wonderwall
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2008
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I recently purchased a pair of Creative Aurvana Live! cans on the recommendation of a user here, and as my first foray into audiophile phones, I was impressed. Especially with the amazing bass response, which can be felt physically but does not overpower the rest of the frequencies. I'd be perfectly happy but for one (actually two but I'll get to that) thing.
They kind of hurt my ears. When I first pop them on they are nice and comfy. But after 20-30 minutes, I really want to take them off. My ears (lobe and carteledge) are very sensitive and cannot deal with any amount of pressure for very long. Even though these aren't that tight, I do own more comfortable cans (Bose Triport [hey, they gotta be good for something], Senn. HD-201s) and all the great sound quality in the world isn't enough to torture my poor ears.
So question 1: is this tightness true of the Aurvana's 'cousin'/progenitor, the Dennon ADH-D1001? From what I have gathered they are identical in all but design and cable and I figure tightness falls into the design category. In all honesty though, it's not so much the force with which it clamps as the pads themselves. If they were large enough to go around my ear completely, it'd be fine. But as plush as the pads are, the force of the band is still going directly to my upper ear. If the D-1001s pads are larger, I'll just shell out the extra ten bucks, no second thoughts.
Question 2: If neither of these cans will work for my ears, what will? From what I have seen, it does seem as though the HD-555 would be perfect, not touching my ears at all. The open design and overall different sound (namely the large difference in bass response) puts them in a whole different race really but.. comfort does come first. And as far as isolation goes, these Aurvanas do NOT block out any outside noise at all. My brother decided to do some major cleaning today and I could hear every noise + the ac. So don't worry about isolation I guess..
Two last things: I've heard a lot of good word about the HD-580. It's been around for well over a decade and is still held in high regard, with some even higher than newer models. I could get a pair new for $100 but as it is a close-out, there can be no returns. Also, being discontinued, I imagine Sennheiser won't be doing me any repairs if something happens. And if a nice amp is truly required (outside of my integrated amp/receiver), it's probably out.
And lastly, after only a few days I already have some rattle going on with these cans. My hair's not really long but not short either and I shed pretty bad in the summer, so I'm pretty sure that's it. So can you take apart all cans and does this void warrant or the ability to return them within the specified period?
They kind of hurt my ears. When I first pop them on they are nice and comfy. But after 20-30 minutes, I really want to take them off. My ears (lobe and carteledge) are very sensitive and cannot deal with any amount of pressure for very long. Even though these aren't that tight, I do own more comfortable cans (Bose Triport [hey, they gotta be good for something], Senn. HD-201s) and all the great sound quality in the world isn't enough to torture my poor ears.
So question 1: is this tightness true of the Aurvana's 'cousin'/progenitor, the Dennon ADH-D1001? From what I have gathered they are identical in all but design and cable and I figure tightness falls into the design category. In all honesty though, it's not so much the force with which it clamps as the pads themselves. If they were large enough to go around my ear completely, it'd be fine. But as plush as the pads are, the force of the band is still going directly to my upper ear. If the D-1001s pads are larger, I'll just shell out the extra ten bucks, no second thoughts.
Question 2: If neither of these cans will work for my ears, what will? From what I have seen, it does seem as though the HD-555 would be perfect, not touching my ears at all. The open design and overall different sound (namely the large difference in bass response) puts them in a whole different race really but.. comfort does come first. And as far as isolation goes, these Aurvanas do NOT block out any outside noise at all. My brother decided to do some major cleaning today and I could hear every noise + the ac. So don't worry about isolation I guess..
Two last things: I've heard a lot of good word about the HD-580. It's been around for well over a decade and is still held in high regard, with some even higher than newer models. I could get a pair new for $100 but as it is a close-out, there can be no returns. Also, being discontinued, I imagine Sennheiser won't be doing me any repairs if something happens. And if a nice amp is truly required (outside of my integrated amp/receiver), it's probably out.
And lastly, after only a few days I already have some rattle going on with these cans. My hair's not really long but not short either and I shed pretty bad in the summer, so I'm pretty sure that's it. So can you take apart all cans and does this void warrant or the ability to return them within the specified period?
