[xoxiax]

I have a different experience. For my ears the loss of impact is more significative.  For me, for my tastes, the slight lack of impact in the bass department is the only problem i have with sine's sound, so increasing it is not the option.Having tried original pads, audio technica's and brainwavz sheepskin angled, in this order, i would say that i found an inverse correlation between sound and comfort. Brainwavz are edlightful on your head, but make too big the headphones also, i consider that buy a mistake i made (although i found them a new home in my ultrasone's hfi700). If you find problems of comfort with the on ear pads i clearly recommend you  going with the ath-msr7 cheap replacement, sound is more similar to the original one and they are still usable for the street. T 

 

[Draknodd]

  I have a different experience. For my ears the loss of impact is more significative.  For me, for my tastes, the slight lack of impact in the bass department is the only problem i have with sine's sound, so increasing it is not the option.Having tried original pads, audio technica's and brainwavz sheepskin angled, in this order, i would say that i found an inverse correlation between sound and comfort. Brainwavz are edlightful on your head, but make too big the headphones also, i consider that buy a mistake i made (although i found them a new home in my ultrasone's hfi700). If you find problems of comfort with the on ear pads i clearly recommend you  going with the ath-msr7 cheap replacement, sound is more similar to the original one and they are still usable for the street. T 

Lack of impact of the bass O_O ? Are we talking about the same Audeze Sine?
 
I can just buy the brainwavz with Amazon and if I don't like them I can just return them and get a refund. Easy

 

[tracyrick]

I've gone back and forth a few times now too with the Brainwavz vs. original pads. On first impression, the incredible comfort of the Brainwavz had me sold on those. I didn't think I'd ever go back to the original pads. The distancing from the music had me wondering though...and at this point I'm back to the original pads and loving those much more for sound reasons.
 
The original pad sound is much closer, intimate, and therefore has more impact. "Sweeter" is even a word I would use. One very clear thing, on my X3ii I was up to 50-52 volume with high gain with the Brainwavz. With stock pads, 45 is roughly equivalent and the sound much closer.
 
At first I thought the Brainwavz more distanced sound meant they created better and expanded "Soundstage" or something like that. Now I just think that distancing effect is a bad thing, not a good thing. I don't like it.
 
There was a person speculating that the original pads are a bad design. That there are indications from the headphones themselves that bigger pads should have been put on them. I completely disagree. I think the thinner pads are on purpose and part of the intended sound of the headphones. If someone can find a pad of similar thickness (low profile) but a little more cushy/comfortable, that might work. (Maybe one of the other brands being talked about in this thread?). But these Brainwavzs are much too thick. Bummer.
 
Ref. the clamping issue - I finally started noticing this issue with the original pads in the form of a headache. So I started pulling the headphones apart to reduce the clamping effect (I think Audeze actually recommends this if needed). After doing this a few times the clamping force is already less. No headache.
 
Overall really enjoying the Sine sound. The clarity, details, fullness of the sound is all well balanced. Also still think the Tyll EQ recommendation of reducing treble and increasing mids slightly is a necessity.

 

[xoxiax]

  I've gone back and forth a few times now too with the Brainwavz vs. original pads. On first impression, the incredible comfort of the Brainwavz had me sold on those. I didn't think I'd ever go back to the original pads. The distancing from the music had me wondering though...and at this point I'm back to the original pads and loving those much more for sound reasons.
 
The original pad sound is much closer, intimate, and therefore has more impact. "Sweeter" is even a word I would use. One very clear thing, on my X3ii I was up to 50-52 volume with high gain with the Brainwavz. With stock pads, 45 is roughly equivalent and the sound much closer.
 
At first I thought the Brainwavz more distanced sound meant they created better and expanded "Soundstage" or something like that. Now I just think that distancing effect is a bad thing, not a good thing. I don't like it.
 
