[altor]

Hello All!
 
I have met a weird problem with 2 Sennheiser RS 170 s.
I bought one of them in 2013 and another one a year after in March 2014.
 
The first one has a really nice and clear sound. Very clear and powerful mids and highs and the bass is not overwhelming (which i really like). The problem is with the second set - it has very heavy bass and muffled mids and highs. Even when i move the bass all the way down on the EQ i still here some bass. I don't here that on the first pair.
 
I paired both headphones to the same transmitter base, set the same volume level and compared listening to the same track, so the sound should be the same, but it is different.
 
Has anyone met something like that? I wonder if the second set is defective or Sennheiser changed something in design?
My local Sennheiser representative told me to send them to the service center, but they may just say they are working normally. I would be more confident to send them if somebody had the same issue and Sennheiser fixed them.
 
Thanks.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Check the earpads - if the second has more wear on it (it's more squished) that's the likely reason, especially if you got them as a refurb unit. Even if you can't see anything obvious, try swapping out the earpads (make sure to remember which goes on which L or R side). 

 

[altor]

Thanks for reply.
 
Actually the earpads are thicker on the "bad" pair, which is the newer one. I bought both pairs brand new, not refurbished.
 
I tried swapping the earpads, but no significant difference in sound. "Bad" pair still has much more bass. 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Thanks for reply.
 
Actually the earpads are thicker on the "bad" pair, which is the newer one. I bought both pairs brand new, not refurbished.
 
I tried swapping the earpads, but no significant difference in sound. "Bad" pair still has much more bass. 

 
If that's the case try to get a replacement unit, both the transmitter and the headpones. If the replacement still sounds like that, they might have changed the drivers on newer production batches.. Also there's the possibility that your older pair might be a little bit older than when you bought them, and coupled with not everyone owning two units to really appreciate the variance nor attend meets to try these out over the HD650 and HD800, nobody noticed the changes.