[beaver316]

Hey guys just thought I'd post an update on my clogged ear problem.
 
I continued using those drop with no success, so today I went to see an ear specialist and I've come away a happy man. He literally sucked out all the gunk from both my ears, not only the one that was experiencing the blockage. But his method imo wasn't the best. He used a device which works similar to a vacuum cleaner, with brute force just sucking the wax out. It felt quite painful, as though my ear drums were being pulled but it didn't last long.
 
As for the results, it's like someone gave me the ears of an infant. I can hear better than now than I ever could, it's quite amazing really. I put on my HE-400 to give my new ears a workout, it's like someone removed a cloak off the headphone, next level clarity. 
 
But I won't be using them anymore today so I can give my ears a rest, that suction device really did a number on them.

 

[kothganesh]

Quote:

Hey guys just thought I'd post an update on my clogged ear problem.
 
I continued using those drop with no success, so today I went to see an ear specialist and I've come away a happy man. He literally sucked out all the gunk from both my ears, not only the one that was experiencing the blockage. But his method imo wasn't the best. He used a device which works similar to a vacuum cleaner, with brute force just sucking the wax out. It felt quite painful, as though my ear drums were being pulled but it didn't last long.
 
As for the results, it's like someone gave me the ears of an infant. I can hear better than now than I ever could, it's quite amazing really. I put on my HE-400 to give my new ears a workout, it's like someone removed a cloak off the headphone, next level clarity. 
 
But I won't be using them anymore today so I can give my ears a rest, that suction device really did a number on them.

good for you beav ! I am headed to a specialist myself over the weekend.

 

[beaver316]

Quote:

good for you beav ! I am headed to a specialist myself over the weekend.

 
Wise move my friend, you're bound to have good results. I mean even my right ear which I thought was fine can now hear much better. 
 
People on this forum are always looking to upgrade their gear to reach their end-game sound system, but don't forget to upgrade your ears too, take it from me!

 

[modulor]

Brief/early impressions of the Alpha Pads after about an hour of use last night:
 
I think I like them so far - there seems to be slightly more mids present, likely due to the toning town of the treble and bass regions.  It's not a bad change, the bass still sounds rich and textured...perhaps a bit less mid bass, but I still felt impact when a song called for it.  I found that I enjoyed the presentation with a flat EQ compared to my j$ Beyer pads, which I had previously been using with some minor EQ in the upper FR.  I speculate there may be a few reasons for this: ear opening shape, driver angle and nylon filter.  My j$ Beyers pads currently have very transparent nylon, even more so than the velour pads.  I plan on swapping it out with a thicker nylon for the full comparison.  I have not A-B'ed any of the other pads I have with the Alphas yet, just threw them on and went to town - I will plan on posting my impressions between Alpha/j$/pleather/velour at some point in the next few days.
 
Comfort, in comparison to the j$ Beyers, is higher for me.  The leather is softer and the pad is more plush - I didn't notice any discomfort after an hour with glasses on.  I can say the same about the j$ Beyers (and a leather conditioner could make them even softer) but the Alphas win for sure in this area, plus the build seems to be of slightly higher quality.  Still, I think the j$ pads are a quality handcrafted item in their own right.  This makes me that much more excited to get a pair of Mad Dogs.  I will say that it's apparent the Alpha pad shape is made to fit the more oval shape of the T50RP, but still looks nice on the round HiFiMans.  I was able to get them on the rings and onto the mount fine, but it took a little extra time and effort since they have more material on the back and I didn't want to modify them.
 
Sorry for the cell pics, but here they are on my HE-400.  You'll notice the back end shape most in the second picture, where it seems a little flat - this is just the shape of the foam inside.  It's not noticeable when they are on your head, though. 

 
 

 

 

 

[modulor]

Quote:

 
Wise move my friend, you're bound to have good results. I mean even my right ear which I thought was fine can now hear much better. 
 
People on this forum are always looking to upgrade their gear to reach their end-game sound system, but don't forget to upgrade your ears too, take it from me!

I think a specialist trip may be in order for me soon...it's not bad, but I feel like there may be some stuff in there still.  If it could be better it's definitely worth a look into.  Great advice, and I'm glad the issue is solved + improved hearing!

 

[roncaron]

Quote:

[...] I tried my he-400 with about 5 different amps [...]
 

 
... and the winner is ?

 

[modulor]

Quote:

Yep and I've figured out that the Stax is definitely the end game for me, but if I do it, I'm gonna do it right and not leave too much room for more upgradeitis.

Seeing as how you liked the electrostat sound from the Stax demo...have you considered these?  http://www.head-fi.org/t/581491/koss-esp-950-thread I stumbled across them a few weeks ago, and then again today and started reading into them.  Just a thought!

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

You know I hear a lot of people mention how painful the treble is on the HE-400 but I really don't feel it at all. I know its all about sound preferences but never have I considered the treble to be shrill. Either the amps I'm plugging these into create the warmest signature in the world or I am crazy because I really do like the treble a lot.
 
If I were to have anything on these phones to fault, it would be the slight recession of the mid range. Sometimes I like it when listening to symphonies and concerts because it gives that open feeling but for more intimate songs, it does make me want a little more forwardness. Overall though, I really become more attached to these each day.  

 

[FlySweep]

Originally Posted by davidsh /img/forum/go_quote.gif

^you think they have a DEEP sondstage? I'd say the HE-500 does not have a deep soundstage, but have a fairly wide soundstage.

Yeah, I'd have to agree with this statement.

 
The HE-500 is often compared to the LCD-2 in terms of signature and soundstage presentation.  The LCD-2 is (famously) known to possess a narrow (width) but deep (depth) soundstage.. like the HE-500.

