[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

My precious Sennheiser HD800 is a well-used purchase from a friend. The headband pad was completely worn out and the ear pads were showing age too.

I spent around 9k Rs. On spares in UK, and have now replaced all that padding as well as removing dirty from the frame. It looks and feels much better.

Just curious what amps or dacs are you driving these with?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

Just curious what amps or dacs are you driving these with?

Nothing special, but still I prefer the HD800. I have heard them connected to superior amps, and they can get much better than my day to day experience.

Mostly, I am just using the headphone-out from my Cyrus integrated amplifier, but that seems to have suffered from a power surge and is now awaiting a trip to the hospital. Instead, I am using my ifi ican headphone amp. I have a little geekout somewhere, that works well, but it has gone missing.

for DAC, I have gone back inside the box with a Julia@.

In case you have missed my occasional remarks about my aural health, I'm actually more than a bit deaf, and decided not to spend any more money on hifi a few years back. The HD800 has been the big exception: they really do may a difference. What some hear as too much treble is just right for my high-frequency hearing loss. As well as that, though, I find their clean bass resolution delightful.

[naveenvenkatesh]

My beloved Bose SoundSport in-Ear Headphones had the 3.5mm connector bent few days ago.
I am guessing that i might have left the laptop with the cable connected on the bed where the connector got bent.


It was working normally albeit with a crocked connector. However, yesterday, i tried to straighten the connector back to its original position and something snapped.


Although the connector came back to the original position, there is loose contact when connected to either laptop or phone. I need to fiddle with the connector to get proper sound from both earphones. Mic seems to work as i tested it on a call.


Do you guys know if i can replace just the connector or should i just buy a new one? Its been almost 2 years but the sound quality is awesome.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

Do you guys know if i can replace just the connector or should i just buy a new one? Its been almost 2 years but the sound quality is awesome.

You might as well try. But, unless it is a headphone plug that can be unscrewed, so one can see what should be replaced where, you face, if you have to chop it off, not having a clue.

The actual soldering would be the least of your worries.

[naveenvenkatesh]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

You might as well try. But, unless it is a headphone plug that can be unscrewed, so one can see what should be replaced where, you face, if you have to chop it off, not having a clue.

The actual soldering would be the least of your worries.

I spoke to Bose support. Will be taking it to the service center on Thursday. I will try to get it repaired if possible. New one costs 9K so no harm in checking i guess.

[sandeepmohan]

Picked up an el cheapo Sony MDR ZX110AP over the head headphone. Very impressive headphone for the price. There is no fancy noise cancelling so ideally something to use in a quiet space such as your home or office. I had the opportunity to compare this Sony to two higher spec and more expensive Sony headphones. The Sony MDR XB550APB and one other model which I don't quite recall but was only marginally more expensive. The 550 costs 3x more that the 110AP. On listening to them, I found the cheaper 110AP more balanced in audio reproduction. The 550 added bloat by means of a lot more bass (As the model describes) that literally drowned out the rest of the frequencies. More bass isn't a bad thing but it should be quality bass which the 550 was far from delivering.

Build quality is okay. The headphone is light and easy to store. No braided wire or anything. A cheap headphone after all. All in all, this was a bit of a surprise or Sony marketing at its best.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Never the less was looking for a budget Bluetooth headset (with mic) for office commute. Any suggestions in budget of 7-8k? Sennheiser - HD 4.40 BT is the one I am looking at right now. Comes @ around 7.5k in Amazon. Only issue is it doesn't come with noise cancellation. Looking forward to some suggestions ?
Thanks in advance

Bottomline, if ANC is the primary reason for purchase, look else where (ex TaoTronics EP01/Bose depending on budget).

Audio reproduction initially was for sub par, but improves with use. After 15-20 hours of use, the audio sounds good and balanced, this is a personal preference, and I liked the output.

The headphones have excellent noise isolation due to the good quality cups and fit. Noise cancellation from my use was a huge disappointment. I've not used it yet in a street/airplane yet. Noise reduction was not really significant compared to the ANC Off state for background noise @home.

Excellent bluetooth connectivity. Able to pair 2 devices, which is a boon for my use, can use my mobile and laptop at the same time.
The bluetooth connectivity is also excellent, signal was received at around 30feet with an intervening wall.
Call receive works fine and sound quality was good at both ends (good mic) of the call.

Also, comes with an lockable AUX cable - have not tried it though.

The battery life has been good, even after 15-20 hours of use, still going strong.

The pack came with a softpouch - nothing great, functional. Would have been good if there was an option of a hardcase.

