INTRO

The Oppo PM-3 pads and headband are notorious for flaking off even without use. The bonded leather is of terrible quality. I do not have a good handle on how to replace the headband or what to replace it with, so I just bought a zipper neoprene style headband to cover that. The following is a how-to guide and short review of the replacement pads. I performed this mod a year ago during the pandemic and the YDYBZB pads still seem to be holding up well.

None of my links earn me or Audioreviews.org an affiliate kickback. They are merely links to the products I used.

SUGGESTED TOOLS

• Plastic pry tool (or a butter knife) Plastic is preferred since it is softer and will no mark up the headphones. The butter knife should work too, but no guarantees it will not leave marks on the headphones.
• Small flat bladed screw driver or similar used to scrape and pry glue off or separate the pad.

REPLACEMENT PARTS

• Headband LTYIVABHTTW ($11)
• Brainwaves Sony Replacement Leather Pads–I did not think these fit the original aesthetic but some people use them ($29)-Option 1 (OK)
• YDYBZB Sheepskin leather replacement pads for Oppo PM-1,2,3 ($22)-Option 2 (Better)

PART ONE-PAD BRACKET REMOVAL

First step is to detach the pad retainer bracket off the Oppo PM-3 headphones. There are 6 clips that hold it onto the headphones. Using a blunt plastic tool (preferred as it it should not leave any marks) or a butter knife, carefully insert where the pad meets silver portion of the headphones between the clip sections so as not to break off any clips. Some of the other pictures show where the clips are located.

You can either use a prying lever motion, or a twisting method. I used a twisting motion with the blunt pry tool so that it un-clips without gouging or breaking clips.

PART TWO – PAD REMOVAL

Once the bracket it is off, there are two steps to remove the pads without destruction. If you don’t care then of course cutting and ripping off is an option. I prefer not to add to the destruction and I could technically re-use the pads later for comparison sake.

Using a small flat bladed screw driver, scrape or lift the pad edge that is glued to the backside of the retaining bracket. Slowly work your way around the edge of the pad until fully unglued.

Next, using the same blunt pry tool or butter knife, slide it on the inside of the pad between the filter and bracket and work it around the edge of the bracket to release the ear pad filter from the bracket. It is lightly glued to the bracket in six places as seen below in the photo.

PART THREE – PAD ATTACHMENT

Now onto the next step of attaching the new pads. I choose to use the YDYBZB brand pads because they were closer to the original size however still thicker (~1/16″ or 1.5mm) and felt more premium than the Brainwaves ones in both padding and texture.

The Brainwaves also had a wrinkled appearance that is found along the stitching similar to the Sony’s, but not the Oppo PM-3. The filter of the YDYBZB appears thicker but still relatively close to the original while the Brainwaves was easily thicker having two layers of cloth plus foam. I figured it would not alter the sound too much using the YDYBZB branded pads.

Slowly stretch the lip of the pad over the backside of the bracket. You might need to use the blunt pry tool to aid in stretching it over and use it to rotate around the bracket stretching it out and getting it over the edge. No need to re-glue it in my opinion.

Once it is in position, all that is left is to reattach the pad bracket back onto the head phones. It can be a bit tricky but I recommend slipping the top clips in first, then press firmly on the opposite bottom side to snap it back in to the two bottom clips.

Once those two clips are attached, press firmly along the left and right side edges working your way around to re-attach the remaining 2 side clips with a satisfyingly snapping sound.

SOUND CONCLUSION

So does it change the sound of the Oppo PM-3? Perhaps in a minor way because they are obviously thicker. There is less midrange enhancement, a little minor loss in bass punch and some upper treble softening. They sound a bit more open now, less closed in.

The advantage is that you should not feel the rim of the driver touching your ear for better comfort and of course no more leather flaking onto your ear. The YDYBZB pads are an excellent option for renewing the degraded Oppo PM-3 pads.

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DISCLAIMER

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The post Oppo PM-3 YDYBZB Pad Replacement Guide appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Final Sonorous-II and Sonorous-III are in my opinion the absolute best closed back headphones you can buy for less than 500$ (either costing much less than that actually). You can find them stuck on our Wall of Excellence, and reviewed here.

At-a-glance Card

Why and how

Ear pads – their internal structure, size, thickness, and external fabric – do change headphones sound even more than what eartips do to IEMs. And final Sonorous Earpads are no exceptio.

First and foremost, the distance between the actual sound transducers and the ear modulate low frequency sound pressure, which obviously significantly influences the presentation. Based on this fact, final Sonorous earpads are filled with sponges of different thickness and consistency. Their external material is synthetic leather featuring equal horizontal and vertical flexibility. Finally,

Another important aspect when it comes to closed-back earphones is avoiding sound appearing “muffled” due to lack of backside venting. Final accomodates for this by carving small apertures on the inside and the outside of the pads “donuts”, achieving superb results in terms of sound clarity.

Lastly, final Sonorous Earpads feature a quite ingenious system to facilitate swapping. By direct experience it does work. You may want to take a look at the final’s official quick tutorial video to get an idea.

The range

As I mentioned, final Sonorous Earpads are avaialble in 7 different variations. Here are the lineup specs, directly taken from final’s website.

Model	Surface Material	Sponge	Filter	Stock on	Picture
Type A	synthetic leather	thick, strong standard type sponge	single layer	SONOROUS VI, IV
Type B	synthetic leather	thinner/softer sponge compared to Type A	single layer	SONOROUS VI
Type C	synthetic leather	W-shaped sponge combining Type A and Type B types	3 layer	SONOROUS X, VIII
Type D	synthetic leather	thick, strong sponge	3 layer	SONOROUS III
Type E	synthetic leather	thick, strong sponge	single layer	SONOROUS II
Type F	Polyurethane	expanded foam body with superior breathability and special polyurethane fibers	n/d	D8000
G	Polyurethane + Toray Ultrasuede	expanded foam body with superior breathability and special polyurethane fibers	n/d	D8000 Pro

My direct experience

Final of course issues a number of pairing recommendation for each of such models. You can find the entire story here.

That said, I only directly tested the 4 models which are recommended for my 2 Sonorous headphone models (II and III). Here is a recap of my opinions.

So the aftermath is… I could have saved the money for Type C and B, and just swap stock pads between Sonorous-II and Sonorous-III to reach my preferred configuration on both. But how could I have known it without trying?

Conclusions

final Sonorous Earpads significantly contribute to alter and finetune Sonorous headphones.

They are not inexpensive – retailing from ¥ 5810 / € 44 to ¥ 9300 / € 70 a pair – but their build quality is ace and they are a more than solid recommendation for any Sonorous user.

Disclaimer

All the earpads I tested are my own property, they did not come from the manufacturer or a distributor on review/loan basis.

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The post final Sonorous Earpads Review – Easy Rec appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At-a-glance Card

Structure and materials

Already at the very first tactile experience, Yaxi ESP950 Comfort pads present an obvious better aspect compared to the original pads.  Koss’s original pads are covered in cheap-looking (although quite resistant) velour, stuffed with ordinary foam.  Yaxi ESP950 Comfort’s front cover is in Alcantara, and protein leather is used for the outer profile. They are evidently “better” in terms of manufacture, materials selection, softness and haptics. Their size is almost but not precisely identical to the originals, with the latter being a tad (maybe 1mm) vertically thinner, and an even smaller tad thicker in terms of horizontal width.

Installation

There’s I’m afraid little to improve on the installation procedure as far as the Koss ESP/950 goes. Taking away the previous pads is very easy, while installing them requires some patience as the user is supposed to help the pad’s backside outer lip into the housing’s perimetral groove, which does not offer any facilitation for that. Anyhow, it’s not an Everest climb either.

Comfort

Yaxi ESP950 Comfort offer an obviously better wearing experience compared to stock pads. The difference is very significant, not a small upgrade at all. Skin contact is much more pleasing, and suppleness is way superior offering a much more “convincing” feeling of adherance, including when wearing spectacles like I do.

