[Djinnenjous]

So I've pulled the trigger on a new pair of Sennheiser HD600s to pair with my DX90.  They can't get here fast enough for me!
 
/gleedance

 

[Paul - iBasso]

Waiting on the hack until you get back to us @Paul - iBasso

On the DX90 they aren't using the pin. It wasn't found to make any difference. That is why the tape is over it. If you hear a difference then trust your ears.

 

[HiFiChris]

So there is, from a technical view, no need for the pin on the DX90's PCB?

 

[taran]

On the DX90 they aren't using the pin. It wasn't found to make any difference. That is why the tape is over it. If you hear a difference then trust your ears.

Good to know I didn't have to hack around to reveal the pin then.

 

[taran]

.... I wonder what the dx50 looks like in terms of the pin layout...

 

[Lurker0]

On the DX90 they aren't using the pin. It wasn't found to make any difference. That is why the tape is over it. If you hear a difference then trust your ears.

Then why do you put it there at all?

 

[ttt123]

 
On the DX90 they aren't using the pin. It wasn't found to make any difference. That is why the tape is over it. If you hear a difference then trust your ears.

This doesn't make sense to me.  Taking the effort to design and implement a grounding scheme, and then defeating it with tape, and not cleaning out the anodization, seems very counter intuitive.  It would have been so easy to add the grounding in, seeing as the engineers had already designed and implemented the ground pin, and the notch on the back cover.  Instead, they canceled it by covering it with tape?
 
Would engineers negate various design features every time they did not observe an improvement, or would they add in all the proper elements that experience and theory dictates?  What if the tools they were using, or the  environment did not allow them to hear  the changes that more optimal conditions, and  better equipment would reveal?    Doing proper grounding and noise isolation is good engineering, and you would want to always do more, not less.... Power and ground, optimization and EMI suppression are  fundamentals that always need to be done.  And overdoing them is part of proper design.  Most engineers are believers that many cumulative small changes will make an overall difference, even if it is unclear for each individual change.  I hope the engineers will rethink their philosophy for future products.
 
For the DX90, it is now up to the user if they want to do this simple mod.  For those that are comfortable doing it, I would advise giving it a try.
 
For those not comfortable with doing changes, or who do not believe that it would make any significant difference, then definitely don't try it.
 
Whatever makes you happy....

 

[pholcus1975]

I'm happy I did the mod

 

[jamato8]

I'm happy I did the mod

Well it is easy enough to do. Hear any difference? 

 

[nmatheis]

I'm also curious how many people have done the pin mod and whether or not they can describe the difference they heard afterwards.

 

[Replicant187]

i did the pin mod but can't hear any differences.

 

[headwhacker]

I see the fuss about the pin. Remember DX90 inherits the same body as DX50 have. It was maybe economical or quicker to release DX90 at the time for iBasso not to make any change with the body as much as what was existing with D590.

 

[H20Fidelity]

I'm also curious how many people have done the pin mod and whether or not they can describe the difference they heard afterwards.

I did the pin fix, I don't 'think' I hear any difference.

 

[nmatheis]

Thanks for the replies about the pin mod. Holding off unless I hear a lot more definitive yes votes :wink_face:

 

[ttt123]

  I'm also curious how many people have done the pin mod and whether or not they can describe the difference they heard afterwards.

Can we define the pin mod as:
1. cutting the tape to allow the pin to come through the back plate slot
2. scraping the black anodization off the back plate so the exposed pin can make contact with bare metal
 
If responders can indicate whether one or both have been done, and whether they heard any differences, that would be a great help for those needing justification to do the mod.
 
My own experience is that I am hearing a significant difference in SQ.  It may also depend on the earphones/system being used, whether you will hear no change, a small change, or a large change.
The IE800 resolves micro details and space quite well, is quite "coherent", and does voices and instruments very "naturally", and can go quite deep in bass extension, so this may be a factor.  I also have upgraded the main cable on the IE800, am using an earbud with a better seal than the stock, and I am using the best sounding of my Japanese batteries (I have 6 Japan/China batteries).  The cumulative changes on top of the very good inherent system resolution, may "reveal" the improvement.  So this is a basic factor, whether the "system" is able to take advantage of the micro changes that each tweak can bring, and whether the cumulative effect is meaningful or not.  Sometimes it is, and sometimes it is not.
 
This is a common thread in audio tweaks.  Some people hear changes and some do not, and the people who do not hear changes get to save money and time by not bothering.  
 
Power cables, I came at from the disbeliever camp, but wound up hearing a better bass extension, better micro details, even when just substituting a cheap "better" AC cable.
So I made my own from cable, following the designs from Jon Risch's web articles, using Belden teflon insulated cable, and Audioquest power cable,  believing that this was the "right" thing to do.
Going way back, I tried this magical turntable mat, which damped out vibrations.  Allowed better resolution, tight notes without ringing, better bass, etc.  I was excited by how such a simple change could make a significant difference.  Lent it to a friend, who heard no difference at all.  I believe that was due to the fact that he had a DJ system, which was not set up to maximize resolution of fine details.. But be that as it may, he really heard no difference, so saved the money and did not buy one.  And there was other feedback that some people did not like the sound without the ringing on the notes, which they thought made the music sound "wrong", as they were so used to that distortion.  The same for people who use tube amps, as they like the sound better. (disclaimer: I use a tube amp)
 
I've often thought that people who are happy with a simple Radio Shack system are blessed in their way, by not being afflicted with this audio perfection disease.  Though I personally would not want to give it up, so I guess we also want to choose our afflictions.  
 
But to each his own.  The worse thing is to start treating this as a religion, and becoming fanatic , with polarized believer and non believer camps.  There is room for all beliefs, as right and wrong is relative.  I myself am in the experimenters camp, and believe that hearing trumps measurement.  Many people are in the opposite camp.  That is fine, live and let live.  Let's not kill each other  to save their audio souls.