upstateguy
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2004
- Posts
- 4,085
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- 182
Hello All,
I have been listening to my DT880s lately. Tonight while I was comparing my Hornet to a tube amp, I plugged the Beyers into the Sennheiser mini to 1/4 adapter so I could quickly go from one amp to the other with the ¼ plug.
What I accidentally discovered was that the sound from the Sennheiser adapter was brighter and louder than the sound from the factory 3.5 mini housed inside the Beyer ¼ plug. I A-B’d back and forth many times and with many different sources and the difference was more that just noticeable. The entire soundstage, clarity and high end seemed to open up when I used the Beyer ¼ plug with the Sennheiser adapter. Conversely, when I used the Beyer mini plug alone, it sounded more laid back, quieter and almost dull in comparison.
This reminds me of descriptions of the differences between silver and copper cable I have read, but I refuse to believe that a few inches of Sennheiser cable can make such a dramatic difference.
I also tried a Radio Shack gold plated ¼ to mini adapter with the full Beyer plug in place, (¼ over mini), but it sounded no different than the Beyer mini alone.
Using the Beyer 3.5 mini alone or screwing on the ¼ plug and using the Sennheiser ¼ to mini adapter, shouldn’t make any difference to the sound at all, should it?
What’s going on here? Did anyone else notice this? Or is the biggest placebo effect I have experienced so far?
Regards
USG
Edit for clarification
I have been listening to my DT880s lately. Tonight while I was comparing my Hornet to a tube amp, I plugged the Beyers into the Sennheiser mini to 1/4 adapter so I could quickly go from one amp to the other with the ¼ plug.
What I accidentally discovered was that the sound from the Sennheiser adapter was brighter and louder than the sound from the factory 3.5 mini housed inside the Beyer ¼ plug. I A-B’d back and forth many times and with many different sources and the difference was more that just noticeable. The entire soundstage, clarity and high end seemed to open up when I used the Beyer ¼ plug with the Sennheiser adapter. Conversely, when I used the Beyer mini plug alone, it sounded more laid back, quieter and almost dull in comparison.
This reminds me of descriptions of the differences between silver and copper cable I have read, but I refuse to believe that a few inches of Sennheiser cable can make such a dramatic difference.
I also tried a Radio Shack gold plated ¼ to mini adapter with the full Beyer plug in place, (¼ over mini), but it sounded no different than the Beyer mini alone.
Using the Beyer 3.5 mini alone or screwing on the ¼ plug and using the Sennheiser ¼ to mini adapter, shouldn’t make any difference to the sound at all, should it?
What’s going on here? Did anyone else notice this? Or is the biggest placebo effect I have experienced so far?
Regards
USG
Edit for clarification