ourfpshero
Headphoneus Supremus
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Yes, I started the thread, The momentums are smoother, more clarity and bass digs deeper. The silverados are hotter, more aggressive
California Headphones Silverado impressions
- Thread starter ourfpshero
- Start date
Yes, I started the thread, The momentums are smoother, more clarity and bass digs deeper. The silverados are hotter, more aggressive
Gosh damn, the build quality is very awesome, isolation is great, and the sound quality is quite good. Plus the minimalist packaging, I could have sworn this was a German headphone. 
It feels like it is built for a battlefield, too bad the cable seems flimsy, but I can easily build a replacement since it uses 3.5mm detachment.
I don't like how narrow the headband's cushion is, and rubber stoppers should have been placed on the gymbals the way Sennheiser often does so the cups and gymbals don't end up scratching each other with use over time.
They didn't let the headphone "sound" like it is made of metal, either, even though it mostly is. It gets a good grip on one's head to avoid feeling too heavy, too.
Sound quality is just behind HD360, CAL!2, HD380, DT770-80, M50, and SRH840, and its soundstage is the smallest of the bunch. Maybe a little acoustic foam in the cups will clear up the sound just the bit more that it is lacking.
The inline jack near the end plug looks like it might be for sharing sound but doesn't work on my unit.
Edit: for a headphone supposedly tuned to rock and country, it sure rocks with trance. Soundstage has increased with burn-in/use.
Edit2: photos
It feels like it is built for a battlefield, too bad the cable seems flimsy, but I can easily build a replacement since it uses 3.5mm detachment.I don't like how narrow the headband's cushion is, and rubber stoppers should have been placed on the gymbals the way Sennheiser often does so the cups and gymbals don't end up scratching each other with use over time.
They didn't let the headphone "sound" like it is made of metal, either, even though it mostly is. It gets a good grip on one's head to avoid feeling too heavy, too.
Sound quality is just behind HD360, CAL!2, HD380, DT770-80, M50, and SRH840, and its soundstage is the smallest of the bunch. Maybe a little acoustic foam in the cups will clear up the sound just the bit more that it is lacking.
The inline jack near the end plug looks like it might be for sharing sound but doesn't work on my unit.
Edit: for a headphone supposedly tuned to rock and country, it sure rocks with trance. Soundstage has increased with burn-in/use.
Edit2: photos
Ric1live
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What do you mean by "hotter"?
Dragonzeanse
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I just ordered these last night for $50. Guess I'll get to see how good or bad these really are. I've heard they're a good headphone for $100. How about half the price?
ourfpshero
Headphoneus Supremus
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coachenzo
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I think the are a great buy at $50. I had mine for about a year before I sold for about a $100. They sound pretty good to me right out of my S3.
I can't figure out how to remove the earpads in order to disassemble the cups for examination. Helping the drivers breathe more will improve clarity, I might be able to come with an appropriate mod, but I need to see inside first.
This is such a fun headphone, kind of like Grados. It doesn't sound like them, it's just tremendously fun to listen with like Grados.
This is such a fun headphone, kind of like Grados. It doesn't sound like them, it's just tremendously fun to listen with like Grados.
Well, I'm not in a mood for cable building and bought a spare HM5 cable to replace the questionable stock cable. =p
Much to my dismay, plugging it in properly produces no sound, but pulling the plugs back out ~4mm brings back sound.
The pinouts of the stock cable and HM5 cable are compatible, but it seems that the headphone's jacks are possibly incompatible: only the ring is wired for signal and not the tip.
The stock cable pinout from tip to sleeve is +, +, -, HM5 is +, N/A, -, but the Silverado itself is (disconnected), +, -. So I need to get inside and short the disconnected pins to signal or build a custom cable.
Way to go, CHC. =\
Edit - correction: It is likely that the headphone pinout is the same as the cable, so the HM5 cable, having only tip and sleeve on the headphone plugs, shorts ring to ground thus no sound. In that case I would have to disconnect the rings in the headphone's jacks.
The pads are attached to a plastic ring which are secured to the baffle with four metal things then there's three screws that
secure the baffle to the cup. The earpads cannot be twisted or pulled off, and upon partly pulling out a pad from the ring, one can see that the metal things that secure the plastic ring to the baffle also hold the pads.
Much to my dismay, plugging it in properly produces no sound, but pulling the plugs back out ~4mm brings back sound.
The pinouts of the stock cable and HM5 cable are compatible, but it seems that the headphone's jacks are possibly incompatible: only the ring is wired for signal and not the tip.
The stock cable pinout from tip to sleeve is +, +, -, HM5 is +, N/A, -, but the Silverado itself is (disconnected), +, -. So I need to get inside and short the disconnected pins to signal or build a custom cable.
