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My brother just bought some Beats by Dr. Dre, so he gave me his Sennheiser HD555's. I already have the 595's so I didn't really need them, but I had always been interested in modding headphones (just couldn't get myself to take apart my 595's). I saw this mod on youtube and decided to try it on the used HD555's since I wouldn't feel bad if I messed something up.
I was a bit skeptical when the internet reviews said this would make an HD555 perform like an HD595. I mean, why would a company purposely retard it's own product to be able to sell it for less, right? Well, after I did the "mod" (this one is fairly simple as far as mods are concerned), I did notice a large improvement in the HD555. I'm not a big "audiophile" but I would say that they now DO perform similar to my HD595, with the biggest improvement in bass.
On a side note, I realized that a lot of companies did this. If I remember correctly, I remember reading some time ago that the iPod/iTouch already had capabilities in earlier generations that were revealed in later generations. I guess companies do this to 1. be competitive in various spectrum of the market, and 2. ensure customers make repeat buys when later models are revised and "improved."
Well, anyways, after this little mod, I was wondering if anyone else had any experience modding headphones? I did a search, and a lot of you have really nice headphones like the AD700's, Grados, etc. but I'm more concerned specifically about modding headphones. I would like to know what other minor improvements could be made to headphones. For example, I saw a couple of websites that specialized in re-wiring to increase/decrease impedance, put in gold-plated wires, etc. I know that the HD555/595 aren't going to be on par with $300++ headphones like HD600, etc. and won't benefit as much, but I'd still like to be able to produce the best sound I can out of them, and it'll be a learning experience (especially since I plan on upgrading to be better headphones later on and would like to carry over any mods). There are a ton of websites that show how-to's and such, but I'm more wondering if anyone had any specific experience doing it, what the improvements were, and if it was worth the trouble. (i.e I saw a cool little how-to on making your own amp, but figured that wasn't worth the time - although it would be nerd bragging rights for sure; like, whoa, that's a cool peppermint box, uh no, it's my headphone amp).
I can post this in head-fi, but I always like hearing TL feedback.
And oh, I recently got a Little Dot amp, and it DOES help a lot.
 
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On December 05 2010 04:31 jacosajh wrote:
I was a bit skeptical when the internet reviews said this would make an HD555 perform like an HD595. I mean, why would a company purposely retard it's own product to be able to sell it for less, right?
Of course they do this. It's to maximize profits by targeting all the different markets for headphones.
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Try the HD600's you'll never go back to any other full size headphones unless you want to pay an extra grand.
Modding them will rarely give a good result, time+effort+investment you could use to get the 600's. Mine are in perfect condition and i've used them all round since they where originally released; so many years ago.
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There are a bunch of mods you can do to cheap ear buds/IEMs/headphones if you wanna fool around with that stuff. If I had more time I'd do it myself but it seems like something fun to fool around with.
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On December 05 2010 04:40 ieatkids5 wrote:Show nested quote +On December 05 2010 04:31 jacosajh wrote:
I was a bit skeptical when the internet reviews said this would make an HD555 perform like an HD595. I mean, why would a company purposely retard it's own product to be able to sell it for less, right? Of course they do this. It's to maximize profits by targeting all the different markets for headphones.
Its also possible the headphones didn't pass the specs for the better version. Though without comparing both pairs you'll never know.
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The sound signature between the HD555s and HD595s is marginally different, but it really doesn't matter because so much of your sound depends on the audio file and the source, so yea they're more or less the same.
Also, you should slap your brother for trading HD555s for beats.
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i also modded my sennheiser pc350, drilled 2 holes to give some more air to the bass response and added some cotton to help dampen the echo and make it more punchy. i also had a huge amount of improvement as it felt far too tinny when i got it, i got angry at it and modded it the next morning.
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Very cool looking mod. I wish i could find my tiny set of Phillips head, I couldn't get passed that step. 