There was a person speculating that the original pads are a bad design. That there are indications from the headphones themselves that bigger pads should have been put on them. I completely disagree. I think the thinner pads are on purpose and part of the intended sound of the headphones. If someone can find a pad of similar thickness (low profile) but a little more cushy/comfortable, that might work. (Maybe one of the other brands being talked about in this thread?). But these Brainwavzs are much too thick. Bummer.
 
Ref. the clamping issue - I finally started noticing this issue with the original pads in the form of a headache. So I started pulling the headphones apart to reduce the clamping effect (I think Audeze actually recommends this if needed). After doing this a few times the clamping force is already less. No headache.
 
Overall really enjoying the Sine sound. The clarity, details, fullness of the sound is all well balanced. Also still think the Tyll EQ recommendation of reducing treble and increasing mids slightly is a necessity.

 
You explained perfectly all the impressions i have about it. Nothing to add. That thinner pads, for those who have comfort problems, could be the ath-msr7 ones, which, by the way, stay without adapters on the headphones, not firmly but they can rest there. I still prefer the inmediacy and physicality of the original pads sound, but with those you'll find a much more similar signature. The reason i'm back with the originals in this case is because isolation is much better with them, so better and safer for street use.
 

  Lack of impact of the bass O_O ? Are we talking about the same Audeze Sine?
 
I can just buy the brainwavz with Amazon and if I don't like them I can just return them and get a refund. Easy

 
Slight. Yes. Maybe i'm discovering the basshead in me, that's how i feel it and that's why i insist in expressions like to my ears, for my tastes... I broke the case so i couldn't send them back...but yes, that's the best way to decide. 

 

[scarfacegt]

I've got the focal elear,b&w p7 wireless,b&w p9 and the audeze sine.They all have strenghts and weakness.I dont have much headphone knowledge or trained ears.But the headphone that impresses me the most out of all these,are the audezes.They are not the most comfortable ones.But they are easy driven,and sound FANTASTIC.Im terrible at describing sound.Im no audiophile expert in terms of midd,highs and that stuff.But these sines are the only headphone ive had,that have impressed me right from the start.They are just amazing

 

[osvaldo]

  I am a new convert to the Audeze club with a pair of LCD-2's (2016 fazor) that I am loving for home use. I like them so much I am considering upgrading from my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless for portable use. Without wading through the 200+ pages of this thread could I get a summary of impressions regarding their quality of sound isolation and leakage? I would be wearing these in an open office environment so minimal leakage is a must. I also frequently travel via air and how do they fare in that environment? I imagine the Sennheiser's active noise cancellation would better the Sines on an airplane? Also if one orders a pair with the Cipher cable does it also come with the 3.5mm cable? I would need both for driving them directly from my iPhone via Cipher and then the 3.5mm for higher quality usage with my Chord Mojo. Thanks!

 
Be careful, I purchased the Sine because I wanted a portable LCD-2. I also have the LCD-2 and I can tell you that the Sine's are nowhere near the Sound Quality of the LCD-2. The LCD-2 is AMAZING, the Sine is not.
 

  I gotta say, the SINE was a bit of a let down. I thought it would sound great, perhaps like the HD600.

 
I purchased a pair of AudioTechnica ATH-M50X for my Dad and right out of the Mojo I gotta say the M50X was soooo much better than the Sines. The Sines have really poor Bass performance (Quantity).
 

 
can you suggest what is the ''best'' upgrade pads or the pads that will give the best sound coming t=from the Sine? Thanks!!!

 
I have purchased the Brainwavz Pads (2 pairs). They are total crap. Less bass, less impact.
The best Pads on my opinion are the VesperAudio. However, remember to ask them to make them bigger than what I had as I could not really call them over ear. They are the best pads I've tried with the Sines however. Much better fit than the stocks. The sound changed less with movement compared to the stock pads.
 

