[Damikiller37]

How do they sound w/new pads vs originals?

I did a very similar pad-rolling experiment w/my X2s late last year, using Brainwavz Round pleather pads (similar to these, but not angled). The sound changed quite a big, mostly in good ways. I ended up preferring stock pads so returned to them...

First impressions I'd say that the soundstage got a little larger. The bass seems more punchy and deep compared to stock pads and it isn't absorbed by the pads as much at very very high volume so I get to feel it on the pads. I use my X2s with the Sabaj DA2 (same as the SMSL IDEA) which seemed to make the treble more pronounced almost piercing at high volume with stock pads but with these it seemed to taper them back down to what I used to hear when I had my X2s running through on-board sound card. I've been listening to these since I got the pads on today (4-5 hours) and things definitely sound different but nothing seems to be bad about it. Just different almost like listening to different headphones. Might be that my ears needing to adjust to the new sound to pick out more things. Right now I'd say the bass changed the most and became more dominant. Rest seems similar. Works for me since most of the music I listen to is EDM. I'll need to go through my playlists with other genres and see what changed the most.

 

[Pharmaboy]

First impressions I'd say that the soundstage got a little larger. The bass seems more punchy and deep compared to stock pads and it isn't absorbed by the pads as much at very very high volume so I get to feel it on the pads. I use my X2s with the Sabaj DA2 (same as the SMSL IDEA) which seemed to make the treble more pronounced almost piercing at high volume with stock pads but with these it seemed to taper them back down to what I used to hear when I had my X2s running through on-board sound card. I've been listening to these since I got the pads on today (4-5 hours) and things definitely sound different but nothing seems to be bad about it. Just different almost like listening to different headphones. Might be that my ears needing to adjust to the new sound to pick out more things. Right now I'd say the bass changed the most and became more dominant. Rest seems similar. Works for me since most of the music I listen to is EDM. I'll need to go through my playlists with other genres and see what changed the most.

This makes total sense.

From everything I hear, simply switching from velour to pleather or leather (identical pad dimensions, no change other than material) would pretty much account for the sonic changes you report.

My experience w/round pleather pads as that bass got tighter/more focused (an interesting effect on the X2s); soundstage became more focused & defined; and overall frequencies because more level/flat-sounding.

Quite a different sound vs stock, and pretty nice in some ways.

 

[Rozzko]

It's a funny thing: many headphones this or that better than the X2s (separation & imaging, as you note; sub-bass; treble extension; pinpoint imaging; on and on)--yet few headphones are as fun, relaxing, and musical as the X2s. I burned in my new X2s for 100 hrs, as I do for just about everything. Then started listening to them via my only (at the time) amp, the FiiO E10K, and the X2s wowed me from the first note. Instant headphone love. A couple months later I had to common sense to buy the Lake People G109-A amp, which was a revelation driving the X2s...everything I liked about these headphones got even better.

For the past couple weeks I've been playing around with different earpads (Brainwavz round pleathers) on the X2s, which changed all kinds of subtle sonic qualities of the X2s in unexpected ways (it seems to be amp=dependant). But none of it really sounds as satisfying as the stock velour pads. The X2s are just an enjoyable, musical design IMO.

Re the HD650, my friend, who borrowed the modded pair from his friend in (I believe it is) S. Korea, told me that the mods we intended to minimize the stock headphone's tilt towards warmth, as well as a slight resonant/reverberant quality in the midrange/upper midrange (which I heard to some degree in the stock HD600, so at least I know what it is). The mods accomplished these objectives very well--after mods, this pair of HD650's sounded very neutral, detailed, high resolution, but not bright or off-putting. The soundstaging was something I'd never heard: not especially wide or deep, but pinpoint locations of instruments and notes. A crystalline, revealing sound overall, but ear-friendly. Also quite a comfortable, compact headphone. Nice design.

I hope to someday hear a stock HD650, too...

How did you burn it? By music or what? 100 hours non stop?

 

[Pharmaboy]

How did you burn it? By music or what? 100 hours non stop?

I actually upped the burn-in hrs to 150 since I got the X2s several years ago.

I have 2 computers, multiple amps & DACs. So I typically burn-in by:

• setting up a signal chain on the laptop for burn-in
• then use Media Player on repeat to play folders of music (and/or mpgs of pink noise & gaussian noise) for ~12 hrs/day
• I "peek in" now and then (listening briefly to make sure everything's OK)
• Then after ~2 wks, I start serious listening.

I would do burn-in non-stop, except I don't like leaving computers on 24-7 for any reason, much less a non-essential function like burn-in.

I've also burned in a number of headphones and devices in the room that used to be my woodshop (relatively inactive place). I have a big old CD player from the '90's; I would run that on repeat into one of my amps and use that to burn-in headphones. With that setup, I could burn things in 24/7.

 

[Slater]

How did you burn it? By music or what? 100 hours non stop?

