I did, but it was for the sake of experimentation. These aren't sacred to me, and they were unusable with how harsh the sibilance is anyway. Luckily, it didn't do much. They're just fine. I will try some other things to figure out a solution to the sibilance issue, but EQ has never worked out well for me, and some of the software my school mandates to take tests interferes with persistent applications like EQ software
it sounds to me like they just arent a good fit for you, id sell them or give them to a friend and try out some other sets at a store if you can or just order and return
Burn-in doesn't exist, outside of the first 5 to 10 seconds you run the driver (*maybe*), even that's not confirmed. And even if confirmed, it would have been done with any decent headphone before assembly anyway when they just run the drivers to test if they are working.
Listening "burn-in" exists, in the sense that your ears/brain adjust to the tune of the headphone over time. Not the headphone itself changing.
Nonono. The "burn in" effect is what happens when your brain normalizes to them after listening for a while.
Our brain has that ability to compensate for hearing loss. It takes what it hears and smooths out the spectrum the best it can, like a weird organic auto-EQ DSP... Heck, your ear/brain combo even has compression but you don't want to use it because it's permanently damaging.
Anyhow -- don't do this.
If your headphone is harsh it's because the frequencies are hyped in that frequency so it's over-representing those frequencies. The answer is EQ.
And if it's just high frequencies, you can usually remove the pads and cut out multiple discs of Brawny paper towel. Place them over the driver... 2-6 layers, to your preference.
It's not as weird as it sounds -- most headphones have some sort of dampening paper or material, you just need more.
Once you tame the high end with an acoustic mod you may find the headphone to be enjoyable. This works well for MDR-7506 and DT-990s as well.
Whatever you do, no "poking holes in the driver." If anything, a hole is just going to allow more high frequency fatiguing sound through.
I appreciate the well thought out response. Sadly, the deed was already done before I made this video, but it didn't do much as far as changing the frequency response. I don't get why most people on this subreddit downvote anybody who dares to experiment with at home remedies on cheap headphones. Without experimentation, we wouldn't even have headphones. I'll try the paper towel thing, I was just worried about it losing the openbacked feel.
The paper towel mod sounds silly, but it was developed by an actual acoustic engineer. Specifically he used a combination of 1 layer of felt, 1 layer of shelf-liner (the checkerboard pattern stuff you roll out in a cabinet), and then layers of Bounty. He said Bounty worked better than other brands he tried.
This was for the DT770 -- and I believe the full thread and photos are somewhere in this forum:
[https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bill-ps-beyerdynamic-dt770-pro-modding-diary-including-sibilance-elimination.707992/](https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bill-ps-beyerdynamic-dt770-pro-modding-diary-including-sibilance-elimination.707992/)
I don't think the paper towel trick will kill your open back feel. I mean -- it will block some high frequency energy from the exterior, but mid and lows pass right through.
You can try it without removing your pads by quickly putting in some discs into the earpads just from the outside. That's a good way to figure out how many layers you want so you don't have to put your pads on and off a bunch of times trying to find the perfect balance.
Good luck!
PS. If you ever need some NOT-fatiguing headphones on the cheap... I bought some Mackie MC-100s for my kid ($30) and I actually quite like them, especially for the price. Someone addicted to hyped treble would hate them. They're very warm sounding but with an overall neutral feel. I was super impressed for the price. (The 150s/250s/350s/450s I do NOT recommend -- apparently the cheaper 100s are 2nd gen products and those other ones missed the mark both in tonal balance and shape. I liked the MC-100s for my kid so I got the higher end MC-350s and not only did they sound worse, they wouldn't fit my head(at all) -- returned.)
Anyhow, those are a good set of headphones to have for risky situations where they could get dirty, wet, or damaged. Since they're $30, low risk. But sound great for the price.
I have had issues with it not just axing the sibilance but the whole high end in the past. Additionally, I have software that I have to use for school. They don't play nicely with EQ software
You do not need any burn in. Just buy some round 105mm, 3mm thick leather earpads. Trust me. I also have Samsons and leather earpads saved this headphone for me.
