[metal571]

Definitely still is a little shouty for me around 3.5k, then again I think the HD 600 is more than just a little shouty in that same region. And yes K371 is definitely peaky in the sibilance region right around 7k in Hifiman-esque fashion. I did slightly prefer the K361 signature, but my review unit all those months ago had a slight channel imbalance, and that cable, man...2.5mm twist is horrible, and not even compatible with some 598-compatible aftermarket cables I had lying around. None of this stops K371 from being the best tuned closed back under $200. And I also agree that SRH440 is quite good too - that used to be my daily about 7 years ago along with M40x when I was just getting into this hobby more seriously. But those Shures have headbands known to crack over time, although this issue seems worst on the 940 in particular.

Edit: wrt targets like Harman, iirc approximately 60% of listeners, as shown through experimental data in published research, will prefer specifically that target. There is NO one-size-fits all FR target. This does not exist.

 

[markanini]

I hear the shoutiness at a lower frequency on mine, somewhere between 1500-2000kHz.

 

[ADUHF]

The K371 is designed to follow the Harman curve, which mimics the sound in Harman's reference listening room. So it plots pretty close to a flat response on Oratory's compensated Harman graphs, including in the 2k, and also 5 to 8k range. The K371 is the blue curve on this graph btw, while the K361 is shown in red...



No big surprise there. Because that was Harman's goal... to design a headphone that was within a couple dBs of the target across most of the frequency response range.

Other headphones in Oratory's database that follow a somewhat similar model in the upper mids and low treble include things like the Focal Radiance, Beyer DT-880 (with worn earpads), and to some extent also the Onkyo A800...

https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory?ids=56,141,92,68

All four headphones are compensated to match the Harman target in the above image.

There are some minor variations in the brightness of the headphones in the 5 to 8 range, but they all follow a roughly similar pattern there. The Onkyo in orange has a dip though at around 2 to 2.5k, which is also not an unusual feature in some of the better headphones on a compensated Harman plot.

 

[WickedInsignia]

I feel that harsh spikes are a necessity to a degree. Especially when we're looking for the most "natural and organic" tonality that is true to life.
If you play instruments, witnessed a few symphony orchestras or sat through some live shows, you know that some sounds in any live instrument's sonic spectrum will be grating.

You need to buy what suits you, but you probably aren't going to get the most natural tonality out of a headphone that's non-fatiguing to listen to for 8 hours straight. I think some people need to toughen up a little in that sense: it's like they experience any peak at all and throw the headphone away in disgust.
Real 10K+ air is going to be energetic and sometimes peaky, no matter how you flip it. Metal is absolutely right that there is no "perfect tonality", but I'll add to that by saying you need to make some concessions as a listener. Sometimes the detail you're looking for will come at the cost of a peaky treble range...which may be entirely necessary to make that detail possible.

This is all IMHO though from someone who's most certainly not an audio engineer.

 

[ADUHF]

^ All probably true, WickedInsignia.

The point I was going to make with my above post and this next one though is that there are some other headphones which are also pretty highly regarded for their sound quality, which deviate slightly in some fairly predictable ways from the Harman model above. Some of the best examples of this are the Sennheiser HD600, HD 580 and HD650...

These are also compensated to match the Harman curve. And all three headphones have a couple features in common in the upper midrange and treble. They each have a depression in the upper mids around 2k. And they also dip down a little more between 4k and 10k in the lower treble than the K371, and other similar headphones which follow the Harman curve more closely. So they are not as strident in those two places.

They also elevate a bit more than the K371 in the higher treble frequencies.

A couple other headphones that follow a somewhat similar pattern include the Audeze Mobius and Airpods Max...

This is a rough approximation of what the above Sennheiser type response would look like versus the Harman curve on both a compensated and raw plot, with bass extended to match something like the APM...



The overall falloff in the treble is close to linear on the raw plot. And the curve is not as strident as the Harman target (shown in gray) in the upper mids (between ~1.5 and 2.5k), or in the lower treble, where the depressions appear on the compensated plot.

 

[ADUHF]

Headphones which follow more of the K371/Harman model tend to have a bit more stridency and brightness in both the upper mids between 1.5 and 2.5k, and also in the lower treble, by comparison...