There’s lots of ways to burn in. I’ve seen people use unused radios, CD players, old iPods, unused cell phones.

You can use an assortment of regular music, or download free burn in files online. 1More also has a free app for your phone that performs burns in - I’ve used it a few times and it works fine.

Also, you can buy those cheapo MP3 players on Aliexpress and eBay for like $3-$5. Some have internal memory, some don’t. You only need enough memory for a handful of files. Put it on repeat so it continuously cycles through a playlist. Charge it while you’re burning in so the battery doesn’t die.

 

[Pharmaboy]

what's really peculiar is that sometimes, for reasons of space & convenience, I'll have a $200 headphone burning in on gear that costs 10-15X that amt.

(electrons only know where they're going...not where they come from)

 

[Rozzko]

anyone tried x2s with xduoo xd-05, how their pair together? mainly listening through phone on spotify

Interested too

 

[famas48]

Interested too

well I already ordered xduoo, takes long ass time to get here from china tho, estimated delivery time 26 april..

 

[Rozzko]

I actually upped the burn-in hrs to 150 since I got the X2s several years ago.

I have 2 computers, multiple amps & DACs. So I typically burn-in by:

• setting up a signal chain on the laptop for burn-in
• then use Media Player on repeat to play folders of music (and/or mpgs of pink noise & gaussian noise) for ~12 hrs/day
• I "peek in" now and then (listening briefly to make sure everything's OK)
• Then after ~2 wks, I start serious listening.

I would do burn-in non-stop, except I don't like leaving computers on 24-7 for any reason, much less a non-essential function like burn-in.

I've also burned in a number of headphones and devices in the room that used to be my woodshop (relatively inactive place). I have a big old CD player from the '90's; I would run that on repeat into one of my amps and use that to burn-in headphones. With that setup, I could burn things in 24/7.

Better to use pink/white noise or just music?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Better to use pink/white noise or just music?

I do both: one day I'll put my 2 noise mpgs on endless repeat (1 is pink noise; the other is gaussian noise, which has a preponderance of lower frequencies)--at a higher volume than w/music. Then the next day I'll put a folder of R&B (w/big bass line & dynamics) on repeat; and the 3rd day I'll put a folder of big symphonic music on repeat.

(I tend to move it around during burn-in)

 

[Rozzko]

I do both: one day I'll put my 2 noise mpgs on endless repeat (1 is pink noise; the other is gaussian noise, which has a preponderance of lower frequencies)--at a higher volume than w/music. Then the next day I'll put a folder of R&B (w/big bass line & dynamics) on repeat; and the 3rd day I'll put a folder of big symphonic music on repeat.

(I tend to move it around during burn-in)

Thanks, but when I use music, I need to Max level? Or medium?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Thanks, but when I use music, I need to Max level? Or medium?

This is just my opinion: I see no need to volume/blast any pair of headphones, during burn-in or any other time. But especially during burn-in, when the headphones are newest and the drivers have been least exercised by long-term use, I tend to avoid really high volumes.

What I do is put the headphones on and audition the burn-in music and/or noise files. I set the volume to medium/loud and leave it at that.

I tend to make volume somewhat louder than medium/loud when burning in w/pure noise files, only because there are no transients or dynamic music signals of any kind in these noise files (they're a single, unvarying level).

 

[Slater]

Thanks, but when I use music, I need to Max level? Or medium?

Normal listening level.

You can blow headphones and earphones by burning in at too high of volume.

 

[Rozzko]

This is just my opinion: I see no need to volume/blast any pair of headphones, during burn-in or any other time. But especially during burn-in, when the headphones are newest and the drivers have been least exercised by long-term use, I tend to avoid really high volumes.

What I do is put the headphones on and audition the burn-in music and/or noise files. I set the volume to medium/loud and leave it at that.

I tend to make volume somewhat louder than medium/loud when burning in w/pure noise files, only because there are no transients or dynamic music signals of any kind in these noise files (they're a single, unvarying level).

And what you mean loud or medium?
I pit Fidelio x2 with my iPad mini 2, and on Max level they sound loud, if i put it on head I want to min(decrease) level down on 2 positions on right side of ipad, is it loud or normal for burn in?

 

[Pharmaboy]

To my ears, "loud" can mean multiple levels:

• "low" loud: you turn up the volume until it starts to seem loud (ie, lowest level you hear as loud)
• "medium" loud: a little bit more volume. It's still loud, but a little more loud--and yet, not painfully
  
• "high" loud: even more volume. Now it's not just loud, but starting to be painful.
• "extreme" loud: now it hurts my ears & head--it's too loud to listen to music at w/any comfort

(of course this is 100% subjective)

I do some, but not much listening at "medium" loud (more often it's "low" loud).

When it comes to burn-in, keeping in mind that it will go on hour after hour, I often use "medium" loud to work out the headphones in a non-harmful way.