I recently got this headset, and wow is it good. My only issue is when certain people talk on discord, I can hear a really high pitched ringing. I fiddled with a bunch of settings, computer audio and discord, and nothing seems to solve the issue. It is primarily if not all in my right ear only. Is there something wrong with my headset, or was that ringing always there I can just hear it cause the headset is THAT good? I haven't had any issues with any other application, though I have yet to test if I can hear the ringing on a different version of discord, say on my xbox instead of my pc. Only other issue I've had is occasional static, but I can't tell if it's from the headset or the show/game/etc.
Apr 24, 2024
My reason for saying the 400i are not the best match is because prior to getting the X1S I picked up a Topping NX4 to drive my 400i and I find the NX4 > 400i pairing to be superior to the X1S > 400i match. Now this is where I may get into trouble. I am not a sound engineer. But this is what I hear or am perceiving. The X1S seems to smooth out/ warm up the music to some extent which is something that the 400i seem to do well on it's own. Leans dark? The NX4 on the other hand might be described as bright and doesn't take the edge off of the hi and mid range like the X1S does.
When I first plugged the 400i into the X1S something didn't sound right. Highs were muted and vocals recessed. Low end was good as always, but something seemed to be missing. When I would plug the 400i into the NX4 the something came back. Highs were fresh and vocals came to the front.
Similarly, the SR80 is more sibilant when driven through the NX4. Not terrible or unbearable, but definitely brighter than when played through the X1S. The bright nature of the SR80 is what drove me to look for a headphone with more low end heft, like the 400i.
All that said, I am very pleased with the X1S it has rekindled my love of the SR80 and I am anxious to try it out with the 6xx which it is supposedly tuned to work well with. If the 400i are you primary set, you might want to consider a different DAC/Amp. Then again, the X1S > 400i may sound great to you.
Good hunting.
I was considering the Sony MDR 1 and may give them a shot a some point in the future. As far as the 400i being boring, I find that an interesting assessment. If you are driving them from a phone they may not be getting the power they need. Mine sound great when amplified properly. That said, I no longer own the 400i as I returned them this afternoon. I owned them for 3 weeks and the headband cracked. This really disappointed me as they were sufficiently burned in and sounding really great to me.
I'm not certain what spending $200 more would get me. Diminishing returns are real.