[aragornmustdie]

Attached is the amp I'm talking about.

 

[Valens7]

FWIW, my HD600 is absolutely singing in the rig I have right now. I'm sorry, but anyone who says this headphone doesn't have any synergy with the Gilmore Lite is just crazy! Or, more likely, they have a different sense of what constitutes good sound than myself.

Having tried several different types of headphones in the past year since I got into this hobby, the HD600 remains my favorite. It doesn't matter what kind of music it is, it just puts out great sound. I'm pretty damn satisfied.

 

[aragornmustdie]

Any ideas guys? So the amp is the sole factor? A US$50 Rolls amp drives HD600 better than IQube V2? Ha!

 

[rhythmic_impulse]

I'm not sure if i am having problems with my HD600. At one time while listening to the HD600 audio on the left side disappears until I shake my head and then the audio will return. This happens twice and thereafter no more of this. But lately I noticed when listening to mono recordings, the sound image doesn't center exactly and violins for instance sounded more to the right. It sounded like the entire mono image is off to the right by about 5%. In stereo recordings, I get the impression that the left side is softer and less bright compared to the right. At first I thought it was my head-amp, switching to the HD595, mono recordings are centred exactly.

Trying the HD600 on other amps also show this slight veer to the right. Is there a problem with it? Anyone experienced with the mono imaging of the HD600 exactly in the center? Or should I send in for warranty?

 

[john53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmic_impulse /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure if i am having problems with my HD600. At one time while listening to the HD600 audio on the left side disappears until I shake my head and then the audio will return. This happens twice and thereafter no more of this. But lately I noticed when listening to mono recordings, the sound image doesn't center exactly and violins for instance sounded more to the right. It sounded like the entire mono image is off to the right by about 5%. In stereo recordings, I get the impression that the left side is softer and less bright compared to the right. At first I thought it was my head-amp, switching to the HD595, mono recordings are centred exactly. Trying the HD600 on other amps also show this slight veer to the right. Is there a problem with it? Anyone experienced with the mono imaging of the HD600 exactly in the center? Or should I send in for warranty?

Maybe the pressure from the one of the two earcups is greater than the other.Or maybe you must be more carefull with the headphone positioning on your head.Also,check the earpads,maybe one earpad is a bit shorter than the other(because they take the shape of your head),and so there is a slight inbalance between the two channels.

I personally believe there is nothing wrong with your headphones,try to experiment to find the right position on your head.

 

[rhythmic_impulse]

I tried adjusting the positioning and even swap the foams, and different cables. I still get this imbalance. Mono recordings don't sound exactly dead center, especially compared to my HD595. It seems OCD but it bothers me when I listen to mono recordings it sound not centered and dialogues in movies is also off. I might add that it didn't sound like this before the two incidents where the audio suddenly disappeared on the left. Just before the audio disappear then was a slight electronic "sizzle" sound.

 

[Quaddy]

wipe the trs jack clean and out of interest, invert phase meaning swap the left ear cable to the right and vice versa and then see if the imbalance remains or has swapped over to the other side

 

[rhythmic_impulse]

Yup, swap the channels, clean the trs....The imbalance is still there on mono recordings. In fact, it sounded even more pronounced.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

The HD580/HD600 can have a problem that causes an intermittent or poor connection with the little plug connector that is in each ear cup. It's more of an issue with older models. They did something to make that connection more reliable in later models. I'm not sure what they changed or when.

You mentioned that you swapped cables. Unplugging and reconnecting the cable in each ear cup can be enough to make sure that connection is proper.

My HD600 and HD580 are old. At least 10 years old now. They've had intermittent connection problems at times. Wiggling the plugs or unplugging and replugging would fix it. I have now switched to the HD650 cable which has a larger plug for each ear cup and is more secure and doesn't wiggle as much. That has fixed the intermittent connection problems for me.