Sound impact

While pyisical comfort is already a definite improvement, the main reason why one may want a pair of Yaxi ESP950 Comfort is no-doubt due to how they make sound quite evidently better.

On stock pads Koss ESP/950 offers clean-ish and lean-ish timber, with an obviously mid-centric presentation, pushing vocals often even too much forward, quite nice unfatiguing but not very detailed trebles and (oppositely) quite disappointing bass: unextended, early rolled off actually, and with an evident mid-bass bump trying (without succeeding) to compensate for that.

On Yaxi ESP950 Comfort the music (literally) changes.

What they technically do is recall mids a bit back from the too forward, unnatural position they take on stock pads, and most of all make midbass faster, and louder.

Talking in less analythical and more horizontal terms, this first of all means that the heaphone’s general tonality instantly swaps to “neutral-balaced”, offering an evidently more pleasing presentation overall.

Thanks to the faster and more bodied bass, and the not anymore “too forward” mids, the general timbre ceases to appear “lean-ish” and gets into clear-natural territory. 

Also, and equally importantly, the achieved superior tonal balance makes soundstage drawing way more “credible”, especially thanks to the evident improvement in depth sensation.

Yaxi ESP950 Comfort do hot have the power to un-roll ESP/950’s sub-bass up, of course, but the entire bass line is I would say enormously much more organic, acoustically natural.

Mids as I mentioned are not “unnaturally ahead of the pack” as before, and in their mid and low part they also greatly benefit from the evidently increased bass weight, resulting in improved mid note weight.

Trebles are also somewhat improved in terms of note weight and organicity, especially the presence segment. While still staying short of getting hot or fatiguing, they do come out “less relaxed” then with stock pads, contributing to the overall obvious improvement in terms of horizontal presentation coherence.

Conclusions

Quite rarely I find accessory products offering such an evident improvement as to fall into “no brainer” territory. Yaxi ESP950 Comfort pads are no doubt one of such uncommon cases. The positive impact they bring onto Koss ESP/950 sound is nothing short of remarkable. This, paired with their very convincing construction quality, and a quick look at the cost of the HPs they apply onto, make their purchase cost an absolute bargain.

Disclaimer

I received the Yaxi ESP950 Comfort earpads courtesy of the manufacturer. As previous mentioned, you can purchase them directly from their website. Very interestingly, their prices do include worldwide FedX shipping.

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The post Yaxi ESP950 Comfort Pads Review – No Brainer appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Nozzle mesh screens sometimes look like a decorative piece or something just to keep the ear juice out. They can create problems though when they wick up too much moisture or modders decide to remove them completely. Below you can see up close images of various nozzle mesh screens serving a vital function – to dampen unwanted resonances. The screen openings themselves (number of holes + diameter of holes) can also factor into the tuning of the earphone, but this was not included as part of this investigation. Below are samples of certain earphones where nozzle screens were discussed in more than passing on certain forums, as well as a popular modder tool otherwise known by the name of micropore tape or paper tape.

KZ ZS3

It was quite the rage to remove these screens and I see why. Mine was actually two plastic screens stuck together. Was this a mistake or on purpose?

SONY MH755

Reviewed here. Modders like to remove the foam plug, but do not remove the black mesh screen. It tames the peaks at 2.8kHz and 5.3khz giving it almost a textbook Harman curve. Very much important noted by certain modders like Slater.

BQEYZ SPRING 1

Our takes on the Spring 1 here. Modders claimed by removing the screen it would get rid of the woolly bass. I removed mine and the quality of the bass did not change, but treble peaks were turned up giving the illusion of improved bass. The bass was just masked by the extra treble punch. Again, I do not recommend removing unless there wasn’t enough upper midrange in the stock tuning. I have heard that other BQEYZ models employ tuning filters directly on the BA units, so this might explain why the screen only has a minor impact.

MOONDROP KANAS PRO

We covered the KPE exhaustively here. Notorious for clogging with moisture in high humidity areas or sweaty ears, Moondrop eventually started selling replacement nozzle screens and included them in subsequent models like the Starfield. They have an interesting arrangement of a small rectangular area with extra damping coverage. Similar to using a partial piece of micropore tape. Again removing it introduces peakiness. Not recommended.

MICROPORE TAPE (3M NEXCARE PAPER TAPE)

Micropore tape has a very irregular pattern. Not much to say about it other than it doesn’t seem to target any specific frequency. All the other filters are uniform and tend to dampen certain frequencies. Useful as a butter knife, not a scalpel.

SUMMARY

So personally, I do not recommend removing nozzle mesh screens unless planning to replace or mod with something else. There might be exceptions such as pure balanced armature IEM’s that utilize resistance damper filter plugs on the end of the balanced armature itself. Therefore the nozzle screen is not like putting a screen door on a submarine, most appear to be used as resistive dampers to tame the frequency response. I’m not suggesting it is wrong to remove the filters, but be aware of the consequences. If there are other earphone modding materials you would like to see up close and personal, leave a comment below or feel free to get in touch with us and we will see what we can do to expand this article.

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DISCLAIMER

Sometimes I stare blankly at walls.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Nozzle Screen Filter Impact on Frequency Response appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Pros — Fantastic Build and material choices
– Very comfortable
– Not as sweaty as the materials would suggest
– V-shaped tuning can be an interesting change from stock pads

Cons — Changes stock tuning too much, not for purists
– Price is higher than stock pads (due to material choices)
– Worse instrument separation/more congestion vs the stock pads

INTRODUCTION

Dekoni Audio is pretty well known for aftermarket earpads. They provide a range of options across a variety of price ranges and offer replacement earpads for popular models such as the Sennheiser HD6X0 lineup, Audeze LCD lineup, Denon/Beyerdynamic and so on. 

Their Elite series is basically as the name suggests: premium earpads made with premium materials. I received the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin and the Dekoni Elite Hybrid earpads (HD650 variant) for this review. Let’s see how things change between them and the stock pads.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Dekoni Audio was kind enough to send the Elite pads for review. Disclaimer.

Price, while reviewed: $80. Can be purchased from Dekoni website.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

IN THE BOX…

The earpads and some stickers. That’s about it.

APPEARANCE, HAPTIC, AND BUILD QUALITY

The Elite pads are built exceptionally well. The seams are well put together and fit and finish is top-notch. The stock Sennheiser pads look cheap and janky in comparison. The plastic mounts are glued to the back and didn’t seem to budge even with some force applied. 

For the Elite Hybrid pad you get a velour front (the part that touches your skin), leather sides, and fenestrated sheepskin on the inside. It’s an interesting choice of materials but the combination doesn’t look out of place. 

The Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pad, on the other hand, has fenestrated sheepskin layers all around. Both earpads utilize memory foams inside though the foam on the Hybrid pad is softer/less dense.

One thing you should note is that these pads don’t come with the dampening foam (there is a foam between the drivers and the earpads on the HD600 series headphones). So you should probably keep the old foams handy (or get a replacement of those foams elsewhere). 
5/5

ERGONOMICS, COMFORT

The Elite Hybrid and the Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads are both very comfortable but there are some differences between them. Due to the softer foam, the Elite Hybrid pad has a more supple fit. I personally find it more comfortable of the two though again: both are a substantial improvement over the stock earpads on the comfort front. In terms of feel the Fenestrated Shipskeen is smoother vs the coarser Elite Hybrid pad. I prefer the Shipskeen pads in terms of feel. 
4.5/5

SOUND

The sound changes are quite interesting to say the least. You can look at the graphs on Dekoni’s website here. The following images are courtesy of Dekoni:

First up: the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads. Compared to the stock pads, they boost the bass noticeably and some of it even slightly spills into the lower mids. As a result you lose some separation of instruments and imaging takes a hit to my ears (center-imaging esp). On the other hands, dynamics improve and the resulting sound signature is a pretty fun one and definitely suits Pop, hip-hop, RnB and such genres more than the stock pads. One thing that I noticed was how the lower-treble became peakier with the Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads. Compared to the stock pads, these are definitely a more V-shaped offering. 

