[Mad Lust Envy]

The good thing is, I can't hear it with normal use. Music, gaming, shows, movies, etc are too random and dynamic to hear a channel imbalance unless it was like the last one that affected the bass quite obviously. I can live with this HE400, but it doesn't change the fact that it IS imbalanced more than my other headphones. Hell, my SLYR has almost no imbalances... a Skullcandy headset.

 

[Okamoto]

Well, i'll confess i started to get a little hesitant in getting them now.
 
 
Too many people reporting issues with it. Makes me wonder if the great number of sales in the FS/FT forums isn't related to these problems...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

To be fair, the imbalances are inaudible for the most part. I can only hear them with sinegen frequency tests. If I didnt have sinegen I wouldnt have even known of these imbalances unlike my last HE400 which was obvious because it affected a lot of the bass.

 

[murrays]

Quote:

Seems like you've got a lot of placebo factor going on here, to be honest.

 
What MLE described is in fact a very objective way to evaluate peaks and troughs in headphone frequency response.  These can be quite narrow and may vary between individually built drivers (e.g. left and right).  Programmes such as sinegen give an accurate frequency and level readout and so can be objectively repeated.  This process can be used to establish a correctional EQ if there are mild peaks that need taming.  Steep notches are not so easily fixed as it is not good practice to use lots of boost in EQ.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Thank you. At least someone understands What they are talking about.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

The good thing is, I can't hear it with normal use. Music, gaming, shows, movies, etc are too random and dynamic to hear a channel imbalance unless it was like the last one that affected the bass quite obviously. I can live with this HE400, but it doesn't change the fact that it IS imbalanced more than my other headphones. Hell, my SLYR has almost no imbalances... a Skullcandy headset.

 
There seems to be a bit more variability with planars in general, if you look at CSD measurements. It might be due to the difference in driver manufacturing. Rather than typical ring coil drivers where a machine stamping out diaphragms that are absolutely identical, large planar magnetic drivers currently still require manual adhesion of tracings / mounting of magnets onto arrays / centering the magnets correctly to sandwich the membrane and tracings, etc. These have yet to be completely machine-automated at least with Hifiman headphones.
 
Once those driver variabilities are mitigated in the future when planar magnetic headphone companies start automating everything then volume imbalance or mismatch issues will be drastically reduced.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, I had a feeling it was probably one of those negatives of planar design and manufacturing. I hadn't tested my last HE400 with sinegen.

I am a bit anal when it comes to these things, and it's a little off putting seeing so much (albeit minor and un problematic) driver variation compared to every dynamic headphone I've messed with since using Sinegen (which has been around 10 so far), but as long as its not noticeable in practical use, I wont have a problem with it. I was mostly concerned because I've had very little head time with the HE400 since getting it back (unless this one is new), and I spent one day enjoying them first, then running them through sinegen which upset me a bit.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Yeah, I had a feeling it was probably one of those negatives of planar design and manufacturing. I hadn't tested my last HE400 with sinegen.
I am a bit anal when it comes to these things, and it's a little off putting seeing so much (albeit minor and un problematic) driver variation compared to every dynamic headphone I've messed with since using Sinegen (which has been around 10 so far), but as long as its not noticeable in practical use, I wont have a problem with it. I was mostly concerned because I've had very little head time with the HE400 since getting it back (unless this one is new), and I spent one day enjoying them first, then running them through sinegen which upset me a bit.

How would you describe the imbalance with your particular pair though? Even with my very (relatively) balanced HE500s, I still find some segments of the FR where the balance shifts to one side or the other. If the imbalance only covers relatively small segments in the Sinegen freq range then it shouldn't matter in any practical sense. It is only when very broad (e.g. 50-200 Hz, or 2kHz - 5kHz) sections of the freq range are affected and always toward the same side that it will become an issue.
 
