[eric343]

I was on IRC... someone jokingly posted a link to another thread about removing pads increasing detail, so I jokingly tried out the HE90s sans pads. Sounded awful... but while putting the pads back on I noticed little penciled-in X-es on the back of the pads - on one end.

Hmm... what could this be? The pads seemed to be totally uniform...

So I measured 'em. And lo and behold, one side of the pad was 1/16" thicker!

I then placed the pads back on so that the thicker side was to the back (where the thicker side of pads usually go

), which happens to be with the X-es at the bottom.

<neo> Whoa. </n>

The soundstage opened right up! The (slight - really noticeable only with prolonged listening) channel imbalance that has been bugging me for ages was gone, and the bass filled out a bit (though not *quite* enough for serious rocking out, but that's life). They're also a bit less bright. But the big change was the soundstage. I had previously thought my system to be a bit laid back in the midrange (and attributed it to cables, since a pair of Transparent MusicLink Supers I tried brought the midrange forward to levels I liked better); now I understand that it's not laid-back-ness, I'm hearing the distance between the mics and the performers... The HE90s do a superb job of 'layering' the sound; I can clearly pick out the distinction between instruments both in terms of notes and position (both left and right and forward and back).

 

[grinch]

does this mean that they might not suck so much compared to the omega 2 after all?

this is fairly interesting. i wonder if anybody else with a used pair has had this kind of experience with them.

 

[eric343]

Quote:

Originally posted by grinch does this mean that they might not suck so much compared to the omega 2 after all?

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by eric343 now I understand that it's not laid-back-ness, I'm hearing the distance between the mics and the performers... The HE90s do a superb job of 'layering' the sound; I can clearly pick out the distinction between instruments both in terms of notes and position (both left and right and forward and back).

Fwiw, that's the precise thing that "jumped out at me" with your HE90s at the minimeet, even after only a minute or two of listening. They seem to do the front-to-back and left/right imaging and separation thing better than any other headphone I've heard yet (however the pads were at the time) -- I was amazed.

Congrats on the improvement with the pad correction

 

[eric343]

Fewtch- well, prior to this it was really recording dependent... I just didn't hear this level of sounstage stuff before (granted, I'm kind of spoiled

).

And it's also *quite* possible that it has to do with your ear shape! If a slight change in angle could cause this much of a difference for me, if you have a differently shaped head or ear...

Just goes to show you, reviews and posts aren't really that useful. You gotta hear stuff for yourself...