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DSK1
10
Apr 10, 2017
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I have been disappointed by many headphones, and the HE-350 is no exception. I usually audition new headphones by listening to Italian Opera with full orchestra and both male and female voices. These headphones distort as the music and voices build to a crescendo. The sound is at all times and all amplitudes muffled. It is not crisp. It does not sparkle. So this headset, which arrived just today, will now take its place on the shelf next to other wholly unsatisfactory, but highly hyped, headphones. I must say that while the prices here at Massdrop are often (but not always) better than amazon, amazon will take anything back, -- good reason, bad reason, no reason. Massdrop will allow returns "in the event a product exhibits a manufacturing defect or arrives damaged." Well, these are just expensive junk, but there is no manufacturing defect. If I had bought them from amazon, they'd be back in the mail for a refund. Instead, because I bought at Massdrop, I will take the loss and they will go back in their box.
Apr 10, 2017
6EQUJ5
459
Apr 10, 2017
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DSK1Out of the box it sucks, with modifications it's better. Bass sticker mod and some tissue paper and padding change outs will help. Most people will be disappointed with these headphones. They sound much better with modifications. Just an FYI. Some people say the bass sticker mod is bad, it's not bad it's because you didn't change out the stock pads for angled HM5 pads. Of course it's going to sound bad with the stock pads. They are also apparently better with AMP+DAC too.
Apr 10, 2017
DSK1
10
Apr 10, 2017
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6EQUJ5Thanks so much for the reply and the suggestions. I am familiar with the mods you suggest. I note that some people who have done the sticker mod have chosen to reverse the mod by putting the stickers back on. It sounds counter-intuitive that the 3-ply toilet paper mode would actually improve the sound, but it's not a problem to give it a try. I've found the angled HM5 pads on amazon for $29.50. I can see how these pads would be more comfortable. I just wonder why you suggest that they will substantially improve the sound. I should try the HE-350's with Amp+DAC, but frankly, I feel that these headphones should work straight out of the box plugged into the headhone jack on my computer. One question concerning "burning in": I saw some comments that suggested that after these headphone had had a good burning-in, they substantially improved. I was familiar with this concept for ear-buds, but not for large diaphragm headphones. What is your view on just plugging them in and letting them play for 24 or 48 hours?
Apr 10, 2017
Mynny
81
Apr 10, 2017
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DSK1I experienced burning-in effect with earphones, but not with headphones, definitely not with HE-350. Bass mod was awful to my ears, toilet paper helped, but not enough. Still too uneven (great for the money in some tracks, unpleasant and harsh in others). I wonder if anyone modded them to the point he can listen to high female vocals (Zaz, Adelle...) for longer than 15 minutes without headache. I ended up selling them and upgrading to HE-400i. In the similar price range, rather try AKG K553.
Apr 10, 2017
DSK1
10
Apr 10, 2017
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MynnyI did the bass mod, listened for about 5 minutes, and then put the stickers back on. With the mod in place i listened to some people talking with British accents and I could not make out what they were saying. After I undid the mod, I had no trouble understanding them. To my ear, the mod deepened the bass but also exacerbated the distortion problem.
Apr 10, 2017
erpy
0
Apr 10, 2017
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6EQUJ5where and how did you put the tissue paper? i did the bass sticker mod and planning to get hm5 pads
Apr 10, 2017
6EQUJ5
459
Apr 11, 2017
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MynnyI can listen to Adelle fine longer than 15 minutes. Of course I have proper mods to tame the treble.
Apr 11, 2017
6EQUJ5
459
Apr 11, 2017
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erpyI put the tissue paper in the ear cup, about 3 pieces layered in each side and layered on-top is a foam insert I took from an old Superlux 681 EVO headset. I tried the silicone moon shape mod someone else recommended. I found it blocks too much sound and made it sound un-natural and did not sound as good as the mod I did. So I returned it back to my modifications. I put enough paper to tame the treble highs.
Apr 11, 2017
6EQUJ5
459
Apr 11, 2017
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DSK1Believe it or not, the distance of the pad away from the drivers makes a difference . People don't like the bass mod because they use it on the stock pads which doesn't provide enough space between the driver and your ear. The bass actually sounds nice with the HM5 pads because it creates a good distance away from the driver and covers your entire ear. It's the reason why changing pads on headphones will alter the sound. For example, if I use HM5's on my Purple Heart they will sound worse because of the increased distance your ear is from the driver. I find the stock pads sound much better than the HM5 angled pads on my Fostex Purple Heart.
Apr 11, 2017
DSK1
10
Apr 11, 2017
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6EQUJ5What you write makes sense to me. I'll go on amazon right now and order the HM5 pads. I sure hope they improve the sound. not just a little, but to the point where I'll enjoy these headphones, because right now I have something slated for the shelf, and the thought of investing even more into these headphones seems ludicrous, but I'll do it on your recommendation. Question: will the HM5 pads improve the sound with and without the bass sticker modification? I've reversed the mod (reinstalling the stickers), so should I make the mod again once I have the new pads in place?
Apr 11, 2017
6EQUJ5
459
Apr 12, 2017
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DSK1Yes, it will improve the sound as your ear is further away from the driver reducing treble. To further reduce the treble you need to cover the driver with X many pieces of tissue paper or paper towel until the treble is to your liking. I tried the bass mod on the stock pads and they are terrible. On the HM5 it is much better because it is further away and creates slightly more of a hollow space between your ear and the driver. Hopefully you have a DAC and AMP too. I can confirm and say that it sounds better with a DAC+AMP along with HM5 pads and some paper towels. Everything is based on your setup, it will only sound as good as your setup and your source.
I use HM5 angled pads with 2-3 paper towels inside each ear and a foam insert ontop of that and have done the bass mod. Then I power them with a Modi 2 Uber and Objective O2 Amplifier and I use DFX Audio Enhancer and have Ambience at 4 and Fidelity at 2, 3D surround is off, Dynamic Boost off, and Hyperbass off. Settings are set to speaker instead of headphones with music set to Type II.
If you were looking for a pair of headphones that are great out of the box with no mods then this is not the headphone for you. Us audiophiles like tinkering and modifying our headsets to our liking. You're better off with the Status CB1's instead of this drop. Though the CB1's build quality is not the best.
Apr 12, 2017
DSK1
10
Apr 12, 2017
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6EQUJ5I don't really mind doing mods, but it seems to me that a new set of highly-hyped headphones should be great from the get-go, and while perhaps a minor tweak to customize the sound for the particular user is appropriate, we should not have to shove toilet paper into the ear pieces to obtain satisfactory sound. I have to say, I have bought headphones on the cheap from groupon which are better than the Massdrop HE-350 creation. I am hopeful they will sound better when I put the new HM5 pads on them, but to my way of thinking, if this is such a necessary improvement, the manufacturer should have built them this way. It seems to me that in this very high-tech world we live in, the idea of shoving toilet paper into the ear pieces to improve the sound probably epitomizes the ultimate low-tech solution. Do you prefer Charmin Extra Soft or Extra Strong? (Rhetorical question; no answer expected.)
Apr 12, 2017
ZQow
70
Apr 15, 2017
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6EQUJ5Sticker mod is absolutely horrible. All it does is increase muddiness. Tissue paper kills the sibilance, but it also kills any details in the highs. All in all this sucks. I'm a first batch buyer so I have more than enough time to experience this headphone. Some burn in does help but it doesn't save it.
Apr 15, 2017
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