Edit: also another effect that I recently started noticing is that the hearing sensitivity of our ears are far from balanced. For instance if I detect an obvious imbalance at 5.5kHz on my HE500, and I just turn the headphone over so the L channel is worn on my right ear etc, the imbalance stays at the same side, meaning it's my hearing at that frequency that is imbalanced, not the driver. Kinda weird.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, I flip the sides to see if its my ears, but the imbalances so far have stayed on the driver, and not the side.

And yeah, its minor imbalances that affect small ranges, which is why I don't hear it with practical use. My last one wasn't tested on sinegen, but I definitely know sinegen would have proven it to be a broad imbalance in the bass area. I could hear it on almost every song. It was always leaning on the right driver. This one has very matched drivers in the bass.

The crazy thing is that the imbalances are like left, right, left, right. With my other headphones, its usually one driver that is consistently louder where the imbalances happen.

 

[ozarkcdn]

Quote:

Just because you cant hear it, doesn't mean it's not there.

That's my favorite quote for the day.  At least you're self diagnosed!  

 well... I promise if you get more sensitive equipment, you'll find more and more imbalances.  I think the ones ones attached to my head are imbalanced as well after all the times I've ruptured my eardrums.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I mean just because HE can't hear my pair with the imbalance, doesn't make it any less true.

This isn't a self diagnosis. Sinegen clearly points out the imbalances. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or someone with golden ears to spot the problematic areas.

I'm sure if the skeptics actually downloaded sinegen, they'd be shocked at how their headphones aren't perfectly matched. Not one single headphone I have tested has NOT had any imbalance somewhere along the frequencies. Some are just bettet than others at making the imbalances less obvious, or have less in quantity.

You're not testing music. You're literally testing a constant tone that changes when you lower/raise the frequencies. Ideally, the tone stays right in the middle of your head. As you very slowly adjust the frequency slider, you will eventually come to a point where the tone will shift to one side of your head. That is an imbalance. Whether its the headphone, your ears, or your equipment is what you have to figure out.

This isnt placebo, or your brain playing tricks. Its a clear and obvious change in where the sound is. Literally like looking at a bar or circle that moves to the right or left.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Yeah, I flip the sides to see if its my ears, but the imbalances so far have stayed on the driver, and not the side.
And yeah, its minor imbalances that affect small ranges, which is why I don't hear it with practical use. My last one wasn't tested on sinegen, but I definitely know sinegen would have proven it to be a broad imbalance in the bass area. I could hear it on almost every song. It was always leaning on the right driver. This one has very matched drivers in the bass.
The crazy thing is that the imbalances are like left, right, left, right. With my other headphones, its usually one driver that is consistently louder where the imbalances happen.

That's good though. It means it is not volume imbalance, but rather just slightly shifted FR.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah. I'm not worried about it anymore. Just not using to seeing the internal 'dot' shift so much in one sweep, lol.

 

[ninjames]

Quote:

Yes, you know me so well. I have negative placebo for a headphone I love more than every other headphone except one. Excuse me for wanting it to function properly.
Lol, placebo. As of the obvious tone hovering towards my left or right when I adjust the frequencies is placebo.
This isnt like hearing an imbalance in music. This is 100% controlled by me, so I can make the imbalances occur every single time. I can live with a few, like on my other headphones. However, when its as obvious as those on this HE400, and as many, I'm not getting my $400 worth of refinement and quality.
Try sinegen for yourself and see how perfectly matched your drivers are.

Is it possible to have a discussion with you without you flipping out? You see fit to call everyone out for their opinions, call them stupid, and flip out when someone makes a suggestion.
 
Calm down. We're all here because we love audio.

 

[ninjames]

Quote:

Thank you. At least someone understands What they are talking about.

So I misunderstood you, can you unwad your panties for two seconds and tell me why I'm wrong instead of acting like a petulant child? Man get off your high horse
 
I don't know if you think I'm targeting you or something but I'm not and I'm sorry I offended you but saying I don't know anything is just asinine. So again, apologies, let's chill and talk about headphones, no?