hoverdonkey
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- Joined
- Oct 6, 2019
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Congrats. I bellyache a bit here about the slam and upper bass, but I love the sound overall. Be interested to hear what you think!
Sorry for my slow reply, but I have been being a patient boy and have been letting my new cans & old ears settle in. Insodoing, I have had a pleasant few days re-reading this thread.
My Closed X were a long time coming - the order was placed four months ago. This did, however, give me time to get used to my existing cans (AKG K550 Mk. 1) with my new amp (Topping A30 Pro), DAC (Topping D10b) and player (Pi Zero 2W + PiCorePlayer or Moode), so I was well prepared for the new arrival. Coming from the K550, I find the Closed X to be much more comfy. More importantly, they are far less sensitive to postioning (I was always fiddling with the K550 to find some bass) which makes for a much more enjoyable listening session.
Soundwise, I was initially disappointed by the Closed X (shock!) - there was a distinct boxiness in the upper bass. I was just starting sweating and regretting my investment and four-month vigil... then I remembered they had tuning pads pre-installed. I whipped them out and, hey presto, boxiness gone! To put it scientifically: they sound fancantastic! But I don't need to tell you all that.
I notice that the pre-installed tuning pads (the single notch white felt) are quite stiff and have a distinct tone when tapped (in the upper bass region, funnily enough). It seems odd to me to put a resonator inside the cans! Moreover, blowing through the filter meets with noticeable resistance - this would surely cause them to tend to move with changes in air pressure - i.e. act as a passive radiator, thus compounding the resonating problem. Another thing, less likely, perhaps, but I wonder if the stiffness of the pad might also encourage reflections back to the transducer... that would mean be even more sonic mess? Needless to say, the pads won't be going back in!
It's great to finally be on board with my Closed X cans. They're lovely!