Xplo
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2003
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Merry Xmas to me
I'm upgrading from a Sennheiser HD-280. I wanted something with a similar tonal balance, only "better"; as much as I liked the Senns, I felt that they lacked a certain energy, and that occasionally the music had a certain dynamism that the phones implied, but could not faithfully reproduce.
My first impression is that the 880 is indeed a bit bright, airy, and sparkly, and perhaps slightly fatiguing. Hiss is slightly pronounced, but I haven't noticed unusual vocal sibilance so far. Detail is very good and vocals are really clear. (I can almost understand Dani Filth! Heh...) The soundstage hasn't blown me away, it has done some weird things.. at one point, REM's Michael Stipe was singing above my head. Eerie, to say the least.
(For those wondering at this point, I'm listening to mostly LAME --api (320 kbps) mp3s on a Power Mac with an AP192 connected to a Xin Supermacro v4 Lite. The amp seems to have no problem powering the phones and can drive them to painful levels, though there seems to be a little distortion at the upper end, and I had to turn up the volume a couple hours compared to the 280.
I'm sure someone will take me to task for listening to mp3s vs. lossless audio.
)
The mids don't quite have the honeyed richness that they sometimes have in the 280, but so far I haven't been able to figure out why. The bass hasn't impressed me particularly, but I haven't given it a proper test yet, and I probably won't until the phones have had time to burn in. That's not to say that the bass is bad, mind you; it's perfectly audible and feels tight. It just doesn't stand out. For the most part, I prefer this, but at some point I'll probably find myself boosting it slightly to give it a little oomph.. I had to do the same with the Senns.
These phones have the dynamic energy that the Senns lacked.
Physically, the phones look and feel a little flimsy, but I believe they are in fact solidly constructed; I wouldn't be surprised if the metal headband is as tank-like as that of the Sony V6, and the cups should withstand any normal abuse. They're very light, and the velour pads and semi-open design keep them somewhat cool (it's not like wearing an air conditioner vent, but what is? Well, maybe I can think of a couple things). There's a little bit of clamping force, but combined with the lightness of the phone, this makes it so that I have to shake my head pretty violently to dislodge them. You could definitely headbang in these if you wanted (I've tried). Aside from the edges of the pads pressing against my head and particularly my jaw (not painful, just noticibly present), I don't really notice I'm wearing them.
I do miss the isolation of the Senns.
So here are my questions. What sonic changes can I expect with burn-in, and how long will it take? Will the bass and mids warm up? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as far as mods or EQ tweaks? (Right now, I'm just going to let the phones do their own thing and get to know them, instead of trying to change their sound, but I'm curious what others have done.)
edit: I do have a cold, and my ears have a fair amount of fluid in them.. I can feel it. Maybe, to be really fair, I should keep using the 280 until I'm well. Hmm. That would give the 880 time to burn in, too. Tempting thought, although I already feel slightly spoiled...
I'm upgrading from a Sennheiser HD-280. I wanted something with a similar tonal balance, only "better"; as much as I liked the Senns, I felt that they lacked a certain energy, and that occasionally the music had a certain dynamism that the phones implied, but could not faithfully reproduce.
My first impression is that the 880 is indeed a bit bright, airy, and sparkly, and perhaps slightly fatiguing. Hiss is slightly pronounced, but I haven't noticed unusual vocal sibilance so far. Detail is very good and vocals are really clear. (I can almost understand Dani Filth! Heh...) The soundstage hasn't blown me away, it has done some weird things.. at one point, REM's Michael Stipe was singing above my head. Eerie, to say the least.
(For those wondering at this point, I'm listening to mostly LAME --api (320 kbps) mp3s on a Power Mac with an AP192 connected to a Xin Supermacro v4 Lite. The amp seems to have no problem powering the phones and can drive them to painful levels, though there seems to be a little distortion at the upper end, and I had to turn up the volume a couple hours compared to the 280.
I'm sure someone will take me to task for listening to mp3s vs. lossless audio.
The mids don't quite have the honeyed richness that they sometimes have in the 280, but so far I haven't been able to figure out why. The bass hasn't impressed me particularly, but I haven't given it a proper test yet, and I probably won't until the phones have had time to burn in. That's not to say that the bass is bad, mind you; it's perfectly audible and feels tight. It just doesn't stand out. For the most part, I prefer this, but at some point I'll probably find myself boosting it slightly to give it a little oomph.. I had to do the same with the Senns.
These phones have the dynamic energy that the Senns lacked.
Physically, the phones look and feel a little flimsy, but I believe they are in fact solidly constructed; I wouldn't be surprised if the metal headband is as tank-like as that of the Sony V6, and the cups should withstand any normal abuse. They're very light, and the velour pads and semi-open design keep them somewhat cool (it's not like wearing an air conditioner vent, but what is? Well, maybe I can think of a couple things). There's a little bit of clamping force, but combined with the lightness of the phone, this makes it so that I have to shake my head pretty violently to dislodge them. You could definitely headbang in these if you wanted (I've tried). Aside from the edges of the pads pressing against my head and particularly my jaw (not painful, just noticibly present), I don't really notice I'm wearing them.
I do miss the isolation of the Senns.
So here are my questions. What sonic changes can I expect with burn-in, and how long will it take? Will the bass and mids warm up? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as far as mods or EQ tweaks? (Right now, I'm just going to let the phones do their own thing and get to know them, instead of trying to change their sound, but I'm curious what others have done.)
edit: I do have a cold, and my ears have a fair amount of fluid in them.. I can feel it. Maybe, to be really fair, I should keep using the 280 until I'm well. Hmm. That would give the 880 time to burn in, too. Tempting thought, although I already feel slightly spoiled...