Holy crap you put a lot of work in this lol... Hopefully if anyone has a ur-55 they end up reading this, it sounds like its a pretty big improvement.   Also, you have way too many low end phones 

If I understood what you did right (I just read through it quickly) you basically turned these into an open headphone from a semi-open, that would explain all the differences you noticed.   Since most mods usually involve removing something from the headphone, I have to wonder if just having...

This is like asking if you get into a fender bender with a pole and are now asking if your car's performance will be lower.  It's quite literally impossible for us to answer that question, did the fender bender significantly reduce aerodynamics?  Did it damage your air intake?  etc.  Even if you...

My RE0's just came in a couple hours ago, the very first thing I noticed is these things seriously need an amp.  I had bought a Fiio E3 with it, and without it, it just literally doesn't go loud enough on my computer (don't have my ipod touch around to test it out) to be listen-able.  ...

Quote:   The analogy works perfectly, and I agree that Sennheiser makes awesome looking headphones.  I want to say that the design isn't modern enough, but I'm not sure thats what it really is, they do have a very modern design.  I guess it all comes down to 'bling' lol.  When it comes...

http://www.extremeheadphones.com/ex-29.html  I saw these awhile back and kind of laughed, but it gets the job done!

Did you try using the soldering iron itself to melt off the lacquer?  If that doesn't work, use a lighter.   Either way, after getting it off do your best to remove any more gunk with a cloth or preferably sandpaper.

http://www.headfonia.com/sennheisers-new-hd558-and-hd598/  Take a look here, and there are a couple other reviews on that site for the 558/598 and even a teardown IIRC.   Quote: The general idea is, the higher the number, the better it sounds.   HD200-300 series - these don't...

Quote:     I'm not saying thank them, I'm just saying don't hate them so much.   Ok, since you didn't get it, I'll simplify   iPod buds -> Skullcandy -> Beats   Though the SQ of the skullcandy is absolute trash, they are still marginally better than the ipod buds (referring...

Quote: They would sell it cheaper because they need some way of getting market penetration.  Look at what happened when the android phones were released, suddenly a good smartphone for $99 (on contract) wasn't unheard of.  You could get old blackberries and WinMo 6.1 phones for $99...

Quote: Both bolded points are very true.   Many people don't use an LOD with their ipod, but still amp it anyway.  I've never done this, so I can't say if it increases SQ, but people say it does.   Maybe I should revise my statement a bit then;  if you are looking for noise...

Too much bashing going on, I really feel the need to make a point I'm not sure most people realize.  I'm going to make this a bit of a story, don't hate me.   It wasn't very long ago at all, where I would bet you 50% of the headphones being used in north america were the buds that came with...

There are better sounding headphones than the beats for it's price, but I don't get why people keep saying they're over priced.  The studio version is definitely NOT over priced.  It's an active noise cancelling headphone that comes with an integrated headphone amp.  $299 for noise cancelling...

Quote: Now THATS one of the funnier posts I've read in awhile. lol   This might be one of the best troll threads ever made.  Whether it's fake or not, this thread is awesome.   Also.  Welcome to Head-Fi, we're NOT sorry about your wallet.

EDIT: got my anwser, nevermind.   This is mentioned as a gift on the hifiman.us website but not mentioned on the head-direct.com site.   Do they come with a Fiio E3?  I searched everywhere but can't find an answer, so I'll post it here.

I hadn't seriously considered IEM's as it seems counter-intuitive to use IEM's at home, but thats a stupid reason to not consider them lol.  This is the 3rd time I've been 'ready' to buy a set of full size phones since I returned the SR-80i's and each time something has come up.  2 were money...

You're definitely going to want open headphones for movies.  It'll help the loss of sound stage from speakers - headphones.   Also, I'd bet that $1000 receiver has a pretty good amp in it, so you probably don't need a headphone amp - just plug the headphones into the receiver.

Well something came up again, and I now have to blow almost half my headphone budget on something more important.   I think the universe does not want me to get rid of my (2.5 year old) HD 415's.

What if you bought the same equipment they use + direct mic (just the mic -> mic amp -> recorder, no mixing involved) recordings.  You could then literally reproduce exactly what is coming out of the speakers, and even mix it to your own liking.     Maybe even have an extra mic that records...

Quote: That was my first thought.  They could also be knockoffs of some sort?   If not, congrats

Is it possible that burn-in would fix it?

Quote:   I would prefer to not buy online 'cause I dont wanna get burned again    I've never heard of Moog Audio, but I just skimmed over their site and they do seem to have much more selection, I'll definitely check it out.   I went to the long and mcquade in my area and they...

I'll make sure I check them out if they are there, thanks for the suggestion.   Any others?

It's taken awhile, but I'm actually ready to buy a set of decent phones now.  I'm fairly sure that the HD555 are going to be what I want, but I would like a little bit of advice about this.   I mainly listen to forms of rock (just about every form), but also dabble in trance, pop, rap, hip...

Yeah it sounds like you're screwed.   What I usually do is look at their feedback, if there is even a single negative feedback saying the item was fake in the last year, I won't consider buying from them.   From now on, just read all of the neutral and negative feedback before you buy...