 

[tinyman392]

@ADUHF Keep in mind that the spikes you're likely seeing in the treble, especially when they tend to cluster around the same areas, is likely to be resonances within the rig being used to measure itself. If I'm not mistaken the Harman target ends up being a DF with slightly less treble (a few dB) and more elevated bass (5-8 dB). DF in the treble is typically done by compensating out the resonances of the rig being used to measure. That spike in the 3-4k range in the compensation they're using is likely from a specific rig (a lot of IEM couplers that are used to make measurements tend to have this sort of shape to them).

 

[markanini]

There are a number of popular audiophile headphones that have pretty severe peaks. Case in point: Sennheiser HD800. For a small group of listeners this will be a desirable trait for detail and imaging. Make no mistake K371 has a relatively smooth treble.

 

[ADUHF]

@ADUHF Keep in mind that the spikes you're likely seeing in the treble, especially when they tend to cluster around the same areas, is likely to be resonances within the rig being used to measure itself. If I'm not mistaken the Harman target ends up being a DF with slightly less treble (a few dB) and more elevated bass (5-8 dB). DF in the treble is typically done by compensating out the resonances of the rig being used to measure. That spike in the 3-4k range in the compensation they're using is likely from a specific rig (a lot of IEM couplers that are used to make measurements tend to have this sort of shape to them).

I am on the DF tip as well, tinyman392. See some of my posts beginning here for more on that...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/gen...lated-discussions.932495/page-4#post-16095587

Both the Harman and original Olive-Welti curves are pretty close to a 1.25 to 1.5 dB per octave slope (with a little bit of a smile) when compensated with Oratory's diffuse field curve. I'll be curious to see what the Sennheiser-Hidition variation looks like in diffuse field as well. But I'm not quite there yet. I'm calling it that, btw, because the bass response on the plot is based on Oratory's Hidition Viento measurements, as well as the APM...

https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory?ids=36,11

And I'd also agree that you don't want to try to smooth over all the little peaks and valleys in the treble, which are just the normal resonant responses within the measurement system. And focus more on the big picture instead.

 

[ADUHF]

Definitely still is a little shouty for me around 3.5k, then again I think the HD 600 is more than just a little shouty in that same region. And yes K371 is definitely peaky in the sibilance region right around 7k in Hifiman-esque fashion.

Fwiw, I don't think you're necessarily wrong about the stridency at 3.5k as well, metal571.

One thing that could maybe be contributing to that impression is the depression or notch at around 4 to 4.5 kHz. Which could make the brighter areas around it stand out more by comparison...

My old AKG K553's (which apparently use the same titanium drivers as the K371) also had a similar, though probably somewhat more pronounced notch close to the same area as well...

https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory?ids=219

I think it is possible though the Harman curve itself could be a bit too strident in the regions depicted in some of the other graphs above. Between about 1.5 and 2.5k in the upper mids. And also somewhere between about 4 and 10k in the low treble. I haven't had a chance to thoroughly test that theory out though yet.

My Beyer DT-770's also have a depression in the upper mids/low treble as well, where there should really be more of a peak...

https://headphonedatabase.com/oratory?ids=39,125

 

[theMUKe]

Are there sound differences with coiled cable vs 1.2m cable?

I find that the sound is a tiny bit cleaner with coiled cable. Anyone else noticing this?

 

[Mad Max]

Are there sound differences with coiled cable vs 1.2m cable?

I find that the sound is a tiny bit cleaner with coiled cable. Anyone else noticing this?

Longer cables add coloration. The best cable is no cable, or otherwise the shortest cable that you can get away with. Better still is some OCC copper wiring with Viablue plugs, though that's not a cost-effective tweak by far, lol!
On the bright side, cables make only a very tiny difference, most just ignore it.

Closed over-ear headphones can only do so much unfortunately. If you want true (passive) isolation it's normally best to run to IEMs. If you want to stick to over-ear headphones, you'd likely have to run to ANC to get any meaningful gain in sound isolation.

Either that or grab an HD280pro and and wait for the earpads to shape to your skull to make its tight vice grip more tolerable.

 

[tudedude]

This is such a good headphone. Wow I also see it's going on sale in US for 119 right now. What a steal. Is there any closed back that can even compete in its price range?

 

[WickedInsignia]

Anybody managed to find third party pads that improve the seal on these without destroying the sound? I’ve been on a headphone journey lately but keep coming back to the K371. I just want it to fit my head so badly.

 

[markanini]

Anybody managed to find third party pads that improve the seal on these without destroying the sound? I’ve been on a headphone journey lately but keep coming back to the K371. I just want it to fit my head so badly.

I haven't tried pads but I tried tried the headband fix posted by @menuki and it improved the fit enough that my K371 got new life.