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Do you see the possibility that it is indeed a knock-off? I still can't believe that they could sell a real one at that price.

Came with a QR code on the box, but haven't gotten around to checking it.

[naveenvenkatesh]

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

I spoke to Bose support. Will be taking it to the service center on Thursday. I will try to get it repaired if possible. New one costs 9K so no harm in checking i guess.

Visited Bose support today. They said it would cost about 4-5K to repair and add a new set of wires. But they had an 50% discount on a new one if i exchanged. It was a no brainer. Got a brand spanking new SoundSport for 5K

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by naveenvenkatesh

Got a brand spanking new SoundSport for 5K

Excellent result. I'm glad you didn't try my DIY advice!

[naveenroy]

After years of buying cheap earphones, I finally bought the Shure SE215. Love it. It is not noise cancelling but it is built in such a way that it creates a nice fit in the ear and I do not hear anything outside - even when taking the metro. Just on a whim, I tested it against the other earphones I have picked up over the years - JBL, Sennheiser, SkullCandy and some nameless brand in Amazon USA. What a world of a difference! The bass is so clean on the Shure and it has a nice soundscape without sounding too harsh at all.

The only other headphones I love and still own (after 10 years) is the Sennheiser HD 202 - still going strong.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by promit

I received my HD 4.5 BTNC yesterday. Sharing some initial impressions.

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Do you see the possibility that it is indeed a knock-off? I still can't believe that they could sell a real one at that price.

I finally received it two days ago. Amazon managed to get it to me in TVM within the promised date in spite of the floods.

The box sure looks non-premium, but I think it is fine. There is some class in the textured brown box. And unboxing took hardly 30 secs. The bundled case is spartan and does not offer any protection.

The most important thing, the sound quality is very good. I am not a sucker for bass, and whatever bass is there is still above my preferred level. Am yet to listen to it back-to-back with my AT MSR7, or maybe I don't to do that and feel disappointed. For now, the AT will stay at home and the Sennheiser at office.

Overall, I feel its worth the 6740 rupees I spent.

[SPARKled]

Just ordered Tin audio T2 and KZ ES4 which are currently on sale on AliExpress. These are multiple driver IEMs at really affordable prices which was unheard of a few years back.

[promit]

Guys, I am looking at a reasonable pair of wireless earphones for running and for the gym. I sweat a lot. Am thinking of going in for a JBL T110BT or or the T205BT. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by civic-sense

I finally received it two days ago. Amazon managed to get it to me in TVM within the promised date in spite of the floods.

The box sure looks non-premium, but I think it is fine. There is some class in the textured brown box. And unboxing took hardly 30 secs. The bundled case is spartan and does not offer any protection.

The most important thing, the sound quality is very good. I am not a sucker for bass, and whatever bass is there is still above my preferred level. Am yet to listen to it back-to-back with my AT MSR7, or maybe I don't to do that and feel disappointed. For now, the AT will stay at home and the Sennheiser at office.

Overall, I feel its worth the 6740 rupees I spent.

I looked up the standard packaging for the Sennheiser HD 4.5BTNC. It looks nothing like this. This I believe is an Amazon India inititiative. I ordered a couple of things from Amazon and they came in similar packages.

I had ordered it at 15K, and picked it up at 7.5K during the sale. Returned the second one. For 7.5K it's fine. Wouldn't have been saying that if I had paid 15K. Battery life comes across as very good. I have used it extensively in the last ten days. Was initially unhappy with sound quality, but it seems to have improved? A 10 hour burn in perhaps. Very thrilled with the sound quality. Wasn't looking for something that was bass heavy anyway. Comfort is okay for maximum two hours at a stretch. I expected a lot more from the noise cancelling to be honest.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

Just ordered Tin audio T2 and KZ ES4 which are currently on sale on AliExpress. These are multiple driver IEMs at really affordable prices which was unheard of a few years back.

Damn, those are some really good reviews! Tempted to try those too.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by promit

I looked up the standard packaging for the Sennheiser HD 4.5BTNC. It looks nothing like this. This I believe is an Amazon India inititiative. I ordered a couple of things from Amazon and they came in similar packages.

Check this video. From the accent of the reviewer it is evident that it is not in India. The box looks same as what our SE comes with.

About noise cancellation, it is more like noise reduction. I could still hear people around talking but it was muffled. I guess I can live with that.

BTW, one quick question. What happens if you forget to switch off the headphone after use? Mine had noise cancellation on when I left office leaving behind the headphones in the drawer. And it would be lying there until Tuesday. Am I risking damaging the headphones?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34IRPBh-9fc