HE90: my left is right!

[Wmcmanus]

Yikes! At the recent Florida head-fi meet, someone pointed this out to me, and at first I figured he must have been smoking crack. (I think it was Guru actually, so that was kind of a natural reaction on my part

).

But sure enough, when I listened to the HE90's everything was opposite relative to the Stax Omaga II and 404's. Left was right and right was left. So I figured it must have been the adapter cable that Drew at Moon Audio made for me (you know, the little cable thingie that allows you to listen to the HE90's on a Stax amp, like the 007t that was at the meet). This would be no big deal because I normally listen to the HE90's on the HEV90 rather than the Egmont Signature. But still, I figured I'd eventually get around to having Drew switch the adapter cable...

Then tonight, I got to comparing some dymanic headphones with music having extreme channel separation... (Don't You Want) "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane. I was shocked at how well the Ultrasone Edition 7 was performing, even better than the R10's in terms of soundstage and air. So I figured that I'd better give the HE90's a listen for a reality check (and sure enough, they were the best of the lot in terms of air and separation)... but only after I flipped them around on my head!

Hmmmm... so now I'm wondering if all of that joy the HE90's have brought me was due to everything being backwards! I'll have to look closely, but I'm not sure if they use angled drivers. I don't think so. Angled drivers widen the sense of a soundstage and reduce the "in your head" sensation that most headphones give. This is one of the great things about the R10's and CD3000's, among other headphones.

If the HE90's do used angled drivers and I've been wearing them backwards (effectively, because they are mislabelled), then I'll be in for a treat because that would mean that I've been listening to headphones with an exaggerated toe in which would narrow the soundstage.

Anyway, it doesn't appear that the drivers are angled by looking at them, but I'd need confirmation of this for Sennheiser to know for sure. Chances are all I need to do is flip them around and then left will be left again (or at least the right earcup over my left ear will give me left).

It's just like with driving a car. Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do make a right. Ok, it's nothing like that at all. Nevermind that last part. Must be the late hour.

 

[gsferrari]

I was right all along...you just dont take me seriously...


which is a good thing

it is a simple fix if you want to fix it...or have Drew cross-ship a "correct" adapter to you.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari it is a simple fix if you want to fix it...or have Drew cross-ship a "correct" adapter to you.

No, maybe I wasn't clear. It's not the adapter that is causing the problem. Same problem tonight with the HE90 plugged directly into the HEV90 with no adapter in the chain. The problem is with the HE90, and it's the same problem from either of the sockets on the HEV90.

Jan Meier just PM'ed me to say that all I need to do is swith the connectors on the HE90, but I don't want to be tugging on them if they're not designed to pop in and out with pins ala the HE600's. If it involves anything more than pulling out the wires and snapping them back in, I'll have someone else fix it and just wear them backwards in the meantime.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari I was right all along...you just dont take me seriously...

Oh, I knew you were right, but I just figured it was the adapter. That's why I'm so surprised now, because I can't imagine that the previous owner pulled the wires out and then but them back the wrong way. Odds are quite high that this is the way these headphones were shipped originally! Imagine that, a $15k product that maybe hundreds of others have been listening to all this time, and backwards! Who knows, maybe mine is the only one with this mix up, but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[gsferrari]

Time to get Sennheiser to replace it under extended "warranty" with one of those shiny new ones

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus No, maybe I wasn't clear. It's not the adapter that is causing the problem. Same problem tonight with the HE90 plugged directly into the HEV90 with no adapter in the chain. The problem is with the HE90, and it's the same problem from either of the sockets on the HEV90. Jan Meier just PM'ed me to say that all I need to do is swith the connectors on the HE90, but I don't want to be tugging on them if they're not designed to pop in and out with pins ala the HE600's. If it involves anything more than pulling out the wires and snapping them back in, I'll have someone else fix it and just wear them backwards in the meantime.

 

[jatinder]

The HE90 drivers don't appear to be angled - but the ear-pads are definitely thicker at one end. So in effect, the HE90s sit slightly angled over your ears.

--Jatinder

 

[jjcha]

Hmm, I think I'm confused (actually, heh, actually, I'm always confused...

) Your channels are "flipped", but how would that affect your soundstage? Can't you just swap your L/R interconnects from your source > amp as a temp fix?

Best,

-Jason

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jatinder The HE90 drivers don't appear to be angled - but the ear-pads are definitely thicker at one end. So in effect, the HE90s sit slightly angled over your ears. --Jatinder

Hey, nice observation. I'm sure this has a small impact on the headstage (i.e., sense of soundtage). Not too much, but it might widen it a wee bit (or in my case, it would have narrowed it since I had them on backwards withont knowing it). Just imagine, I've been in heaven all this time with the HE90's, and once the connectors are reversed, they may even sound slightly better!

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Can't you just swap your L/R interconnects from your source > amp as a temp fix? Best, -Jason

Oh ya, that would work too. Duh!

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Your channels are "flipped", but how would that affect your soundstage?

It wouldn't unless the headphones used angled drivers. If they did, then I'd have a problem if I were to flip the headphones around creating a toe in instead of a toe out effect. But of course this is a moot point since all I need to do is reverse the L and R channel from the source, as you're said. It's just kind of a freaky thing to discover at 4am, and my brain isn't firing as well as it should right now!

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus It wouldn't unless the headphones used angled drivers. If they did, then I'd have a problem if I were to flip the headphones around creating a toe in instead of a toe out effect. But of course this is a moot point since all I need to do is reverse the L and R channel from the source, as you're said. It's just kind of a freaky thing to discover at 4am, and my brain isn't firing as well as it should right now!

Hmm, though this does raise an interesting question - would angling the HE90 drivers help improve soundstage?

I wonder if a customized HE90/CD3k woody is in order...

Best,

-Jason

 

[[AK]Zip]

So are you wearing them backwards or are the wires soldered incorrectly in the headphones them selfs?

 

[dannyandelyse]

I believe they are "upside down".
Just stand on your head while listening and all should be fine.

Dan

 

[agile_one]

Wayne - why don't you look in a hand mirror while standing with a wall mirror behind you when listening. This way the visual disorientation will conteract the audible (especially if it's the Airplane you are listening to), and all should be put right.

 

[Jahn]

i noticed this only for the first time with the HP2 since the thumbscrew poles keep the cups in the same position once you take your cans off- when i took my HP2 off, the cups were not parallel to each other - they were angled, narrow toe in the front, wide in the back. Therefore, when you wear your HE90, they way they sit on your ear becomes angled just by the nature of how your ears sit on your head (and the positioning of the can on your head). You very well might like the way the HE90 sounds that way, eh? Or it could sound just as great with the channels set the right way as well - there's only one way to find out, fix the cable!