The Dekoni Elite Hybrid earpads on the other hand provide less mid-bass and upper-bass emphasis vs the Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads. They do have more sub-bass but given the limitations of the HD600 series driver (cannot reproduce sub-bass notes that well) it’s not that noticeable in most cases. I personally prefer the presentation of the Elite Hybrid pads over the Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads as they sound less cluttered in the midrange and the treble response is slightly more even-handed. It’s still not as smooth and laid-back as the stock pads but then again: the Dekoni pads are for those who are looking for a different signature. Comapred to the Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads, the Elite Hybrid pads also offer better instrument separation, though both pale in comparison to the stock pads in that regard. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS

In the end, if you are looking for the stock Sennheiser sound with a different/more comfortable earpad material — such an earpad does not exist to my knowledge. Sennheiser surely knew what they were doing (and they knew it very well) so the one-to-one replacement of the stock Sennheiser pads are… stock Sennheiser pads.

However, if you want to taste a different flavor of sound to the stock HD650 tuning, or perhaps you like to switch things up from time-to-time — try the Dekoni Elite series pads. They are superbly comfortable, has great feel and finish, and are suitable for modern genres along with movies/gaming since those usually benefit from bass emphasis. 

MY VERDICT

Overall Rating: 4/5 for Elite Hybrid Pads

Recommended (if you want a V-shaped flavor of the stock HD650 sound)

Overall Rating: 3.75/5 for Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin Pads

I prefer the Elite Hybrid pads more overall so these are gonna get a pass

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Product Pages

Dekoni Audio Fenestrated Sheepskin Replacement Ear Pads for Sennheiser HD 600 Series Headphones

Dekoni Audio Elite Hybrid Replacement Ear Pads for Sennheiser HD 600 Series Headphones

The post Dekoni Elite Pads for Sennheiser HD600 Series Review – Something Different appeared first on Music For The Masses.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin earpads and and Hybrid Elite earpads offer outstanding workmanship and comfort. However, they alter the characteristics the Sennheiser HD 600 have been known for and may therefore not be for everyone.

INTRODUCTION

The Sennheiser HD 600 headphones have been standard staples with audiophiles since 1997. They are characterized by a stellar, natural sounding midrange, great treble extension, and a somewhat poorly extended and slow low end. Their characteristic sound is generated by the combination of driver and earpads.

But the stock earpads have a wear-and-tear, they will loose tension over time and cause the HD 600 to sound “wrong”. Because of the large distribution of the Sennheiser HD 600/650/6XX “( the “HD 600 series”), it has become lucrative for companies to offer after-market earpads. We have recently reviewed the offering by Japanese manufacturer Yaxi that failed our test on grounds of tonality. It is obviously difficult to break into Sennheiser’s market as they had enough time in the last >>20 years to optimize the sound of their HD 600 series models.

Dekoni Audio is an American company out of New Jersey that offers high-end headphone accessories for a number of popular models. For the Sennheiser HD 600 series, they boldly offer six different kinds of earpads, ranging from $50 to $80.

The company also offers measurements of all their ear pads relative to the Sennheiser stock pads [here]. The Dekoni Audios ear pads for these Senns show a different degrees of midrange recession (“V-shape”) compared to the stock pads.

I selected the two with the least such recession, the “Dekoni Audio Fenestrated Sheepskin Replacement Ear Pads for Sennheiser HD 600 Series Headphones” and the slightly more V-shaped (graphing) “Dekoni Audio Elite Hybrid Replacement Ear Pads for Sennheiser HD 600 Series Headphones“.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

Dekoni Audio claim that their pads are cooler and more comfortable than the stock pads. I tested them in the cold Canadian winter and leave the temperature judgement to testers in warmer regions. They are comfortable and have a lower elastic rebound than the stock pads.

The Fenestrated Sheepskin and Elite Hybrid have identical shapes with straight walls and flat tops. Material wise, the Fenestrated Sheepskin pads (fenestra, latin: window) feature the same material all around (sheepskin leather with little “window” holes). The Elite Hybrid feature velour on top, leather on the outer wall and Fenestrated Sheepskin leather on the inside.

The quality of these two ear pads is impeccable. I particularly like the Fenestrated Sheepskin that remind me of high-end leather seats in a luxury vehicle – compared to the Sennheiser stock pads resembling used back seats in a New York cab.

In terms of size, the Dekoni pads are narrower and 1-2 mm deeper than the stock pads and they have a slightly larger opening. The Dekonis also have a slightly smaller opening and a bigger contact area on the head owing to their flat top. The Sennheiser pads may have a bigger surface area but it is curved, and the inner walls are not straight either.

In terms of strength, the Dekoni pads (I assume they have the same fill) are firmer than the stock pads and the also have the much slower elastic rebound. I found the Dekoni pads very comfortable over longer listening periods. I leave the fit discussion to co-blogger Kazi and will focus on the most important thing: the sound.

Installation: You find lots of videos on how to replace Sennheiser HD 600 series pads on YouTube or on the Dekoni website. It is easy. You essentially rip the pads off and click the new ones into place.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

Follow these links for some background information:

My tonal preference and testing practice

My test tracks explained

Equipment used: MacBook Air; EarMen TR-amp, Sennheiser HD 600, Dekoni Audio Fenstrated Sheepskin and elite Hybrid pads.

The two types of Dekoni earpads do alter the sound of my Sennheiser HD 600 in that they make it darker, bolder, weightier – at the expense of the lean original signature. The stage becomes slightly deeper but less airy. The Fenestrated Sheepskin pads alter the sound less than the “bassier and more recessed” Elite Hybrid pads.

Fenstrated Sheepskin Pads

After my bad experience with the Yaxi earpads, which pulled the weight too far down in the frequency spectrum, the Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin pads came as a somewhat pleasant surprise.

The Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin pads do not alter the bass quantity however reduce the frequency spectrum from the upper bass up. This translates to slightly perceived bass boost, a recessed midrange and less treble extension (compared to the Sennheiser stock pads). Such recession is adherent to all Dekoni models and is least evident in the fenestrated sheepskin pads, which probably makes them the most recommendable ones.

The reduction in upper and lower midrange has positive and negative effects. The good is that the shoutiness reported by many users has been essentially eliminated, which thickens the vocals and adds more note weight to them. The bad is that the midrange loses energy and air, and becomes darker. Some may perceive vocals as duller than before, others may welcome the increased note weight.

And yep, the treble extension the Sennheiser HD 600 has been known for certainly has been tamed to some extent and caters more to treble sensitive listeners. Cymbals have become more subtle but without losing definition.

Technicalities such as timbre, soundstage, separation and layering have been largely untouched. The HD 600 have never been known for their soundstage, Dekoni claims their pads increase it because of their bigger depth relative to the stock pads. The stage may have become a bit deeper but that difference is insignificant for daily use. Soundstage with the Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads is fine.

Elite Hybrid Pads

The Dekoni Elite Hybrid earpads are only different from the Fenestrated Sheepskin pads through their boost below 300 Hz. When playing music without bass, both models sound essentially identical. The extra-boosted low end (with respect to the stock pads) appears to turn my HD 600 into an HD 650. 

Since an earpad does not change the driver speed, the boosted low end amplifies its weakness and makes it sonically fuzzier and thumpier than with the stock pads. 

In the mix (the human ear hears the whole frequency spectre in context), the boosted low end pushes the vocals further back (than the fenestrated sheepskins) and can somewhat congest the transition bass-midrange. It also pushes the treble further back.

IMO, the Dekoni Earpads Hybrid earpads push the weight too far down towards the bottom of the frequency range. But all it does is bloating it as the HD 600 is not basshead material because of the driver’s limited articulation down there.

I therefore much prefer the Fenestrated Sheepskin pads of the two models.

