[BenF]

I also have the ws55 and love it really much but what should be better for me soundwise the s500 or s680...?

 
S680 is less V-shaped (more balanced) than S500.
It's a good compromise between S400 and S500 sound signatures, with much better comfort and soundstage.

 

[Jim McC]

 
They are great for movies.
They are the most comfortable on-ear ever, due to large cups. Clamping pressure is not an issue..
The large soundstage is a result of the "dynamic ports" and large cups.

 
Thanks Ben. I sent you a PM.
 
Once I download the pink noise to my computer, what then? How are you guys using the pink noise to burn them in? My computer has external speakers with a headphone jack, and I have an A/V receiver with a headphone jack. I don't have a smart phone or headphone amp.
 
Thanks.

 

[BenF]

   
Thanks Ben. I sent you a PM.
 
Once I download the pink noise to my computer, what then? How are you guys using the pink noise to burn them in? My computer has external speakers with a headphone jack, and I have an A/V receiver with a headphone jack. I don't have a smart phone or headphone amp.
 
Thanks.

You play the noise file using Foobar2000 or other media player on a loop.
If the A/V receiver can function as a DAC, you can use it to burn the headphones, otherwise use the computer's headphone jack.
 
I use my Sansa Clip+ to burn the headphones.

 

[Jim McC]

 
You play the noise file using Foobar2000 or other media player on a loop.
If the A/V receiver can function as a DAC, you can use it to burn the headphones, otherwise use the computer's headphone jack.
 
I use my Sansa Clip+ to burn the headphones.

 
Sorry, but I have no idea what you mean. Can't I just use different CD's with my A/V receiver? Is this how all headphones should be burned in, or just the type of driver the HAS-680 has? Thanks. 

 

[andreamang]

A lor of problems with this headphone...but a another headphone at simil price???

 

[Painful Chafe]

A lor of problems with this headphone...but a another headphone at simil price???

Wuh?
 
Have you been drinking?

 

[nehcrow]

A lor of problems with this headphone...but a another headphone at simil price???

Like what?
There's the Mikros at the same price which is a pretty good option tbh

 

[andreamang]

It seems like a few, need particular burn-in procedure ... and a few posts back it was said that he could play wrong because too much burn-in.
For me, a headset must be connected and fit immediately ...
Creative aurvana live?50€...

 

[BenF]

   
Sorry, but I have no idea what you mean. Can't I just use different CD's with my A/V receiver? Is this how all headphones should be burned in, or just the type of driver the HAS-680 has? Thanks. 

Carbon-nanotubes require usage of the noise file, if you want the burn-in to be done quickly.
You can use bass-heavy music instead, but it will take longer.

 

[PurpleAngel]

   
Sorry, but I have no idea what you mean. Can't I just use different CD's with my A/V receiver? Is this how all headphones should be burned in, or just the type of driver the HAS-680 has? Thanks. 

 
 
Usually when I burn in headphones I plug them into my A/V receiver and set my Cable box to the Metal music channel and put the headphones under a blanket.
Then let them break in over several nights.
 
I would recommend with low impedance headphones, like the HA-S680, you computer might be a little better for breaking them in.
Receiver's headphone outputs usually have a high impedance, which can drive low impedance headphones a little "funny".
I'm making a wild guess your receiver will not break in the HA-S680s in as fast as the computer will.

 

[musubi1000]

I just play music through mine and they are blooming just fine. I've never heard of over burning. But I have heard of burning out a driver.

Day 4: mids and highs are resolving like everyone else has witnessed. The mid bass bloat is calming down and fading but still rears it's head every now and then. Overall better than before.

 

[K.T.]

   
One of 2 things have happened:
 
1) You have overburned S680 - either burned them too long or at too high volume.
     If the drivers become too flexible, they won't produce optimal sound - just like when they are too rigid.
    My pair sounded great after 48 hours.
 
2) During shipping some moisture has condensated around the drivers, and dripped inside after you started using them.
 
I recommend to stop the burn-in, and put S680 inside a headphone case with a few silica gel packets inside earcups for 2-3 weeks.
It should solve both problems.

 
 
I have never heard of problems with burning in too long. Is this something unique to carbon nanotube drivers?
 
I can see how the drivers may get damaged if played for a while on too loud a volume - heat can melt the glue, etc..
 
