Sennheiser HD 800 Redux

[deepak]

Could it be a Ham radio operator broadcast? My phono-stage used to pick up a low level Ham broadcast some nights. It was very low in the noise floor, you could just make it out when the stylus moved into the lead out groove.

[tkam]

Have you tried other headphones? 

Coiling the cable?

Shielded interconnects? 

Just thoughts. 

 

 

If it wasn't clear I believe this only happens w/ the Extreme.  Other amps are fine.

[Torpedo]

Ferrite rings?

[spritzer]

Exorcism? 

[Grahame]

Faraday Cage?

[Dusty Chalk]

Could it be a Ham radio operator broadcast? My phono-stage used to pick up a low level Ham broadcast some nights. It was very low in the noise floor, you could just make it out when the stylus moved into the lead out groove.

I was thinking pirate radio.

[Torpedo]

Did you try the ferrite rings on the headphone cable? Several? I guess you did, it's just to know if you found some difference using them on the power wires, interconnects or the headphones to determine which wires are acting as the antenna. Maybe it's all them.

[Torpedo]

Sometimes they help when the wire is acting as an antenna. The coiling making the problem worse is kind of  revealing, maybe extending it completely and moving around the room could show if the reception gets worse, perhaps a clever system placement can get rid of it.

[Torpedo]

Interesting. The gypsy curse didn't fell on all your Single Power stuff

[deepak]

Sounds like a Mikhail premium add on option; SP Extreme with source built in. Except you only get gospel. That twisted jerk.

[ironbut]

Sometime when the problem is at it's most audible, try twisting the headphone plug and see if that makes any difference. If so, it could be made worse by oxidation in the chassis jack.

 

It's also possible that your problem is more of an FCC issue.

Small private station's contracts with sponsors are partially based on the number of homes the they say they can reach. It isn't unusual that a station will roll the dice and transmit above what they're licensed and or, allowed to just to reach an additional community.

It could be that many of your neighbors have the same problem but no one's complained because they just don't listen as closely as you do.

You might want to contact the FCC and file a complaint.

 

On the other hand, if you know anybody that's a ham radio operator, AM interference is a common problem. They are usually the best guys to track down and solve these kinds of problems.

[tjkurita]

So this only happens with the Singlepower amp?  If that is the source, can you, or anyone, relieve whatever it is inside the amp that is causing the AM radio to be picked up?  I wish I knew more about this, because I bet it is completely driving you nuts and I know you like the amp.  What even causes radio reception to come through? 

[Sherwood]

I've been playing with EQ, as per Ari's recommendation, and the HD800 really sings when I knock down the 7k a few Db.  Now I'm all aflutter.  What a tremendous headphone.  I look forward to listening to it properly when the L2 arrives in a few months.  Until then I have to say, I've not been this smitten with a dynamic since ever.  I've loved the sound of a few others, namely the old pink driver RS-1, the HP-2 and the K1000, but none of those were enjoyable going into hour 3 of marathon listening.  These things are delicious stretching out to infinity.

 

The trick is getting rid of the tizz without getting rid of the sparkly.  Still working on it.  Hopefully it's a little less finnicky (and less demanding of EQ) out of a proper amp.

Edited August 17, 2013 by Sherwood

[nikongod]

I've been playing with EQ, as per Ari's recommendation, and the HD800 really sings when I knock down the 7k a few Db.  Now I'm all aflutter.  What a tremendous headphone.  I look forward to listening to it properly when the L2 arrives in a few months.  Until then I have to say, I've not been this smitten with a dynamic since ever.  I've loved the sound of a few others, namely the old pink driver RS-1, the HP-2 and the K1000, but none of those were enjoyable going into hour 3 of marathon listening.  These things are delicious stretching out to infinity.

 

The trick is getting rid of the tizz without getting rid of the sparkly.  Still working on it.  Hopefully it's a little less finnicky (and less demanding of EQ) out of a proper amp.

 

Try adding a notch filter at 3.5Khz and 14Khz as well.

They are somewhat interactive, but once you know the frequencies to use its just a matter of getting the amplitudes. 

 

Yes, it does take a bunch of time to get it dialed in, but when you get it right its realllly cool. 

[complin]

Presume its an active rather than passive equaliser?

Do you find it lowers the overall sound quality a little with all that additional electronics in the way?  

 

Try adding a notch filter at 3.5Khz and 14Khz as well.

They are somewhat interactive, but once you know the frequencies to use its just a matter of getting the amplitudes. 

 

Yes, it does take a bunch of time to get it dialed in, but when you get it right its realllly cool. 

[Sherwood]

I'm using the parametric EQ built into JRiver, and might instead use a DSP plugin if I feel it results in better sound.  It's not really anything in the way of additional electronics, but it is a little more processing.

[dsavitsk]

This is pretty bizarre. Input transformers seems like overkill, and the good ones aren't cheap.

 

Input transformer is never overkill ...

[guzziguy]

They can be underkill if they are not expensive (i.e. they are cheap).

[deepak]

Input transformer is never overkill ...

I mean in relation to the price of the Extreme. Even a pair of Cinemags would run a bit under $200.

[ironbut]

I'm a fan of the slight honey coating and punch that a good input transformer adds. In the case of SinglePower gear, it may be too much of a good thing.

Probably more than usual, this is a really, really personal taste thing.

[grawk]

I had colin put cinemags in my m3, and it was a great amp.

[grawk]

you should be able to easily do that.  put input and output jacks with nothing in it but the trafos

[grawk]

I liked the cinemag cmli 15/15a

[dsavitsk]

The Cinemags are very nice, but you'll lose a little resolution. The Jensens are essentially identical but they cost more. The Lundahl LL1592s are a little more expensive, but resolve enough better to make them worth the difference to me. The Lundahl LL1690s are more expensive still, but are absolutely transparent. They are what I used in the L-2 by default.

[guzziguy]

I mean in relation to the price of the Extreme. Even a pair of Cinemags would run a bit under $200.

 

How much do you think an Extreme is worth these days?

 

The Cinemags are very nice, but you'll lose a little resolution. The Jensens are essentially identical but they cost more. The Lundahl LL1592s are a little more expensive, but resolve enough better to make them worth the difference to me. The Lundahl LL1690s are more expensive still, but are absolutely transparent. They are what I used in the L-2 by default.

 

I was going to suggest to Jacob that he ask you.