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Hello!
So after last month's experience with some Sennheiser headphones, I notice some grains/sibillance/hisses. Just wondering if those are measurable.
Thanks!
Billson
Hi Billson. My understanding is that sibilance is mainly due to emphasis in the 4-10 kHz range. Tape hiss could be a result of emphasis in the 12-16 kHz range (air area.)
If by grain you mean
this, then probably you are experiencing some level of distortion.
I have an HD558 and cannot say I have severe issues with this. My HD558 may be described as being a little high mids forward (2 to 6 kHz) and that may contribute a little to sibilance, but I don't think it is that bad. Relative to other cans, they seemed fairly balanced in terms of tone (frequency response.) They may have a bit of distortion in the bass area relative to other cans (though not SRH1x40 bad.) But the mids seem relatively clean to my ears.
The HD6x0 are probably a little less high mids forward and cleaner in the bass area though.
It is possible that you have a set of defective headphones. The problem could also be in the music source itself, but previous gear was masking them. What headphones were you using before?
Also, depending on what headphone model, amplifier requirements might be different. the HD6x0 require more voltage due to their impedance. However, you might be able to pair your HD6x0 with a higher output impedance amp than your HD5x8... What are you using to drive your cans, and like xnor said, what model do you have?