[james444]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow! I just got the HJE900s and they sound real bad! I understand things can settle down some with burnin but this is going to have to be a miracle. First the cord is way too short. They look cool though.

Sorry you don't like them out-of-box, but they will settle down with more playtime. How long have you been listening to them? BTW the cord issue has been mentioned many times in the HJE900 threads, so this should have come as no surprise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif The sound is very dark but the highs are harsh with plenty of sibilance.

I found the highs pretty sharp with some recordings (thats why I decided to do the foam mod), but not particularly sibilant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif Everything just sounds weird like when I used to listen to my roomates stereo. He had this crazy eq with a huge V setting. He would never change it - it drove me nuts!

Well, you stated earlier, that you like a recessed midrange, which in fact means a V or U-shaped sound signature. The Panas have it, but IMO not overly pronounced.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think I'll get the HJE900s. ... Some people say that these have a recessed midrange which i actually prefer along with depth of sound.

But maybe you're just hearing them differently from most other owners, like mark2410.

 

[theKraken11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif The sound is very dark but the highs are harsh with plenty of sibilance. I didn't bother with an amp since they are rather hissy with my Zune to begin with. Everything just sounds weird like when I used to listen to my roomates stereo. He had this crazy eq with a huge V setting. He would never change it - it drove me nuts! Plus the hissiness sounds like his EQ too. Things sounded a little better with hybrid tips - not much though. Anyway, I'm kindof depressed now. I'll likely send these back tomorrow. I may just order the RE0s.

You said that you thought the RE0 wouldn't have enough bass for you, and if harshness is a problem, that's another reason you probably wouldn't like them. I would look into some other phones.

 

[Max F]

Sorry, if it sounded like a rant. Just having some buyers remorse.

I'll give these some more time before making final judgement. It could be that I hear things like mark2410, but I don't think they are bass canons at all although the mid bass is rather prominent at least right now.

 

[Donut]

Mine have about 20 hours of playtime so far, and already I can tell the highs are getting better.

I initially stated that the mids were prominent; however, twas not the case [it was a combination of not realizing I had EQed up the mids on my mp3 player for my other 'phones, plus the realization that I might like a recessed midrange].

However, if you're ultimately unhappy with them, you'd probably do well to go back to the drawing board, though with a better idea of what you want.

 

[KramitDfrog]

I was a bit disappointed out of the box, mainly by the soundstage and the sound sig was just weird overall. I am a firm believer in burn in however so I ran mine overnight every night for about a week - sounds beautiful now!

That short cable for the US is bizarre. I don't know why they'd do that.

 

[Max F]

Well there's recessed mids and there's V shape EQ. The difference is that with V shape you have boosted highs, boosted lows and recessed midrange. Right now its the boosted, peaky highs that are bothering me the most followed by the mid to upper bass bump.

I've got about 10 hours on them now and I'm not hearing the sibilance as much. Cymbils aren't as scratchy now, but still not realistic at all. Vocals are starting to sound more natural now. There may be some hope here afterall. I may wait till Monday to send them back.

 

[Max F]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KramitDfrog /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was a bit disappointed out of the box, mainly by the soundstage and the sound sig was just weird overall. I am a firm believer in burn in however so I ran mine overnight every night for about a week - sounds beautiful now! That short cable for the US is bizarre. I don't know why they'd do that.

Thanks Kramit, that makes me feel better. I was going to say something about the soundstage being closed in too, but thought i crapped on them enough already, LOL! I really do want to like these and don't mean to trash folks enjoyment of them.

Weird how some headphones need burnin and others don't. I don't think my Senns HD650 have ever changed their sound since I've had them (except for changing the source, amp or tubes).

 

[Napilopez]

See, I'm just catching up with this thread and I wouldnt be so sure about the HJEs anymore based on this post:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think I'll get the HJE900s. I definitely don't like in your face sound - hence my love for the HD650. Hopefully, these aren't too in your face. Some people say that these have a recessed midrange which i actually prefer along with depth of sound. Wide soundstage would be nice but I'm not expecting everything for the price. I think that I would most likely think that the RE0 lacks bass. Can't be sure without listening though. Oh well. I will likely use IEMs on the plane and that always attenuates bass - so if they are already lacking, that would be a problem. Thanks for everyone's help!

It's a shame I didn't read that post before, because these are quite far from being laid back imo, with most tips or unmodded. Slightly recessed midrange perhaps, but that doesn't make them laid back. Imo they are very "life-like" once burned in, but they don't have that typical laid back sennheiser sound. As james said, I never found them sibilant, harsh is more accurate to me.

Maybe the Pannies just aren't compatible with people who's user name starts with "M".

Do you happen to have any comply tips? I get an inkling you might like them a lot more with comply tips or foam modded. They make them much closer to the sound of the HD650(which I've only briefly tried out of a store setup, but have read about). Others and I can't stand the complies because it kills the treble way too much in our opinion, but I get the feeling you might like it like that.

The hissyness is because they are very sensitive, highly revealing, and have that upper frequency spike. The mid bass stuff definitely gets better, so much that it's not as obvious to me anymore, even when A/Bing with other phones

Good luck!

