Perfecting my new 225s' sound (a question of...?) -scientific methodology :)

[Emily]

*this would be the thread where I've put my 'sound' ponderings!
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Quote:

Originally Posted by LTUCCI1924 HI: Oh Sorry. I am confused then. Why would the 225 sound better in the store with your stuff and after a 300 hour burn in not sound as good? This don't make much sense. In less it was the new sound thing and now you are used to the sound and want more sound after being ajusted to it.

No worries.

I do not know...this is why I am wondering. I don't want to 'jack this thread, but if my home sys. goes up to "29" (vol. control), with comfortable upper listening level (with the Grados) at around vol. 12-13... And I am burning in at around vol. 15-16 [sorry I really don't have a decibel meter, so I know this is almost no help!!], do you guys think this is okay/sufficient? Or need more?

At the 15-16 vol. setting there is no distortion or cracks or pops or anything...
That's about 1/2 way or a little past, what my system would go up to... ?

Could I afford to go up louder, though, and would this be better? I do play bass-heavy (CDs) music on it, as well as some days just put it on the radio to burn in on that (usually the hard rock or an alternative station).

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My 'phones are burned in @ 300+ hours right now.

The issue I'm having is that the upper register on them sounds thinner, and less fleshed out, than the sound of the audition pair I listened to on the same system/unit (my portable) in the store. The bowl pads are the same. I went to the store where I purchased my 'phones today and actually measured the bowls that are on this pair that I auditioned. Their measurement in diameter is the same as my new bowls. (Except for some wear & used-ness of the bowls on the store pair, which I think has loosey-goosey'ed up the pads and widened them a little.)

What I am thinking or hypothesizing, now, is just that the store pair had so many hours on them...they'd fully 'bloomed' and then some, a few times! Anyway, they sounded great and what I am not getting on my home pair is the same largeness of soundstage, and same quality to the highs and upper mids.

What I am praying is that these will be sections which will just open up and more fully 'bloom' later.

The section of Track #3 on my Joshua Bell (Romance of the Violin) CD which infallibly brought me shivers on the store Grados is not producing so much as a quiver, here.

My intuition tells me that these will open up further, but upper mids and highs are some of the last ones to go (bloom out, in full)- and the store's pair were 50 times past 'well on their way' a few lifetimes of listening ago. I could literally almost reach out my arm full-length from my body and say that the "snare drum is out HERE" (off of my right ear).

Right now on my home pair, the closeness of the sound (still in my head, somewhat, comparatively speaking, to their pair) is reminding me much more of the NON-burned-in (silver/black) 325s I tested there...where, because they were brand new, had sound much more in my noggin than the store's 225s. (I specifically noted.)

Right now I could not say that any of the sound is anywhere further than a hand's length away (out from) my head at any point.

But I am patient. I know it will get better.

What I'm concerned about is volume...should I be burning them in louder? -And will this help quicken it? -(The full blooms/changes?)

 

[E.B.M.Head]

i think for a fast burn in effect you have to stress the drivers with bass and trebble heavy music at a high volume level. I had some good results with bachs toccata and fugue in d-minor played on organ, but even better and faster burn in with some industrial noise (Merzbow, Sonar). Don't use MP3s for burn in, as MP3s usually have a frequency cut off at 16 kHz. Lossless or AAC is fine. Also the more current you put on the phones, the better (to a certain degree of course, you don't want to turn them into smoke

). My iBook and my Home PC are driving my headphones better than my HiFi Amp, so maybe you should try an different amp too or connect them to the PC for burn in. I hope this helps you a bit.

 

[Gregor]

Emily,

Glad you finally got your 225s so my prose no longer haunts you. My 225s really hit thier stride over 200 hours. I was burning in with a CDP and Kerswiel sampler CD that has all kinds of different sound textures. It was going very slow so I threw in an amp and cranked it up. I had them on while turning up the volume to make sure I didn't push them too hard. Surprisingly the 225s never distorted. However my ears were ringing for hours after listening for only a minute. The sound pressure was very shocking and the 225s still sound clear as if they were taking it all in stide.

After that, they really started to bloom. I'd keep burning them in at a higher volume, with an amp if possible. Let us know how it turns out.

BTW: If are distressed about the upper highs and sound stage, I wouldn't recommend the flat pads. I have them and love them, but only because I'm a closet bass head. The bowls will give you better highs and SS. Good luck!

 

[Emily]

E.B.M.Head,

Yes! Thank you, I will take that advice.

I do have a feeling my PC can drive them better; there's just more oomph and gusto (not to mention quality) from the sound on my PC than my stereo, to be frank, so I think this might be a good idea.

I will do this while I am at home on weekends and evenings- I have just been loathe to leave my PC running all day while I am away from home (unlike my stereo system-not worth as much)...in case of sudden thunderstorms (we get them without notice, sometimes, around here & at this time of year) or such. Or, because of the cat.

[Suspected she tried to electrocute herself once by biting a power cord to my subwoofer on PC system.]

 

[Emily]

Thanks Gregor!

I am okay now, but I am still a little sad about your prose due to not having achieved the in-store audition sound I needed, yet. But I will get there!

