View Full Version : Headphone... break in?
asterisk
09-24-2004, 02:35 PM
I just bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 497 cans and they sound good. I'm coming from a cheapie pair of Aiwas and prior to that 3 pairs of damn Sony 700DJs that I thought I had to have in my club DJ days... :rolleyes:
I'll mostly be using these with my computer/cd player and at the college radio station during my show. And note to all you bedroom DJs, a community radio show is an awesome experience if you ever get the chance!
At any rate I've been reading on a few sites that some headphones benefit from a "break in" period where you play some dynamic music at louder volumes for a while. Is there any truth to this?
ericl
09-24-2004, 03:05 PM
Hey *,
I have the 497s. in fact I'm wearing them right now. I really like them, I'm considering getting a headroom total bithead for them.
anyway, about break in, I'm not very good at observing more subtle changes in gear, and if i do i usually attribute it to what I am listening to, both the recording and the playback mechanism. That said, I did observe some changes in the bass performance on these headphones. At first the bass was pretty strident and almost painful on my ears to listen to, but after I had them longer it seemed to smooth out and become more tuneful and nice to listen to. So, maybe that was "breakin"..
hope this helps
eric
Dusty Chalk
09-24-2004, 05:38 PM
At any rate I've been reading on a few sites that some headphones benefit from a "break in" period where you play some dynamic music at louder volumes for a while. Is there any truth to this?I'm not familiar with the 497's, but yes, I have experienced break-in. There is some controversy regarding this -- specifically, whether or not the "louder volume" part is necessary. There is lots of theory (on Head-Fi (http://www.head-fi.org/)) discussing why this might benefit loosening up of the bass, but I'm not sure how it would tighten it up. My personal experience has been more towards the higher frequencies -- if they're shrill and/or buzzy, I have found playing them extensively helps to tone them down.
Some speakers break in some don't some do and are unnoticeable. My current speakers have shown break in as did my B&W's - Not so with my other speakers and not with my Headphones.
asterisk
09-25-2004, 09:54 AM
Thanks everyone for your input. When I first got them they sounded a tad sharp but either I got used to them or they have mellowed/smoothed out.
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