Senheiser HD570's sound funky?

[Reverend Maynard]

Howdy all. I just picked up a pair of HD570's from work. We just got them in tonight and with our discount I couldn't pass em up.

I have seen rave reviews of the 570's throughout the web and I believe I saw that Jammrock picked a pair up and liked em.

Thing is, they seem to sound a little off, dunno how just yet, almost like there is too much mid. I'm thinking it has something to do with the fact that the backs of the ear pieces are open, if I cover the backs with my hands they sound more like what I am used to.

I guess my real question is, do these phones really sound off, or am I just used to crappy headphones?

[Liquid Snake]

Headphones, like speakers, are mechanical components, so they need to be broken in before sounding like they should. I haven't heard the HD570's though, so I don't know if they indeed are off.

[Jammrock]

Reverend Maynard,

Can't say for sure. I loved the sound of the HD570's from the second I pulled them out of the box. As LS said, there is a 'break in' period for speakers. Usually around 80 listening hours before they settle in to a distinct sound (there are some people though that don't believe in the break-in period , I do though).

There are other factors that come into play as well. When you are using a high quality set of speakers/headphones, you hear every little detail of the music...this includes any bad parts. If you are listening to an MP3 that wasn't encoded right, you will hear every pop and click in that MP3 loud and clear. If the recording is muffled, it will sound muffled and so forth. There is also the sound device issue (don't know what your connecting your headphones to, so I'm just throwing out suggestions). If you don't have good electronics driving the headphones, that may cause sound troubles as well. My headphone sound much better at home on my SB Live! rig than my work computer, which has a cheap-o Crystal Ware sound card. Connected to my stereo...it sounds wonderful.

And lastly...there is always the ear issue. Everyone listens to things slightly different and has a mental preference on what something should sound like. If you go to my post about Sennheiser headphones you will notice a discussion about Martin Logan and B&W speakers. A couple of us truely enjoyed the sound quality of ML's, while others prefered the sound of B&W's or something else. It's just a matter of preference.

If your running your headphones off your computer, I would suggest 1) use Winamp as your music player, since it has a built in EQ, is small and very modular. 2) Download the MAD plug-in and install it. Follow the directions to make MAD be the default MP3 decoder. 3) Turn on the EQ and tune it to the way you like to hear the music. If you're running it off a stereo...that's a different story...

Hope that helps.

Jammrock

[ALBPM]

I plan on checking a pair of those out this weekend. I'll get back and let you guys know what I think about them. I prefer the lighter more open headphone for comfort and have a "Very" old pair of Sennheisers at home now.

Paul

[Wombat]

High-end headphones sometimes seem like they have a lot of mid's because cheap headphones (and, for example, just about anything from Sony) tend to focus on the highs and lows. More for people who "really want bass" as opposed to "want it to sound right".

Also, are you powering these from a stereo, or a portable? They are 64ohm headphones, and you'll notice some difference.

[Greebe]

Headphones, like speakers, are mechanical components, so they need to be broken in before sounding like they should.

Incorrect.

This only applies to bass drivers (woofers) in normal speaker systems due to the extreme excursions neccessary to reproduce low/sub bass in a typical listening enviroment. This also olny applies these drivers where a cloth spider and or cloth surround are used.

A bass driver does not need to be broken in if these are made from foam or rubber.

Headphone drivers are not made of the same materials and or constructed in the same manner, thus don't need to be broken in per se.

[Indiana]

I can understand what you mean, I didn't like the Sennheiser I've tried up to now, because of their "classic-music" orientation with stressing of the middle frequencies and their very soft sound.
If you're more into pop/rock-music than classic or jazz you should get yourself a Sony (and no, there are not only bad "radio-sound" ones with only bass and trebles), a AKG or maybe a BeyerDynamic. I took the latter over the Sony because it's the most comfortable closed headphone I have ever tried - I normally can't stand closed headphones for longer than 30-45 mins before my ears hurt. I just don't know if those are available outside of Germany (BeyerDynamic is not that big of a company...).

With speakers and headphones (and other hifi equipment as well, BTW) you should ALWAYS test-hear them yourselves to see if it fits your personal sound preferences. Of course it's best to test them with the kind of music you hear as well, so bring some of your own CDs with you (doesn't really make sense to test a speaker with jazz-music if you're only listening to heavy metal) - any good dealer will let you use your own CDs for testing.