Way to go, CHC. =\
Edit - correction: It is likely that the headphone pinout is the same as the cable, so the HM5 cable, having only tip and sleeve on the headphone plugs, shorts ring to ground thus no sound. In that case I would have to disconnect the rings in the headphone's jacks.
The pads are attached to a plastic ring which are secured to the baffle with four metal things then there's three screws that
secure the baffle to the cup. The earpads cannot be twisted or pulled off, and upon partly pulling out a pad from the ring, one can see that the metal things that secure the plastic ring to the baffle also hold the pads.
Dragonzeanse
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I don't know if I dig this headphone. For something marketed towards rock, I think it would work better for electronic or something that needs far less treble, as the highs on these headphones are very recessed. I'm having a hard time convincing myself if this concert hall-sounding headphone is worth the $50 I paid. Well, without a doubt, its constituent parts are worth that, while the sound quality alone would probably be $50. I can see why people would suggest these were great at $100, but I can never see myself saying that these are worth $150. I don't really think they do anything wrong, but they produce an effect that I feel I could have gotten just by messing with Realtek's sound manager.
Still looks ******* beautiful, though. Also, it isolates really well and I don't find the clamp to be uncomfortable at all. Not more comfortable than something that doesn't clamp as hard, but I've never had a problem with pressure from headphones unless their pads are inherently uncomfortable (see also: Sol Republic).
No matter how many complaints I have for these headphones, I still think they stand head and shoulders above much of the garbage that infests the market.
Still looks ******* beautiful, though. Also, it isolates really well and I don't find the clamp to be uncomfortable at all. Not more comfortable than something that doesn't clamp as hard, but I've never had a problem with pressure from headphones unless their pads are inherently uncomfortable (see also: Sol Republic).
No matter how many complaints I have for these headphones, I still think they stand head and shoulders above much of the garbage that infests the market.
There's no way that you are getting build quality like this at $50, not even $100. Whenever head-fiers recommend a headphone for electronic, they often mention ones that have clear and even extra treble, apart from copious bass, for good reasons. Silverado actually has your usual "consumer sound": a V-shaped signature. Most the treble range above 7kHz is noticeably boosted, but everything is kept in moderation to avoid obscuring the midrange. There's not enough treble clarity, which is why it can seem recessed, but cymbals and airy sounds should still give away that the treble is boosted. A gradual sine sweep through the audio band will give you a rough estimate as to its overall balance.
Dragonzeanse
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cdeviney
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========
I received the California Silverado headphone about a week ago from Amazon for $49 with free two-day shipping. I consider these a great bargain with very good sound quality and outstanding build quality...very spiffy/retro looking. Made of diecast metal and leather with a semi-soft leather case, with magnetic closure. Clamping is firm to enhance isolation, but not too tight (for me) to cause discomfort. Bass is just enough...I do not like overwhelming bass. Soundstage is comparable to other closed back headphones.
There is no L/R or color code on the cord and L/R are stamped on the metal connector, at the lower end of the headband, on the inside, rather than the outside, and are hard to read, so somewhat difficult to determine L/R when putting on the headphone....a small negative. Other headphones with removable cords that I have had are color coded to distinguish left and right.
The detachable black and white woven fabric covered flexible cord seems a little thin but is an improvement over thick plastic ones, IMO.
I rate these a 5 out of 5 stars based on a combination of sound, build quality, appearance, and value.
========
I received the California Silverado headphone about a week ago from Amazon for $49 with free two-day shipping. I consider these a great bargain with very good sound quality and outstanding build quality...very spiffy/retro looking. Made of diecast metal and leather with a semi-soft leather case, with magnetic closure. Clamping is firm to enhance isolation, but not too tight (for me) to cause discomfort. Bass is just enough...I do not like overwhelming bass. Soundstage is comparable to other closed back headphones.
There is no L/R or color code on the cord and L/R are stamped on the metal connector, at the lower end of the headband, on the inside, rather than the outside, and are hard to read, so somewhat difficult to determine L/R when putting on the headphone....a small negative. Other headphones with removable cords that I have had are color coded to distinguish left and right.
The detachable black and white woven fabric covered flexible cord seems a little thin but is an improvement over thick plastic ones, IMO.
I rate these a 5 out of 5 stars based on a combination of sound, build quality, appearance, and value.
========
pr0n time:
So the headphone consists of a primary, inner chamber and the rest of the cup is the secondary, or bass, chamber. Two small holes in the primary chamber with filters are all that connects the two, very much like closed-back Sennheiser cans.
I later added a 1cm x 1.5cm square of Akasa Paxmate Plus foam on the back of the primary chamber, resulting in clearer, cleaner sound. All that reverb in the secondary chamber masks the bass and the lower midrange.
I also tried out some Dynamat Xtreme on the back and sides of the primary chamber (not inside of it!) and that cleaned up the overall sound and clearered up the bass a bit, but what had the biggest impact was the acoustic foam.
