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
- Closed back: sadly, I'm never in an environment quiet enough for open backs. This also has the fringe benefit of removing the most expensive headphones from consideration. :)
- Good sound from any source: after years of messing with DACs and amps, I realized that adding more complexity to your playback chain is a major obstacle to enjoying music. The more upstream gear you add, the more likely you'll trade the simple pleasures of music for the neurotic pursuit of impossible perfection. This allowed me to rule out headphones that need an amp to shine, which really pares down the field.
- Forgiving treble: I'm sensitive to high frequencies, so I tend to prefer "darker" to "brighter" sound signatures.
Putting all these factors together, these are what I've been looking for all these years, and while I could say I wish I'd known about them a few years and a few thousand dollars sooner, it's possible that if you meet your headphone match too soon, you won't recognize it. Once you embark on any sort of grail quest, you'll travel far even if it's just to end up close to where you started. So no regrets! :) In addition to fulfilling the requirements above, the E-MUs have the following sound highlights:- Awesome quality and quantity of bass: these are a basshead's dream come true: I would say bass response is the dominant feature of their sound. Note that the bass isn't as quick or dynamic as the NightOwl, to say nothing of the LCD-X.
- Great treble extension without being painful: the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Oppo PM-3 are both examples of headphones whose treble rolls off too soon, to the point that some recordings sound lifeless or incomplete.
- Smooth, natural timbre: perhaps unsurprisingly, the combination of two organic materials in critical places—biocellulose drivers and wooden ear cups—creates a very natural sound. There's a reason musical instruments and speaker cabinets are made of wood, and these headphones definitely benefit from the unique sonic properties of wood, in this case teak. This is their secret sauce relative to other closed headphones I've tried. This benefit is reduced if you don't listen to a lot of jazz and classical, though.
- Soundstage is big and open for a closed design. There's good width, but not much depth.
- Putting all this together with their undemanding power requirements, these are the solid headphones for gaming, even plugged straight into a PS4 controller. Video game sounds are usually V-shaped, so these are a natural fit. I would imagine they'd be perfect for movies too, but the only time I watch movies on headphones is during flights, and these aren't travel friendly.
Here are the not-so-great things about their sound (with stock pads):- Bass can be overpowering and boomy on certain tracks, crowding out the gentler mids.
- As is the case with most V-shaped headphones, imaging isn't the best. These don't create a razor-sharp stereo image with clear instrument separation. They're warm and syrupy and kind of stir sounds together (with the exception of the highest frequencies). Depending on your tastes, this will either sound "musical/natural" or "congested." That said, these don't fall apart with fast/busy music like drum and bass or metal, so to me it's not a big deal. Even so, I don't think anyone would call these "analytical." If you like maximum detail and crystal-clear imaging (generally exemplified by the HD800 series), you probably won't like these.
- Sibilance can be a real problem on some tracks, and this is true even after swapping to different earpads.
And finally, comfort/quality:- Ear openings are too small for Dumbos like me, which limits how long I can keep them on. Fortunately, the earpads are easy to swap, and I'm currently using the Brainwavz XL pads in leather. If you've got the coin, ZMF or Dekoni pads are probably even better. Changing to the larger and flatter Brainwavz pads significantly changed the sound, making it leaner and more open, but also harsher and more sibilant.
- Headband is minimally padded and creates a hot spot on the crown of my head. Something like the ZMF Pilot Pad will correct this. You may not have this problem.
- The earcups swivel! This is an underrated feature that makes a big difference in comfort.
- These are pretty barebones for the price. There's nothing in the box but a 1/4" adapter and a business card for E-MU (lol). Seems odd for the price, but whatever.
- Build quality is excellent. I'm sure this is equally true for everything built on the Foster 443742 platform, but all the structural bits seem to be metal, which reassures me about their longevity. Nothing creaks or squeaks, and the wooden cups are polished nicely.
- The cable length is great for most situations, although when I plug them into my phone and walk around the house it looks and feels absolutely ridiculous because the cable is thick and unwieldy. You'd have to be a real maverick to wear these out.
Anyway, I think I've said more than enough about these, but if this helps even one person find headphone happiness, it will have been worth the time I spent writing this review. Thanks for reading!