In comparison to the Dekoni pads, the HD 600 with the Sennheiser stock pads may sound leaner and they have more air, but a shallower stage. Everything with the stock pads is more subtle and it is bolder with the Dekoni pads.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Dekoni Audio earpads tested are superior over the Sennheiser stock pads in terms of build and haptic – they are also pricier. The Fenestrated Sheepskin pads produce a thicker/weightier but less energetic sound than the stock pads on the Sennheiser HD 600. The sonic differences between the stock pads and Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin pads are, however, not earth shattering – and may be not be a dealmaker/breaker. However, they do alter the characteristic sonic signature of my HD 600 probably too much to please purists.

The Elite Hybrid, on the other hand, very similar to the Yaxi pads, add to much weight to the bottom of the frequency spectrum imo that is missing in the midrange and on the top. I would not recommend these to listeners who treasure the original sound of the HD 600.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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DISCLAIMER

The earpads were provided by Dekoni Audio through their Head-Fi campaign – and I thank them for that.

Product Pages

Dekoni Audio Fenestrated Sheepskin Replacement Ear Pads for Sennheiser HD 600 Series Headphones

Dekoni Audio Elite Hybrid Replacement Ear Pads for Sennheiser HD 600 Series Headphones

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

IMAGES…

The post Dekoni Sennheiser HD 600 Series Fenestrated Sheepskin Earpads And Hybrid Elite Earpads Review – Bold Statements appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Pros — Comfortable; good quality materials; package also contains foam filters.

快適; 良質の材料; パッケージにはフォームフィルターも含まれています。

Cons — Tonality much different from the out-of-the-box version of both HD 600 and HD 650: congested sound with reduced resolution, clarity and balance; midrange too recessed; no storage box (to be used for the stock pads).

HD600とHD650の両方の標準バージョンとは大きく異なる色調：解像度、明瞭さ、バランスが低下した混雑したサウンド。 ミッドレンジが凹みすぎています。 収納ボックスなし（ストックパッドに使用）。

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY エグゼクティブサマリー

Yaxi offer a comfortable, high quality earpad that alters the sound of the Sennheiser HD 600/650 headphones substantially by emphasizing the lower frequencies. This results in increased body in the lower half of the frequency spectrum at the expense of midrange and most technicalities.

Yaxiは、低周波数を強調することにより、Sennheiser HD 600/650ヘッドフォンのサウンドを大幅に変更する、快適で高品質のイヤパッドを提供します。 これらの結果、ミッドレンジとほとんどの技術を犠牲にして、周波数スペクトルの下半分のボディが増加します。

INTRODUCTION

The Sennheiser HD 650/600/6XX headphone have been long-lasting standard staples with audiophiles to the present day. One of the characteristics of these headphones is that they can be easily disassembled by amateurs (check for YouTube videos) and therefore easily repaired or modified. Spare parts by Sennheiser and third-party companies are readily available. But even with the utmost care will the day come when wear-and-tear will have consumed the elasticity in the stock pads. The owner has the choice of replacing the stock pads with the original Sennheiser ones or go more adventurously with after-market pads. Yaxi are one of the providers for the latter.

Yaxi are a company out of Japan that have delighted us with their earpads for the Koss PortaPro (that also fit the Koss KSC75/KPH30i and Sennheiser PX100/100-II) – which made it onto our Gear-of-the-Year list of 2020. We found that these earpads were thicker and cushier than the stock ones and that they altered the sound to the better. One of the main incentive to get the Yaxi pads was appearance: instead of the usual black, the Yaxis came in various luscious, inviting colours.

Yaxi also supply pads for full-sized headphones, albeit less flashy and more focused on functionality than looks. Their Yaxi HD 650 earpads fit the Sennheiser HD650/HD600/HD660S/HD580/HD565/HD545/660S.

So far, all reviews of these Yaxi earpads have focused on the Sennheiser HD 650 – to the best of our knowledge. In this review, we treat the HD 6XX variation of the HD 650 (sonically identical) but also the leaner sounding Sennheiser HD 600.

ORDERING

Ordering was done from the Yaxi website and was very easy as worldwide shipping from Japan is included.

https://www.yaxi.jp/product-gallery/hd650/

SPECIFICATIONS

Outer Diameter: 106 mm*81 mm
Inner Diameter: 75 mm* 51 mm
Thickness: 25mm
Tested at: $54
Package contains two pieces of earpads and two pieces of filters marked L and R.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

Yaxi’s presentation is always impeccable. The plastic bag contains the two earpads but also the two inlay foams for the earcups as well as a small poster and a sticker. I wished that Yaxi had shipped their pads in a box instead of a plastic bag (for storing the stock pads) while understanding that shipping from Japan is pricey.

The Yaxi HD 650 earpads are a hybrid construction with the inner walls and the surface area are of a synthetic suede (“alcantara”) and the outer wall is lined with protein leather. The inner and outer walls are straight and the contact surface is flat in contrast to the curved stock pads.

It is obvious from the photos that the Yaxi HD 650 earpads have a 20% bigger opening than the Sennheiser stock pads and a 40% smaller contact surface (both estimated; see photos below). The Yaxis are also marginally deeper. This leaves more space around the ears and less contact area between pad and skin is thought to provide less clamp pressure and therefore more comfort. No information on the fill is given by either Yaxi or Sennheiser but both are approximately equal in terms of elastic rebound.

But do the Yaxis really provide more comfort considering the Sennheiser’s have been known for being particularly comfortable (ootb). I wore the HD 600 for longer period of time and found both earpads equally comfortable. The Yaxi’s smaller contact area may become advantageous in hot & sweaty climatic regions when attempting to save on air conditioning.

JÜRGEN’S TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SENNHEISER HD 600

OOTB, the Sennheiser HD 600 are characterized by their neutral, natural sound that is fuelled mainly by that wonderful clear and transparent midrange with their realistic, organic, and intimate vocals. Another trademark is the well extended and well resolving treble. The Sennheiser HD 600’s Achilles heel is the bass, which is not well extended, not as fast and articulate as in more modern headphones, and it can be muddy at times.

While dynamics are good, soundstage is not the widest for an open-back headphone. That all with the stock pads. The slightly more expensive Sennnheiser HD 650 (and its HD 6XX drop.com version) is thicker, less clear sounding with a poorer staging so that many audiophiles prefer the leaner HD 600.

The Yaxi alcantaras change the tonality of both headphones substantially – and I am speaking for the Sennheiser HD 600 only. Adding the pads moves the weight downward – just like in middle-aged people like me. What is removed from the upper end is added to the lower end. The sound becomes fuller bodied, warmer, and darker but also less balanced – and congested. Detail resolution goes largely out of the window while note weight is increased. The result is a middle-of-the-road meat-and-potato sound. The Yaxis essentially create a cheaper “nothing special” headphone.

So what happened? With the Yaxis, the low end becomes boosted and perceived as better extended – but it does not get any faster (driver speed does not change). The low end is rather fuzzy, even less articulate than before, and bloated — which thickens and congests the lower midrange. Vocals sound fuller bodied but also less energetic, and they lack air in comparison, as there is also upper midrange removed. Also strongly compromised are midrange clarity and transparency, filigree, and finesse that the Sennheiser HD 600 are known for and that have made them so popular since 1997. Treble is also toned down, cymbals are ultra thin, less crisp than before, and they run danger to disappear in the mix. All this results in a deeper but still narrow soundstage, and the whole image can sound “tuby”. Separation and layering have also become strongly compromised.

I find the sonic image with the Yaxis simply crude – maybe for people who do not care for detail resolution or balance but rather for volume. The earpad creator(s) ignored both, Sennheiser’s idea behind this headphone and the love of this particular Sennheiser sound for the last almost 25 years. The thick gooey lower midrange/bass may work for simple rock or country music, which would play equally well on a much cheaper headphones. And sure, “gooey” can be glossed over as “coherent”.

BIODEGRADED’S TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SENNHEISER HD 6XX

The Sennheiser HD 600 & 650 live in the midrange. Neither have a lot of bass, although the 650/6XX has a mid-bass hump, and in neither is the bass of the best quality, being a bit loose and boomy. OOTB, the balance through the mids, though, and the midrange technicalities, are excellent. Additionally, some listeners might wish for brighter treble. Any pads or other modifications to these headphones that aim to increase their bass and treble might suffer from highlighting their less than stellar bass quality, and might upset the balance through the mids. This is the case with the Yaxi pads.

