Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?
Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...
Apr 23, 2024
- Tonality, better actually. I feel this is a bit more natural through most male vocalists with less heat applied. A phenomenal song for testing here is “Devotional” by Sivert Hoyem. This song has layers and layers of tones, textures and nuances that few male recordings have. Giving me hard Chris Jones flashbacks. Female voices are also benefited, but not as much and can still sometimes feel a little far away, but also a bit shouty from time to time.
- On a side note, If you are into vocals above any other aspect in music, I would recommend a 6XX instead of this.
Bass - A slight improvement over the 800S, but still not a bassy headphone, which for the purpose of the 8XX is kind of a good thing. I am not sure exactly what the difference in resonators are between this and 800S, but the bass does have a different attack between the two. The 800s sounds a little bit more distorted to me and almost “loose”. 8XX cleans this up a bit and hits a little bit harder under 30-40 hz, but is largely the same through the midbass. Imaging and Staging - Of course it’s world class. Anything even breathing the same air as an HD800 is going to have both imaging and soundstaging that competes with the best of them, this being no exception. BUT! It has a specific flavor of staging. Instruments have a concrete like placement in the stage, with loads of room to breath between spaces. This headphone does lack a bit of a “height” factor to the soundstaging, like you might get with some planars, like an Arya.(you knew I would bring it up at some point). What I mean by this, is an orchestra on an 8XX largely feels like it’s playing on a horizontal plane, rather than sounding like it’s coming from the basement and the rafters. EQ - Well, the bones of the HD8XX driver is the same as the 800S, and it seems to EQ to about the same amount. Pretty wide variability and control over what comes out, but, not some infinitely manipulatable sound. Small corrections to problem areas however, it responds to well. Gaming - Hardcore Audiophiles might scoff at this part a bit, but everyone has their own use case for headphones, and part of my testing always includes a bit of gaming. I have been claiming for years that the 800S is the very best gaming headphone. The 8XX is now an equal to that headphone for gaming in my book. If you are one of them crazy gamer kids looking for the very best headphone exclusively for games (especially competitive shooters), I would look no further than this. To set some expectations. What I mean by the best, is when looking at this as a tool, not a fun having device. The bass is a little light for immersive explosions. This stands out for it’s god tier representation of player placement with sound. In some games, it’s like having wall hacks with your ears. That is what I mean by the best. As a tool, not as a toy. (reading this last part back, it sounds so dramatic… but hopefully you get my point) Comparisons - VS HD 800 S - HD8XX subbass is stronger, but not by much. Lower midrange "body" is a little beefier, but upper midrange "body" is a little muffled. Treble is largely the same with no major notable changes to my ear. Maybe a small change here and there, but it could easily be unit variance. Placement and positioning of soundstage also feels identical with the exception of voices being a tiny bit larger on 8XX, feeling a hair more present. Overall, it sounds like an 800s. If I put mine down for 2 weeks and you swapped it, I probably would not notice until I compared it to each other. Win for 8XX! VS HD800 (OG) - HAHAHAHA - Just get this. It is better. -Basically- an upgrade to the 800s for 500 cheaper. If you were considering it, now is the time, the used market for 800 is so good right now. Conclusions - In the end, through all the comparisons and explanations, one thing is still very clear about the 8XX: It’s STILL, in 2021, a UNIQUE sound signature. Nothing really sounds quite like the 800 series, love it or hate it. Beyerdynamic had the opportunity to swoop in and scoop up this market with the T1 Gen 3, but really failed to deliver on any improvement over the Gen 2. So here we are, for this type of sound, the 800 series stands alone. Right now, it appears your options are 800S now or 8XX in a few months and save $500 for a good amplifier, like a THX 789 or Topping A90 or, idk, buy some GME or BTC lol. (last consideration - If you get a balanced amp, this does not come with a balanced cable, so factor that into your cost analysis). So, is it worth the price if you are willing to wait? I have exactly the same reservations for the 8XX that I did the 800s. I also have largely the same compliments. If the sound signature appeals to you, I do think this is a good value, especially with the early bird perks. PS. Excuse any brevity errors.