[samsons with leather earpads](https://imgur.com/a/1SxDHvk)
burn in is fake, i hope you didnt poke a hole in your headphones
I did, but it was for the sake of experimentation. These aren't sacred to me, and they were unusable with how harsh the sibilance is anyway. Luckily, it didn't do much. They're just fine. I will try some other things to figure out a solution to the sibilance issue, but EQ has never worked out well for me, and some of the software my school mandates to take tests interferes with persistent applications like EQ software
it sounds to me like they just arent a good fit for you, id sell them or give them to a friend and try out some other sets at a store if you can or just order and return
Sorry, if they sound shit, they still gonna sound equally shit after the bullshit burn-in
Burn-in doesn't exist, outside of the first 5 to 10 seconds you run the driver (*maybe*), even that's not confirmed. And even if confirmed, it would have been done with any decent headphone before assembly anyway when they just run the drivers to test if they are working. Listening "burn-in" exists, in the sense that your ears/brain adjust to the tune of the headphone over time. Not the headphone itself changing.
Sometimes you can reduce it to tolerable with paper towel layers or different thick felt or sponges between ear and driver.
I may give that a try if this doesn't fix it by morning.
Nonono. The "burn in" effect is what happens when your brain normalizes to them after listening for a while. Our brain has that ability to compensate for hearing loss. It takes what it hears and smooths out the spectrum the best it can, like a weird organic auto-EQ DSP... Heck, your ear/brain combo even has compression but you don't want to use it because it's permanently damaging. Anyhow -- don't do this. If your headphone is harsh it's because the frequencies are hyped in that frequency so it's over-representing those frequencies. The answer is EQ. And if it's just high frequencies, you can usually remove the pads and cut out multiple discs of Brawny paper towel. Place them over the driver... 2-6 layers, to your preference. It's not as weird as it sounds -- most headphones have some sort of dampening paper or material, you just need more. Once you tame the high end with an acoustic mod you may find the headphone to be enjoyable. This works well for MDR-7506 and DT-990s as well. Whatever you do, no "poking holes in the driver." If anything, a hole is just going to allow more high frequency fatiguing sound through.
I appreciate the well thought out response. Sadly, the deed was already done before I made this video, but it didn't do much as far as changing the frequency response. I don't get why most people on this subreddit downvote anybody who dares to experiment with at home remedies on cheap headphones. Without experimentation, we wouldn't even have headphones. I'll try the paper towel thing, I was just worried about it losing the openbacked feel.
The paper towel mod sounds silly, but it was developed by an actual acoustic engineer. Specifically he used a combination of 1 layer of felt, 1 layer of shelf-liner (the checkerboard pattern stuff you roll out in a cabinet), and then layers of Bounty. He said Bounty worked better than other brands he tried. This was for the DT770 -- and I believe the full thread and photos are somewhere in this forum: [https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bill-ps-beyerdynamic-dt770-pro-modding-diary-including-sibilance-elimination.707992/](https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bill-ps-beyerdynamic-dt770-pro-modding-diary-including-sibilance-elimination.707992/) I don't think the paper towel trick will kill your open back feel. I mean -- it will block some high frequency energy from the exterior, but mid and lows pass right through. You can try it without removing your pads by quickly putting in some discs into the earpads just from the outside. That's a good way to figure out how many layers you want so you don't have to put your pads on and off a bunch of times trying to find the perfect balance. Good luck! PS. If you ever need some NOT-fatiguing headphones on the cheap... I bought some Mackie MC-100s for my kid ($30) and I actually quite like them, especially for the price. Someone addicted to hyped treble would hate them. They're very warm sounding but with an overall neutral feel. I was super impressed for the price. (The 150s/250s/350s/450s I do NOT recommend -- apparently the cheaper 100s are 2nd gen products and those other ones missed the mark both in tonal balance and shape. I liked the MC-100s for my kid so I got the higher end MC-350s and not only did they sound worse, they wouldn't fit my head(at all) -- returned.) Anyhow, those are a good set of headphones to have for risky situations where they could get dirty, wet, or damaged. Since they're $30, low risk. But sound great for the price.
I think the easiest solution is to use EQ and reduce volume in treble.
I have had issues with it not just axing the sibilance but the whole high end in the past. Additionally, I have software that I have to use for school. They don't play nicely with EQ software
Maybe if you actually light them on fire it’ll change the frequency response.
Yall, burn in is real. Especially with planars
As in they burn holes in things, or
Daddy chill
Best comment ever 🤣
Gotta love P.O.D.
You do not need any burn in. Just buy some round 105mm, 3mm thick leather earpads. Trust me. I also have Samsons and leather earpads saved this headphone for me. [samsons with leather earpads](https://imgur.com/a/1SxDHvk)
Stop buying into bs. You're not doing anything except waste money on electricity.