With these Yaxi pads on my HD 6XX (early model made in Ireland, so similar to pre-Romania versions of the HD 650), bass becomes exaggerated & muddy; midrange timbre is killed, male vocals and piano in particular having no life; and imaging and layering suffer badly. The graph below illustrates the effect well: with the amplitudes roughly leveled through the uppermost mids and treble, the measurement shows the exaggerated downslope through the midrange due to the introduced mid- and upper bass hump. The sub-bass doesn’t roll off as much as the green curve suggests (this is a shortcoming of my measurement setup with some headphones), so the bass boost is actually fairly broad.

I had hoped these might do a little bit better with the HD 600s, which don’t have as much midbass hump as the 650/6XX and also are a bit higher around 3kHz, but from Jürgen’s description above it seems not. So for either model, if your standard of music is how you’d hear it in a crowded nightclub you might call these an improvement over stock; but otherwise not.

CONCLUDING REMARKS 結論

It is not clear why Yaxi are offering these earpads: sure they have a bigger opening and less contact area and may therefore be more comfortable to some than the stock pads, but they alter the sound characteristics of the Sennheiser cans to the point that it should be explicitly stated on their product page. The paradox is that the Sennheiser HD 600s and HD 650s are the poor man’s sonic endgame headphones, but the Yaxi HD 650 Earpads undermine this idea by worsening their technicalities and coarsening their tonalities.

All our analysis of the Yaxi earpads revealed is that there is nothing wrong with the Sennheiser stock pads. Yaxi certainly did much better on their PortaPro pads.

Yaxiがこれらのイヤパッドを提供している理由は明らかではありません。開口部が大きく接触面積が少ないため、ストックパッドよりも快適な場合がありますが、Sennheiser缶のサウンド特性が必要なレベルまで変化します。 製品ページに明示的に記載してください。 逆説は、Sennheiser HD600とHD650が貧乏人のソニックエンドゲームヘッドフォンであるということですが、Yaxi HD 650イヤパッドは、技術を悪化させ、色調を粗くすることによって、このアイデアを弱体化させます。

Yaxiイヤパッドの分析で明らかになったのは、Sennheiserストックパッドには何の問題もないということです。 Yaxiは確かにPortaProパッドではるかに優れていました。

DISCLAIMER

The Yaxi HD 650 earpads were kindly provided by Yaxi and we thank them for that. We also apologize for our delay in publishing this review. There was simply a learning process involved with earpad reviews.

Yaxi HD 650イヤパッドはYaxiから提供されたもので、感謝しています。 また、このレビューの公開が遅れたことをお詫び申し上げます。 イヤパッドのレビューに関連する学習プロセスがありました。

Get the Yaxi HD 650 pads from the Yaxi website

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Sennheiser HD 650、HD 6XX、およびHD600レビュー用のYaxiイヤパッド | Yaxi Earpads For Sennheiser HD 650, HD 6XX, and HD 600 Review – Altered Images appeared first on Music For The Masses.

KBEAR TRI I3 has been around since the 3rd quarter of 2019. It was launched at the same time together with KBEAR Diamond, which received all the attention while the elder sibling was largely neglected. TRI I3 rose to fame slowly but gradually. It gained recognition in Japan after very successful sales. Ever since, the I3 has always been on backorder because the Japanese are buying them faster than TRI can churn them out.

In the West, similarly TRI I3 gained fame and recognition slowly among the head-phile community, especially the tri-brid earphone enthusiasts. A few of them even prefer it over the very popular BQEYZ Spring (first version). A quick search on Google reveals not many reviews of TRI I3 on English websites, at least not as common as on either Japanese or Korean websites. 

In May 2020, KBEAR sent me a TRI I3 in exchange for my honest review. Personally, I am not a fan of doing reviews however I could sense the potential in this earphone. After receiving the I3, I took a quick listen. It has a luscious and fluid sound that many Chi-Fi earphones lack. At that time I was also testing the KBEAR KS2, so having the TRI I3 around is like taking a short break from work. The I3 was an instant relief from the aggressive tonality of KS2. 

Subsequently, my colleague Baskingshark wrote a definitive review on Audioreviews, titled “TRI I3 Review – Smooth Operator”. From his review we know the TRI I3 has a balanced and coherent sound. It excels in staging and is good for non-fatigue listening. Also, it needs a headphone amp to shine.

My listening impressions largely coincides with Baskingshark’s. In addition, I would like to add that TRI I3 has a “grand” presentation. Everything sounds bigger, taller, bolder… As if your set lunch has been “super-sized”. My only nitpick is its mid-bass is a bit too much (slight bloat). It gives warmth but it also adds a layer of haze. Upper-mids and treble are fine except it is a tad less detailed than what many people would consider good resolution, and it does lack some top-end extension and air.

My apology to KBEAR… I don’t want to do a review. Instead I will do a tweaking blog, just like the one I did for KBEAR TRI I4. It will be a very simple tweak. Nothing fancy… No 3M Micropore tape mod… No poking holes on filters, and definitely no dismantling.

Let’s look at the two basic components that affect sound in an IEM – mainly the cable and eartips. I am sure some of you will start crying “snake oil” when I mention the word “cable”, but like it or not, cables do affect tonality to a certain extent. The logic behind may not be scientifically-proven but the effects are obvious enough to be heard.

– Let’s look at the first component: cable.

The stock cable that comes with TRI I3 is a 4-core 4N OCC copper cable. OCC copper has a tendency to elevate bass and midrange, so this copper material isn’t ideal for the I3.
To establish a baseline, I hooked up my trusty Yinyoo 8-core tin-plated copper cable to the I3. With this cable, bass tightened slightly (but not reduced) and midrange clarity improved. Still not the results I wanted.

My past experience with stereo hifi systems tells me that pure silver cable helps suppress, tighten bass and lower-midrange. At the same time adds sparkle and clarity to treble and open up treble regions. Immediately, I contacted Yinyoo if they have a high-purity silver cable which they can suggest to me. They recommended the 4-core 7N pure silver cable at $62. Well, it is a small price to pay for big improvement.

– The second component to consider are eartips. The stock eartips that come with I3 are “loudness” eartips. How so? Similar to the loudness switch on many vintage amplifiers, this eartip lifts both bass and treble (yes, a V-shaped boost)… Which again, isn’t a good choice for I3.

I am looking for eartips that will reduce bass and midbass yet leaving upper-midrange and treble mostly untouched. For this task, I have Ortofon silicone eartips (€11 for 3 pairs) in mind. I had these eartips with me for a while but I hardly use them because they thin out low frequencies, sometimes a bit too much. It looks like I can make good use of them in this project. Alternatively, Tennmak Whirlwind has similar effect but tonality and comfort-wise, I still prefer Ortofon.

With both components in place, here is how the synergy goes… 
Overall tonality is so much more coherent with upper-midrange and treble “open-up”. Yinyoo 7N pure silver cable helps clean up treble, tighten bass and mid-bass, improves overall clarity, as well as solidify stereo imaging and instrument placement. Ortofon silicone eartips help suppress mid-bass, reducing a bit of that woolly-warmth that plagues the stock I3.

Further adjustment of 5 to 6 dB gain at 5KHz at a Q-factor of between 1.5 to 2 on parametric equaliser (PEQ) helps improve resolution and adds sparkle. Resulted in a sound that is both buttery-smooth and crystal-clear at the same time.

These executions are straightforward, simple and can be performed in a few minutes. Of course, you will still have to fork out your hard-earned money for the silver cable and eartips before you can experience any improvement.

The basic sound characteristics of TRI I3 that everybody loves and enjoy largely remain with this tweak. What you gain is clarity, a balanced tonality and richer music texture. You do get a slight increase in resolution but don’t expect to hear more micro-details than it has, unless you are prepared to remove the filter behind the nozzle screen. Then again, tri-brid earphones are tricky to tune. Even I have trouble making them sound right. Therefore, I prefer to keep the innards of the I3 intact to retain its silky-smooth signature.

