[kman1211]

Do u find them fatigue these 660s and s2 on all songs ? or it was specific notes ? Did u try just for test to eq them to see if that fix it ? if it does then it was something about the sound signature that u doesnt work with u . Because is true 660s and S2 up on highs are different compared to 600 and 650. the strange thing is that most people find that signature way smoother and warmer compared to 600.

On all songs, but not initially. What happens with the HD 660S, S2, etc. and others have the unsymmetrical venting is they bother more the longer I listen to them. They're fine the first hour or so then their sound starts sounding harsher and more irritating the longer I listen to them.

Really strange , U find S2 more fatigue than S1 , and also S2 more fatigue than Beyer T1.3 ??? Is this Gen 3 way different than Gen 2 ? doesnt have that Beyer type sound of 6k-7k peak ?
I think that at the end of the day the hearing of people is really different .

Yeah I found both of them more fatiguing than the T1.3, but I also found them more fatiguing than the T1.2 (black edition) and Amiron Home. The T1.3 is tuned quite differently but does still have more treble energy than the Senns. Beyers can sound spicy initially coming from Senns but they bother me less the longer I listen to them. Headphones like the Beyers and HD 600/650 bother me less the more I listen to them, whereas the S1/S2 bother me more the longer I listen to them. I find the HD 650 a bit hard sounding in the upper mids at first but once I listen longer it becomes a non-issue.

Its not bad to dislike a Headphone , for example i dislike Koss portas that everyone love .
The problem is trashing a good quality headphone because u dont like the sound signature ( not talking about u ) , Me for example i can see the Superiority of Beyers and i have a lot of respect for them , but sound signature was something difficult for me , i have use some foam discs on some of them and use them for over a year ... amazing speed and dynamics.
So i feel the same about HD 6 line , they can say anything they want if they dont like this signature , but vocals , timbre ,organic smouth sound is spot on everyone knows that.

True, people definitely have different tastes. I know Beyers are trashed for their spicy treble on most models or unique tuning (such as the T1.3) but they are technically no slouches especially for the price and I never had problems with their mids or bass. Some Beyers are too bright for me too, but the fatigue I get from that is different, it’s just a specific FR region that bothers when it’s being highlighted too much. Yeah the HD 6 line has great vocals and timbre. Many people don’t like the HD 6xx line because they find it boring, dull, or veiled or something along those lines but they have excellent timbre and vocals.

 

[FritzS]

Beyers can sound spicy initially coming from Senns but they bother me less the longer I listen to them.

Yes, the longer you listen to Beyer, the less disturbing its peak is - I know that from DT1990. And the peak only appears unpleasant in very few pieces of music - it seems to depend on the mix.
I use DT1990 with balanced pads - tested analytical pads too. Compared them with AA Composer.

 

[Mike F]

On all songs, but not initially. What happens with the HD 660S, S2, etc. and others have the unsymmetrical venting is they bother more the longer I listen to them. They're fine the first hour or so then their sound starts sounding harsher and more irritating the longer I listen to them.

I very much respect your opinion and your listening experience, but I can’t see how the asymmetrical venting can be the issue. I know you’re not certain about it yourself, but I would be surprised. It’s a strange coincidence nevertheless…….

 

[kman1211]

I very much respect your opinion and your listening experience, but I can’t see how the asymmetrical venting can be the issue. I know you’re not certain about it yourself, but I would be surprised. It’s a strange coincidence nevertheless…….

I understand but so far asymmetrical venting is the only reliable and consistent thing I have found to explain why some dynamic headphones fatigue me in such a way with longer term listening and some dont. This is different than fatigue caused by FR response, distortion, and cup resonances. I haven’t found any other potential causes for it so far sadly. Venting doesn’t seem too outlandish as it does affect the driver behavior. If you’ve modded headphones, changing the rear damping on a driver massively changes the sound.

 

[Mike F]

If you’ve modded headphones, changing the rear damping on a driver massively changes the sound.

It will change the sound, of course, but I wonder why it would cause fatigue if it doesn’t introduce the other things which you mentioned above (distortion, et cetera).

