, especially for their price, the medium set of tips fits exactly in my ears and provides a near perfect seal. Bass is very detailed, but not...
-
I'll keep this very short. They are very smooth sounding. Treble toned down so not so good for rock but have a magic about them that makes them better than mark 2. I use them with a '89/'90...
-
Bought these on whim, for your basic train ride to work I don't mind. But its far from being the best I have own.
-
First, I should note that I auditioned these both straight out of the box, without any break-in time and then later after 53 hours of break-in. Recent scientific studies have shown definite...
Head-Fi Sponsors
Similar to Bose QC15? - Page 2
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next »
Gear mentioned in this thread:
Burn-in is a controversial subject. Some people believe that the headphones "burn-in" which means the drivers loosen over a period of time of use, like breaking in a new pair of leather boots. Others believe your brain simply gets used to the sound signature of the headphones. Either way, there will be a period where your headphones won't sound as good in the beginning, but over time, you will start to really like them.
- ssrock64
- Trader Feedback: +1
-
- offline
- 1,134 Posts. Joined 6/2011
- Location: Wisconsin
- Select All Posts By This User
It is generally accepted (I use the word "generally" so as not to start a flame war with skeptics) that for most headphones, a burn-in period of about 100 hours is usually when a headphone will have reached its full potential. However (questions about the existence of burn-in aside), some cans take up to 300 hours or more, and some sound the same right out of the box that they always do. I personally believe in burn-in from testing two white-boox Audio-Technica ATH-M50s side-by-side (after a friend bought one new) and finding the mids much fuller and the bass more controlled on my pair than their new ones.
Sincerely,
Thanks ssrock64!!

It is generally accepted (I use the word "generally" so as not to start a flame war with skeptics) that for most headphones, a burn-in period of about 100 hours is usually when a headphone will have reached its full potential. However (questions about the existence of burn-in aside), some cans take up to 300 hours or more, and some sound the same right out of the box that they always do. I personally believe in burn-in from testing two white-boox Audio-Technica ATH-M50s side-by-side (after a friend bought one new) and finding the mids much fuller and the bass more controlled on my pair than their new ones.
Sincerely,
- kebbin15
- Trader Feedback: 0
-
- offline
- 113 Posts. Joined 11/2009
- Location: Jacksonvile, FL
- Select All Posts By This User
Denon D1100 looks like Bose but sound much better.

It is generally accepted (I use the word "generally" so as not to start a flame war with skeptics) that for most headphones, a burn-in period of about 100 hours is usually when a headphone will have reached its full potential. However (questions about the existence of burn-in aside), some cans take up to 300 hours or more, and some sound the same right out of the box that they always do. I personally believe in burn-in from testing two white-boox Audio-Technica ATH-M50s side-by-side (after a friend bought one new) and finding the mids much fuller and the bass more controlled on my pair than their new ones.
Sincerely,
Have you done blinded (or even better, double blind) ABX testing to confirm this?
- ssrock64
- Trader Feedback: +1
-
- offline
- 1,134 Posts. Joined 6/2011
- Location: Wisconsin
- Select All Posts By This User
Yes, I did a blind test with mine and my friend's. I had just gotten new earpads on mine, too, so they felt the same on my head. While it was nowhere near a night-and-day difference, I can honestly say that the mids were less forward and the bass was less controlled on the new set.
- IDReaper
- Trader Feedback: 0
-
- offline
- 30 Posts. Joined 9/2011
- Location: Fayetteville, NC
- Select All Posts By This User
Just throwing my two cents in, I wear glasses and i find the massive plush pads of my Brainwavz HM5 very comfortable. They also seem to isolate from noise quite well. It has a neutral sound to it with a pretty nice soundstage.
- ssrock64
- Trader Feedback: +1
-
- offline
- 1,134 Posts. Joined 6/2011
- Location: Wisconsin
- Select All Posts By This User
Does the HM5 come with velour pads as an accessory (I didn't think it did, but I'm just checking). From what I've heard, velour is better for glasses.
- IDReaper
- Trader Feedback: 0
-
- offline
- 30 Posts. Joined 9/2011
- Location: Fayetteville, NC
- Select All Posts By This User
The HM5 do not come with velour pads unfortunately, just a spare set of leatherette pads. The Fischer Audio FA-003 however come with a spare set of velour pads, and as far as I have read here they should be the exact same headphone. However the Fischer's should be a bit more expensive. I think you can order the velour pads separately though and they should fit the HM5 just fine.
- ssrock64
- Trader Feedback: +1
-
- offline
- 1,134 Posts. Joined 6/2011
- Location: Wisconsin
- Select All Posts By This User

The HM5 do not come with velour pads unfortunately, just a spare set of leatherette pads. The Fischer Audio FA-003 however come with a spare set of velour pads, and as far as I have read here they should be the exact same headphone. However the Fischer's should be a bit more expensive. I think you can order the velour pads separately though and they should fit the HM5 just fine.
Oh, don't worry. I already own the FA-003.
Active noise cancelling doesn't work so well. If you can't find closed headphones that fit you then you should look at in the ear canal earphones(IEMs). Some low priced IEMs isolate very well. The $59 Etymotic mc5 is one of the best lower priced isolating IEMs. I guess it probably isolates better than any full sized headphones.
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next »
- Similar to Bose QC15?
Recent Discussions
- › What Are You Listening To Right Now? -New thread, new rules.... 12 seconds ago
- › Earbuds under $200 1 minute ago
- › Widest Soundstage? 1 minute ago
- › JDSLabs C421 Preorder is live... 2 minutes ago
- › Aurisonics Impressions, Reviews & Discussions Thread 3 minutes ago
- › Best Gaming Headsets (Not Headphones + Mic) 3 minutes ago
- › DIY Cable Gallery!! 3 minutes ago
- › 「Official」Asian Anime, Manga, and Music Lounge 4 minutes ago
- › Symphones Magnum upgrade for Grado SR325 and Alessandro MS2 4 minutes ago
- › Schiit Asgard: Unboxing and First Impressions 5 minutes ago
Recent Reviews
- › AKG K 270 Studio by AmarokCZ
- › Sennheiser CX 870 ear canal phones by AndrewHume1
- › AKG K141 (Silver) by Captain Magenta
- › Skullcandy 50/50 - Headset ( in-ear ear-bud ) - white, chrome by shimrra
- › Sennheiser HD 449 Headphones Black by kstuart
- › Aiaiai TMA-1 by DE Nefta
- › Ultrasone HFI-780 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones by 12Rounds
- › Shure SRH1840 Professional Open Back Headphones (Black) by kstuart
- › TEAC PD-H600 Reference 600 Series CD Player by gonkulator
- › AKG K403 by eskimoo
New Articles
- › iBasso DX100 FAQ by DoctorHeadz
- › DIY Cable Info and Resources by Pingupenguins
- › Asr Head-Fi Threads Compendium by Asr
- › Headphone Buying Guide by keanex
- › Fostex T50RP modification summary LINKS - wiki by jgray91
- › Comparisons of the LCD-3 and the LCD-2 Rev. 2 by MacedonianHero
- › Posting Guidelines by Currawong
- › Comparisons of LCD-2 Rev. 1 and Rev. 2 by MacedonianHero
- › Membership Levels, Badges and Custom Titles by Currawong
- › Sennheiser Hd4 8 Modding For Newbies by koolkat
About Head-Fi.org | Join the Community | Advertise
© 2012 Head-Fi.org is powered by Huddler Tech | FAQ | Support | Privacy/TOS | Site Map