TRI I3 proves that a tri-brid earphone, when done right, can sound magnificent. Once tweaked, I3 owners will be able to ascent their beloved earphone to the next level. A grandiose makeover for this Grandioso is definitely worth a try!

The post Tweaking the KBEAR TRI I3 : Redefining The Grandioso appeared first on Music For The Masses.

I have mentioned on Audioreviews.org Facebook group that I do not wish to do a full review on the TRN-VX. Instead, I will let my sharp-eared colleagues do the honours. The reasons are… First, being one of the tuner of this 7-driver hybrid earphone, I don’t want to contradict myself in any way possible. Secondly, it isn’t to anybody’s interest if I proclaimed it to be the next best thing since sliced bread. And finally, if I do pass any negative remarks, it makes me look like I am trying to bail myself out with lame excuses. Therefore, I will just highlight some of its deficiencies and how they can be overcome and improved without complicated modifications.

The idea of taming upper midrange/treble peaks with 3M micropore tape goes back to super best audio friend/head-fier james444. We have covered it in detail in our modding 101 section.

1. Harsh treble

This characteristic is nothing new to many TRN aficionados. Almost every V-series flagship earphone since V80 has inherited this 8KHz peak! This peak can be lowered using parametric equaliser or PEQ app at 8Khz with a Q-factor of between 2.5-3.0. I use Toneboosters EQ (an auxiliary add-on for USB Audio Player Pro app) on Android and Peace EQ on Windows.

2. Brittle or ‘glassy” upper-midrange

I have introduced the 3M Micropore tape mod to our Facebook group, and I will reiterate it again. The logic behind this is simple. Out of the VX’s 7 BAs, 2 of them are located inside the nozzle. These two BAs are aiming directly into your eardrums. 3M Micropore tape acts like a filter and damping material that reduces sound energy to your ears by couple of decibels.

3. Tip tips

Most IEM benefits from rolling eartips, VX is no exception. I was experimenting with various silicone eartips and I have good success with Final Audio Type E, JVC Spiral Dot, Azla Sedna EarFits Light, Canal Works CW dual nozzle and SpinFit CP-145. Reversed KZ Starlight eartips thin midrange further so I don’t recommend using it.

4. Traditional snake oil remedy – cable

TRN-VX seems to be more cable sensitive than its predecessors, thus I have added this section to make all the cable skeptics scream in protest. When TRN sent out their samples, they have included their latest T4 OCC copper cable in the bundle. Frankly, this cable brings out the worst of the VX. It is both lean and harsh. Jurgen and I have good success with the $8 Yinyoo 8-core OFC copper cable. Just avoid any cable made of OCC, silver-plated or pure silver that tends to add glare to the already-bright earphone.

De-toxification?
The tuning of TRN-VX isn’t completely toxic. If you could overlook the harsh and willing to do a bit of DIY mods, experiment with eartips and cables, it is actually quite a good IEM for US$70. Bass is responsive, textured and clean. Resolution is exceptional at this price point. Spatial perception is open, airy with good extension. Its timbre is probably the best of all the TRN models, thanks to the new 10mm dynamic drivers.

Thus, when Vannak Pech claimed that “TRN- VX can spoil your hearing”… Inside my little mind, I told myself “Yeah… Literally!”

Enjoy the music!

OUR TRN-VX REVIEWS

RELATED…

You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post TRN-VX Modding: Antidote to the Venom appeared first on Music For The Masses.

THE ISSUE

The tonality of the well-received KBEAR Diamond, which had tuning input from Larry and Jürgen, has been described in terms from slightly U-shaped or just a tad bassy (e.g. Loomis, Jürgen) to aggressively v-shaped (e.g. guest reviewer Christophe). When I received my pair, my first thought was that my co-bloggers were irredeemable bassheads. The right-hand side of the V didn’t bother me, but I found the low bass really too much. It’s been mentioned that these are very tip-dependent, and Jürgen and Larry encouraged me to try different ones. In my particular ears, however, different tips either gave good seal and maintained the overbearing bass or gave poor seal leading to very weak bass and lower mids, with no happy in-between (Tennmak Whirlwinds, which I’ve used successfully with other sets, I found too shallow for the deeply-fitting bodies of these). The stock grey tips in medium fitted me well, and not noticing audible differences between those and other wide-bores of similar depth, I stuck with them. I also wondered if I might have a slightly differently tuned pair from the ones that early reviewers received; more on that later.

Being impressed with the timbre and technicalities of the Diamonds (as mentioned in reviews here and elsewhere) and their smooth upper mid and treble presentation, I decided to have a go at modding them to see if I could get the bass down to somewhere not so overwhelming, and if that turned out to increase the perceived upper mid bump, to try reducing this as well. I wanted to see if I could get something closer to ‘my’ target neutral, which through bass and lower mids is represented by the JVC HA-FDX1 with ‘medium’ filtered nozzles, and through the upper mids and lower treble is something between the modified Hifi Walker A1 and Moondrop Kanas Pro. These are shown on the graph below along with the stock Diamond; all are L-R averages measured with our plastic fantastic coupler.

STEP 1: FIXING THE BASS

I started with the bass, and after trying the air-duct-under-the-tip trick and finding that even a thin insert reduced the bass too much, I went for the irreversible but more precisely tuneable solution of piercing the filters in the front vents, taping them up again, and needling the tape to get bass down to taste (see here for another example of this, and see the photo below for reference).

Because the front vent is in the nozzle, well in front of the driver and perpendicular to it, the deep and vigorous needling necessary to pierce the strong and springy-feeling filter is no risk to the driver. The needle should be inserted as far as it will go, numerous times with slight variations in angle to get the hole in the filter out to about the same size as the vent itself. To be safe, make sure your fingers are not covering the rear vent or nozzle bore: as with inserting or extracting non-vented earphones too fast, sometimes creating strong air compression or vacuum can damage the driver. Listening to the earphones after this operation, there should be almost no bass and the tonality should sound the same in both left and right. If there’s still appreciable bass in one or both, poke harder!

To get some bass back again, put a small strip of tape over each front vent and poke a small hole with the tip of the needle. Listen to see if the bass balance is similar in each earpiece (sometimes hard to judge at these low frequencies), enlarging the holes to get the balance even and its level to your taste. A measurement setup is useful in this respect, but not necessary; your ears know what you like. If the bass gets too thin or too unbalanced, start again with new tape. I use Scotch ‘Magic Tape’ for this rather than the ubiquitous modder’s tool of 3M Micropore because Magic Tape is thin and easy to work with and small holes in Micropore tend to heal, becoming smaller over time.

STEP 2: FIXING THE UPPER MIDRANGE

Upon reducing the bass, you might find that the upper midrange and upwards has become too prominent. Disregard this as much as you can while getting the bass to your target, because taking down the higher frequencies can be addressed next if you think it necessary.  This is where Micropore or similar tape, or third-party filters if you have them, can be used. Unfortunately, the peakiness in these is in the upper midrange (around 3 kHz), and it’s difficult to get this area down without taking the treble along for the ride. I tried a few things here; 3M Transpore (which has bigger pores than Micropore but is impermeable between them) to different-width strips of Micropore. In the end I settled on a 4mm-wide Micropore strip, as shown in the photo. This left the upper mids a bit more elevated than I’d like, so screechy horns on some material remain a bit much; but I found that 100% coverage of the nozzles not only took too much air out of the treble, it also squashed mid and treble dynamics. 

My favoured end result (green curve) is to me slightly v-shaped, having more bass & upper-mid emphasis than the JVCs but not being too much more rolled-off in its already somewhat relaxed treble, and restoring some presence to the lower and middle portions of the midrange. And importantly, doing something not reflected in frequency-response graphs: retaining and even enhancing the good timbral qualities and technicalities of the pre-mod character. I find bass notes now to have better defined textures, and midrange voices and instruments to have apparently enhanced detail and placement – while the whole signature retains an overall smoothness that makes an interesting change from the wicked fast transients of the JVCs.

