Sennheiser pc350's sound like tin cans question

[Joe3417]

I just picked a pair of these up from ebay for 60 bucks new. But, they require 150 ohms to power correctly. Now i am really bad with audio but i do know onboard sound isn't going to cut it for these. My question is if i can get an inexpensive headphone amp like the FiiO E6 and not a sound card. Will that make them sound better? Because right now they sound horrible.

[Rorgash]

60$ headphones are 60$ headphones me thinks, but could be something else i guess

[Joe3417]

60$ headphones are 60$ headphones me thinks, but could be something else i guess

you didnt even look up what they were lol, they retail for 200

[Lauen]

Make sure it's plugged in properly, and check other headphones to see if those also sound weird, try them on other devices too, like phone, laptop, tablet or whatever. 60 bucks for new ones sound like a very low price though, slightly suspicious to me. Onboard shouldn't REALLY have too much issue driving them, especialyl not yours, yours HAS a built in headphone amplifier but I don't know if that's front ports or back ports, try both front and back ports.

[Lauen]

also might be that they just sound like that, idk I haven't tried them

[ZetZet]

they shouldn't sound bad if your sound card can't drive them, they should be quiet if it can't drive them.

[Rorgash]

you didnt even look up what they were lol, they retail for 200

oh, yea sorry, well i wonder i wonder why someone would sell something worth 200 in new condition for 60... hmmm

[Jodomcfrodo]

you didnt even look up what they were lol, they retail for 200

You didn't think that someone ditching $200 headphones for $60 would only price them so low because they're broken?  I doubt that $140 would magically come off if they were working like new. 

This is why used electronics are never a good idea.

[gramzon]

Might be fakes..

[BoredErica]

I just picked a pair of these up from ebay for 60 bucks new. But, they require 150 ohms to power correctly. Now i am really bad with audio but i do know onboard sound isn't going to cut it for these. My question is if i can get an inexpensive headphone amp like the FiiO E6 and not a sound card. Will that make them sound better? Because right now they sound horrible.

I'm been thinking.

 

Is it technically correct to say "A headphone requires 150ohms to power correctly"? The way I'd go about phrasing it is this: The headphone has an impedance of 150 ohms. This means the amp needs to drive X number of volts to drive the headphone correctly. (Instead if saying "they require 150 ohms", say they require x number of volts.)

Now I could be wrong, but a phrase like that jumps out and looks awkward to me.

 

 

they shouldn't sound bad if your sound card can't drive them, they should be quiet if it can't drive them.

I'm relatively sure that's wrong. To some extent I think they can sound not as good if it is not driven well enough. You can be at a cutoff where audio is loud enough but not quite as good as it can be. When we were calculating the ability of the O2 to drive HE-6 we were considering the dynamics of a track and the loudness a person wants.

 

[Joe3417]

Make sure it's plugged in properly, and check other headphones to see if those also sound weird, try them on other devices too, like phone, laptop, tablet or whatever. 60 bucks for new ones sound like a very low price though, slightly suspicious to me. Onboard shouldn't REALLY have too much issue driving them, especialyl not yours, yours HAS a built in headphone amplifier but I don't know if that's front ports or back ports, try both front and back ports.

will do thanks

[Joe3417]

 

I'm been thinking.

 

Is it technically correct to say "A headphone requires 150ohms to power correctly"? The way I'd go about phrasing it is this: The headphone has an impedance of 150 ohms. This means the amp needs to drive X number of volts to drive the headphone correctly. (Instead if saying "they require 150 ohms", say they require x number of volts.)

Now I could be wrong, but a phrase like that jumps out and looks awkward to me.

 

 

I'm relatively sure that's wrong. To some extent I think they can sound not as good if it is not driven well enough. You can be at a cutoff where audio is loud enough but not quite as good as it can be. When we were calculating the ability of the O2 to drive HE-6 we were considering the dynamics of a track and the loudness a person wants.

 

 

No you're right. I barely know anything about audio.

[Joe3417]

Might be fakes..

I know for sure theyre not fake so this is not the issue.

[BoredErica]

Maybe Ebay can help you refund? Wouldn't count on it though, given you got a pair of headphones. If you received nothing at all, then we've got a good case. 

