My first post here (but a long-time lurker) so please go easy on me <3
I recently purchased a pair of S4's and they are...it's hard how to put this, and I'm wondering if I'm the only one noticing it. Note: This is with my Cowon J3.
The earphones handle bass well (as expected) but they literally SHRIEK at higher frequencies and the only way to stop it is to turn the 8k-16k frequences all the way down in EQ - at which point all the clarity of the song is lost. I'm referring to the crash of cymbals and whenever the vocalist says any word with the "ssss" sound in it, those are literally amplified ten-fold and are extremely harsh on the ears and I simply just can't enjoy my songs. I've played with all sorts of settings for a WEEK and nothing seems to get the balance of highs and clarity I'm after.
I plugged in my Senn HD558's at exactly the same EQ settings (the settings that make the S4 shriek), obviously far more volume was required since I don't own an amp. Suddenly the highs were far nicer on the ears and everything comes together in a fantastic blend of smooth but clear sound, I love my 558's so much <3. But I can't exactly drive around with them, they weren't designed with portability or noise isolation in mind.
I've burned-in my S4's for around 50 hours but I haven't noticed any significant change in the shrieking highs, maybe by the 200 hour mark I'll find them nicer sounding? Again, I like my mids-highs for clear guitars and vocals, but the S4's SCREAM them (with hissing) and turning things down completely dulls the sound. All the reviews and people's opinions said that they handled mids and highs at an acceptable level, what do people consider "acceptable"?
Did I just get a dud pair of S4's, do they need far more burning-in, what do I do?? They are not doing my Cowon J3 any justice