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
- DAC: Schiit Gungnir Multibit (Analog 2 board)
- AMP: THX AAA 789 (fed through balanced and single ended)
- CANS: ZMF Eikon (balanced XLR), Audio Zenith Pmx2 (single-ended 1/8"), CA Andromeda (single-ended 1/8")
I'd say the most notable things about this amp are its:- slam (sub bass extension and bass articulation)
- speed (transients are super crisp and articulate, with crescendos and decrescendos happening instantaneously)
- blackground (extremely low noise floor, allowing micro details to be heard more clearly)
This makes for an incredibly transparent listening experience, with great dynamics. Infected mushroom never made me groove harder, and orchestral pieces never sounded so precise and real, with instrument sounds appearing ephemerally out of silence (a product of that super low noise floor). It's really impressive how low that noise floor is, and I'd go as far as to say this is the most impressive thing about this amp to me. My Andromedas hiss with most amps I've tested (schiit lyr 3, schiit magni 3, oppo ha2se, xduuo xd05, Massdrop LCX, magni 3). The only amps I've heard zero hiss from were the es100, sennheiser hdv 820, and this THX AAA 789. There's no hiss even at high gain, which is absolutely insane to me. Even though the amp isn't truly balanced (see discussion page), I did notice the sound seemed to get even more punchy and controlled out of the balanced out, probably due to the extra power output. I prefer using the amp balanced because of this. Regarding sound signature: Others have mentioned concerns that this amp leans more on the brighter side. I honestly feel this amp is incredibly neutral, with superb subbass extension (slam!) and treble extension (air!). It sounds super natural and balanced pmx2 (which I regard as my standard of neutrality); it slams freaking hard on the eikon (which has a more warm/dark tilt), while giving it more air. Honestly, even though there's no hiss on the andromeda, the amp is way too powerful for that IEM, even on the lowest gain. I had to use my iFi IEMatch to turn the volume to a point where there wasn't channel imbalance, and after that it sounded great. Why only 4 stars? While the soundstage has good width and height, it lacks in depth and layering compared to my lyr 3; instrument separation is still good, but sometimes it can sound a bit flat. Also, while I feel the amp is neutral, it does sometimes sound bright on brighter recordings, and this can make the amp sound fatiguing when listening at louder volumes in extended durations. Warmer/darker headphones will synergize well with this amp on all recordings, but more neutral/brighter headphones may sound harsh and even sibilant at times. Also, the volume knob has very poor tracking from off to 8'oclock, and doesn't work very well for IEMs, even on the lowest volume setting. Overall, this is an excellent solid-state amp for the money, with great slam, speed, and blackground. It lacks in soundstage, however, and at times can be a little harsh/bright with a more neutral/brighter headphone pairing. P.S. Also, the packaging is some of the nicest packaging I've seen! EDIT: 1/21/2019 After extensive listening to this amp compared to other amps, I'm increasing the rating to 5 stars. The transparency, clarity, and speed are insane, the best I've heard. And I've heard many amps, including several thousand dollar amps when I visited Source AV. I think this amp trades blows with those amps at worst, and exceeds some of them at best. That this amp cost me $350 is INSANE. While I do believe a good tube amp has more realistic/holographic sound-staging, I do believe this could be an end-game solid-state amp, and would recommend it now without hesitation.