Extreme fatigue, what can it be?

[Arcee]

OK, so I have the following set-up:

- iPad as a source running FLACPlayer by Dan Leehr
- Connected through Camera Connection Kit to Nuforce DAC-80 asynchronous USB
- Connected via Van Den Hul interlinks to Little Dot MKIII running Yugoslavia 6HM5 driver tubes and Russian 6H6P-I power tubes
- Connected to my Sennheiser HD800's

Here's my problem. After already 5 minutes listening to music at low volumes, my ears suffer terrible fatigue. My ears are ringing as if I went to a pop concert. I don't understand it, because the sound is excellent anyways. Problem is, it takes me up to five days to rid of the fatigue... so I don't dare listen anymore.

I hate what's happening. Am I getting old? Basically I stop enjoying head-if completely and am back to my living room set enjoying true Hifi instead. There, no problem. I have the following set: Auralic Aries LE connected to NAD M51 to Quad 405's to self built Vifa speakers. Hifi is my great passion... so I cannot stand ringing ears!

Did anyone ever experience something similar?


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[NA Blur]

Could be a number of things, but let's change headphones with the thought that the treble peaks of the HD800 that some find bothersome are causing the problems. So grab a different pair of headphones, preferably one with attenuated treble, and give that a try.

Next, try going with a smaller set of headphones that do not rest so far around the ears. Perhaps the pressure around your ears is causing the problem.

The upper level Sennheisers tend to sound their best at higher volumes which also contributes to listening fatigue.

Provide us with the headphones / IEMs you try and what works or doesn't. We should be able to find a solution, but for now give your ears a break for a few days. From now on keep the volume down to keep from damagung your ears.

Just out if curiousity do you grind / clentch your teeth at night?

 

[Arcee]

Thanks for the tips. That is indeed what I will try. I have Bose QC-15's for traveling, I have Sennheiser HD650's and some IEM's of various brands. For now, I still keep rest, out of fear it comes back. I do listen to my Hifi set, but that doesn't cause fatigue to get worse. I don't listen to high volumes, not even on headphones because my wife then complains about sound leakage,

Will post back in a few days.

 

[NA Blur]

My guess is you are super sensitive to treble especially the 1.5 kHz and 3.5kHz frequencies. You can try to EQ those down and see if that helps.

 

[Svatopluk]

Do you have a disable meter? Using one is the only way of knowing precisely what volume level you are listening at. You should not have a problem if you do not exceed 75 or 80 db.
 
With the source you have. If the LD-3 gain setting is too high, the volume may be quite high despite of the setting on the amp.

 

[Arcee]

Okay, so I took a substantial amount of cool down time, over a week without head-fi. Tonight I put my HD650 back on. Within minutes, I again experienced something disturbing, I didn't enjoy the listening. So, it isn't the HD800. Is it the tubes? Or the DAC?

Lazy to replace the tubes, I started with removing the DAC-80 and replacing it with my good old Nuforce iDo. Guess what? No fatigue. Not on the HD650, so I swapped to the HD800, and oh my, do I enjoy that one more than the HD800 on fact. How nice to not have listened for a week

So, conclusion, it is the DAC-80 that gives me the fatigue. Strange! Because I have high respect for the DAC-80. When using in my living room Hifi set, I was especially impressed by the great detail it brings. But it didn't stay long in my living room set. Because it made me realize my AVP-18 was up for replacement, but wasn't convenient enough as a preamp. So, I invested in the NAD M51 there. Back to my bedroom it was.

So, no also my bedroom will reject the DAC-80. I can't believe that I love the DAC-80 yet I have no use for it. But at least I'm back to enjoying my music without the fatigue.

What is it with the Nuforce DAC-80 causing this fatigue!?


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[Arcee]

Thanks for the tips anyways. I have the LD3 set to the lowest possible gain setting, with high impedance cans like the HD800's, I wouldn't think about increasing the gain...


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[Arcee]

Coming back on my previous conclusion. It is NOT the DAC-80 because I still have the ringing ears problem back also with the iDo.

I've experimented with my HD650's and the iDo and the DAC-80 and I can only come to one very, very painful conclusion.

With great regret I conclude the problem is the HD800.

Somehow I am over sensitive to the HD800 it seems.

I was recently advised to check a mod from a Frenchman on the HD800 as it seems to indeed have a peak around 6 kHz that more people are over sensitive to. Anyone have similar reactions to the HD800's? It would be with pain in my heart to be selling the HD800 because I am allergic to it...!?!


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[Arcee]

So, almost two months after actually not enjoying my bedside rig because of the fatigue problem, I finally gave the French mod a try.
 
A good explanation of it all is found here:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/sennheiser-hd-800-s-tweaked-and-delightfuland-french-diy-response-page-2#6F3UoAyMRFholuzH.97
 
I've contacted Sorrodje, who invented these mods, and he reacted immediately. Soon after making my payment he shipped them, and two days later, which was yesterday, I received them.
 
Installation really was only five minutes work. And wow, it does make a difference. The annoying high sneer that the HD800 has is simply gone, but the clarity, detail and soundstage remains. I've actually listened to it at substantial volume the last hour and just took them off... no fatigue!
 
So, finally both the cause and the solution is found! I feel sorry for thinking it was the DAC-80, because it wasn't. It was simply the HD800 6kHz peak which the resonators flatten out.
 
And now I believe every HD800 owner should get this mod, because it really makes me fall in love again with my HD800's!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

OK, so I have the following set-up:

- iPad as a source running FLACPlayer by Dan Leehr
- Connected through Camera Connection Kit to Nuforce DAC-80 asynchronous USB
- Connected via Van Den Hul interlinks to Little Dot MKIII running Yugoslavia 6HM5 driver tubes and Russian 6H6P-I power tubes
- Connected to my Sennheiser HD800's

Here's my problem. After already 5 minutes listening to music at low volumes, my ears suffer terrible fatigue. My ears are ringing as if I went to a pop concert. I don't understand it, because the sound is excellent anyways. Problem is, it takes me up to five days to rid of the fatigue... so I don't dare listen anymore.

I hate what's happening. Am I getting old? Basically I stop enjoying head-if completely and am back to my living room set enjoying true Hifi instead. There, no problem. I have the following set: Auralic Aries LE connected to NAD M51 to Quad 405's to self built Vifa speakers. Hifi is my great passion... so I cannot stand ringing ears!

Did anyone ever experience something similar?

 

First and most obvious: the HD800 has a treble peak taller than how loud it is at 1000hz. You might not hear the sibilance, but it's still there.

Second, and is enhanced by the first, is that you might be listening louder than is safe. If an amp's output is clean enough and your basis for pulling back is bad distortion, then you can listen at well over 88dB. Maybe in the 90dB+ range already. And with an otherwise clean-sounding, warmifying boombasticator like an OTL tube amp, then it makes it a lot easier to make this error.