EDIT:Ooops, screwed up some sentences again...

[Jon P. Inghram]

No mention of Grado's eh? Hehe, I've got:

Headphones:
Sennheiser HD600
Etymotic ER-4S
Grado SR-80

Amps:
Corda Headamp
Headroom Total Airhead

Accessories:
Technics SH-GE50 EQ
Radio Shack gold cables

Sources:
Denon DCM-370
Panasonic SL-SW860

If you want a nice cheap set of headphones I'd recommend Grado SR-80 or Sennheiser HD495, the SR-80's have a much more "in your face sound", the HD495's are more balanced but also need the source to be turned up higher to get the same volume (less sensitive). Go to Head-Fi and see what others think. Headroom is a good place to buy from, and best of all they have an awesome 30 day money back return policy.

[EvilDonnyboy]

Although I am not an audiophile myself, I can't really argue.

But Greebe, many knowledgable audiophiles would argue with you on whether headphones need "breaking-in". I've heard some pretty convincing arguments from both sides.

My point is, Greebe, your oppinion doesn't always mean facts. For example, just cause I believe in the fact that there is extra-terrestrial life somewhere in the universe, doesn't mean I can all-out say "THERE ARE ALIENS OUT THERE, IF YOU DISAGREE YOU ARE WRONG". No. I treat my oppinion just as that- an oppinion.

Btw, although the 570's are decently powered by Soundcard and portable amps, it's best powered by a real headphone amp, where it will sound much more fuller.

[Jon P. Inghram]

I'm not sure myself about the break-in thing with headphones. The diaphram is flexible, so it's possible there's some microscopic wear going on in the plastic that softens it up after a while, perhaps like a small scale version of what happens when you bend a larger piece of plastic several times, it turns white from microscopic cracks that form, becoming much more flexible before it breaks. Don't get me started on the cable break-in thing though... Vacuum tubes I can see, they've got chemicals in 'em that might be boiled off the electrodes and things like that, but wires?

[Wombat]

www.headphone.com sells BeyerDynamic. I have a pair (395's?)

[Reverend Maynard]

I wish there was someplace around here that I could listen to a wide range of headphones. The main reason I picked up the Sennheisers was the fact that I could easily return them to where I got them, my work. If anyone knows of a good place in Southern Cali I'd love to hear from you. I get kinda bored on my days off so a long drive isn't really a detterant.

I definately plan to give these 570's a good thorough testing though, see if they suit my needs.

My main hangup at this point is finding another set around the same price. I know I know, if I have to ask how much it is, I don't need to buy it, but still.

I read many good things about the Grado series, but they never looked very comfortable. I wore the 570's for about 4 hours last night and never felt a bit of fatigue.

[Wombat]

Grado's <I>are</I> very uncomfortable. I don't really understand why. It feels like I'm holding some OEM or prototype. They do have very good sound, but I have yet to meet a Grado owner who says they "fit quite nicely."

I think it's just a plot: make them look sh*tty and nobody will steal them.

[Greebe]

Indy, I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro's (with a zobel correction filter added)
Yes the Grado's are also very good... Hey KvH what were those you just bought a while back?

EDB... and alot of audiophiles are ate up and technicallly clueless too. Their only concern is the hype factor surrounding the product, which is the only means to set thier minds at ease

My first passion was high end audio design... that means I built the stuff and measured it... many times from scratch, up until my son became very sick about 8 years ago. The physics behind all of this hasn't changed since.

[ALBPM]

Well, I tried the HD-570's and bought a pair. They are a bit forward in the mid-range but still sound great. The place I bought them from was using just a CD player as a source and they sounded very harsh compared to the next lower model and a few other brands.

I took a chance that they were just very sensitive to the source and that paid off. I connected them to my receiver at home and was blown away. Nice full sound and a robust bass. I guess that because of the 64 ohm nominal impedance they require a more powerful source such as a receiver. Plugging them into my CD player directly made them sound harsh...too much mid-range.

I finally found my old pair of Sennheiser's. The wife has them packed with her laptop......LOL She has been using them for the past 6 months or so

Paul