So if you find these to be too v-shaped for you and you don’t mind the irreversible aspect of the bass component, give these mods a go. Experiment with different widths and configurations of tape (e.g. two thin strips crossed), maybe along with different tips (see Larry’s list for ideas, bearing in mind that different tips might sound different in different ears) until you find what suits you best; the joy of modding is that you get to be the tuner and call the final shots. And of course, if you find your Diamonds just fine as they are – don’t do any of this, just enjoy them!

I speculated in the first paragraph that my pair might have been a bit different from others. This suspicion is based on Jürgen not reporting them as overly bassy or v-shaped (although he’s accused me in the past of being a bass lightweight, we don’t usually differ too much in our impressions there), and on differences between our measurements. We use identical couplers, both ‘built’ by me, and the same measurement procedures, and our past measurements of the same earphones have given results that are very close. Comparing our Diamond measurements, however, mine are 3-4 dB higher in the low bass and ~3 dB higher around 3 kHz and don’t drop anywhere near as deep into the mid-treble compared to his (whether my original unsmoothed L&R or the 1/12-octave smoothed average in the graphs above is used in the comparison). It’s not impossible that the difference is operator/measurement-equipment variation, but this past experience and Christophe’s reaction to these as well as mine does make me wonder.

Disclaimer

The KBEAR Diamond was provided unsolicited from KBEAR. Thank you very much. You can buy it at the KBEAR Official Store.

RELATED…

KBEAR Diamond review by Loomis

KBEAR Diamond review by Jürgen

KBEAR Diamond review by Christophe

All our modding tricks

The post KBEAR Diamond Mods: If They’re Too Bassy or Too V-Shaped, Try This… appeared first on Music For The Masses.

When KBEAR sent Jürgen and me the KB04 beta for tuning, we were still halfway through fiddling with the KBEAR Diamond. The former, being a less important “candidate”, was put aside until a much later date. We gave Diamond our 200% attention. KBEAR did mention to me (not Jürgen) briefly the KB04 was going to be their new budget model. 

When we did eventually get to the KBEAR KB04, we were exhausted by the excitement over Diamond. I have to admit that I didn’t bother to give it a good listening. My initial impression of the KBEAR KB04 beta was good. Nothing offensive that needed my immediate attention, so I didn’t get back to KBEAR promptly as I normally would. However, Jürgen did highlight the mids being a tad shouty.

I did some minor adjustments on the tuning console. Somehow, reducing midrange “shoutiness” dulls the overall sound and rendered it lifeless. I told Jürgen about it. From our experience with the Diamond, we know cable and eartips can make or break the sound of an IEM, and so Jürgen suggested maybe KBEAR could match the earphone with right “accessories” to tame the midrange a bit. 

Another few weeks had passed, and KBEAR was busy promoting Diamond. They didn’t contact me again until one fine day, I received a WeChat message asking how Jürgen and I feel about KBEAR KB04. I told them it needs a good cable and eartips. I was immediately hit back in protest – “blah, blah, blah… this is a budget set, if we include fancy cable, it is going to increase the cost… ” Okay, okay… Cool down. I didn’t want to agitate her further, so I told KBEAR to go ahead with the final tuning. The earphone sounded fine to us.

Subsequently came Chinese New Year, then the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great China Lockdown. At the same time I was busy with other projects. The presence of KBEAR KB04 left my memory completely. Then in March, out of the blue I received a WeChat message from KBEAR. This time informing me KB04 will be launched by month’s end. I tried to recall which earphone KB04 was… I dug up the frequency response graph… Oh, that one! And so, I posted it on the Audioreviews Facebook page.

So, what is KBEAR KB04 and how does it sound? I believe there are many talented reviewers out there who can write and describe sound better than me (such as my colleague Loomis Johnson), so I won’t go into that. What I can share here are its shortcomings and which kind of audiophiles the KBEAR KB04 will appeal.

– First of all, do understand that the KBEAR KB04 is a budget IEM model… Meaning everything has been skimmed to most basic to save cost. 

– KB04 is tuned for beginners and amateur audiophiles in mind… In another word, it is suitable for newbies who are still discovering their sound preferences.

– Since KB04 is tuned for newbies, it has a “safe” tuning. Meaning, it will appeal to most people (both audiophiles and non-audiophiles), and is suitable for a broad range of music.

– And since this is a budget model, those advanced-amateurs or expert audiophiles can give it amiss. If you insist on buying a set, PLEASE LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND DON’T NITPICK – KB04 was tuned by amateur tuners still in diapers.

– To get the most from it, you will have to spend more than US$30. Put aside at least $20 and invest in a good set of cable and eartips. If you already own some, do a mix and match to find the right combination.

– If the upper-mids glare bothers you, do a 3M Micropore mod on the nozzles. That will smoothen the sound a little and makes it more palatable to treble sensitive ears.

If all of the abovementioned seem reasonable and acceptable to you, order a set, enjoy it and be happy.

Every audiophile has a starting point, Jürgen and I are glad that you use KBEAR KB04 as your launch pad. Slowly but surely, you will grow in this hobby, and so is your earphone collection. By then, KB04 will be a distant memory to you as well.

Happy exploring…

Contact us!

RELATED…

Loomis’ review of the KBEAR KB04

Baskingshark’s review of the KBEAR KB04

Jürgen’s photos of the KBEAR KB04

The post KBEAR KB04 Tuning – A Distant Memory Lost And Found appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Like many headphone aficionados that have survived the Walkman area, we both are proud owners of diverse foldable on-ear headphones: Koss Porta Pro, Koss KSC75, Koss KPH30i, Sennheiser PX 100 and Sennheiser 100-II, and buckets full of small AKGs. The Koss Porta Pro has been a staple for the budget audiophile since 1984. The Sennheiser PX-100 models have been around since the early 2000s, and the 100-II version was discontinued in 2019. All the above models have in common that their drivers are covered with black foam ear pads, roughly of the same size. In the recent wake of Chi-Fi earphone development, our perfectly good small on-ear headphones have disappeared in our drawers – as the new toys — many in-ears — have taken over.

I was brought to our attention, recently, that Yaxi, a dedicated Japanese company, offers colourful earpads for these models, that not only make them look fresh again, but also dust off their sound. Yep, Yaxi claims these earpads make our old headphones sound better. These earpads are visibly thicker and bigger, which should also reduce the clamp pressure for increase comfort. In the following we analyze the Yaxi earpads for sound, comfort, and optical appeal.

The Yaxi earpads fit our Koss Porta Pro, Koss KSC75, and the Sennheiser PX 200 and 100-II. They also fit the KPH30i.

Ordering

Ordering was done from the Yaxi website and was very easy as worldwide shipping from Japan is included.

https://www.yaxi.jp

One pair is $12 and two pairs are $19.99 (much of this must be towards postage/fast shipping). We paid for four pairs and received a 5th pair for free. They arrived within a few days of order (less than one week) in Vancouver and Calgary – evidently Japan Post is still operating at pre-coronavirus efficiency. The earpads came with three small anime-type posters and in very lush colours.

Biodegraded’s Technical Analysis

The Yaxi pads were used on the Koss KSC75 with the KPH7 headband.

Here they are with the original pads in the background; the Yaxis are bigger, thicker, and denser:

They are certainly more comfortable than the stock pads. The latter fit nicely inside my pinnae, which I’ve always suspected helps their bass; the Yaxis spread the load more, making the squish from the tight headband more comfortable for long sessions. 

The first noticeable sonic difference is a reduction in volume, which I presume is due to a combination of the denser foam and the increase in driver distance from the ears. On my measurement coupler the difference is 3-4 dB at 1 kHz, but my head not being a flat plate I’m not sure that’s representative – it might even be a little more.

There are also tonality differences. Perhaps surprisingly (despite increased distance from the ear canals) there’s more bass with the Yaxis. Although my measurements (see below) suggest it’s distributed throughout the bass and lower mids, I heard it particularly in the low bass. Measurements also suggest they reduce the spike in the upper mids (4-6k) by a couple of dB and boost the mid-treble around 3 dB. I’m not sure I heard the former, but the latter was noticeable as an increase in low-level detail in what for me are the highs (my hearing doesn’t extend much beyond that area).

