orion23rigel
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2015
- Posts
- 113
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- 28
I recently got a deal I couldn't pass up on a pair of Sony MDR-1RBTMK2s on eBay. They were described as used in perfect working order, but upon listening I began to realize something weird was happening with the bass in the left ear.
I decided to listen to some frequency sweeps to see if I could confirm my instinct that something wasn't right. Upon doing so, I immediately heard a rhythmic clicking sound from the left driver starting in the 5 Hz range, even while the right driver wasn't making any audible sound. As one might expect, the frequency of the clicking increases with the frequency of the tone.
From what I can see, the left/right drivers both look identical. There doesn't seem to be any visible damage to the front, but I can't see the back of course.
When listening to music that's not bass heavy, the issue is barely noticeable. It sounds like the left side might be slightly more sibilant, but I'm not sure if that's just in my head. I occasionally like to pound bass, though, so this issue is a deal breaker...unless there's a way to fix it.
My instinct is telling me it's a blown driver. I've contacted the eBay seller. Waiting to hear back. I'm wondering if there's any advice out there as to whether that is indeed the issue, and whether replacement drivers are available for these phones. (I haven't been able to find any so far.) Maybe it's a good excuse to upgrade the drivers? I assume I'd want to replace the pair to prevent a mismatch.
Thanks for any advice!
I decided to listen to some frequency sweeps to see if I could confirm my instinct that something wasn't right. Upon doing so, I immediately heard a rhythmic clicking sound from the left driver starting in the 5 Hz range, even while the right driver wasn't making any audible sound. As one might expect, the frequency of the clicking increases with the frequency of the tone.
From what I can see, the left/right drivers both look identical. There doesn't seem to be any visible damage to the front, but I can't see the back of course.
When listening to music that's not bass heavy, the issue is barely noticeable. It sounds like the left side might be slightly more sibilant, but I'm not sure if that's just in my head. I occasionally like to pound bass, though, so this issue is a deal breaker...unless there's a way to fix it.
My instinct is telling me it's a blown driver. I've contacted the eBay seller. Waiting to hear back. I'm wondering if there's any advice out there as to whether that is indeed the issue, and whether replacement drivers are available for these phones. (I haven't been able to find any so far.) Maybe it's a good excuse to upgrade the drivers? I assume I'd want to replace the pair to prevent a mismatch.
Thanks for any advice!
