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
I still don't get mine from the first drop till tomorrow and my tube amp in about a week. I will be writing a review in about week and will be comparing to k7xx, 6xx, these he-4xx, m1060 (and fidelio x2 off of memory).
After reading the comments I think these are probably the best buy for the money.
The HE4XX is built a good bit better than the M1060, but the M1060 is built like you'd expect a $1000 headphone turned into a $300 headphone would be (which I say since it's obviously trying to copy Audeze's aesthetic). Still, despite feeling more solid, Hifiman's pad ring is already getting chewed up after pulling a pad once, the matte blue that I was convinced was a bad idea when I first saw it is already spot glossing from nothing more than setting them down on the desk once or twice after having them for only a day. And I can see why Hifiman sells a handful of different cable options for their headphones... this stock one is crap. Despite thinking the right angle jack is stupid (which both have), the M1060 actually has a pretty nice cable. I used it instead of the stock one while I was wearing the HE4XX.
But on first impressions and only mobo audio (asrock x370 gaming k4).
First, you definitely need an amp for these. At %50 volume they are quiet. M1060 after 6 hours of break in would be really loud at that volume and same with k7xx. 6xx (pretty loud at %80) also need more power but these he-4xx even at %80 to %100 volume does not seem loud enough.
Second, cable is a little short for my liking. Wish it was another foot or two would be nice. So beware of that.
Third, Build is very similar to the m1060 (similar design), just they have a different headband system. Seems more comfortable headband but the system is not good. The m1060 locks into the notches while this 4xx has no notches so the thing starts to sag down which then giving more pressure on the top of my head over time and starts to be comfortable as I am writing this. Big sad face :( Ear pads are comfyish but there is some clamp, but its not bad (not as bad as 6xx).
Forth, Mine seem to be fine condition.Both sides produce matched volume. No grill problems, and I can't get them loud enough to hear any bass rattle that others have mentioned. So that's good.
Fifth, audio? I don't want to say too much. I am going to let them burn them in for at least 2 hours and I need to grab a laptop and try them on one of my receivers (since I don't have my headphone amp yet). But they sound a bit dull and less soundstage and imaging. They sound good tho, good bass and crisp highs (bright, not dark) and good vocals. I think the are a good buy, but for a little more money I might recommend something else after I have spent plenty of time with all these headphones.
Already mentioned my solution to 2. M1060 cable is much better for my use. For those curious about alternatives, you don't need a TRS plug, and I have no idea why Hifiman is cheap enough to do it this way (3 pin TRS jack in the headphones with the ring tab disconnected and the cables are the same way at the plug) in even their expensive stuff. Even Monoprice's goofy crammed in jack is only TS as required.
3. Clamp was awful on mine. I bent them out and it's better, but I don't like the headband design. The M1060 band is extremely cheap feeling, and the drivers swing around way too freely, but I think it's still a bit more comfortable. Outside of the K7XX, all of these have steel bands that can be tweaked to varying degrees to make them better in regard to clamping though, so that's fairly minor.
4. The grille cloth on one side of mine has a weird little snag in the grille hole, but super minor. I've probably pushed more power than your mobo audio is capable of through mine and had no rattle, so I'll back that up.
5. More power will help for sure. Mine sound pretty dead until they get enough power to them. Still, I ripped my M1060 pads off and sandwiched them between the HE4XX drivers and my head and they sounded better than anything I got from them in stock form, at least to my ears. Not saying they were ideal, as they're oversized, the positioning was odd, and they weren't actually attached to anything, but the amount it did change had me looking to alternatives already. I don't know that I'd stick with the solid protein leather with a swap, but just being significantly thicker seemed to help some of my complaints. That said, I'm not a fan of the velour, so maybe I would try a leather pad just to get some of the itchy velour (Beyerdynamic DT250 pads and Sennheiser HD 25-1 II pads don't itch for me, so I don't know why these bother me, but they do) out of there.
Overall, good, but there's plenty in competition at this price point. Definitely worth checking out everybody's opinions on these and the others before jumping on one (unless you just want all of them...).
With a little break in they sound tiny bit less dull now. Not as dead sounding when I first turned them on, I definitely can't judge them till I try amping them. I didn't mention but I do agree the pads do itch a little, but it's not enough to bother me but enough to prefer something like the m1060 feel.
Bass: 6xx wins (punchy and boomy). > m1060 (a bit less boomy) > k7xx (same as m1060 but less power) > he-4xx Vocals m1060 (clear and detail) > 6xx or k7xx > he-4xx Highs: m1060 > 6xx or k7xx > he-4xx Soundstage and imaging and separation and detail: m1060 (a lot better) > k7xx > 6xx (loses here) > he-4xx
Gaming: M1060 wins over the k7xx. The last comparison the m1060 is a lot better.
For music: Other than bass the m1060 wins. I do prefer the 6xx over the k7xx for music and the 6xx has that bass. he-4xx sounds dull and boring and is easily the worst here. But if I am listening to more soundstage music like video game music the m1060 is the best choice since it sounds better in everything.
Not going to name the seller, because he is allowing me to return it. Still a bit shady tho.