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Is Headphones Break-in Real? - Study by RTINGS.com

solderdude

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This is the correct way to lower clamping pressure. Never do it the way Tyll suggested (by bending the plastic headband)

My old HD650 had perfect clamping force from day 1 and was never bent.
All the later models I tested/measured/tried had a high clamping force and needed some bending.

The earlier pads had softer velours as well.
The later versions were 'pricklier' in the beginning but get more comfortable quickly.
 

Sal1950

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My old HD650 had perfect clamping force from day 1 and was never bent.
As I said earlier my 650s fit just fine.
I think it's a matter of head size.
There are those of us that have normal people sized heads
Then there are those with big watermelon noggins- neanderthal folks. :eek::p:p:p
 

Dogen

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As I said earlier my 650s fit just fine.
I think it's a matter of head size.
There are those of us that have normal people sized heads
Then there are those with big watermelon noggins- neanderthal folks. :eek::p:p:p

Maybe as we devolve, our heads are returning to bony, bulky Neanderthal dimensions, and unfortunately, headphone clamping.
 

solderdude

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As I said earlier my 650s fit just fine.
I think it's a matter of head size.
There are those of us that have normal people sized heads
Then there are those with big watermelon noggins- neanderthal folks. :eek::p:p:p

I have a small head... For motorcycle helmets I always had to buy a smaller size.
The newer Sennheisers all clamp, the early one I have never did. It was comfy from day 1.
 

DonH56

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I have a small head... For motorcycle helmets I always had to buy a smaller size.
The newer Sennheisers all clamp, the early one I have never did. It was comfy from day 1.

I think it's the feathers that make it comfy. :D
 

solderdude

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I do have to stretch the headphone quite far as can be seen. So my noggin may be small but still...
The headphone 'I' am wearing is actually a picture of real one .. a prototype that isn't launched yet.
 

Sal1950

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Melon Heads :p
melonhead-600x480.jpg
 

cjfrbw

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What we need are headphones whose break in not only gets us past the return period, but also past the warranty period.
 
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margrave

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Regarding break-in ... I was a non-believer until last year. At that time I bought a Sennheiser HD579. I was REALLY unhappy with the sound.

I used them for a short while ... maybe 15 minutes.
The next day they sounded great. Like a completely different unit.

Maybe it just needed its "joints" loosened up a bit. :)
I really don't know what's going on, but the difference was big. Not subtle. Enormous.
 

solderdude

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So the first 15 mins it sounded poor (sound did not change during that time) and put it away, out of frustration, and the next day they sounded great and continued to sound equally great after that. ?
 

JJB70

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I found that my ATH-MSR 7 headphones were unwearable outside on the first day I had them as wind noise from a poor pad seal. After a day's use they were fine as the pads seated around my ears. I have noticed a few reviews complain of this and say they returned them, it makes me wonder how many people have dumped an excellent pair of top value headphones because they didn't give the pads a day or two to soften and seat properly.
 

Sal1950

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jhwalker

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I don't agree with this, at least not all the time.

To be sure, I've experienced ear shock on first putting on new headphones but gotten used to them in a very short time - that's just getting used to them ;)

I've also heard VERY BAD headphones turn into very good headphones with "break in" or whatever you want to call it. For example, my HiFiMan HE-500s sounded like absolute poo when I took them out of the box :( Rather than send them back immediately, I hooked them up to my amp and played my music collection (on shuffle) on them over the weekend - WITHOUT listening to them at all (I was out of town). When I came back on Monday and tried listening again, the difference was literally night and day; i.e., the difference was NOT subtle. They literally sounded like different (and much better) headphones.

I don't believe in break-in for most components (other than very quick charging of capacitors, tubes warming up, etc.), but physical devices like headphones and speakers are in a bit of a different realm, I believe (and, no, I don't have measurements to back it up).
 
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