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 plugged in a few numbers into the headphone power calculator here (https://www.headphonesty.com/headphone-power-calculator/) and found that a Sennheiser HD650 (6xx should be identical) is green-lit for use with my FiiO A3 at 110dB-SPL. Personally, I found that this pushed a bit too close to the upper limit of the A3. It's plenty loud, but the amp starts to sound strained when maxed out like this. Rolling it back a little sounds better to me and is still more than loud enough for my general listening needs (though I might want a little extra power if I was specifically trying to rock out at what I would consider "loud" volumes). Sources I tested were a FiiO X5iii and Shanling m0, both hovering around 80-85% max volume.
FiiO lists the output power of the A3 at 270mW @32ohms (doesn't clarify per channel) vs. the NX3s at 545mW x 2 @32ohms. So minimally, the Topping will be twice the power (or about a +3dB gain), and if the FiiO isn't producing that power per channel, then it's closer to 4x (or about a +6dB gain). For reference, most people consider +10dB to be twice as loud perceptually. So I'm guessing the bump won't be massive, but still fairly significant.
That means (for my ears specifically): the Topping will have plenty of power to get my Sennheiser 6xx's as loud as I'd want to listen and still have a little headroom to spare. My preferred listening volume may not line up with yours though, so your mileage may vary.
It might not be the most straightforward answer, but hopefully that helps you come to a decision.
Also (just in case), be careful in terms of what reviews you are reading. Topping makes both an NX3 and this amplifier: the NX3s. The NX3s has notably more power; so if the comment you read about the NX3 falling short refers to the older/original NX3, it may be misleading you in terms of what the amp is capable of.