 

[kman1211]

It will change the sound, of course, but I wonder why it would cause fatigue if it doesn’t introduce the other things which you mentioned above (distortion, et cetera).

I’m not sure honestly, could be due to something like subtle turbulence bothering me over time. I’m not saying it affects everyone and I seem to be oddly sensitive to whatever it is that’s going on. I’m sure there are some advantages to using asymmetrical venting just as there seem to be benefits to symmetrical and opposing symmetrical.

 

[rafaelo]

Do u find S2 more fatigue than S1 ? Κωνσταντινε εμενα τα S2 Ειναι πολυ ποιο σμουθ και ζεστα...

Not at all. I do not find super fatigue with any of the 6 series but is not so smooth as the 58x or 6xx which I can listen for hours. The elex is another story though.

The s1 and s2 provoked me also to choose more technical tracks and in general provide some energy that i believe is not ideal for long listening sessions.

The 58x have other benefits as well, my wife does not complain when i were them in the bed at night. They are like semi closed with less sound leakage while she complaints a lot for the 660s as she hears them much more loud.

When i put the 58x after the s1 and s2 I feel immediately a big drop in technicalities but if wait for few songs to seetle in they get me into the zone for a really long run.

I love them all of course and is not even crossing my mind to get rid any of my 6 series headphones. On the contrary, i am thinking to adding more!!!

 

[rafaelo]

Do u find S2 more fatigue than S1 ?

Not at all. S2 much more smooth treble they are amazing but they have energy.

 

[Not so fat head]

Doesn’t Sennheiser and the other science based manufacturers use lasers to map the deformation of the cone. I would expect them the catch any strange stuff happening with venting changes..

 

[kman1211]

Doesn’t Sennheiser and the other science based manufacturers use lasers to map the deformation of the cone. I would expect them the catch any strange stuff happening with venting changes..

I was thinking they used various science-based methods to compensate for it and that’s why I’m confused it causes me trouble. But haven't given up on them as I noticed Senns asymmetrical vented drivers do bother me less than others, hopefully I can fully address it with system matching.

 

[GearMe]

I don't really try to analyze the headphones that much as it can drive me nuts, I focus on what I feel the most comfortable listening to...

This! I often find myself listening to my 'mid-tier' cans over my 'reference' ones

 

[Mike F]

This! I often find myself listening to my 'mid-tier' cans over my 'reference' ones

Yep. In reality there isn’t much wrong with the HD600/650. Still one of the best ways to enjoy music at any price.

 

[kman1211]

This! I often find myself listening to my 'mid-tier' cans over my 'reference' ones

There is nothing wrong with mid-tier, many mid-tiers such as the classic trio for instance were flagships back when I started this hobby. I found it best to just listen to what you naturally gravitate towards instead of trying to convince yourself a headphone is better for you because it’s technically more impressive, more expensive, etc.

 

[FritzS]

There is nothing wrong with mid-tier, many mid-tiers such as the classic trio for instance were flagships back when I started this hobby. I found it best to just listen to what you naturally gravitate towards instead of trying to convince yourself a headphone is better for you because it’s technically more impressive, more expensive, etc.

I listened to almost all AKG headphones, and I owned quite a few. At trade fairs and as part of the head-fi group in Vienna, I was able to hear many headphones, including real flagships (from STAX, Sennheiser Orpheus & HE-1, AKG K1000). Only the K712 and K812 remained from AKG.
From Austrian Audio Hi X65 and Composer (for test).
I only listened to Beyerdynamic in passing - until I bought the DT1990 last summer. Now I alternate between DT1990 and Composer, although I listen more with DT1990. I never thought I would like headphones under 500€ so much, better than K712, just ahead of K812. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Past time I owned a Sennheiser HD600 too, it sounded a bit too dark and lifeless to me - compared to K701 back then.

Now “Song for Drella" John Cale, Lou Reed - heard with DT1990

 

[rafaelo]

I found it best to just listen to what you naturally gravitate towards instead of trying to convince yourself a headphone is better for you because it’s technically more impressive, more expensive, etc.

This...exactly this!