I think, from reading what you wrote, as well as E.B.M.Head's post- that I *am* babying them. More power!

I do not have an amp, unfortunately, but will try burning them in on my PC like I posted above, and bring it up a notch or three. I'm a bit of the ultra-cautious sort. It would kill me if I burned them out, but I have a feeling being the nervous-Nellie that I am, that I am far from doing that.

Can you tell me where you got the sampler CD from? I have been doing searches around here for people's burn-in CDs and followed some links but haven't been able to track one down. ??

 

[Andrea]

In my view, you're not wrong to baby them - that's what I did with my sens, I used delicate burn-in methods so that the phones' drivers could have a gentle and gradual startup. I think it's better in a forward-looking perspective, although perhaps it's just a psychological thing - no scientific justification available, sorry.

 

[E.B.M.Head]

Hmmm ... Maybe I should create a special headphone burn in CD, sell it to all Head-Fiers and become a rich man.

I think everyone prefers different stuff for burn in. I've read some use white noise or music from dream theater. Like I said I recognised some effect after playing Bachs organworks, and they changed a lot after throwing some Sonar and Merzbow on them. I think the ultimate CD for burn in is this one: Release your Mind Vol.1. It's a wild mixture of Ethno-Ambient, Japanese Noise, Gothic, Death-techno, Power Electronics, Sound Collage, Industrial and other experimental music. There isn't much on it that most people would call music, but it is mastered very loud, especially track 5 and 13. Those tracks are recorded with continous overlevel indication and mastered in a special way, that doesnt conform the red book standard, to get maximum volume and infrasonic sound on the CD. There is a warning inside that you could destroy your amp or speakers with this CD if you play it too loud. I've just played that CD with my DJX-1 again, and they are screaming with the amp only cranked up a quarter.
I doubt your cat would go near your can if you play this cd

 

[Emily]

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B.M.Head Like I said I recognised some effect after playing Bachs organworks, and they changed a lot after throwing some Sonar and Merzbow on them.

Especially for the Bach, can you say what kind (of effects or changes)? (If you can & took note of it.)


Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B.M.Head I think the ultimate CD for burn in is this one: Release your Mind Vol.1. It's a wild mixture of Ethno-Ambient, Japanese Noise, Gothic, Death-techno, Power Electronics, Sound Collage, Industrial and other experimental music. There isn't much on it that most people would call music, but it is mastered very loud, especially track 5 and 13. Those tracks are recorded with continous overlevel indication and mastered in a special way, that doesnt conform the red book standard, to get maximum volume and infrasonic sound on the CD. There is a warning inside that you could destroy your amp or speakers with this CD if you play it too loud. I've just played that CD with my DJX-1 again, and they are screaming with the amp only cranked up a quarter. I doubt your cat would go near your can if you play this cd

LOL

No, but neither would I want to come home to have to scrape her off the ceiling with a spatula!

Thanks for the CD recommendation. Very interesting. Good to know about.

 

[E.B.M.Head]

LOL, who knows maybe she even likes it, as it's music for cats

@emily: After playing the Bach recording maybe 3 times with the DT 990 I noticed an improvement in the sub bass range, while the mid bass range got softer and also the trebble harshness went away. The soundstage did improve a little bit (It is already huge after 80 hours of normal playing). After that I tried the same with the K 501, and the effect there was much softer, the mid bass got a bit stronger and the soundstage improved a bit. It had no effect on the DJX-1, but that one is a DJ Headphone that could stand 30 times more power than a usual headphone. Maybe I didn't play it loud enough. It was this CD Karl Richter: Toccata & Fuge, but I think any organ recording would do.

@andrea: To me burn in is a way of faster ageing. Think of a good whine or scotch. It tastes nice when it's young, but the beautyfull body needs a lot of time to fully develope. The same with women

. If you stress a headphone, then it is like when you work hard for 3 days without sleep. You will look aged with wrinkles and dark stripes under your eyes, making you look attractive to some women

. But while you recover easily with some sleep and can undo the effect, the loosen stiffness of the headphone diaphragm is permanent. Without stress burn in you would have to use it for a year or more to have the same effect when you only play it at normal volume level. I'm impatient, and don't want to wait that long to have the final soundsignature and soundstage. Stax even sells a set of some kind pre burned in headphones. They age their signature series in a climate chamber. To be honest: Sennheiser headphones are like spoiled brats, they only sound good if the amp, the source and the interconnects fit to them. I think they deserve it that you should let them feel the whip too

j/k

 

[Gregor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emily Can you tell me where you got the sampler CD from? I have been doing searches around here for people's burn-in CDs and followed some links but haven't been able to track one down. ??

Actually I got it back in the mid 90s from a pro audio distributor that I was doing some work for. They got them as free samplers from Kurzweil. All tracks are performed on the Kurzweil K2000 keyboard/synthesizer. Its called "RomScapes" and I don't think you can find it in the stores. I never listen to it, but thought it made a great burn in CD because of its wide range of audio sound textures and use of the entire frequency range. I think you can get the same effect from some of the other suggestions here, classical etc.

 

[Oink1]

Just listen to them Emily - and enjoy the changes as they evolve!