I bought a "spare" pair of Sennheiser 102s a few weeks ago from Amazon.
At first they sounded good, but now I'm detecting some scratchy noises in the background.
I've been trying to eliminate the reasons for these - possibly compressed audio artefacts etc., and I wondered if listening from my iMac headphone output could be a source.
However, I'm coming round to the conclusion that the phones may be faulty, and have a small but irritating fault - perhaps a loose wire somewhere inside.
When I plug in my Beyerdynamic DTX900s the background noise levels drop to near zero on the same music.
Has anyone else noted problems with low level background noises using headphones? If I can confirm the problem, then I think I'll have to send the 102s back, but if I do that should I just go for a refund, or try another pair?
[Darn - I thought I'd posted this already - now have to retype! How often do others do that?]
I've come to the conclusion that the Sennheiser 102s are OK, but they show up faults in the recordings which other headphones (e.g my Beyerdynamics) don't. This is quite often a scratching noise, and in some cases it seems to be programme related. This is particularly noticeable with digitally compressed material, and on some tracks from streaming sites such as Spotify. In many respects the 102s sound similar to the Beyerdynamics, apart from the extra noises.
The issue for me is that the 102s show up problems with many tracks, so that may be a depressing experience. On the other hand, tracks which are good should sound better. There may be other headphones which are not forgiving of poor recording quality or digital compression. One might actually need to have an array of headphones - some to listen to good quality tracks, and some to listen to lower quality tracks, which may nevertheless have some musical merit. Bit like choosing steel versus thorn needles for 78s I guess!
just got a pair of the superlux 668b.Straight out the box they sound very good indeed. Should I leave music playing through them to run them in ?
Ordered a FIIO E10 as they seem a bit harder to drive than my 202s.
Here is a photo of my 681's with a few modifications courtesy of Rock Grotto The mods include filter, aluminium ring set, leather headband, velour pads, decent quality cable and some internal damping.
Fairly good sound wise but bettered by the later models.
They are lovely and comfortable, like snuggling in between a nice pair of breasts.
Jerry
Hifi: IPL transmission line floorstanding speakers, Squeezebox Touch, Denafrips Ares 11 DAC, DCB1 Pre-amplifier, Croft Series 7 power amp.
Custom Hifi cables HA10SE headphone amplifier and Hifiman HE-400 headphones.
AV system: LG 55B7, Denon AVR -x2300w receiver, Quad 12L (front) 11c Centre and 11L rear . Velodyne DD15 subwoofer.
Now that is a coincidence Tony, I just ordered the same combo as you for my youngest daughter's christmas, E10+668B. They seem to be a decent set of cans for the money. I had never heard of that make until recently....
I'm praying it turns out to be an acoustic cure for her mp3itis, and she actually realises what decent quality sound is...... One can but hope...
Now that is a coincidence Tony, I just ordered the same combo as you for my youngest daughter's christmas, E10+668B. They seem to be a decent set of cans for the money. I had never heard of that make until recently....
I'm praying it turns out to be an acoustic cure for her mp3itis, and she actually realises what decent quality sound is...... One can but hope...
Bob,
I've only got a few hours on them but must admit they have pleasantly surprised me.They are harder to drive than my 202s,the lap top is nearly up full and my wee cowon player just cant go loud enough to get a boogie on.Still waiting on the e10,just hoping its more neutral than the e7 I had.I will post when I have tried the two in place.
Tony.
Looking forward to that Tony, as I doubt my daughter has the breadth of experience to really benchmark the combo. The 668B certainly seems to be well thought of, even if the newer models are purportedly better (whenever they become more commonly available). At the price point, they seem hard to beat.
I noted the earlier comment on fitting AKG foam covers to obviate sweat build up, and must look further into that. My own student days were drowned lugs under a pair of closed Koss cans, which were not ideal. How do you find the Superlux in that respect?
They're semi open so not too bad.I can wear them for a couple of hours without a problem.They aint pretty and feel very plasticky but hey....they sound great.Took a bit of faffing to get comfy with them as I didnt realise the head band is independently adjustable (should really start reading the instruction manuals).
They seem to be burning in nicely.
When the 661s are available I might invest in a pair of them.At least that way when my son borrows cans there might be a pair left for me.
The 668bs are a quantum leap over the sennhieser hd 202s , did a comparison last night. Enough to make me think that some really expensive cans have a place in my life.
Tony.
The 668bs are a quantum leap over the sennhieser hd 202s , did a comparison last night. Enough to make me think that some really expensive cans have a place in my life.
Tony.
Glad it is all working out, and equally thankful for your report as the HD202's were another set which were on my shortlist. Are you noticing any improvement with the two settling down after a day or so of use ?
From so many reviews, despite the overwhelming number of users advocating X, the occasional negative review has left me puzzled whether it is different ears, music, or system synergy. At least I know this combo sounds good to you, so it should sound brilliant to my daughter, who has apparently received the Fiio but not yet the cans (reverse order of despatch).
I can expect a tortuous phone conversation mid-week on Asio, foobar, etc...
Originally Posted by dave2010
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The mods include filter, aluminium ring set, leather headband, velour pads, decent quality cable and some internal damping.
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