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I've also performed the HD555 mod, and for the music I listen to (sometimes bass-heavy) the difference was actually astonishing. In fact, I definitely wouldn't have recommended the HD555s as a purchase without it.
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On December 05 2010 05:21 Adeeler wrote:Show nested quote +On December 05 2010 04:40 ieatkids5 wrote:On December 05 2010 04:31 jacosajh wrote:
I was a bit skeptical when the internet reviews said this would make an HD555 perform like an HD595. I mean, why would a company purposely retard it's own product to be able to sell it for less, right? Of course they do this. It's to maximize profits by targeting all the different markets for headphones. Its also possible the headphones didn't pass the specs for the better version. Though without comparing both pairs you'll never know.
they use the same drivers ... there are differences in the driver housing (the part that goes over your ears) which sennheiser warrants to sell for extra.
this illustrates it best
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/403963/sennheiser-hd555-and-hd595-internal-comparison-shots
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hahahahah.. your brother bought beats by dre.. what a sucker
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Canada3710 Posts
I'd buy the HD595 just for the better housing and looks, as well as the pads. It's not all about sound. They could be bare naked and sound the best in the world, but I still wouldn't go for them. But if you like the HD555 design with the HD595 sound, go ahead. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.
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On December 05 2010 08:24 Gatsbi wrote:
hahahahah.. your brother bought beats by dre.. what a sucker
Tbh, I liked the sound coming out of the Beats better. They are $300. I don't imagine they would be just crappy headphones marked up 3000%. They might not be as good in engineering/science as the Sennheisers, but that was just my first impression. They really do have good bass, which is what I like more than anything else. I am not an audiophile and I am not really musically inclined, although I like to listen to music so that's probably why. I just wouldn't get the Beats because they are uncomfortable and of the price. And it doesn't help that just about all audiophiles shun them.
And while we're on this subject, I recently contacted an amazon customer about CX980's that fell apart on my after about 4-5 months use. I was afraid they were fake, so I asked. He just responded to me and said they were 100% real and I could get another pair free of charge. My thoughts are, well, I'll take them. But if they are 100% real, he's probably losing money (I don't know the markup on Sennheisers). He doesn't have any reason to do this since I can't leave negative feedback or anything. So I'm thinking that he's just doing this so I won't report him to authorities? I don't know anything about this and search results don't give anything specific. I did e-mail Sennheiser though to see if they can give tips on how to spot fakes.
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Oh I'm sure they sound better than HD555's, the thing is, with 300 dollars you can get badass headphones 100000% better than the Beats by Dre.
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On December 05 2010 11:25 jacosajh wrote:Show nested quote +On December 05 2010 08:24 Gatsbi wrote:
hahahahah.. your brother bought beats by dre.. what a sucker Tbh, I liked the sound coming out of the Beats better. They are $300. I don't imagine they would be just crappy headphones marked up 3000%. They might not be as good in engineering/science as the Sennheisers, but that was just my first impression. They really do have good bass, which is what I like more than anything else. I am not an audiophile and I am not really musically inclined, although I like to listen to music so that's probably why. I just wouldn't get the Beats because they are uncomfortable and of the price. And it doesn't help that just about all audiophiles shun them.
And for good reason. They have tons of midbass, but no bass extension. True bass is something you can hear, something that hits hard when it needs to, is accurate, and is something you can feel. Beats' lacks bass lower than 24kz. $50 could have more than satisfied your appetite for bass with a different headphone.
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I've never modded headphones...but if you are looking for the best headphones out there, I would get the Sen HD-25s. I own a pair and man...you hear things that you normally don't hear in most headphones. I tried out Beats in futureshop a few months ago...it was so distorted I couldn't handle it.
Get the HD-25s and you will never go back to any other headphone. Sennheiser also has replaceable parts for these ones, so you never need to buy a new headphone again. HD-25s are used by top djs, and even casters of sports (you may notice that artosis and tasteless wear them for GSL, with a mic of course).
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EPT
