New Sennheiser HD650 crackle

[Valashu]

I recently bought a Sennheiser HD650 and the right can crackles a bit every ten or so seconds.
 
I'm using a La Figaro 339 and HRT Streamer II and I have no idea what could cause a crackling sound in the right speaker.
 
How do I fix this?

 

[Matt head 777]

are you using alot of eq say in the bass? It could be a speaker fault, but make sure the sound isn't on the recording or coming from your setup ie computer, amp dac...I had to return a pair of denons with a crackle noise.

 

[Valashu]

Originally I thought the crackle would dissapear after a while, that it was part of the burn in process, but I'm about 200 hours in and it's still there.
 
I just connected it directly to my pc and I am not hearing the crackle, but all parts should be new
Should I look for a fault in the AMP then? 

 

[Valashu]

Could it be that the right part of the 339 is somehow faulty? because only the right can crackles.

 

[Carl6868]

Swap the plugs over on the HD650's and see if the crackle then comes from the left driver, if it does then its not the headphones that are the problem

 

[Valashu]

How would I go about that? They seem to be stuck I'd rather not put too much force on them.
 
it's either the AMP or the headphones.

 

[bleudeciel16]

sure it's not noise from a crappy connection?  either at the cans or at the jack?
 

 

[Blotto80]

Just pull the plugs harder. They are on a connector, they just require a little force to come out.
 

 

[Matt head 777]

Quote:

Just pull the plugs harder. They are on a connector, they just require a little force to come out.
 

                                                                                                                                         Just kidding.

 

[IEMCrazy]

Agreed, if you're not hearing the crackle from a different sources it's probably not the driver.   It could be the cable (they'll crackle if it's losing/regaining connection), my Cardas did that after it was rolled over by a chair one too many times (though it's been working well again).)  The drivers can crackle if damaged.  But that would be source independent.  THe last test would be verifying by swapping the cable.   The connectors do just pull out.  There's a little retaining ridge on the pins that cause it to "click" into place and thus it takes some force to get it out.  They tend to take more force the first time out, and some slight angle changes can help...sometimes pulling at the wrong angle just binds the plastic.  But they come out easily enough, otherwise HD650 recabling wouldn't be such a pervasive hobby

 
This is advice from someone who has had HD650 many years, had one bad cable, one set of blown drivers (due to amp malfunction), changed the cable several times, changed pads several times, and completely disassembled the headphone twice (due to said driver failure.) Virtually everything on these headphones is modular and comes off one way or another

 

[Valashu]

Done, I still hear the slight crackle, could it be my AMP since it seems to power each speaker individually? 

 

[bleudeciel16]

Quote:

Done, I still hear the slight crackle, could it be my AMP since it seems to power each speaker individually? 

 
tube amp?  my old little dot II++ amp started crackling when the tubes started to go bad

 

[Valashu]

Yeah, I just bought the La Figaro 339
 
The tubes ought to be okay. but I guess I can try switching them up.

 

[IEMCrazy]

Quote:

Done, I still hear the slight crackle, could it be my AMP since it seems to power each speaker individually? 

 
Ok, so you put the R cable on the L speaker and the L cable on the R speaker and you still hear the crackle....in the opposite ear or same ear?

 

[Blotto80]

You could also try cleaning the contacts on the tubes with some contact cleaner. But if the crackle didn't follow the cable, it's most likely the driver.