[jimbobuk]

I was just having a quick listen to things last night, giving my SA5000 a go, and quite enjoying it, thinking they were revealing stuff i'd not noticed before (they weren't, but their presentation does perhaps make things a little easier to hear when they're in the background of the music)

i quickly tried my HE60s on the same track.. Following all the the things about getting the right voltages into HE90s/HE60s i've not been leaving them plugged in to my Stax SRM-313 all the time like i used to.

As i connected the HE60s with no volume on the amp, i did hear a noise come from them.. i think it was perhaps a connecting pop or similar.. i've tried it since with them on, and its not too bad, its similar hopefully to the sound it makes when you turn the amp on and off with the headphones connected.

Anyways after listening to them for a brief time i started turning things off to go to sleep.. i kept them on my head though and noticed this noise in my left ear. I went through turning things on and off, even turning the amp on and off to figure out that it stayed on even with the amp switched off (tho perhaps only for an amount of time whilst it discharged??)

I went to bed worried, leaving it on all night with my Omega's, wondering if it was charge related or not. Tried it this morning and at first they were silent again, i left them a little longer and tried them on my head again 20 mins later.. still silent. I noticed something i'd not really noticed before as much, putting them on and off if you get a good enough seal and you get that small noise like you do with the Omega's if you do the same.. this is the membrane being moved by the air.. i'm assuming this doesn't damage it, its hard to avoid with omegas sometimes. anyways i did it a few times noticing what it took to make the noise happen... part way through having done all this i noticed the noise had come back again.. I was in a rush to leave for work, but it was definitely back.. I'm going to leave it on again all day and have a proper look tonight.

Has anyone else had something like this before!? i'm really worried about them being damaged, though i can't imagine how. I'll fire up the HEV70 and see if that ever causes it to happen. hopefully it'll be the stax amp, or the adapter..

The design of the adapter without an outer ring round the stax end does mean its easier to insert the headphones one pin more than the others if its at too much of an angle, i don't know if this is what i did, whether this caused the noise i heard.. hopefully this is irrelevant and hasn't caused it, whatever is causing this noise to happen.

Is this kind of thing similar to a damaged diaphraghm, this quiet noise out of a driver whilst silence.. what is the symptoms of such a thing?

What's the right process for inserting and removing electrostat headphones.. should you have to turn off the amp before plugging in, removing them!? i'd never done it before, and i think i'm being a bit too paranoid.

Hopefully its nothing, or its stax amp driven related.. if not i'll enquire to Sennheiser about repairs, which at least shouldn't be too much, if they have the parts, to even do a full replace of the "driver".

 

[gurus]

Sounds like you need a new set of electrostatic elements. About $400 to get it fixed and 5 weeks wait time as the elements have to be ordered from Germany.

I had a similar problem and Sennheiser diagnosed it as one of the element had gone bad. Replaced both of them. Seems like a common problem on used HE60
being sold recently. So buyers beware.

 

[jimbobuk]

thanks, i was worried it could be that.. although i'm hopeful it may not be.. i'll have a good go tonight, trying with the HEV70 etc.. i'll also make a recording if it happens again.. its really really subtle, i'd expect a damaged element to make a difference when it was perhaps making music, not playing against silence?

I really don't know though.. i'll certainly make enquiries if it persists.. hope they still have stuff in stock and can do these repairs.. this being in the UK.. for once parts from abroad (Germany) wouldn't suffer import duties

They have been perfect for a good while tho.. i'll be very miffed if connecting them to my amp caused it... I really hope to discover that connected to the HEV70 it has no such problem EVER.. if that was the case then at least i'd know the cans themselves weren't the cause.

 

[Hirsch]

First step: keep the headphone clean. If something has made its way into the enclosure, inside or out, and is contacting the membrane, it can cause noise. My HE60 had intermittent light static on one side. This continued even with amp off, and the headphone actually disconnected, but stopped when the stator was discharged by touching the pin. The problem turned out to be a cat hair that had gotten through the mesh and was contacting the element (I keep telling the little furry monsters to be careful if they're going to listen to the electrostatics, but they never listen

). Once the hair was removed, the problem has never reccurred.

Something like a computer keyboard vacuum might be a good way to get dust etc. out of the enclosure without taking out the element. Bear in mind that the surface of the actual element is very delicate, and you don't want to touch it. Still, checking that the elements are clean is a lot cheaper than sending the unit for repair, so I'd try that before sending it out.

 

[jimbobuk]

I will bare that in mind, thanks Hirsch, how did you get the cat hair out?! if its "easy" to take the enclosures apart to see if there is anything inside, or remove something i've previously spotted with a torch through the enclosure then i may give it a try.. the warning of touching it is duly noted though.

Would a standard vacuum be too strong, on a pipe etc.. it can be quite powerful, tho through the enclosure there would be some distance to lessen its power..