  I have a different experience. For my ears the loss of impact is more significative.  For me, for my tastes, the slight lack of impact in the bass department is the only problem i have with sine's sound, so increasing it is not the option.Having tried original pads, audio technica's and brainwavz sheepskin angled, in this order, i would say that i found an inverse correlation between sound and comfort. Brainwavz are edlightful on your head, but make too big the headphones also, i consider that buy a mistake i made (although i found them a new home in my ultrasone's hfi700). If you find problems of comfort with the on ear pads i clearly recommend you  going with the ath-msr7 cheap replacement, sound is more similar to the original one and they are still usable for the street. T 

 
AGREED!!! It's already poor bass, why make it poorer....
 

I've got the focal elear,b&w p7 wireless,b&w p9 and the audeze sine.They all have strenghts and weakness.I dont have much headphone knowledge or trained ears.But the headphone that impresses me the most out of all these,are the audezes.They are not the most comfortable ones.But they are easy driven,and sound FANTASTIC.Im terrible at describing sound.Im no audiophile expert in terms of midd,highs and that stuff.But these sines are the only headphone ive had,that have impressed me right from the start.They are just amazing

 
If you like your Sines that much, consider the earpad upgrades. The stock are weak.
 
End of the day, I sold my Sine's incl. the VesperAudio pads. I sold for $350. I'm now looking to replace them with a better performing and more comfortable pair of OVER EARS. I'm thinking maybe Beyer T5p 2nd Gen. Anyone have tried them and could compare with the sine for example?

 

[exsomnis]

With good amplification and source, they're fantastic, for me at least. Their only weakness is that a perfect fit is a must and not everyone will be able to achieve it.

Even for me a bit of adjustment just so is needed every time I put them on.

That said, once you get fit, amplification and source right, they're not too far off from the LCD 2 and even LCD 3. In fact, I prefer the Sine and 2016 LCD 3F to the 2016 LCD 2F.

 

[sup27606]

  I purchased a pair of AudioTechnica ATH-M50X for my Dad and right out of the Mojo I gotta say the M50X was soooo much better than the Sines. The Sines have really poor Bass performance (Quantity).

 
I doubt this statement has any merit. I have the ATH-M50 and those are significantly worse than the Sines in every respect including bass. I don't think the M50X are that much of an improvement over the original M50s that they would surpass the Sines (the reviews of M50X do mention that the improvements over M50 are subtle not day and night). The Sines have great bass impact and bass extension. The M50s (please note I am referring to the original M50s not the X's, and I don't think there is night and day difference between M50 and M50X) have a mid bass hump with less bass extension than the Sines. As a result, human voices sound slightly boomy. If you like that, you are free to say the Sines are worse, but then its your personal liking that you prefer unnatural sound. Characterizing natural sounding headphones like Sines as worse is a major disservice towards others in my opinion. But of course, head-fi is full of such personalized biased statements and I hope people do their research from multiple sources before deciding which headphone is better.
 
If you like a lot of bass and don't mind boomy bass, go for the M50X and save some money. If you value quality bass and bass texture, but still want lot of bass, get the Sines and pump up the bass frequencies in the cipher cable.

 

[osvaldo]

   
I doubt this statement has any merit. I have the ATH-M50 and those are significantly worse than the Sines in every respect including bass. I don't think the M50X are that much of an improvement over the original M50s that they would surpass the Sines (the reviews of M50X do mention that the improvements over M50 are subtle not day and night). The Sines have great bass impact and bass extension. The M50s (please note I am referring to the original M50s not the X's, and I don't think there is night and day difference between M50 and M50X) have a mid bass hump with less bass extension than the Sines. As a result, human voices sound slightly boomy. If you like that, you are free to say the Sines are worse, but then its your personal liking that you prefer unnatural sound. Characterizing natural sounding headphones like Sines as worse is a major disservice towards others in my opinion. But of course, head-fi is full of such personalized biased statements and I hope people do their research from multiple sources before deciding which headphone is better.
 
If you like a lot of bass and don't mind boomy bass, go for the M50X and save some money. If you value quality bass and bass texture, but still want lot of bass, get the Sines and pump up the bass frequencies in the cipher cable.

