HD595 Discomfort

[greg_boz]

I'm loving my new Senn HD595s but there's one small problem that's driving me nuts!

Inside of the earcup there is a small raised triangular region that is making contact with my ear. Whenever I move my head I can feel the earcup grazing against the top of my ear. My old Sennheiser's were much better fitting circum-aural and there was no contact whatsoever with the headphones and my ears. I love the sound but it feels as if someone is standing behind me scratching the top of my ear whenever I move.

Does anyone know what I'm referring to? Are the HD580s like this as well?

I'm considering returning these but would rather keep them because they sound great. Perhaps if I add more padding to the outside of the earcups it would displace the inner earcup away from making contact with my ears? Would I compromise the sound quality if I did this?

I made the mistake of ordering these online so I'm facing the dreaded 15% restock + shipping...I wish there was a local retailer that had a wide selection I could try on first. Again these are great, but this one silly problem is almost ruining them for me

.

Is there a way to purchase one-type-fits-all outer earcup padding?

Any help or advice is appreciated.

-Greg

 

[spyrius]

I have no idea what that little protuberance is for (that's a good word). It's just kinda ... there ...

I haven't had any problem with it, but I understand perfectly how something small like that can drive you crazy. Have you tried just wearing the phones with the headband farther back on your head?

 

[tankdriver]

This little protuberance touches my right ear too, but it isn't that disturbing for me. Nevertheless are my 650's much more comfortable.

 

[padi89]

Hi,there was a thread on this not long back,someone else had the exact same complaint.there was a debate over what the little triangular shaped area was for,some said it was the E.A.R. technology others said it was just part of the headband.Personally i do feel it touching the top of my ear at times but its only when the headphone has moved on my head so i just reposition it,you could try different positions on your head.I think adding more padding will affect the sound as you are moving the driver further away from your ear,i found mine sound better now as the pads have softened up and it sits a bit closer to my ear.I dont its just the 555/595 that have this design so the other Senns should be ok.

 

[Murdoch]

I remember reading the member gerG filed that triangular thing down on his set. Maybe you should pm him...

 

[3lusiv3]

I find the hd595 very comfy.

 

[greg_boz]

OK thanks I PMed gerG.

I'm thinking of maybe just upgrading to the HD650s instead, I wear headphones 10+ hours a day so physical comfort is very important to me.

Is there anything else in the $200-$350 range that might better suit my needs? Also, I live in the Atlanta area...is there a retailer I could visit that would let me try a few on?

Thanks,

-Greg

 

[Duggeh]

If you're wearing 10+ hours per day then the clamping force of the HD650 might be an issue for you, I am led to believe that its noticably harder than the other models in the series.

 

[greg_boz]

Quote:

If you're wearing 10+ hours per day then the clamping force of the HD650 might be an issue for you, I am led to believe that its noticably harder than the other models in the series.

Hmm, well now I'm really stuck.

Other than enthusiasts meetings...is there a place(retailer) I could try these various high-end models in my price range?

I love buying things over the internet, but headphones are so 'personal' I don't think I'll feel safe making a purchase unless I've actually tried them myself first.

Any ideas? I'm about 45 minutes north of Atlanta, GA.

Thanks,

-Greg

 

[Duggeh]

You have just discovered one of the great problems of audio equipment, particularly headphones, you never REALLY know until you try. I guess i would suggest having a look in your yellow pages and phonign up some of the hifi businesses in your area, askign them if they stock headphones and if you can go in for a listen.

 

[Dr.Sade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyrius I have no idea what that little protuberance is for (that's a good word). It's just kinda ... there ... I haven't had any problem with it, but I understand perfectly how something small like that can drive you crazy. Have you tried just wearing the phones with the headband farther back on your head?

The protuberance is probably the angled plastic sound deflector that is
supposed to give the HD595 it's spacious sound characteristics. Just
guessing.

 

[gsteinb88]

Since no one else has said what it is actually for yet, here i am.
The plastic triangle is there as part of the attatchment to the headband. Rather than make flimsy headphones that will break if you breathe on them (think bose) they added this triangle to make them nice and sturdy.
-g

 

[gerG]

Heck no I didn't file down the triangle, but I did fix the problem. The mod is simple, reversible, and described here:

Phatpad!

In this case I used a 10" length of 1/4" OD tubing. There was a thread discussing this specific mod, but I am too lazy to track it down at the moment.

The triangle is just a cover for the pivot stops. I do not find any direct acoustic function. There is a significant indirect function. The big single sided pivot allowed the designers to push the driver all the way to the front of the housing. This is the brilliant aspect of the design that is mostly overlooked.


gerG

 

[greg_boz]

Thanks gerG, you've given me hope!

Can you tell me the exact tubing type you used to mod your HD595s?

I googled for black rubber dive tubing with 1/4" OD but I'm having trouble finding anything. There are dive shops around the Atlanta area I can try. What should I tell them I'm looking for?

Thanks again,

-Greg

/edit

I've been googling some more and have found several sites selling 1/4" OD Latex Surgical Tubing, would this work?

http://www.reefscuba.com/surgical_tubing.htm

/edit2

Heh, that's funny...I searched the forums for the 'phatpad' mod and you actually posted the same link =). I'll go ahead and order now. Thanks again, your mod is a lifesaver!

 

[greg_boz]

Well, the 1/4" OD tubing came today and I applied the mod but unfortunately I'm still not getting enough displacement to keep that raised traingular area from rubbing against my left ear(the right ear is fine). I tried inserting more material but the earcups are just about as 'stretched' out as they can be.

I'm just about to give up and RMA these. As a last ditch effort I'm going to try the 'tube sock' mod listed here:

http://www.headwize.com/projects/sho...=grado_prj.htm

If that doesn't work I suppose I'm just out of luck.

If anyone has any other ideas I could try, or perhaps could recommend a set of cans that perform similarly to the HD595s but are more physically comfortable to wear, I would very much appreciate the advice.

Thanks,

-Greg