For several intermittent days, I did hook it up to my radio playing bass heavy club mix music. But I set the music just above what was comfortable to my ears. The drivers weren't jumping out of the cups or anything. There might have been a little distortion in the treble every now and then, but it didn't strike me as a volume level that should damage a set of head phones.
 
I also did the same with the white/pink/brown burn in tracks for two or three nights on repeat. Loud enough to be uncomfortable to listen to, but not so loud that they were distorting or jumping out of the cups.
 
It was kind of interesting, because the more I burned them in, the muddier they seemed to be getting. I took it to be a middle point in the process where it sounds bad before improving again. That still may or may not be the case.
 
Regarding moisture, I'm pretty sure there was no extraneous moisture that got into the phones. The box was totally normal when I unpacked them. I'd think if there were enough moisture to drip into the drivers, there would be evidence of water staining/warping on the cardboard box. There was not.
 
So I'm going to put them aside for a while and revisit them later. If the sound the same after a rest, I'll have no choice but to give some more burn-in to see if they improve.
 
It just strikes me as odd that a set of drivers could move towards sounding permanently bad, unless there were some real damage that occurred during the burn-in process. I don't think there was, but it may be possible.

 

[BenF]

   
 
I have never heard of problems with burning in too long. Is this something unique to carbon nanotube drivers?
 
I can see how the drivers may get damaged if played for a long time on too loud - heat can melt the glue, etc..
... It was kind of interesting, because the more I burned them in, the muddier they seemed to be getting. I took it to be a middle point in the process where it sounds bad before improving again. That still may or may not be the case.
....
Regarding moisture, I'm pretty sure there was no extraneous moisture that got into the phones. The box was totally normal when I unpacked them. I'd think if there were enough moisture to drip into the drivers, there would be evidence of water staining/warping on the cardboard box. There was not.

 
The drivers wouldn't be damaged in this case, they just would be too flexible - which is just as bad as too rigid.
...
They are not supposed to get muddier during burn-in - everybody's impressions are a continuous improvement.
Are you sure you've made no changes in your chain of equipment?
...
If only you knew how little moisture is required to throw the sound off...

 

[K.T.]

   
The drivers wouldn't be damaged in this case, they just would be too flexible - which is just as bad as too rigid.
...
They are not supposed to get muddier during burn-in - everybody's impressions are a continuous improvement.
Are you sure you've made no changes in your chain of equipment?
...
If only you knew how little moisture is required to throw the sound off...

 
Well, I don't doubt that playing music affects the compliance of the drivers. That's what burn-in is, in the first place.
 
But does it make sense that playing music over a relatively short period of time would make the drivers so flexible that it ruins the sound? Would that not happen for anyone who listens to music quite loudly? It seems odd that listening to music fairly loudly for around 100 hours would ruin the drivers like that. But I don't know.
 
And if this is the case, do the drivers self-correct after some rest? It seems like a design flaw if the headphones can be ruined after about 100  hours of music is run through them.
 
No, I listened to the same setup each time - either my FiiO X3 or a HTC One V running Neutron Player through a Schiit Vali amp and the S680.
 
Maybe moisture is affecting the drivers, I don't know. But it would have to be moisture from the air as I never saw any indication of moisture on the box or headphones. You know, I would think just the moisture evaporating off my ears would be more than any moisture that was present in the box or on the headphones while they were in transit. The phones came packaged in their retail box, then wrapped in a plastic bag, then sealed inside a shipping box. None of the packaging showed any sign of wetness or dampness.
 
Also, have you ever sweated on a hot day when using headphones? Now that's moisture level I would be worried about. So far, nothing that intense - I haven't sweated while using these phones. 
 
But your skin releases a lot of evaporative moisture as a normal condition, and inside the closed cups, I'm sure that level of moisture exceeds anything the phones experienced in transit. Still, none of my other Carbon Nano-Tube phones seem to suffer from the same issue (my 2 pair of S400s) given moisture coming from my ears.
 
I don't know what's causing it. Could me moisture, but it seems headphones should be able to withstand the amount of moisture coming from normal, or even sweaty, ears without failing so immediately.
 
Still, the idea of over-working the drivers does hold some appeal. It seems the sound is really out of sorts, currently.

 

[BenF]

If you have burned them for 100 hours at reasonable volume, likely the drivers weren't overburned.
 
It must be the moisture then.
I don't mean the package suffered water damage, it is a result of condensation due to shifts in atmospheric pressure and humidity.
Don't worry about sweating, the sweat will drip down from the pads, not up into the drivers.