 
Hi. I think you didn't read my post to the end. I HAD Sines, I sold them because I didn't liked them. I have LCD-2.2 and it gives me everything good that the sines did for me plus a nice thick bass. The M50X is a headphone that is cheaper and made me feel like the Sines are really not for me. The M50X (to my ears at least) are more pleasant to hear driven by a mojo than the Sines. For me, the Sines have real thin bass (and I like bass). Just because it's orthodynamic, it doesn't make it NICE for me. I'm not looking to hear human voices, i'm looking to hear the whole music, and at that all my other current headphones are doing fine. I'm really not missing the Sine. Sorry if you love it so much - I don't. I tried.

 

[jeffri]

I doubt this statement has any merit. I have the ATH-M50 and those are significantly worse than the Sines in every respect including bass. I don't think the M50X are that much of an improvement over the original M50s that they would surpass the Sines (the reviews of M50X do mention that the improvements over M50 are subtle not day and night). The Sines have great bass impact and bass extension. The M50s (please note I am referring to the original M50s not the X's, and I don't think there is night and day difference between M50 and M50X) have a mid bass hump with less bass extension than the Sines. As a result, human voices sound slightly boomy. If you like that, you are free to say the Sines are worse, but then its your personal liking that you prefer unnatural sound. Characterizing natural sounding headphones like Sines as worse is a major disservice towards others in my opinion. But of course, head-fi is full of such personalized biased statements and I hope people do their research from multiple sources before deciding which headphone is better.

If you like a lot of bass and don't mind boomy bass, go for the M50X and save some money. If you value quality bass and bass texture, but still want lot of bass, get the Sines and pump up the bass frequencies in the cipher cable.

Well said, I have similar experience. I had M50s for some time and it was a pair I never liked due to the boomy bass that overpowering the mids. It's a good pair of can at its price and that's it. But yeah, to each their own. I'll prefer Sine over M50 anyday.

 

[High-End-Addict]

Mr Speakers new AEON has just been announced : must be a SINE killer .
Can't wait for this new closed planar headphone . All bigger brothers at Mr Speakers are way better than Audezes...

 

[jeffri]

Mr Speakers new AEON has just been announced : must be a SINE killer .
Can't wait for this new closed planar headphone . All bigger brothers at Mr Speakers are way better than Audezes...

Yeah, it looks very interesting indeed.

 

[bigtim]

After a month of wanting to like the Sine's I'm going to let them go. I've tried VesperAudio pads, the MSR7 pads and even putting up with the weird suction of the standard pads but none of them are beating my old Sennheiser HD-25's. Through an iPhone with the Cipher cable, straight out of a Cowon P1 or Audioquest Dragonfly, I just straight up prefer the old senny's. They'll be going up on eBay at the weekend. Onwards to something else

 

[xoxiax]

Hope you find something more alike to your tastes.
 
I have some doubts about my sine (i'd like a more energetic sound, like the hd25's has) but, to my ears there's no discussion between the Sine and my beloved hd25.The Senns sound excellent by their own, but compared with the audezes i would say they sound clearly congested and bloated, timbrically poor and artificial. They are huge technical and musical steps away when i compare them. But that's my impression only, good luck with your search...

 

[DomieMic65]

Hope you find something more alike to your tastes.
 
I have some doubts about my sine (i'd like a more energetic sound, like the hd25's has) but, to my ears there's no discussion between the Sine and my beloved hd25.The Senns sound excellent by their own, but compared with the audezes i would say they sound clearly congested and bloated, timbrically poor and artificial. They are huge technical and musical steps away when i compare them. But that's my impression only, good luck with your search...

I have both HD25Alu and the Sines!
I think hey are two very different headphones. Except they are on ear I can not compare them in other ways!
I like them both and will keep both for the things they do very well each one on it's own!
From the two I consider the Sine to be the more neutral, if I must make a comparison!!