chaogod87
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2007
- Posts
- 1
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- 0
Hello everyone,
As you can see my post count is now at 1. (whee) I have to admit I've been a music lover for several years now although my exposure and understanding of sound quality is probably well under-developed. I've been working for couple years now and finally have some breathing room, so I have decided to pick up a pair of pre-owned (sounds better than used, eh?) Beyerdynamics 880/600 off of craigslist.
Just to provide more background, I've been using Sennheiser HD590 since 2004 and have grown quite fond of the bassy and calm sound of this particular headphone. The comfort is absolutely astonishing and sometimes I forget I even forget that I have it on. I did have to change the cushion once because after few years of usage, which probably accounts to about 5000 hours, the cushion on the Senns had thinned significantly. This thinning caused the foam to rub against my ear and I was no longer to able to keep these cans on for more than an hour due to irritation. After changing the ear pads, the Senns were like brand new and have been going strong for past 3 years. I've been using these cans for almost 8 years now and wanted to try a more fun and dynamic sounding headphones.
I've read many posts and decided to look for a beyerdynamics DT880 headphones because of its dynamic yet well-rounded sound. In few days, I've found someone on craigslist posting the exact same pair I was looking to buy! When I went to try few days later, I did noticed that the foam was rubbing against my ear but did not give much thought about it because the liveliness of these cans compared to the Senns was very overwhelming in a positive way. The soundstage seemed wider, mid and treble seemed much distinct compared to the Senns. I instantly fell in love with the sound and had to take these cans home.
I also purchased the E7/E9 combo to go with the headphone since a regular laptop soundcard seem to be lacking in power. For the past week, I've been enjoying the sound of the new Beyer but I've encountered some issues - comfort. I am not sure if any of you experience the same issue, but my ears are slightly pressed against the foam and I feel a slight pain in my ear just after an hour of wearing the Beyers, which never happens with the Senns after 8 hours of constant use. I've measured the depth of the cushion and there was a clear difference: Senns had 22mm clearance (after 3 years) whereas Beyer only had 16mm. I wasn't sure if the beyer cushions were meant to be this thin or the previous owner has worn it for a long time. As far as the clamping forces are concerned, the pressure felt about the same for both headphones. I have to note that Senns applied pressure all around the ear whereas Beyer seem to pressure below the ear more than above the ear. However, I didn't find the awkward pressure annoying over the long run as much as the foam/ear problem.
There is another major problem with this particular Beyer. When I play a certain frequency (45Hz) at a loud listening level (at about 75% of my acceptable volume), the foam begins to resonate with the sound wave. As the foam resonates, it rubs against the plastic behind the foam and causes a buzzing noise. If I played the same track at same volume while pressing the foam down against the plastic, the buzzing noise drastically decreases. This buzzing noise only occurs on the right cup, but there are no discernible visible difference between the left and right cup. I understand I am never going to play 45Hz continuously in regular music, but I can hear the occasional buzz while listening to regular pop or rock music.
In order to get to the bottom of this, I tried taking the cushion off the headphone because the Senn's foam was part of the cushion. Unfortunately, the foam was not attached to the cushion and I was not sure how I am supposed to replace the foam if needed be.
At this point, I have few considerations which I hope to draw some expert opinion from the head-fi community.
1. For all the beyer owners out there, are your ears touching against the foam/plastic? If so, do you feel any discomfort after prolonged usage? If not, how deep is your cushion? (I measured by putting the ruler where the cushion meets the frame and measuring to the tip of the cushion)
2. Would replacing the current cushion with the gel cushion give me more depth and comfort? I am also curious about how Gel cushion would feel.
3. Would the replacement cushion, gel or standard velour, come with a replaceable foam? I would really like to resolve the vibrating issues.
I hope I described the issues correctly. Again, I thank all of you for your forthcoming input and hope you all have a great day!
As you can see my post count is now at 1. (whee) I have to admit I've been a music lover for several years now although my exposure and understanding of sound quality is probably well under-developed. I've been working for couple years now and finally have some breathing room, so I have decided to pick up a pair of pre-owned (sounds better than used, eh?) Beyerdynamics 880/600 off of craigslist.
Just to provide more background, I've been using Sennheiser HD590 since 2004 and have grown quite fond of the bassy and calm sound of this particular headphone. The comfort is absolutely astonishing and sometimes I forget I even forget that I have it on. I did have to change the cushion once because after few years of usage, which probably accounts to about 5000 hours, the cushion on the Senns had thinned significantly. This thinning caused the foam to rub against my ear and I was no longer to able to keep these cans on for more than an hour due to irritation. After changing the ear pads, the Senns were like brand new and have been going strong for past 3 years. I've been using these cans for almost 8 years now and wanted to try a more fun and dynamic sounding headphones.
I've read many posts and decided to look for a beyerdynamics DT880 headphones because of its dynamic yet well-rounded sound. In few days, I've found someone on craigslist posting the exact same pair I was looking to buy! When I went to try few days later, I did noticed that the foam was rubbing against my ear but did not give much thought about it because the liveliness of these cans compared to the Senns was very overwhelming in a positive way. The soundstage seemed wider, mid and treble seemed much distinct compared to the Senns. I instantly fell in love with the sound and had to take these cans home.
I also purchased the E7/E9 combo to go with the headphone since a regular laptop soundcard seem to be lacking in power. For the past week, I've been enjoying the sound of the new Beyer but I've encountered some issues - comfort. I am not sure if any of you experience the same issue, but my ears are slightly pressed against the foam and I feel a slight pain in my ear just after an hour of wearing the Beyers, which never happens with the Senns after 8 hours of constant use. I've measured the depth of the cushion and there was a clear difference: Senns had 22mm clearance (after 3 years) whereas Beyer only had 16mm. I wasn't sure if the beyer cushions were meant to be this thin or the previous owner has worn it for a long time. As far as the clamping forces are concerned, the pressure felt about the same for both headphones. I have to note that Senns applied pressure all around the ear whereas Beyer seem to pressure below the ear more than above the ear. However, I didn't find the awkward pressure annoying over the long run as much as the foam/ear problem.
There is another major problem with this particular Beyer. When I play a certain frequency (45Hz) at a loud listening level (at about 75% of my acceptable volume), the foam begins to resonate with the sound wave. As the foam resonates, it rubs against the plastic behind the foam and causes a buzzing noise. If I played the same track at same volume while pressing the foam down against the plastic, the buzzing noise drastically decreases. This buzzing noise only occurs on the right cup, but there are no discernible visible difference between the left and right cup. I understand I am never going to play 45Hz continuously in regular music, but I can hear the occasional buzz while listening to regular pop or rock music.
In order to get to the bottom of this, I tried taking the cushion off the headphone because the Senn's foam was part of the cushion. Unfortunately, the foam was not attached to the cushion and I was not sure how I am supposed to replace the foam if needed be.
At this point, I have few considerations which I hope to draw some expert opinion from the head-fi community.
1. For all the beyer owners out there, are your ears touching against the foam/plastic? If so, do you feel any discomfort after prolonged usage? If not, how deep is your cushion? (I measured by putting the ruler where the cushion meets the frame and measuring to the tip of the cushion)
2. Would replacing the current cushion with the gel cushion give me more depth and comfort? I am also curious about how Gel cushion would feel.
3. Would the replacement cushion, gel or standard velour, come with a replaceable foam? I would really like to resolve the vibrating issues.
I hope I described the issues correctly. Again, I thank all of you for your forthcoming input and hope you all have a great day!
