Grado's and Fatiguing
Jun 8, 2005 at 12:27 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

HiFiRE

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I got a pair of 325i's after being dissapointed with HD650's looking for a more upfront sound suitable for metal listening. The 325i's are in fact more enjoyable for metal but after listening to them for a couple hours my ears feel warm and a little uncomfortable. I guess this is what people mean by fatiguing. In anticipation of this problem I bought flat sennheiser pads with the headphones. They're much more comfortable but steal some highs and don't reduce the fatiguing. I talked to the salesman at the store about fatiguing and he recommended buying better interconnects that would soften grainy hashy harsh highs (implying they are responsible for fatigue). So what does the hive think about all this?
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 12:59 AM Post #3 of 11
You need to bend the headband outward to relieve pressure.
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 1:03 AM Post #4 of 11
I think I know where you're coming from on this. It's the difference between circumaural and supraaural. After a bit, I also feel that warmth. Usually, a slight adjustment/breather is all that's required in the early stages. After that I suppose I build a tolerance or get used to the feel and it's not a problem anymore. Now I don't notice it at all.

I suspect that if you don't get used to it, the only way to resolve it and get comfortable would be something like Larry's C-pads. Haven't tried them but they look comfy as heck. I see used pairs up for sale all the time so you might keep your eyes peeled and jump on the next pair. If you don't like the sound they give you there's going to be little problem reselling.

Hope this helps.
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 1:05 AM Post #6 of 11
I'm not sure I understand what's going on......do you find the sound fatiguing, or the pads? The Senn pads should solve the pad fatigue, and if you cut a quarter size hole in the center, the highs will come through.
You may also want to try bending the headband slightly to alleviate the pressure on your ears.
I've had the 325i for about a week now, and I don't find the sound to be fatiguing in the least. I'm using them with a Grado RA-1 amp and a Straightwire Mini-RCA to a Sony DJ-E01 PCDP. I found the original 325 to be way too bright, but the newer version has rather smooth highs that are just right, for my ears. In this regard, I find the new 325i to be closer in sonics to the RS-1 than the to older 325.
biggrin.gif
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 1:07 AM Post #7 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by CookieFactory
can someone explain what "aural fatigue," actually feels like?


To me, it's when you hear so much treble and high-end that it gives you a sense of annoyance, everything is so "ringy" and "metallic" that you lose sight of what the rest of the sound is like. Lowering the volume helps to prevent against this, but then the volume of the rest of your music becomes inaudible. I listen to trance, so this is only from a trance perspective where you can have a lot a lot of continuous, fatiguing treble.
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 1:18 AM Post #8 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by recstar24
do you mean physical fatiguing or aural fatiguing? are you just breaking down on a physical sense, or are the highs so forward and in your face where your ears aurally are breaking down?


On a physical sense. The headphones push my ears against my head that generates a lot of heat and the pads insulate that heat. I think that's what's going on... heh... upgrading interconnects wouldn't help much, hahaha. I think I'll heed KenW's advice to toughen up, heed MD1032's advice to reduce pressure, and heed the advice to cut holes in the sennheiser pads.

Thanks guys.
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 1:53 AM Post #9 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by HiFiRE
I got a pair of 325i's after being dissapointed with HD650's looking for a more upfront sound suitable for metal listening. The 325i's are in fact more enjoyable for metal but after listening to them for a couple hours my ears feel warm and a little uncomfortable. I guess this is what people mean by fatiguing. In anticipation of this problem I bought flat sennheiser pads with the headphones. They're much more comfortable but steal some highs and don't reduce the fatiguing. I talked to the salesman at the store about fatiguing and he recommended buying better interconnects that would soften grainy hashy harsh highs (implying they are responsible for fatigue). So what does the hive think about all this?


I just got my 325i today. First off, I'm thrilled with the sound, but that's for another thread.

I found them to feel much different than my SR-60s, for obvious reasons. I actually have no problem with the SR-60 comfies. In fact I like them. The 325i feels MUCH different. Not quite uncomfortable, but different. It's funny, but the last thing I did just before reading this thread was to go to the Sennheiser site and order 2 pairs of their yellow pads. I believe someone also said that Radio Shack has a pad that will also work. I don't have any experience using it, or a part number. Maybe someone else could comment on it further.
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 3:31 AM Post #10 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tech2
I just got my 325i today. First off, I'm thrilled with the sound, but that's for another thread.

I found them to feel much different than my SR-60s, for obvious reasons. I actually have no problem with the SR-60 comfies. In fact I like them. The 325i feels MUCH different. Not quite uncomfortable, but different. It's funny, but the last thing I did just before reading this thread was to go to the Sennheiser site and order 2 pairs of their yellow pads. I believe someone also said that Radio Shack has a pad that will also work. I don't have any experience using it, or a part number. Maybe someone else could comment on it further.



The RS pad is thinner than the Senn, and similar in feel to the Grado comfy, but smaller in diameter.
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=33%2D380
 
Jun 8, 2005 at 4:24 AM Post #11 of 11
If you have the Senn HD650 and you think the sound is a bit distant, veiled, dark or whatnot when listening to pop vocals or rock, test the use of an equalizer and boost the 3 or 4 khz range by 8 to 12 decibels.
 

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