 

 

You didn't think that someone ditching $200 headphones for $60 would only price them so low because they're broken?  I doubt that $140 would magically come off if they were working like new. 

This is why used electronics are never a good idea.

 

He said in OP that he got them new, no?

I dunno, my experience has been more positive... Both of my high end headphones are "used". (But pretty lightly used, more like owner disliked them or wanted to do some sort of Headfi trader rep stunt).

[Joe3417]

@Lauen well i plugged them into my htc one and they sound amazing. 

 

BTW, where did you get your headphones? Is it possible to get a refund, from Amazon or something maybe?

From ebay the guy sells them new without a box. I know they're not fake because many other people have bought them off him and confirmed they're not.

[BoredErica]

@

Lauen well i plugged them into my htc one and they sound amazing. 

 

From ebay the guy sells them new without a box. I know they're not fake because many other people have bought them off him and confirmed they're not.

Well, things just got interesting.  B)

[Joe3417]

I think i need a sound card. My onboard makes these really bad. Maybe someone can recommend something.

[BoredErica]

I think i need a sound card. My onboard makes these really bad. Maybe someone can recommend something.

I actually have the MSI z87 G45 gaming. The audio on there is very good. So I dunno. (Driven HD800s off of that mobo's onboard before.) And I'm too tired to think.

You know, the usual people will be here soon enough to post their ideas.

[Joe3417]

I actually have the MSI z87 G45 gaming. The audio on there is very good. So I dunno. (Driven HD800s off of that mobo's onboard before.) And I'm too tired to think.

You know, the usual people will be here soon enough to post their ideas.

[Lauen]

@Lauen well i plugged them into my htc one and they sound amazing. 

 

From ebay the guy sells them new without a box. I know they're not fake because many other people have bought them off him and confirmed they're not.

Does your HTC One have the beats audio thing? if yes, is it on? if yes, try turning that off and see what happens. did you try front and rear ports on your PC?

 

A soundcard could help, but there are probably better solutions, such as a Syba DAC, the upcoming Fiio E10K, or if you wanna splurge an o2 + odac. These are all external solutions, as the inside of a PC is literally full of electronics and interference.

[xXxYOLOxSWAGxXx_420BlazeIt]

I just picked a pair of these up from ebay for 60 bucks new. But, they require 150 ohms to power correctly. Now i am really bad with audio but i do know onboard sound isn't going to cut it for these. My question is if i can get an inexpensive headphone amp like the FiiO E6 and not a sound card. Will that make them sound better? Because right now they sound horrible.

Are you sure they are not counterfeit?

 

Look at the O2 amp. Ive just bought one (not arrived yet) but all reviews ive seen seem to say its good. I cant find any bad reviews for it though, so who knows.

[SSL]

First thing I'd suspect is that they are defective, maybe a hair or two on the driver or something?

 

O2 is absolutely overkill, at most you should be looking at a Syba unit.

[xXxYOLOxSWAGxXx_420BlazeIt]

First thing I'd suspect is that they are defective, maybe a hair or two on the driver or something?

 

O2 is absolutely overkill, at most you should be looking at a Syba unit.

How is it overkill? It will outlast his shittseiner headphones (every set ive had has literally fallen apart within 3 years) and will be good for pretty much anything he upgrades to in the future. Its less than £100 as well.

 

Surely he would be better of spending a small ammount now for a product that will not need to be replaced for a long time.

[BoredErica]

First thing I'd suspect is that they are defective, maybe a hair or two on the driver or something?

 

O2 is absolutely overkill, at most you should be looking at a Syba unit.

Speaking of which, I had a friend who said his hair managed to get stuck on a driver on his headphone. He recommends I clean mines out once in a while. Is that a thing?

[SSL]

How is it overkill? It will outlast his shittseiner headphones (every set ive had has literally fallen apart within 3 years) and will be good for pretty much anything he upgrades to in the future. Its less than £100 as well.

 

Surely he would be better of spending a small ammount now for a product that will not need to be replaced for a long time.

 

Because a Syba DAC or Fiio E10K will do the same thing for less money.