 

[Napilopez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well there's recessed mids and there's V shape EQ. The difference is that with V shape you have boosted highs, boosted lows and recessed midrange. Right now its the boosted, peaky highs that are bothering me the most followed by the mid to upper bass bump. I've got about 10 hours on them now and I'm not hearing the sibilance as much. Cymbils aren't as scratchy now, but still not realistic at all. Vocals are starting to sound more natural now. There may be some hope here afterall. I may wait till Monday to send them back.

Interesting what you say about cymbals, and though I hadn't really listened to many rock tracks when I first got these so I can't really compare, these are actually pretty much the best headphones I've tried when it comes to percussion. The bass is there for the kick, and the highs are there for the cymbals and whatnot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Kramit, that makes me feel better. I was going to say something about the soundstage being closed in too, but thought i crapped on them enough already, LOL! I really do want to like these and don't mean to trash folks enjoyment of them. Weird how some headphones need burnin and others don't. I don't think my Senns HD650 have ever changed their sound since I've had them (except for changing the source, amp or tubes).

The soundstage is intimate and accurate imo, but if you're still using hybrids it's not going to help =P.

And yea about burn in. That's actually one of my aruments for believing in burn-in. Some headphones need it others don't. You should the see JVC RX700. Burn-in changes on those can be ridiculous. My old Senn PX-200 IIs didn't change much with burn-in either though. Maybe its a sennheiser thing =P

 

[KramitDfrog]

Note, I would now consider the soundstage reasonably wide (I was comparing it to my M6s, which was definitely wider) since changing the tips.

But with the default tips out of the box and before burn in, the soundstage was really frigging weird - it was like my head was in a long tunnel, instruments were in front, above and behind but there was absolutely nothing to the left or right of my ears. Was a truly strange effect, but it went away after a couple of nights burn in.

I would have considered it a fairly narrow soundstage until I switched tips - now I'm doing the classic check over the shoulder to make sure that's not something behind me. Wasn't doing that with the hybrids at all.

I notice cymbals don't quite shimmer the way they do on my speakers, but I find them adequate and those speakers have a dedicated tweeter. Overall I find the treble very engaging.

 

[Max F]

Thanks guys!

Still burning in. Kramit the tunnel description of the soundstage is spot on. I've got a bunch of various tips to play with but not complies. I do like how the hybrids feel. I'm still waiting to see what kind of butterfly this catapiller is going to turn into.

Interesting the comments about me not really grasping what I want. I think its more of a terminology issue than not knowing what I want. Last night i wanted to get some perspective on sound so I plugged in some Zune premium iems, my old MylarOne X3 and the Senn HD580 (which i use as my gaming headphones - I know, what a waste! I just will not ever sell these ever! OK, I would for $300).

Anyway, the zune iems were polite, boring and a little boomy. Everything was there, just in a fuzzy boring way. Not bad, not that good.

MylarOne X3 - damn these used to sound good. The mids are real good still, but the bass has totally disappeared along with some of the highs. I have no idea why that happened, but its well documented on these forums.

Senn HD580 - I can't remember the last time I stuck these babies directly in my Zune, but DAMN this kicks *****. Holy cow, I forgot how good these guys are. Everything is about perfect - even the bass, which I thought was a little lacking plugged into my tube amp (hence my love of the HD650s). Too bad I can't take these on the plane or out in public.

So, I would love to have something that sounds like the HD580 in IEM form. Actually, I would be happy with the old MylarOnes or even something that sounds like my KSC75s. I can't be that picky!

I wonder if the Soundmagic PL50 would fit the bill. Still holding out on burning in the Pannys for now though.

 

[Max F]

Well, I sent the HJE900s back to J&R (which were great dealing with other than paying for shipping back to them). I had burned them in all weekend, but they just sounded, I don't know, wonky is the best word to describe it. Nothing sounded right. Who knows, maybe my Zune doesn't like low impedance phones. Also, the hissing and very short cord were annoying to say the least.

The good news is that I ordered the RE0s and think they sound great! Everything sounds right again. What's weird is that I was expecting them to be really bright, but they aren't at all. They have great detail. I can even crank them up pretty loud without feeling any major harshness or fatigue. They're a little light in the bass but with the medium single flange tips its pretty decent. The soundstage was a little compressed but its starting to open up with just a few songs played. So, I see a great deal of potential with these. I'll get more feel for these after some more burn in.

 

[Max F]

OMG, these RE0s are great! I'm ten songs in and I'm blown away. I like them so much that I'm not even going to bother to burn them in. I'm going to enjoy every minute of use.

They remind me alot of the Sennheiser HD-600/580. I prefer a little more bass, that's why I have my HD-650s. But these are more flat frequency response like the HD-600/580. The details are even better on these though only loosing out on soundstage (which is a given compared to full HP) depth and height, maybe some weight in the vocals.

Anyway, I would like to think the Head-fi community. This is whats its all about - finding the right sound for you to really experience the music you love.

 

[james444]

That's the crux about recommending phones, there are several folks here (including myself) who like the Pannies with rock, but in the end this means nothing. So it turned out they're not for you, or maybe not a good pairing with the Zune, who knows. Everyone have their own expectations and preferences, so thanks for handling this decently, giving the HJE900 a fair chance, and congrats on finding what you were looking for at last.
Enjoy your RE0!

 

[yearsofwisdom]

how are the HJE900s for classical? one of the main types of music i listen to. i also listen to some hip hop. Basically i've narrowed my choices down to the MC5 and the HJE900 and even the ie6 but i can't find much info about them.