[Mink]

Nope. What does it do? Does it damp something? And what is there to damp? The mid-bass perhaps?

 

[Spartacus09]

Nope. What does it do? Does it damp something? And what is there to damp? The mid-bass perhaps?

I think thats the dynamat mod (or maybe the KISS), its pretty well documented out there to improve the sound.

Edit: found a reddit post on it (same mod applies to the HD650):
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/bdqvof/cagemodding_the_sennheiser_hd_6xx_and_why_i/

 

[dakanao]

I meant the felt ring around the driver only; not the removal of the spider cage

 

[Mink]

I think thats the dynamat mod (or maybe the KISS), its pretty well documented out there to improve the sound.

Edit: found a reddit post on it (same mod applies to the HD650):
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/bdqvof/cagemodding_the_sennheiser_hd_6xx_and_why_i/

Ah the KISS mod, that thing a certain key person on a forum (which name is like the equivalent of Voldemort over here) often mentions.
I like the uncleanliness, the muddy bass and the bloom in the lower mids. So I'll pass.

 

[dakanao]

Let me know how that goes I was considering pad replacement on my HD 6XX.

So I've listened an hour with the HM5 Sheepskin pads. Granted, I did that ring felt mod you saw in that pic before I installed the pads, so I don't know how much that affects the sound. I'm gonna remove the felt ring the next listening session, so as to evaluate the stock design with those HM5 Sheepskin pads.

To be honest, this pad doesn't wow me, nor is it bad. It's certainly not worse than the Dekoni Elite Velour, which is specifically tuned for the HD650.

It's strange, because even though the Dekoni pads are tuned specifically for the HD650, the generic HM5 Sheepskin has the same quality of refinement to the sound. That is, just a bit more resonance in the upper-mids compared to the stock pads, 3-4 dB more bass emphasis and a smoother upper-treble.

The difference between the HM5 Sheepskins and Dekoni Velours, is that the Dekoni Velours actually have MORE bass than the HM5 Sheepskins, and a bit more upper-treble sparkle.

 

[dakanao]

Ah the KISS mod, that thing a certain key person on a forum (which name is like the equivalent of Voldemort over here) often mentions.
I like the uncleanliness, the muddy bass and the bloom in the lower mids. So I'll pass.

I love the HD650 stock sound as well, that's why I didn't bother to remove the spider cage and do other mods like the coin-mod.

I just want a tiny bit less resonant sounding upper-mids, so I tried out the felt on the backside, hopefully with the effect to dampen the outer driver resonance a little bit more.

Can't say it does or doesn't do anyhting, since I tried the mod with new HM5 Sheepskin pads, which I have no prior listening experience with on the HD650, so I can't say if it does anything.

I'm gonna remove it the next session, and listen if there's any change in resonance with or without it.

 

[equalspeace]

just started listening to the iFi Hip DAC w my HD6XX and my goodness.. the eruption of fullness, superb bass, separation and clarity was shocking. this amp/DAC is an absolute beast in terms of ability to drive these headphones! i’ve owned all sorts of larger amps over the years and I’ve never quite heard my 6XX sound like this. this unit is superb. running it on low gain w no bass boost w the volume knob just shy of 3 o’clock and it’s not even warm. it’s barely breaking a sweat and just rocking the heck outta these headphones.

 

[TheRH]

Is anyone using an RME ADI-2 DAC with the 600 series?

 

[dakanao]

So I took the felt ring out, and listened to the HM5 Sheepskin pads again... Yeah they're going off, they have that same 4 -5khz resonance as the Dekoni Elite velours. I highly suspect it's because of the deeper pads, so it's a physical limitation.

This headphone was made for shorter pads, as the Shure 1540 pads have that same beautiful tonality as the stock pads. Unfortanetly I have to live with the soft bass impact...

 

[dakanao]

I did the damping mod today. Basically put duct-tape in multiple layers around the housing where the driver is (didn't put anything over the silver mesh, just on the plastic surface surrounding the driver and backside) , and in the inner sides of the grill. I didn't remove the spider-cage like all the other modders do, since I certainly don't want anymore brightness.

This should make the sound more refined, since it's akin to acoustically treating a room with speakers. Took me around 2 hours just for 1 earcup, since it took a lot of precise cutting, recutting, assembling and re-assembling.