Here's two pages on how to fix an intermittent connection problem in the old HD580/HD600. I've not (yet) needed to do the fix myself.
580 Intermittency Repairs
How to Fix an Intermittent Connection in Sennheiser 580 & 600 Headphones
The second one is an old tech note by HeadRoom now found in Archive.org

Before doing that fix I'd contact Sennheiser first and see what they say. The main reason being they changed something in the plug for newer models. I'm not sure what. And I'm not sure how that would affect the fix. The fix is also delicate. You can accidentally break the wire going to the voice coil or lose the spring.

 

[rhythmic_impulse]

@Quaddy...I tried again and clean the TRS jack, and insert the jack into the AMP plug slowly.... it seems to work. The mono image is more centered now although it's not 100% dead center. I didnt realise there is so much auditory cues that can be missing if the spatial balance is not exact. Now I can hear a sense of depth to the signal.

@Ham Sandwich, thanks for pointing out about the plug connection issue, and thanks for posting the guidelines. It may not be something that everyone wants to try but it is still something to think about.

My HD600 plugs are custom made since I am using a aftermaket cable. It slightly larger than the stock ones but the fit seems secure. I just bought the 'phone about 3 months ago so it could be that I am having the newer models. On the stock cable, the mono image is still off-center but not that obvious compared to listening through an upgrade cable.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Since your headphones are new it's not going to be the old intermittent contact problem. So don't worry about that.

Could it be in the amp? Some amps can have a channel imbalance. Usually due to the volume pot. Some volume pots can be slightly more or less off at different volume positions.

 

[rhythmic_impulse]

Well...I am really surprised....i told an audiophile friend of mine who owns really high end stuffs. He came over with three discs...some sort of demagnetising and system enhancer, cant be sure of the titles, played through my system for about 3 hours...

When i put on my headphones again...my jaw almost drop...LOL...the image is centered again...and funnily I hear more into the music... Didn't realise these can actually workout an issue on my system.

 

[dweaver]

Just picked up a pair of these babies in the FS forum. I have AD700 and AD900 headphones and was struggling with to harsh a treble with the AD900. I bought these hoping they would address that issue and possibly give a bit more bass. My only concern was the mids but I hoped my brighter amp would help overcome that area.

All I can is WOW, these are so much better than my AD900 for me. I no longer have the treble issue, the mids are very close to what I had with the AD900, and the bass is better. They are simply better balanced, sound wise. The only area the AD900 outshines these is the sound stage but I can live with the slightly narrow stage.

I was dead set against a pair of Senns because of the midrange veil I heard with the HD555/595 and what I had read about the bigger Senn's having the same issues. But then I started to read about how this only happened when the phones were not properly amped. I am so glad these reports turned out to be true.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

i got my hd600 about a week ago after missing the sound of my hd650 for a while. at first listen, they sounded harsh and i wanted to get rid of them, but now after a few days i'm really enjoying them, more so than the hd650's. i can wear them for hours and not feel like taking them off.

the veil was always a problem for me when listening to the hd650, but it isn't a case with the hd600. the hd600 with hd650 cable sounds great out of my cd5001 and gilmore lite, but sounds even better out of the mapletree. it does not sound that different from the hd650 at all. the hd600 sounds very well balanced and perhaps slightly more forward and aggressive than the hd650. the hd650 maybe has slightly more detail (this is with the zu mobius cable), a warmer midrange, and deeper bass. i think i'm one of those that prefer the presentation of the hd600 > hd650 because it still has that laid-back sound but it's not overly slow and warm. i think the hd600 just looks better too.

hd650 balanced is probably a much superior phone, but costs way too much to setup. i'm pretty happy with the simple well rounded hd600.

i've been listening to a lot of Jeff Beck recently. it sounds just amazing out of the hd600. nice ambient detail and focus. that's the strong point of the sennheiser sound i think.

 

[tjumper78]

after selling my first pair of hd600 about a year ago (due to personal reasons, not because i didnt like them), i just picked up my second pair today. i am only driving it with ibasso p2 but the sound is so wonderful.
i know that i'm gonna convince myself to get a desktop amp again very soon....
*sigh*