[fewtch]

Hi everyone (my first post here, yahoo

)... a few of you may know me from the HydrogenAudio forums.

Anyway... after about 12 hours of burn-in using broad spectrum pink noise (generated with Cool Edit), I'm still getting dismal low bass response from my new Sennheiser HD-280 Pro's, and mediocre bass response in general.

Tested with various LF sinewaves between 15Hz and 100Hz, and compared against my Denon AH-D550 headphones (no ABXing necessary, the difference is too obvious). Is this normal at this state of burn-in, or can I expect a tinny pair of cans here?

Opinions welcome -- if the situation is the same in 7 days, they go back to the store. Tight bass is one thing, poor bass response is totally something else.

P.S... is it safe to increase the volume to "painful" as far as burn-in with pink noise, or am I risking the phones over a long period of time?

 

[MusicLover]

Welcome to Head-Fi! I am truly, deeply, sorry about your wallet.

Were you burning them in with only pink noise? You should burn them in with regular music, particularly bass heavy. I really doubt pink noise for 12 hours would help them at all. And you should only put the volume slightly above what you listen at, not at dangerous levels.

 

[BPRJam]

Additionally, the HD280s take a *really* long time to properly burn in. The 12 hrs that you mentioned is not nearly enough for these headphones.

On mine, I began with 24 hrs, barely heard a difference, then went to 72 hrs. At 72 hrs of continuous burn-in, I really started to hear a difference. The bass was tighter and more accurate, the highs had rolled off a little and they didn't sound as tinny, and the midrange had opened up so that vocals sounded nice and smooth. Since then, they get more and more accurate the more I listen to them.

Bottom line is that these are really difficult headphones to loosen up, but almost everyone on this forum that have stuck with it end up really liking them.

If you do return the HD280s, though, I would recommend the Sony V6 (not the V600!).

Hope this helps.

BPRJam

 

[radrd]

As they have already said, be patient. You should ditch the pink noise and try using bass heavy music. Keep the volume at slightly louder than normal listening levels, definitely not painful ones or you might damage them. Give them 100 hours before you make any decisions.

 

[kcits]

j-curve's frequency response plot of the hd280 may shed some light around your thoughts of the bass (it's a little light on the upper bass, but increases in volume as you go lower):

 

[fewtch]

Thanks everyone...

I just couldn't take it, so I returned these phones (no patience, I guess).

Also, I was sort of getting hammered on another forum for entertaining the notion that headphones actually might need breaking in...

What I really need are some comparable *closed* phones for use around the PC, and something that's a bit better out of the box (100 hours? yeesh). Anyone have any suggestions for something in the HD280Pro's price range that's also closed and with some better "out of box" bass response?

My "trusty" Denon AH-D550's actually sound pretty good to me, but nothing spectacular -- smooth and easy on the ears, nothing to write home about. Perhaps that's about as good as it gets as far as closed cans go. Unfortunately the AH-D750's appear to have been discontinued.

Edit to BPRJam -- Do you mean the Sony MDR-V6? They appear very similar to my Denon AHD550's, right down to the looks and specs (except the drivers are smaller, and the brand name 'bigger').

 

[jms007bnd007]

You might take a look at the Sony V6. Or check out the Beyerdynamic DT 250-80. I have never heard either one of these phones, but I've read that they have more bass than the HD 280's, which I happen to like a lot.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by jms007bnd007 You might take a look at the Sony V6. Or check out the Beyerdynamic DT 250-80. I have never heard either one of these phones, but I've read that they have more bass than the HD 280's, which I happen to like a lot.

Maybe it is (was, actually) just a matter of break-in... they really sounded to me like tin cans with good high-end detail tho.

Yep, the V6's look like something to consider... maybe I'll try & find somewhere local that has a pair so I could audition. They really do look amazingly similar to the Denon AH-D550's I've had for years (I mean specs-wise as well as looks).

 

[waylman]

Quote:

Originally posted by fewtch Also, I was sort of getting hammered on another forum for entertaining the notion that headphones actually might need breaking in...

who said this? I own the 280's and they definately need to be broken in!

 

[midson]

The V6s treated me pretty well when I owned them.. I'd give them another vote if you're looking for a bass heavy phone. Eventually I ended up giving them away because the highs began to bother me. They were a little shrill but not a problem on most recordings. I've seen a lot of them go through the for sale forum so I'm sure you would have no problems reselling them if you ended up not liking them. Hope you find the right headphone

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally posted by kcits j-curve's frequency response plot of the hd280 may shed some light around your thoughts of the bass (it's a little light on the upper bass, but increases in volume as you go lower):

This pretty well reflects my experience.

The 280s convinced me of burn-in. The words "tin cans" were pretty much my response when I first heard them and now I love them. Upper bass is still a bit thin, but low bass is great -- even better than the v6.

If you're looking for an alternative, consider the Ultrasone 650 Trackmaster, which is considered by many around here to be the best headphone in this category.

 

[Stephonovich]

Is someone bashing the 280's? DIE, DIE, DIE... Yeah, I too, discovered burn-in with these. They're my first pair of good headphones, if you don't count CD-180's. I ran 'em for about 50 hours, and I was too anxious, so I just started listening. By now, I've prolly logged hundreds of hours. I didn't notice much difference after the 50 hour mark, actually.

(-:Stephonovich

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Stephonovich Is someone bashing the 280's? DIE, DIE, DIE...

No, but I don't think they're really for me -- just not my personal cup of tea.

Who knows what I'll end up trying next... at least half the fun is trying stuff on a whim, maybe liking it, maybe disliking it. Will have to watch my $$ as of next month & see what I can afford.

 

[Stephonovich]

Nah, I'm just screwing around. For some people, I realize the HD 280 doesn't have enough bass. The Sony V6's seem to be the can of choice for those people. However, I've also heard they lack some of the detail of the Senns. Myself, if I were to get another pair of closed cans, I'd like to try out the Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro's... I've heard loads of bass (good for gaming), and excellent detail.

(-:Stephonovich

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Stephonovich Nah, I'm just screwing around. For some people, I realize the HD 280 doesn't have enough bass. The Sony V6's seem to be the can of choice for those people.

Are the V6's out of production? Can't seem to find *any* online source (except Ebay with some refurbished models), including the Sony website store itself.

Do you know anything about this Sony Certified Outlet seller on Ebay, are they actually part of Sony (and reliable)?

Sorry to bug ya with so many questions...