Alternatively, one could try any open-cell acoustic foam with some double-sided adhesive in place of the Akasa for the same effect, just cut it 4mm thick and no more. Additional foam resulted in some small loss of bass quantity and impact, so one 1x1.5x0.4cm square of foam is enough.
Those earpads are really not designed to come off with any ease, they are held in place by those five, round dual-tabs seen around the baffle rear here. I had to open up the cups by cutting a small hole in the dust screen near each of the three screws that secure each baffle and driver to each cup. The white strip seen in the photo is a filtered bass port consisting of three holes. Making the holes bigger from the front side will probably result in increased bass, for anyone interested.
The three smaller screws still in place must be for the baffle face, they are too close to the drivers to have anything to do with the ring that holds the earpad. So accessing the primary chamber's interior and the driver would require removing the earpad first in order to be able to remove the baffle face after removing the screws. Good grief.
The pinout turned out to be ring + sleeve (signal + ground, respectively, and tips are disconnected) after all. I moved the signal wire in each cup to the tip so now I can insert the HM5 cable all the way in and get sound properly. So CHC meant for us to depend on them for cables and earpad replacement. Well, you know what? Screw you, CHC.
Alternatively, a replacement cable would have to be built with regular 3.5mm TRS plugs for the headphone end and have the tips disconnected, just ring + sleeve.
As much as I've improved the sound, there's still room for improvement. I'm thinking that I will have to experiment later with cutting small holes in the inner side of the earpads to give the drivers access to the air in the earpads, resulting in the drivers controlling more air between themselves and your ears, which should maximize clarity, but this can also risk exacerbating treble frequencies to the point that the headphone ends up very shrill and fatiguing if I over do it. Some bass will be traded off as a result, too, but I could probably mitigate that by enlarging the bass port a bit. I'm quite happy with the current sound as it is, a significant improvement over stock. The treble isn't as dark as before, much better now, but clarity decreases with increasing frequency to a small extent, so the lower treble is a little clearer than the mid treble, mid a bit more than high. The sound retains its "V-shaped" fun character as before.
So the headphone consists of a primary, inner chamber and the rest of the cup is the secondary, or bass, chamber. Two small holes in the primary chamber with filters are all that connects the two, very much like closed-back Sennheiser cans.
I later added a 1cm x 1.5cm square of Akasa Paxmate Plus foam on the back of the primary chamber, resulting in clearer, cleaner sound. All that reverb in the secondary chamber masks the bass and the lower midrange.
I also tried out some Dynamat Xtreme on the back and sides of the primary chamber (not inside of it!) and that cleaned up the overall sound and clearered up the bass a bit, but what had the biggest impact was the acoustic foam.
Alternatively, one could try any open-cell acoustic foam with some double-sided adhesive in place of the Akasa for the same effect, just cut it 4mm thick and no more. Additional foam resulted in some small loss of bass quantity and impact, so one 1x1.5x0.4cm square of foam is enough.
Those earpads are really not designed to come off with any ease, they are held in place by those five, round dual-tabs seen around the baffle rear here. I had to open up the cups by cutting a small hole in the dust screen near each of the three screws that secure each baffle and driver to each cup. The white strip seen in the photo is a filtered bass port consisting of three holes. Making the holes bigger from the front side will probably result in increased bass, for anyone interested.
The three smaller screws still in place must be for the baffle face, they are too close to the drivers to have anything to do with the ring that holds the earpad. So accessing the primary chamber's interior and the driver would require removing the earpad first in order to be able to remove the baffle face after removing the screws. Good grief.
The pinout turned out to be ring + sleeve (signal + ground, respectively, and tips are disconnected) after all. I moved the signal wire in each cup to the tip so now I can insert the HM5 cable all the way in and get sound properly. So CHC meant for us to depend on them for cables and earpad replacement. Well, you know what? Screw you, CHC.
Alternatively, a replacement cable would have to be built with regular 3.5mm TRS plugs for the headphone end and have the tips disconnected, just ring + sleeve.
As much as I've improved the sound, there's still room for improvement. I'm thinking that I will have to experiment later with cutting small holes in the inner side of the earpads to give the drivers access to the air in the earpads, resulting in the drivers controlling more air between themselves and your ears, which should maximize clarity, but this can also risk exacerbating treble frequencies to the point that the headphone ends up very shrill and fatiguing if I over do it. Some bass will be traded off as a result, too, but I could probably mitigate that by enlarging the bass port a bit. I'm quite happy with the current sound as it is, a significant improvement over stock. The treble isn't as dark as before, much better now, but clarity decreases with increasing frequency to a small extent, so the lower treble is a little clearer than the mid treble, mid a bit more than high. The sound retains its "V-shaped" fun character as before.
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