Depth is the distance of the sound from your ear. And soundstage width is basically how far the soundstage moves forward, back, up and down from your ear. 
So in summary, depth is how far the a sound cue can be away from your ear. And soundstage width points to how good rear and front sound cues come through.
 
I'm pretty sure this is the definition, I hope I got it right.

 
You've got it backwards, bro.
 

I tested the v200 when I was buying an amp, I tried my he-400 with about 5 different amps.
The v200 had a big problem, compared to the others.. straight away it sounded like I was listening sitting in a closet.
It has a very closed in soundstage but otherwise it sounded good. I wouldn't recommend it with the he-400.
 

 
IME, the V200 doesn't constrict the soundstage.. nor does it unnaturally widen it.. it feels accurate.. maybe slightly less wide than some comparatively priced amps.. but feeling like you're sitting in a closet?  I'm going to disagree with you there.

That's not how I defined those at all.

Depth: front and rear distance of sound. Width: how far sounds travel to the sides of you.

Think of it as like depth perception...

The ability to perceive the relative distance of objects in one's visual field.

Distance in one's depth perception, is usually associated with something in front of you.

When you tend to explain to others how wide something is, you will extend your arms to the sides of you, right?

 
^ BINGO ^

 

[BigCabDaddy]

Got my HE-400 and have listened to it for several hours now mainly through my headamp Pico/DAC. I'm beginning to think it may not provide enough juice: I am up most of the way on high gain. The symptom that I'm suspecting is a little bit of compression. Sound possible/likely?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The HE-500 is often compared to the LCD-2 in terms of signature and soundstage presentation.  The LCD-2 is (famously) known to possess a narrow (width) but deep (depth) soundstage.. like the HE-500.

^ BINGO ^

That's funny, I didn't read up on the LCD2 almost at all prior to getting the loaner. The first thing I noticed was that the soundstage had a lot of depth, and an average width. Funny how my impressions on their soundstage is basically the same as the general population. I specifically mentioned on my gaming review of it that the LCD2 had a very impressive depth to the sound, allowing for rear positional cues to be quite noticeable. That's one hell of a strength the LCD2 has over many, many other headphones. Depth is more important than width for gaming, IMO.

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

Quote:

Got my HE-400 and have listened to it for several hours now mainly through my headamp Pico/DAC. I'm beginning to think it may not provide enough juice: I am up most of the way on high gain. The symptom that I'm suspecting is a little bit of compression. Sound possible/likely?

Yeah this might very well be the case. When I first bought the HE-400 and gave it a listen, I was quite underwhelmed. Turns out there wasn't enough power in my amp to drive the HE-400 well. (this was on high gain as well) I don't have a Pico so I can't say for sure but there may very well be not enough juice. I tried hooking it up to more powerful amp and that is when I realized I had been using a poorly matched amp. 

 

[TMRaven]

Or it could just be the HE-400's coloration.  When I first heard it, the sound seemed compressed and muffled-- but very apparent that it was fast with lots of instrument separation.  My ears quickly adjusted to the sound and everything began spreading apart and becoming clearer sound wise.  Of all the headphones I've had and listened to, HE-400's sound was quickest to adapt to.

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

Quote:

Or it could just be the HE-400's coloration.  When I first heard it, the sound seemed compressed and muffled-- but very apparent that it was fast with lots of instrument separation.  My ears quickly adjusted to the sound and everything began spreading apart and becoming clearer sound wise.  Of all the headphones I've had and listened to, HE-400's sound was quickest to adapt to.

This could be the case as well. Although I remember trying to just adjust myself to the sound, thinking the different styled signature was what was throwing me off but after 2 weeks of listening and reading other user's experience, I realized i was hearing something very different from what was advertised. (I felt the bass was lacking which is a big alarm to something being wrong). So it really is hard to say unless you can give the headphones a try on different equipment.  
 
I also don't want to be the one to promote dumping more money at a problem. People may not like a sound signature of a headphone and dump money into it while hoping for it to sound better. I'm not trying to do that D: but my experience was different lol. 

 

[BigCabDaddy]

Yeah this might very well be the case. When I first bought the HE-400 and gave it a listen, I was quite underwhelmed. Turns out there wasn't enough power in my amp to drive the HE-400 well. (this was on high gain as well) I don't have a Pico so I can't say for sure but there may very well be not enough juice. I tried hooking it up to more powerful amp and that is when I realized I had been using a poorly matched amp. 

So I just listened awhile on my main system which is decidedly laid back and maybe even a tad bass heavy and have come to the conclusion that my Pico may not be adequate as the HE-400 blossomed at my other listening station. (Cambridge DacMagic + Denon receiver) But I started to realize that the sound signature of the HE-400 seems HIGHLY power dependent... something I've not run across until now. Too low and the sound just folds up and dies. Decent power levels and for me the signature becomes too "V shaped." Driving to volumes that are too loud for long term listening finally bring out the mids the way I prefer and my music needs to sound right to me.

I'm at a quandry so far. Have to say I may prefer my AD700 right now and that just ain't right. Plus it seems to stay a whole lot more consistent as do any of my other cans.

Or it could just be the HE-400's coloration.  When I first heard it, the sound seemed compressed and muffled-- but very apparent that it was fast with lots of instrument separation.  My ears quickly adjusted to the sound and everything began spreading apart and becoming clearer sound wise.  Of all the headphones I've had and listened to, HE-400's sound was quickest to adapt to.

I do hear what I think you're calling "fast" and there definitely is wonderful separation without harshness. That being said, I'm not sure I'll adapt to the overall signature, but we'll see.