Deformed pads definitely change the sound with DCA. Even Dan Clark himself said in an interview that even a millimeter of difference will greatly affect the sound. The initial Stealth review by Passion for Sound was done with a unit that had worn out pads which changed the sound drastically, yet visually you couldn't really tell the difference between the new ones and the old ones.

I got the DCA Expanse. Everything was top notch except for the earpads. They were made out of quality materials but had big tolerance issues and were crooked. I've seen other DCA headphones with similar pad issues. Even HiFiman has less QC issues when it comes to the pads, from what I've seen. It seems that's the weak point with DCA.

Eastern Europe. If you want to buy music here, you really have to fight for it and sometimes, it's just impossible. Ironically, I'm often told that we can't purchase music here because there's a lot of piracy in this region... I wonder why that is.

Mainly Bandcamp. I used to use Tidal before it shut down.

Sometimes I have to use Apple Music because not everything is on Bandcamp.

Amazon Music told me I live in the wrong county.

Qobuz took my money, didn't allow me to download what I had purchased and then told me I live in the wrong county.

Nice. Much better then the original response.

Beats are still bassy, though they now have a lot of subbass, not so much mid and top bass. Compared to the first two generations, they are now built much better and sound better but I would still recommend against them as they are still known to break around the hinges.

If you want a bassy headphone, get the Meze 99 Classics or 99 Neo.

Lorem Ipsum has been replaced

More like Audeze LCD cups with Focal-like headband.

I don't know if LEMO makes the HD 800 connectors or if Sennheiser makes it themselves but it's custom. I searched for the model number on LEMOs website and none of the connectors fit the one on the HD 800. The FGG.0B.302 is really close but it's not exactly the same. Every compatible connector is HD 800-specific and it costs a ton compared to standard 3.5 mm or miniXLR. AliExpress has some knock-offs but the fit is quite bad. I guess they did it so people will have to buy their cable, which is also quite expensive BTW.

As a Sennheiser HD 800 owner, fuck the custom Lemo connector.

Same goes for the Hirose connector on the Dan Clark Audio Expanse.

Both could've just used a simple 3.5 mm jack.

Tinnitus is caused by loud sounds (aka increasing the volume to unsafe levels), not from the headphone itself. It doesn't matter what headphone you have, if you go over ~85 db, you are going to get permanent hearing damage. Search "safe sound levels" on Google.

Also, tinnitus is not a problem in and of itself, it's a symptom of a problem and it's not always caused by hearing damage. It can be a symptom of nerve damage, cervical issues, prostate cancer, etc. I suggest going to a few different doctors (audiologist and neurologist at least) to have it checked.

As far as a headphone recommendation, if you like absurd levels of bass, then try the Meze 99 Classics.

The best aftermarket pads are the Dekoni Elite Velour but they will change the sound of the headphone. Pads play a very big role in the tuning of a headphone.

As far as the headband goes, some people like to put the Dekoni nuggets and they say it improves comfort.

As far as the clamp force goes, the headband is made out of metal and you can bend it to your liking to reduce the clamp. I suggest you try this first before you start investing in pads.

Just recently, I bought a Denon AH-D7200 just for the looks (and to have something based on the Foster design) but they turned out to sound incredible and are now one of my favorite headphones.

My favorite headphones for pure music enjoyment are the Denon AH-D7200, Grado SR60i, AKG K240DF and the AKG K712 Pro.

I have the Sennheiser HD 800, Meze Empyrean, Dan Clark Audio Expanse, HiFiMan Ananda and Grado GS3000e. While they are all good at something and do provide a good listening experience, they are either solely focused on analytical listening or are good at a very specific thing.

If you don't like the treble on the Fostex, then try the Denon headphones. They are made using the same Foster Denki base which is used by Fostex but they are not as treble intensive. Go with the Denon AH-D5200 as it's the closest to the TH900mk2 (slightly less V-shaped but still bassy). The AH-D7200 is more relaxed in the treble and has a slightly recessed ear-gain region making it very non-fatiguing. The AH-D9200 is like the TH900mk2 but without the bass-boost, so you will probably not like it.

Keep in mind that the DT 990 is sibilant even to people who like treble-forward headphones. It's not a headphone for everyone.

Also the DT 990 pads are notorious for wearing out quickly. I have to change the pass on mine every 2 to 3 months as they become so flat, the driver cover starts pressing on my ears. This doesn't apply to the DT 770 as the pads have a stiffer foam on the inside. In comparison, my HD 599 pads last about a year and a half before I need to replace them.

All AKGs are made in China now, except the K712.

I bought mine a couple of years ago (serial number 077457) and I haven't had any issues.

That said, that plastic piece is known to break sometimes even on the old Austrian made ones. It's relatively rare but it does happen.

I'm afraid nothing is close to the K701 outside of other AKG models. The K612 Pro is really good, though. The K712 is also really good and I love it but it sounds nothing like the rest of the K7 or K6 line.

Possibly yes, but since the code is closed source, you will have to reverse engineer it which is no easy task.

If you want to tinker around, I recommend going with the Pine64 PineBuds Pro which are open firmware and you have a lot more control over this type of thing.

Parents: What did you do at school today?

Kid: Nothing much, just squirting.

I like it when the mids are exactly im the middle.

Tinnitus?

Pads are the same. Were both sets of pads new? I'm guessing one of them was older then the other. Pad wear changes the sound.

I'm not a fan of the Pro4S. Pads are too shallow and the huge dip at 250 Hz is just way too big for me. For the price, there are much better alternatives.

Here is the FR for the Pro4S:

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/koss-pro4s/

Here is the FR for the HD 820:

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/sennheiser-hd820/

And here is the FR for the K371:

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/akg-k371/

The Peo4S is like a cheap HD 820. Very different compared to the K371.

Bought an old SR60i as a joke after looking at the FR graph. Ended up loving them so much, I bought the SR325is and GS3000e. Now looking at the GS3000x. It's the Grado magic.