Will post my impressions after the next listening session.

 

[dakanao]

I did the damping mod today. Basically put duct-tape in multiple layers around the housing where the driver is (didn't put anything over the silver mesh, just on the plastic surface surrounding the driver and backside) , and in the inner sides of the grill. I didn't remove the spider-cage like all the other modders do, since I certainly don't want anymore brightness.

This should make the sound more refined, since it's akin to acoustically treating a room with speakers. Took me around 2 hours just for 1 earcup, since it took a lot of precise cutting, recutting, assembling and re-assembling.

Will post my impressions after the next listening session.

Listened a couple of hours today. The bass seems to hit harder in quality with the duct-tape applied. Before it was soft and ''just there'', now it's more alive and integrated.. Can't say anything about mids and highs, but mids and highs are certainly not worse than stock.

Listening has been done with the stock pads.

 

[TheRH]

New amp for the 58X's, sounds flipping fantastic.

 

[refinery]

Sorry, noob here, so I have a few questions in regards to my newly acquired HD 6XXs in addition to a new THX 887 balanced amplifier I have.

I'm using a Fiio E10k right now for my DAC/amp but I want to get the most out of my HD 6XXs and new THX 887 amp.

1. I've heard and read about the Schiit Modius balanced DAC. It's supposed to be good for $200. Is it worth the investment for this setup?

2. Is there a way to just use the DAC part of my Fiio E10k into the THX 887 (for now, even if getting a balanced DAC is something that's worth).
Or it's not possible to hook up a single-ended connection (my Fiio E10k) into my THX 887 because it needs balanced inputs, so if that's the case, I need a balanced DAC like the Schiit Modius, right?

Back of the Fiio E10k DAC/amp:

Back of the THX 887 balanced amp:

3. If I do end up getting the Schiit Modius balanced DAC to go with my THX 887 balanced amp, do I need a balanced XLR cable to get the most out of my balanced DAC + balanced amp? I see conflicting statements about it saying the only practical difference is the balanced cable can get much louder, but no audible difference in quality. I don't think that the power/loudness will be an issue for me personally, so it it even worth investing another $50-$60 for a balanced XLR cable?

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[Ichos]

First of all you can start by connecting the output of FiiO to the THX.
You will need a 3.5mm jack to stereo RCA cable.
You connect the line out of the FiiO to the RCA input of THX.

Then if you need to upgrade and get a balanced dac then of course you will need an XLR cable to get the most out of it.

 

[genck]

I tried a 6XX/650 EQ for peace/apo config that I found on reddit and it's sublime for metal, pre-amp around -1.5 dB. Give it a shot if you're into EQ and listen to metal-ish, especially deathcore.
Channel: All
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 2284 Hz Gain -10.4 dB Q 1.00
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 228 Hz Gain -8.7 dB Q 1.00
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 415 Hz Gain -8.3 dB Q 1.00
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1247 Hz Gain -5.5 dB Q 1.04
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 901 Hz Gain 3.8 dB Q 1.07
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 2061 Hz Gain 9.0 dB Q 2.73
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 626 Hz Gain -3.0 dB Q 2.02
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 3512 Hz Gain -4.7 dB Q 3.53
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 5900 Hz Gain 3.9 dB Q 3.00
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 128 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 2.00
Filter 11: ON PK Fc 5108 Hz Gain -2.3 dB Q 12.59
Filter 12: ON PK Fc 5494 Hz Gain -2.0 dB Q 20.00
Filter 13: ON PK Fc 4513 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 10.00
Filter 14: ON PK Fc 4228 Hz Gain 1.2 dB Q 20.00
Filter 15: ON PK Fc 4732 Hz Gain 1.1 dB Q 20.00
Filter 16: ON PK Fc 4664 Hz Gain -0.4 dB Q 20.00
Filter 17: ON PK Fc 938 Hz Gain -0.3 dB Q 20.00
Filter 18: ON PK Fc 1746 Hz Gain -0.6 dB Q 20.00
Filter 19: ON PK Fc 1969 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 20.00
Filter 20: ON PK Fc 6100 Hz Gain -1.9 dB Q 5.00

edit: this requires a powerful amplifier or the volume will be too low.