[Bansaku]

Anyone know how well the Schiit Stack 2 pairs with the PSB M4U 1 and how it affects the sound?

In regards to say an iPod, on-board audio, or smartphone? I can't speak for a Schiit stack, but for my iFi stack; Greater grip on the music (i.e. transients), better imaging and separation, finer control of the volume.

 

[TTGuy]

Anyone know how well the Schiit Stack 2 pairs with the PSB M4U 1 and how it affects the sound?

I have a Magni 2 Uber and Modi Multibit. My source is mostly Apple Music (via an iPad Air 2) with a custom cable that Bansaku was kind enough to build for me.

No golden ears for this old guy, but I think the sound from this setup is fantastic. Definitely better than what I was getting directly from my iPhone 6. The PSB M4U 1s are easy to drive as noted by others, and so the Magni is deafeningly loud on low gain with the volume at only 10 o'clock.

Soundstage not as large as HiFiMan 400i which is to be expected since the 400i is open-backed but the M4U 1 is a great piece of kit for the money, and pairs very well with a Schiit stack in my opinion.

 

[HungryPanda]

I like the fact I can lie in bed with my PSB's just plugged into a dap

 

[Zenrap518]

I have a Magni 2 Uber and Modi Multibit. My source is mostly Apple Music (via an iPad Air 2) with a custom cable that Bansaku was kind enough to build for me.

No golden ears for this old guy, but I think the sound from this setup is fantastic. Definitely better than what I was getting directly from my iPhone 6. The PSB M4U 1s are easy to drive as noted by others, and so the Magni is deafeningly loud on low gain with the volume at only 10 o'clock.

Soundstage not as large as HiFiMan 400i which is to be expected since the 400i is open-backed but the M4U 1 is a great piece of kit for the money, and pairs very well with a Schiit stack in my opinion.

How is it in terms of bass, mids, and treble in comparison to onboard/ an iPhone? Does the amp/dac increase soundstage?

 

[Zenrap518]

Can someone please try listening to this song with the PSB M4U 1's at loud volumes with an amp? Do you hear sibilance?

 

[JWolf]

If you are unsure about a Y cable for the PSB M4U 1, use a splitter and connect the two cables to the splitter and the jacks in the headphones. Then have a listen with both cables plugged in and only one vable plugged in. But keep both plugged into the splitter. I cannot say if your find the splitter makes the sound better or worse. What you are listening for is a comparison of the sound from two cables vs the sound from one cable. I found the sound from the two cables to be better.

 

[endgame]

Can someone please try listening to this song with the PSB M4U 1's at loud volumes with an amp? Do you hear sibilance?

Listened to it with my 800S and heard no sibilance at all. Hated the song though, haha.

 

[Zenrap518]

Listened to it with my 800S and heard no sibilance at all. Hated the song though, haha.

Did you listen at loud volumes? If not, could you please try? Also, what amp did you use? I get sibilance on my PSB M4U 1's at loud(er) volumes....

 

[endgame]

Did you listen at loud volumes? If not, could you please try? Also, what amp did you use? I get sibilance on my PSB M4U 1's at loud(er) volumes....

Yes I turned it up and there was no sibilance. I just threw my Dragonfly Red on because I wasn't at home.

 

[Zephead]

I was lucky enough to find a pair of M4U1's on Amazon Marketplace for £88 (stated as Used Very Good but look perfect to me). They have replaced my K550 as my home closed back. I don't use them portable as I have a pair of ATH-MSR7 for that. I absolutely love the PSB's though, just use them at home most because they really shine from the desktop setup (SMSL Sanskrit 6th gen and SMSL sApll). When portable I use an iPhone4 with an SMSL sAp5 and that seems to suit the MSR7 better.

 

[Toothless]

Just in case anyone is looking for replacement pads for the PSB, the Brainwavz HM5 pads, although bigger, will fit securely, and provide much more comfort than the stock pads. However, the pads I try (https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Angled-Memory-Foam-Earpad/dp/B00ZY8PGJI) change the sound in a not desirable way, with the treble being more elevated and honky, the soundstage becomes congested and hollow. This is probably because of the thicker outer leatherette cover which allows less sound to travel through

 

[Zephead]

I can confirm that the flat brainwavz pads are also detrimental to the sound. However ATH MSR7 pads fit and to me the sound is just as good. There may be slight differences but they're minor. I'm pretty sure they're the closest you'll get.

 

[rfan8312]

I'm surprised anyone would want to change the pads though especially if it hurts the sound. One of the standout features for me of the PSB is the deep comfortable pads that have a nice cool feeling against the skin when u first put them on.

When i first bough them the clamp pressure was too tight and so my ears would heat up too much. Now two years later no excessive clamp pressure and my ears don't heat up at all. Those pads make them my most pleasing to wear headphones between PSB, Grado and SHP-9500.

 

[beefheart]

May someone copmpare Psb m4u 1 to Hifiman he-400i?

 

[TTGuy]

May someone copmpare Psb m4u 1 to Hifiman he-400i?

A response I sent to Beefheart via private message before seeing he had asked the same question here:

I have both the PSB M4U-1 and HE-400i. I also have the Sennheiser HD-6xx from Massdrop, and that is now almost the only headphone I listen to.

I used to mostly listen to closed-back headphones and loved the PSBs, but recently have had the opportunity to do more open-backed listening. The bigger soundstage and “airier” sound is just much more pleasing to me. To my ears, the HE-400i is just too treble forward and I find myself enjoying the overall musicality of the Senns better. I recently got a Lyr 3 amp, and the combination of it and the Senns is almost perfect (with my spending limitations I am done looking for incrementally better at this point).

That said, I think all three are terrific headphones. I still like the PSBs and think they do a very good job with what creator Paul Barton called “room feel” where they sound like listening to a good set of speakers. I like the balance of treble/mid/bass they provide. They will not appeal to real bass-heads but they are not bass-light either. Just a very good, solid closed backed headphone. The HE-400i on the other hand, while providing the pleasing openness of an open-backed seem a tad bass-light to me (some claim that is normal in planars while others claim planars can really slam but I’ve never experienced the latter). The mids are fine, not too forward, but clear and very present. As I noted above, the highs were a bit too emphasized and on occasion I heard a little bit of sibilance.

If I was to pick one headphone to keep with my Lyr 3 (just a little bit of tube goodness, not the full-on “tubey” sound), it would easily be the Senns. My second choice if it was the only headphone I was going to listen to would be the PSB over the HE-400i. But, if the only headphone I could listen to was the HE-400i, I would still enjoy it, just not quite as much (and I would likely still keep looking for something better).

Cheers,
TTGuy