I'm still hopeful that its not headphone related, tho i'm coming round to the fact it may be

I'd appreciate it if those who can would listen to the recording i'll make tonight if its present to see whether that helps diagnose it at all

 

[jimbobuk]

I have a camera lens blower that you squeeze.. this gives out a moderate amount of air but may be enough to blow anything off it, that'll be something to try perhaps.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbobuk I will bare that in mind, thanks Hirsch, how did you get the cat hair out?! if its "easy" to take the enclosures apart to see if there is anything inside, or remove something i've previously spotted with a torch through the enclosure then i may give it a try.. the warning of touching it is duly noted though.

I disassembled the earpiece to get at the cat hair. The driver assembly is held together by four philips screws. Remove them, and the assembly simply pulls apart. Note the location of the black rubber strip (may once have been a band but isn't on mine) that holds the element against the inner part of the earpiece. That's the only trick to getting them back together.

The manual blower may work fine. I'd avoid something like a "canned air" duster, simply because the compressed air can get very cold while using.

What I heard was a low static that persisted even with the headphone unplugged, until I manually discharged the stator. If what you're hearing is different, anything I said may not apply.

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirsch What I heard was a low static that persisted even with the headphone unplugged, until I manually discharged the stator. If what you're hearing is different, anything I said may not apply.

I experienced this same problem for a little while but after I discharged the problem went away. Must be particle on the membrane. Curiously, I never experienced this with the Stax.

 

[jimbobuk]

I am home now with them on my head playing beautiful music.. so far i can't hear anything.. my noisier computers are on, will turn them off later and give it a real close listen.

I guess i should try to MAKE it happen again by putting them on and taking them off repeatedly as i was this morning.. though i don't know if i can bring myself to do it... I'm wondering if the membrane or whatever its called could of been slightly stuck to one of the electrodes?! that contact is what you hear when it pops when you put it on or take it off your head and get the noise isn't it?!

I was really hoping to record it.. and i will do if and when it reappears.. i don't know whether i'd describe it as static.. hard to remember now, but it was quiet, it was almost buzzing, swirling, electrical type noise.. i really thought it could be a power/amp related issue (here's me another thread saying i have no problems with power

but i found it odd how it was clearly only the left side, something you wouldn't expect if it was power/amp related.

I'm going to be very very careful now when i plug it in and unplug it.. maybe i'll even turn it off, wait for the small pop-woosh noise of it powered down fully before unplugging/pluggin in them... is this a good idea, or not really neccessary.. i'll be very careful as well to insert the adapter square so all pins enter at pretty much the same time..

I will keep using it and see if i hear anything.. get a good torch and look for anything suspect.. nothing at a glance was obvious from the outside, its really difficult to see the inner surfaces through the enclosure.

Surely with it working so well for a while now its unlikely to be a damaged part?? how could it be functional for so long.. well i guess its possible.. the longer it works ok, the more unlikely that becomes i guess?!

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbobuk Surely with it working so well for a while now its unlikely to be a damaged part?? how could it be functional for so long.. well i guess its possible.. the longer it works ok, the more unlikely that becomes i guess?!

If it's making beautiful music without noise, it's not damaged. The likeliest explanation is a piece of dust got attached to the driver, and got dislodged when the stator was discharged. The noise may never happen again.

If the membrane had been stuck to a stator, you would have heard one channel as being significantly louder than the other, and been reaching for the balance control. This isn't subtle when it happens.

I'd bet that your headphone is perfectly fine. Enjoy!

 

[Nomad]

Sure they should be fine. I have a pair of HE60 since... March/April I guess and I had that problem only once... around 3 months ago. I was using the HEV/70 by then.

I never experienced the problem again. The explanation of Hirsch (thanks, by the way) is the most probable cause.

Now relax and enjoy your HE60s!

 

[jimbobuk]

I hope so, i really do

I was going to really try and make it happen but for now i'm content, i'll be listening to them even more for a bit tho to be sure they keep working

need to get a stand or some dust cover at least for them.. got one for my Omega IIs, but nothing for the HE60s.. generally tho they are in a safe place, pets and smoke free

 

[jimbobuk]

I do wish i'd captured a binaural recording of the effect though.. for future sake of anyone else hearing it, if it proves to be a transient thing that don't come back (or if it does, rarely)

 

[Nomad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbobuk I do wish i'd captured a binaural recording of the effect though.. for future sake of anyone else hearing it, if it proves to be a transient thing that don't come back (or if it does, rarely)

Very nice of you to think about it.

That's the good thing about this place. Without this post you probably will be doing picky listening sessions concerned, trying to reproduce the issue and wondering if they should be sent back to Sennheiser...

Hirsch and Co. to the rescue!!!

 

[jimbobuk]

MUST RESIST urge to try and reproduce it..

definitely, i knew i'd have to turn to headfi to find out

I'm fairly confident 3 albums in that they're certainly capable of playing without an audible problem.. i will try silence silence tests when i turn off all my machines (bar my silent one) tonight before sleeping. If its there at all i'll definitely record it

The music continues.. and i've just brought (hopefully if they're still going) a HF-1 .. i got 2 headphones their way to me.. damn its a disease

I need to grow some more heads and ears