Effects on timbre and technicalities I think follow directly from the tonal differences. Bass seems better balanced and less muddy, transients in the upper mids through treble seem sharper and microdynamics in the treble are definitely improved. I didn’t notice any handicap through the mids that might be suspected from the Yaxis’ reduction in SPL there.

Measurements. The Yaxi pads were measured at 90 dB at 1 kHz, the stock pads were measured at the same place on the Nano’s volume dial (giving 3-4 dB @ 1 kHz higher SPL, as mentioned above) and then pulled down in REW to match.

It is assumed that this coupler (and/or mic) gives more bass rolloff than is realistic, so the differences in the low bass/’sub-bass’ between the two sets of pads may, as per my impressions, be more than through the mid and upper bass.

In conclusion: these would be a good addition to 75s or PortaPros for the increased comfort alone, but the sonic differences in the lows and highs make them doubly good value. I foresee increased head-time with these at the expense of some of my IEMs in my walks around the park and shoreline in future.

Jürgen’s Technial Analysis

My Sennheiser PX 100-II loose quite a bit of volume with the Yaxi earpads. At the same time, the bass is perceived as increased and extended, and the upper midrange is definitely reduced. This dialled-down upper midrange removes shoutiness, widens the soundstage, and results in a much more refined image. And the bass adds depth to the image. This is a good example how the recession of the midrange contributes to a better sound. What is not ideal with either set of earpads is the bass: remains somewhat boomy.

Using the Yaxi earpads with the original Sennheiser PX 100 achieves a similar result. But this earlier model still sounds somewhat flatter than he PX 100-IIin comparison (both with Yaxis).

The Koss Porta Pro also record a decrease in volume, stronger, extended bass, and a stretched soundstage.

I have to increase the volume on my iPhone SE or use a dongle amp such as the Audioquest Dragonfly when using the Yaxi earpads on the Senns and Porta Pros to match the output achieved with the stock pads. Nevertheless do these headphones with Yaxi pads work reasonably well without amping, too.

The Yaxi ear pads definitely increase the comfort: the bigger and thicker/softer pads (compared to the stock pads) spread the clamp pressure over a wider area. I didn’t realize how good these headphones (still) are, and the Yaxi earpads made me find them attractive again…and use them again. Task achieved!

Concluding Remarks

The Yaxi earpads are not only eye candy because of their lush colours, they also reduce clamp pressure for improved comfort — and they alter the sound characteristics because of their larger diameter and thickness (compared to the stock pads).

For us, the Yaxi earpads worked like the icing on our (old) cakes. They are a little, affordable luxury that provides lots of pleasure and makes us appreciate and use your old gear again. And isn’t that what this hobby is all about?

Yaxi have indicated to us that they will be releasing earpads for the Grado SR60e and SR80e models soon. Stay tuned for our analysis.

Yaxi Gallery

The post Yaxi Earpads For Koss Porta Pro/KSC75/KPH30i Review – Tutti Frutti appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Thanks to Wooeasy Store for sending the first tuning beta. I received the beta two days after Crinacle and Hawaii Badboy (Chris) got theirs. Chris made a YouTube video with graphs.

Crinacle wrote a short comment on Discord. After both commented, I knew roughly what to expect from the BL-05 more or less.

However when I put them in my ears, my anticipated smile turned into a drooping frown faster than Usain Bolt could reach the finish line. The treble is way too peaky!

There are plenty of details though but in the wrong places. Vocals sounded harsh and brittle… Timbre is artificial… I can continue the long list of negatives but in short – no way is this earphone going to the stores.

This is when my job as a tuner comes in. I posted my listening impressions on Audioreviews.org Facebook page. Then I posted comments on both Audioreview and NBBA (No BS Budget Audio) Facebook page seeking suggestions on what audiophiles want from the new tuning.

Next I posted a several graphs on Audioreviews.org to collect opinions and suggestions. It is a TEAMWORK!!! Crinacle shared his concerns. Many have posted their opinions too.

Special thanks to Erlk Ikomori, Yannick Khong, Andrew Grimshaw, Sandeep Shetty, Brian Wheatley, Matt Batista, Rodrigo Rodrigues and many friends of Audioreviews.org (apology if I missed out your name).

I have done a rough tuning and will submit the parameters to BLON after Jürgen received his BL-05. As of now, I am quite satisfied with the new tuning. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that BLON will accept and approve the “new sound”.

We shall NEVERGIVEUP!!! 

Some Photos Of The Blon BL-05

FURTHER READING

Tuning The KBEAR Diamond – A Killer Earphone Ready To Go! by Jürgen Kraus

The post Belief in Driams: The Oppoty To Tune The BLON BL-05 appeared first on Music For The Masses.

KopiOkaya (more) and I (less) recently started helping manufacturers Blon and KBEAR with tuning earphones (we reported) – for free. This came from cumulative frustration with purchases and review units of models that did not appeal to the western ear (including KopiOkaya’s). The idea was to help with generating a product that is universally liked and that works right out of the box, at an attractive price.

Our first project was the KBEAR Diamond (name suggested by co-blogger and Head-Fier Slater). It sports a “Diamond-Like Carbon” (DLC) coated dynamic driver, one that reacts very sensibly to the smallest changes. Not an easy task keeping balance across the frequency spectrum. Therefore, much of the tuning was done by applying different filters. One thing we recognized right away was the potential of this earphone.

What the heck is a DLC coated driver?

KopiOkaya and I received two Betas, we listened, measured, and communicated via Facebook Messenger, often both testing simultaneously. This was not always easy, considering the 15 hour time difference between Singapore and Calgary.

You may wonder why we did not choose a FR that plots between red and blue. I would have preferred this but the tuning filters did not allow it.

The first iteration (green) was too bassy, the second (red) was not bassy enough (that is: good for jazz, classical, but not “fun” enough for most other genres). In no case was the cable particularly attractive. We also had to pick our own eartips and recommend them to the manufacturer. We wanted to make sure this iem works right away and that no upgrades are required.

One of the last steps was deciding on the cable entirely based on sound!!! I am not a believer in cable sound differences (you know they cannot be measured) but HOW WRONG I WAS. We had two cables available, the pink OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) cable in the title photo above and the grey OFC (oxygen-free copper) cable (see below).

What the heck is Ohno Continuous Cast?

The KBEAR Diamond’s sound with the pink OCC cable was disappointing to both of us: way too bassy, which congested the low end. Also too punchy. No, that can’t have been it. KopiOkaya and I were equally horrified…such a poor result after all this work?

Plugging in the grey 8-core OFC cable created a totally different and much more balanced, more appealing sound. Smoother and more homogeneous throughout the frequency spectrum with a way more articulate bass. Done! Bingo! And it is obvious that, if the sound with one cable is perceived as awful but attractive with another, that there MUST be a difference. The KBEAR Diamond is obviously sensitive to such cable differences and is therefore a good object for testing your cables with. The culprit cannot be the impedance profile, which is usually flat in a single DD so that cables with different impedances would still result in the same frequency response. Beats me why these differences.

We also decided on a quality leather case to complete the package, and not a soft baggie or a pleather case. This earphone is worth it. In the end, we are very happy with the result: a well-built, great sounding earphone with good accessories at an attractive price. Let’s see how it will be received by both consumers and reviewers. Not sure whether I will write a full review of the final product or just a detailed characterization. We also hope our contribution will inspire other manufacturers to follow suit and put more emphasis on the small details that usually make the big difference.

The KBEAR Diamond has been available since 15 December 2019, initially limited to 500 pairs, at ca. $79. KopiOkaya and I will not receive any compensation for our work. After all it is our hobby. And on to the next project…

Keep on listening!

The post Tuning The KBEAR Diamond – A Killer Earphone Ready To Go! appeared first on Music For The Masses.