[Rick Hunter]

After burning-in my HD595s for about 120 hours at medium-high volume with various kinds of music I still wasn't completely satisfied with them: surely they had gotten better than out of the box, but they still lacked punchiness in the low end and texture/detail in the midbass, plus I was feeling the mids a bit too upfront.

I am not a basshead at all: I find K81DJs horribly bass bloated, bass heavy, and even my px100's are too bass heavy for me, anyhow I still felt the bass in my 595s quite anemic.
So I took some (a lot of) time to read all the HD595 threads, and found out many folks that found the 595 alright in terms of bass performance / punchiness and many folks saying that a longer than normal burn-in is needed on these cans to really bring out all their potential.

So I gave them another long 50 straight hours of burn-in, but this time at a higher volume, but always WITHOUT clipping the source amp (my pc soundcard), and with only bass-heavy music, plus with the equalizer set to a slight bass boost of +4db at 40hz, 60hz and 150hz.

I wanted to give a kick in the arse to those drivers "hey there, it's time to work, to really work!"
Of course I paid the utmost attention of not going too high with the volume so to cause distorsion. Loud volume is okay, distorsion or clipping is BAD and HARMFUL, so go up with the volume until it's pretty high but NO distortion and/or clipping must be present.

Well guess what? After this 50 hours "violent" stretch the headphones have matured more than in the previous 120 hours "gentle" burn-in.
Bass has definitely acquired more punch, there's more texture and detail in the midbass and the mids are now at the right place, not too upfront, not recessed.

I guess these cans really need some kick in the ass to properly wake up.
Anyone has had a similar experience with other cans needing "violence" to wake up?

 

[kramer5150]

My RS1 also needed that kick in the rear.

 

[mirumu]

Out of all the headphones I've owned, the HD595 is the only one I have felt that burn-in really had an effect. I didn't take it to the same level but I did leave it just sitting around on occasions with bassy music playing at higher volumes than I'd listen to. After doing this for a few days in amongst other listening they sounded better to my ears in much the way you described.

 

[warMen]

I feel the whole midrange, like rhythm guitars especuially, seem kinda muddy or something... will burn in help this? I wish they sounded more "crisp". I'm playing them directly out of my sound card so maybe that could be it. Either that or I shoulda gone with Grado

For some reason, my iPod sounds MUCH better.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warMen /img/forum/go_quote.gif I feel the whole midrange, like rhythm guitars especuially, seem kinda muddy or something... will burn in help this? I wish they sounded more "crisp". I'm playing them directly out of my sound card so maybe that could be it. Either that or I shoulda gone with Grado

HD595 isnt exactly crips sounding, ever. The feeling like there is a black hole in sound never left.

 

[warMen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif HD595 isnt exactly crips sounding, ever. The feeling like there is a black hole in sound never left.

Damnit, that's annoying. Most of my music is death metal. Sounding good with Porcupine Tree right now, though. Unfortunately, not much better than my Hd212s

 

[shooter]

yesterday i was shocked "a bit" how well hd595 performs metallica with orchestra support. HD595 is really dynamic and vivid headphone but sometimes I think something's missing and I can find it even with my cheap Grado sr60's, maybe because hd595's sound is not "coloured" much.

 

[warMen]

Is it possible to break them by playing them too loudly?

I was crankin some infected mushroom, now they sound underwater.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warMen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is it possible to break them by playing them too loudly? I was crankin some infected mushroom, now they sound underwater.

Under normal circumstances you would need to play them really loud, ear aching volumes for a while before drivers would blow. How loud you were playing?

 

[warMen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Under normal circumstances you would need to play them really loud, ear aching volumes for a while before drivers would blow. How loud you were playing?

Pretty loud. The volume would be equivalent to the iPod at full volume about, probably a little bit less because these go REALLY loud at full volume w/ the iPod. I could put them on my ears but I couldn't keep them on for longer than like 30-60 seconds before my ears would start to hurt or something. They sounded fine, until I came back like 10-15 minutes later and I heard some pretty bad clipping and I was like oh crap. I didn't think a volume like that would do that to them.

It's just weird, because my Hd212s sound clearer, and the bass especially is harder hitting and much more tight and smooth. And those cost $40.

edit-

Ahh, I really think I broke them

I'm gonna cry. Brand new. 200 freakin dollars. I guess I'll go back to my hd212s

Guys, don't break these in at too high volumes, just do it normally.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warMen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pretty loud. The volume would be equivalent to the iPod at full volume about, probably a little bit less because these go REALLY loud at full volume w/ the iPod. I could put them on my ears but I couldn't keep them on for longer than like 30-60 seconds before my ears would start to hurt or something. They sounded fine, until I came back like 10-15 minutes later and I heard some pretty bad clipping and I was like oh crap. I didn't think a volume like that would do that to them. It's just weird, because my Hd212s sound clearer, and the bass especially is harder hitting and much more tight and smooth. And those cost $40. edit- Ahh, I really think I broke them I'm gonna cry. Brand new. 200 freakin dollars. I guess I'll go back to my hd212s Guys, don't break these in at too high volumes, just do it normally.

You LEFT them to play for 10-15 minutes for THAT loud!? Most likely you have just busted your drivers dude... Also, ipods amplifier chip is very mediocre, and putting them to close to loudest produces clipping which is harmfull to headphones (same with speakers). Underpowered and loud is dangerous combination...

 

[warMen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif You LEFT them to play for 10-15 minutes for THAT loud!? Most likely you have just busted your drivers dude... Also, ipods amplifier chip is very mediocre, and putting them to close to loudest produces clipping which is harmfull to headphones (same with speakers). Underpowered and loud is dangerous combination...

It was on my sound card, but I think the volume was around there, a bit less actually. Probably around ~90% iPod volume. Anyway, they still work, the sound is just not clear... at least not nearly as good as my $40 pair.

I wish I never saw this thread... ever.

i'm gonna buy a new pair. I'm returning something else now and I'll have $200. From now on I'm gonna be more careful :/ I'm so disappointed

Anyone know about Amazon's return policy?

 

[MaZa]

Louder-than-normal listening burn-in definetly doesnt mean "leave your headphones blasting the bejeezus out of them on its own"... Loud volume but not unbearable and harmfull is what that means, a volume one perhaps uses for short listening sessions to headbang an album or two without damaging ears. That is enough.

 

[warMen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Louder-than-normal listening burn-in definetly doesnt mean "leave your headphones blasting the bejeezus out of them on its own"... Loud volume but not unbearable and harmfull is what that means, a volume one perhaps uses for short listening sessions to headbang an album or two without damaging ears. That is enough.

Well the OP said he could feel the bass through 3 blankets, that seems pretty loud to me. Maybe he should edit his post because it's a little deceiving. I had 1 blanket and I could hardly feel it but I guess it was enough to mess them up.

 

[MaZa]

What the OP did was unnecessarily extreme. The key point was that there was no clipping in any part so thats why his headphones probaply survived the shock treatment. You said that when you came back, you noticed horrible clipping? Perhaps some songs were so loud (or had louder parts in song than what you listened first) that introduced clipping with already insanely high volume. Your soundcard obviously got overpowered and started clipping, making your headphones fubar.